Modern Vespa

I live in RI and although I see scooters here and there, they are not very common. Mostly 150s or smaller, an occasional Vespa, but mostly Chinese city bikes. Whatever, I only see them on surface streets. In the past year or so I've only seen one other scoot on the Interstate (a GTS, of course).

Until today. I saw a guy riding what looked to be a red packing crate, at least that's what it looked like from the back. He accelerated smartly up the ramp and merged with traffic easily. When the right lane slowed a bit, he easily whipped into the next lane with me keeping pace behind him. The bike was just as fast as my GTS, swooping gracefully around the sweepers at Thurber's Avenue..

A bit later, he got stuck behind a truck and I came around him to see what the hell he was riding. It was a Honda Elite, I guess a 250cc because it was pretty fast.

The bars were a bit lower and narrower than my Vespa, but the cat looked nice and comfy, slight forward lean, windscreen coming about up to the shoulders, big wide seat and capacious footboards.

Ugly as sin, but apparently very capable. I wonder if it wasn't designed to look right under Devo and Lou Reed if it might have done better.

P.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've kinda had my eye on the Yamaha Riva, since one of our club guys picked on up.

I'll probably be shot for saying this, but they kinda remind me of an 80s update version of the old... here goes nuthin'... Lambrettas.

The Japanese scooters of that era all remind me of Battlestar Galactica for some reason.

I see that elite and I can't help think of this




but that Riva is the bee's knees.

Actually, I love the look of the honda elite. The 80's models in particular with the headlight that pops out. They're so ugly and blocky that they've come full circle and become beautiful!

Ha, I was just telling a friend that I would love an Elite 80 but it would have to have the pop-up headlight! I love these things and think that someday there will be broader appreciation of them as design icons. They're basically the beige all-in-one Macintoshes of the scooter world (and, um, I have 5 of those...).

The Riva was cool too, especially in the gold color scheme. By cool I mean hideous. By hideous I mean cool. Until they chopped the nose off. Bastards!

The gold is hideously, gloriously, badgood.

RI is a good state to ride scooters. Providence is a small enough city to not be too crazy (like Boston) traffic wise, and there are lots of secondary roads to get anywhere if you want to avoid the highway.

Yup, this is pretty close to scooter heaven. There just aren't too many of us for some reason.

P.

I posted these on the wrong thread but here is my Helix that had in the late 80's (web pics). Ugly but an AWESOME scooter. Rode it 70-80 miles a day to work.

Another pic

Sorry about the 3 posts. I had a kenwood stereo system right below where the pic cuts off. Kenwood made them custom for the helix

The CH250 is a capable hi-way cruiser, but is not as quick as a GTS. My friend has one and we raced. I beat him in acceleration and in top speed, plus the older Hondas like that have drum brakes and a foot pedal for the rear. I let him ride mine and he was amazed at how much stiffer my chassis was.

Still, if you can find a nice one for under $1500, you have yourself a great bike for the money.

I wasn't looking to trade or anything, but I was just surprised at how capable it appeared to be. Of course I love my GTS--disc brakes, EFI, stiff metal monocoque, and I wasn't racing or anything--the Honda just looked like it was not far off in performance and I was not expecting that.

P

I'll probably be shot for saying this, but they kinda remind me of an 80s update version of the old... here goes nuthin'... Lambrettas.

*GASP*

A friend of mine is restoring a Japanese "Rabbit" - apparently made by Fuji between making aircraft in WW2 and cameras a bit later. Here's a piccy:

Bugger, I'll have to look up how to attach pictures, I'm too much of a nub!

Here's a link to a site for them instead:

http://www.fujirabbit.com/

Cheers,
Mim

Those Honda Elites were sold here as the Spacy. I see a Spacy 250 around here occasionally in white, with the Navy Blue plastic inner trims and original matching top box. Total collectors item! Prices for these in good nick are on the rise...

I had a custom Elite 150 back in early 80's. Had a friend that worked at a Honda dealer and would get wrecked Elites in all the time. He got a red one that had been rear ended and a blue one that had been rear ended and put them together and sold it to me for $150. I had the only two tone Elite on the road

Wayne B

The Fuji Rabbits (especially the Superflow 200) are among the most loved vintage scooter designs. I don't know if the '80s Hondas will ever be as admired as the Fujis or even the Honda Supercub (which has gained new fans thanks in part to the Symba).

Then again, I recently learned Vespa ETs are being bought and sold as collectible vintage moderns, so what do I know?

Oh yeah, they will do the job just fine. That scooter turned into the Helix later on. If Honda would bring it back with fuel injection and disk brakes, and keep the price reasonable (unlike the SH300) they would have a winner.

I agree! I don't think people have learned to appreciate the Elite 80 yet. Miles Davis rode...well...at least he leaned on one.

Yes, I like the Riva too. I agree with astromags: That gold is "hideously, gloriously, badgood". I love it! I'm pretty sure I've seen that colour on an Elite too.

JLB and would definitely give Piaggio a run for their money i think.

I have owned, or own now about a dozen Honda scooters of all shapes and sizes. My Aero 125 2-stroke is the rarest model they brought in the States. I think they brought in around 500 of them for just 1984. Yes, it is that fabulous gold color, but remember the times....

Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWF-hH1nloo
"Black Gold"

I have a long list of "cool scooters I wish Honda had brought to the US but didn't."

Currently at the top:
The Giorcub, which was a cross between their kind of retro-Italian styled Giorno and a Supercub. Clutchless foot shifter on the floorboard!


That's a heck of a lot cooler than a Met/Scoopy if you ask me.

i just purchased a honda 150 elite that needs work for my girl friend she rides a honda 80 elite now but still looking for a e4for her

Wow, 2 Riva 180s in one thread! I had a silver one briefly when I lived in LA. I think everything was stock on it, and I do mean everything. I doubt the poor bike had ever seen the inside of a proper service shop. It came with a functional sock stuffed up in the oil tank. Even so, I basically just treated it like a 2-stroke, because there never was enough oil left in it to change, so I just added to what was left. But it worked pretty reliably, and I could usually get it up to 70mph without it complaining. Just didn't bother trying to take it to a shop when it did have issues... nobody wanted to touch it, no matter how much cash I had.

My first scooter was a gold Riva. I was really surprised at how fast it was. The only thing I didn't like about it was the battery had to be in tip top condition or it wouldn't start. I think I paid $700 for it. Bought it from the local trash guy.

I sold it, got a Suzuki Volusia rode it for a couple of years and then started getting my Vespas. Sold the Suzuki a month ago because I never rode it after I got my Vespa.

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder! To me ... there is just something very, very wrong with any scooter that has a fixed front wheel cover ... and a pointy or boxy one at that!

That Giorcub is a pretty little thing though!