I’m quietly a scooter fan. (When it comes to riding them.)
I don’t take scooter jobs at the shop, but… they’re just so convenient, right? ♪
They’ve got storage space and they’re pretty tough. Let me tell you about the scooters I’ve owned over the years.
This was the only new bike I’ve ever bought in my life.
Ahh, a new bike is just the best, you know? I get all nostalgic thinking about it.
I bought this DIO in high school and customized it to death.
Back then Daytona had these booklets by model with power graphs and everything.
Does an intake chamber actually work?
Does a power filter actually work?
Does a high-speed pulley actually work?
Does a chamber actually work?
So I kept throwing my part-time job money at it, but all it did was make the exhaust and intake louder, and I realized stock was best after all… I have memories of losing faith in a lot of things back then.
Stock DIO
This one was a hand-me-down. I used it as a shop bike for a while, so some of you might have ridden it.
It was a scooter that was neither good nor bad.
JOG Sport
This was also a hand-me-down. When I think about it that way, those were good times, you know?
It was completely different from the DIO—super fast and the front would actually lift a bit.
I even flipped this one too, believe it or not. (´；ω；`)
Lead 90
That was a sluggish bike.
I used this one to go buy the drill press I still use today and brought it back on the bike.
I’d often bring stuff back from the Arakawa River on it… Being young is amazing.
Freeway 250
I went through two of these. It’s one of the scooters I’d love to ride again someday. The foot brake really shows its age. The ride was sluggish, but it was a compact 250 that was perfect for commuting.
But once you hit around 50,000 kilometers, the crankcase would crack, which was a real problem. The muffler would break a lot too.
Forza 250
I had two of these as well. It’s a scooter that transforms when you put on a Malossi pulley kit, and the under-seat storage fits long items, so the cargo capacity was excellent.
The front looks like a Blackbird at night. The long wheelbase means it takes up as much space as a liter bike, which is the big scooter problem…
The Freeway size is really nice.
Forza 250
The one with the keyless system that caused problems…
It’s not convenient at all. If the key battery dies, you’re obviously stuck, and then the receiver on the bike itself breaks—a sad ending…
Analog is the way… Analog is…
Spacy 100
My current scooter. Stylish (?) design that brings to mind the Freeway 250.
Made in China.
You can definitely feel the cost-cutting. It cracks all over the place.
Recently the cargo rack mounting boss fell off… (and I just left it).
But it’s quietly a nice scooter.
Honda scooters have a strong reputation for not breaking down.
Out of the 30 bikes I’ve owned, I’ve introduced 10 of them here. That’s one-third scooters… (´；ω；`)
