Honda appears to be the most popular, in Lancaster, of what I consider the major brands of scooters. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that we have 2 Honda dealers in town: Ephrata Cycle and Sports and Lancaster Honda. Honda makes few changes for America in 2008.Their base model, and the scooter I see most around town remains the Metropolitan. A 50cc model with some storage and styling reminiscent of a Vespa (but in plastic intead of metal), this is the perfect scooter for getting around town. High mileage and low cost are its strengths. For 2008, Honda offers some new colors, including a Gothic (black and gray) and Monza (red on red).
If you like the low displacement, but plan to get out into the country or just want something more masculine, check out the Ruckus. It almost looks like a mini-bike. There is no lockable storage, but there are some interesting hop-up accessories available.It appears as if Honda has dropped the Elite 80 (80cc) and the Helix (244cc) for 2008. These scooters sport a look like what designers in the 1980’s thought the year 2000 would look like. Also gone: the Reflex. Maybe you can find a good deal on an older model of one of these bikes.
That leaves a huge gap in engine sizes until you get all the way up to the Silver Wing at 582cc. This is a maxi-scooter. At over $8,000, it’s competition is the Suzuki Burgman and motorcycles. Power and luxury are what you are paying for. This is not a grocery-getter. This thing’s big enough for touring.
The reasons to buy a Honda are their reliability, value, and the convenience of 2 local dealers. For value and “green-ness” the Metropolitan is the stand-out model.
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1 comment:
That black Ruckus parked at Central Market is mine! My daughters have used it for commuting to the Senorita market stand, and I use it just for fun. My wife even uses it regularly, as we are a one car family living in the West End.
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