"Cycle World" Review

… But don’t make the mistake of dismissing this particular scooter as some 16-year-old’s after-school plaything. It is a serious transportation device. And take our word for it, there is nothing short of a runaway Sherman tank that will slice through a knot of snarled cars quicker and with more ease than an Elite 250. In the hands of a resourceful rider, the Elite-which looks as if it might have escaped from a 1960s Ann-Margre tromps-through-Europe movie-becomes the ultimate point-and-squirt urban assault vehicle capable of leaving any other two-wheeler in the wake of its socially acceptable exhaust note.

The reason the Elite excels in this kind of block-to-block warfare is fairly straight-forward: It is the VMax of the scooter set. Powered by a liquid-cooled, 244cc, single-cylinder four-stroke. the Elite is the largest displacement scooter currently sold in the U.S. Even with its 1.94-gallon, under-seat fuel tank brimming, the 301-pound Elite is capable of performance not far below that of the Rebel, which makes it more than a match for the normal flow of traffic. And while it is a speed demon compared to its less-muscled stablemates, the 250 keeps the genre’s reputation for miserly fuel consumption alive with readings in the 75-mpg range.

And. of course, there are other features that make the Elite stand out. First on the list is the V-matic automatic transmission. Honda’s beltdriven system of two variable-diameter pulleys that smoothly transmits the engine’s power to the rear wheel. Getting the Elite underway is as easy as twisting the throttle grip. placing your feel on the floorboards and steering the thing between the yellow lines. It’s simpler than a bicycle.

From a motorcyclist’s viewpoint, about the only disturbing aspects of the Elite’s performance are its less than-stellar front brake and its slight twitchiness when ridden at or near top speed on the freeway.

Still. those minor complaints will be overlooked by the average scooter buyer. Add electric starting to the basic package. along with a complete array of LCD digital instruments. a glove compartment. a luggage rack and a seat more comfortable than those on most motorcycles. and it’s easy to see why scooters in general are selling so well…