"Rider" Review

The Elite 250 has been around for two years and returned relatively unchanged. It’s powered by a water-cooled, four-stroke single. In the scooter market the Elite 250 isn’t considered an entry-level item; it’s a big gun among the scoots. But plop it next to a motorcycle and it lands in the beginner’s category.

Cruising down the boulevard, the scoot and the cycle both get a lot of attention. The scooter is cleanly covered in shiny fibreglass and geometrically eye-pleasing.

The scooter isn’t burdened by vibration, but it gets blown around a bit more by the big vehicles, and its little tires dance on the rain grooves. Most of the Rider staffers feel the Honda’s more suitable to less threatening situations Personally I don’t mind riding the scooter on the freeway, and in the face of gridlock, I find it ideal for lane splitting. Another valid advantage is that people notice you. They might look at you like you’re crazy riding a scooter on the freeway, but at least they see you.

The Elite’s steering, on the other hand, is about as quick as it gets. A beginner must be very careful not to oversteer.

Since about 80 percent of the scooter’s weight is on its rear tire, it has “backward brakes”, meaning that the strongest brake is the drum on the rear, which is operated by a pedal on the floorboard. Use of the drum in conjunction with the hydraulic disc on the front stops the scooter cleanly.

Front suspension on the Elite is a leading-link fork, which doesn’t offer a lot of absorption. The rear has dual shocks that work fairly well but lack adjustments.

The Elite’s easy to ride, too. Apply the brake, touch the button and away you go. No playing with the choke, it fires to a preregulated idle. No changing gears, it’s fully automatic. It’s easy It’s like riding a chair. Perfect for running down to the store to pick up a quart of milk. And at the same time, adequate for a Sunday ride. I take it out among large displacement motorcycles without a second thought. I’m never far behind. And I’m always the first one out of a parking lot.

Both scooter and motorcycle have very comfortable short-term seating ergonomics. … The Honda’s only seating ergonomic advantage is that you have the entire area of the floorboards on which to adjust your feet, instead of being limited to footpegs. The scooter also has the best seat of the two. It’s more pliable and slightly tapered toward the front.

… the Honda Elite is one sweet scooter for $2,398 (that includes locking glove box, chrome rack on the rear, rubber floorboards and a digital clock).