Modern Vespa

lurking on CL I saw a post about a 60s c70 no pics so I was curious looked it up.

Is it a scooter...motorcycle....hybrid...how would you classify it?

Just curious. Saw many similar bikes in Thailand when I was there for a month and they intrigued me then.

If I showed up at a scooter rally at one of those would I be banned and have rocks thrown at me? (not looking to buy it but more curious where it stands in the scooter world as I'm sure if one showed up at a biker bar the rider would get the snot beaten out of them.)

Honda Cubs are cool. I think many consider them scooters due to the legshield on the front, but I dunno - personally I don't think they are all that "scooter-like" in appearance. Just my personal opinion.

They are known for running forever and sipping gas. I think most small-displacement PTW fans look on them fondly. I highly doubt you would be shunned away from a scooter rally on one except, perhaps, if it was a rally specific to a particular brand, like a "lambretta only" rally.

I'd like to have one if I had any room. The SYM Symba is a knockoff of the Honda Cub.

cool thanks.

All the info I got was....

"this motorcycle....blah blah blah...scooter...blah blah blah"

Very mix-matched.

thanks for the info.

I mean, personally, the motorcycle/scooter line can be pretty blurry. Most people consider it to be down to body design - with a scooter generally considered step through with legshields. I think the Honda cub has those elements.

However, its frame is really more similar to the traditional "moped" frame - kind of like a motorcycle but with a dip in front of the seat like on a woman's bike. Your feet on the cub operate pedal-like levers and hug the side of the frame/engine like on a motorcycle, rather than resting on a floorboard like on the common "Vespa" scooter design. The thing which wins it the scooter points in my book is the legshield which is mounted on the frame. Protects the legs and feet while riding.

Like I said, I think it's generally considered to fit into scooterdom, but my personal opinion based on the observations above is that it's more like a shielded moped or motorcycle.

They have a really cool automatic clutch design like the Trail series Honda motorcycles (CT70, CT90, CT110). Basically, if the throttle is engaged, the clutch is engaged and you are in gear. To shift, you simply let the throttle off and the clutch disengages itself. Then you use the pedals to shift like on a motorcycle, and once in gear you pull the throttle open again and you are driving. It's kind of cool - halfway between shifty and automatic (though I guess more in the shifty direction)

A Honda C70 Passport was my first scooter and my main transportation back in 1981 while at college (U of F).

The have made over 60 MILLION Cubs since they started making them. The new SYM Symba is the newest reincarnation of the Cub. You can have a healthy conversation about them over at ADVRider.com in their Battle Scooter forum or at nay of the Cub focused sites.

Throughout the Far East where they sell in their millions, they're known as 'underbones' and seen as being completely separate from scooters and motorcycles.

Around here, bikes like the c70 and their descendant offering from major players like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki etc are not called scooters. They are simply known as cubs.

Yes, they are commuting bikes and sells in millions. Capacity wise, they are mostly 125cc - 150cc 4 strokes. Transmission wise, they are either 3 speed like the original cub or they can go up to 6 speed clutched shift, just like big bikes. Some also comes with fairing and disc brakes front and back. Consumption wise, most can do about 50km to a liter, which makes them ideal bikes for commuting in the city.

Here's an example
http://www.suzuki.com.my/products_belangR150.htm?sh=Belang-45-RED

Honda C70 Passports are great bikes!!! We had one and rode it at rallies and on scooter rides. Nobody ever gave us a bad time. Actually lots of folks came up to us and said that was the bike they learned on!
We sold it to a fellow MV'er-kinda wish we hadn't, but it went to a great home!

In the US there is also the Fly Scout. (Cub copy.)



http://www.flyscooters.com/scooters/scout#