Used Honda Scooters in North America ~ General information guide.

    The following are thumbnail descriptions of Honda  scooters sold in North America during the 80's and 90's. They are likely to be found in the motorcycle or scooters section of your local paper or hidden in your neighbours garage or basement.  While Honda first expected these scooters to appeal to a young urban demographic, a surprising number were sold to older suburbanites (as in the picture above) who clamped them to the back of their "RV"s or scooted about in the summer. Touted as easy to drive with automatic EVERYTHING, quite a few were bought and subsequently crashed in the driveway and then parked at the back of the garage next to that lamp that needs fixing. Honda sold a lot of them so they're out there somewhere. Most that are resurrected also have very little mileage on them.
    While a scooter looks "cute", it still requires some of the same skills as a motorcycle/bicycle to drive so don't mistake "cute" for harmless.  They are fun with a capital "F" and there is nothing like riding a scooter to put a smile in your heart and on your face. Do take a motorcycle course and even if those 15+ year old tires "look" brand new, replace them with some modern scooter tires for an immediate "performance" boost.
    I've tried to put an estimate of top speed and cruising speed to give an idea of which model might fit a particular need. All figures are based on either personal experience or correspondence from other Honda scooter owners.
I have put up another page with parts codes, serial numbers and some basic model info about Japanese models. It contains some useful information although Japanese models were much more extensive and different in several respects. That link is at the bottom of this page. Otherwise links to specific models are spread throughout the text and at the end of the page. Dec/2002

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The Honda Spree (NQ50) seems to have sold well and ,of the older 50 cc Hondas , it seems the most common. Good for popping down to the local  store  along less travelled and quiet roads. I've never seen one on a busy city street without a line of cars behind.  30 mph cruising speed maybe. The Mopedwhiz informs me that the Spree didn't have a variable pulley like other scooters so speed is limited. SonicJay has an excellent website about Sprees. Jason Carrs website is also a wealth of info about Sprees as well as owning and driving a scooter in general.

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The Honda "Gyro" is a peculiar scooter. First it has three wheels but other scooters have three wheels. What the other three wheelers don't do is lean into corners like the gyro. The front portion from the seat forward leans like a normal scooter but the rear "pod" which includes the engine and cargo bed stays flat. The gyro wasn't a one-off design; there are several variations from the utilitarian model shown in the picture on the left to the sporty looking "Road Fox" shown below. Modern variations include a roofed model. Mitch Casto was kind enough to supply some links to web sites concerning gyros and their antecedents which I've posted here. A reader named Ian wrote an article on getting an older Gyro running and allowed me to publish it here.
 

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The Honda "Elite"(SA50)  was introduced to North America in 1988 and stayed essentially the same through 1993. Throughout the years, Honda has introduced minor variations. Some were simply restrictions on the motor to meet local "moped" legislation. Models after 1993 (Dio etc.) look similar but had a number of differences in the engine design which considerably enhanced engine tuning potential. The 1994 and newer models look similar. The SK50 and others had the gas tank moved to under the footboards.   A big improvement in the Elite over previous models was the storage capacity beneath the seat. The engine was somewhat more powerful than the spree but busy roads should mostly be attempted only where there are slow lanes. 35 mph cruising speed with possibly another 5 mph in reserve.  I had mine up to over 40 mph with a European "Big Bore"piston that increased the displacement to 65 cc. A variety of performance parts are available to make this faster in acceleration and top speed. Some Hawaiian shops boast parts capable of rocketing this "moped" to 100 mph+ speeds with water-cooled 120 cc "big bore" motors.  There are no "Elite" models listed by the European performance part manufacturers so it is important to know the European equivalent for your Elite before ordering parts. I have a separate web site with more

The Aero 80 (NH80) was only sold in North America for a few years from 1984 to 1987 (?) The aero 80 had a much larger and substantial frame than the 50cc and was capable of up to around 40-45 mph. It had better acceleration, could carry two people and is probably the minimum scooter required for city commuting in a larger city. Not freeway capable. The 1984 Aero 80 scooter in the above picture does not have stock rear turn signals. The stock ones are the same as the 125 aero pictured below. The 1985 Model had substantially different bodywork with storage in the rear side panels. This same scooter in updated form is still being produced today. From 1988 it was 90cc and the current model is 100cc. Apart from North America, this scooter is known as a Lead throughout the rest of the world. I have a separate web site with more information for the Aero 80.

The Honda Elite 80 is probably the longest running Honda scooter model. Its sold only in the USA now and was first introduced in 1982 in Japan. Its powered by a four stroke motor so is cleaner and quieter than a two stroke scooter. The motor is big enough so its more comfortable for city streets than the smaller 50cc scooters. It can go up to about 40-45 mph and seats two but with larger North Americans this just means drivers will feel comfortable when you're sitting in the passenger seat. Not a highway cruiser but fast enough to keep up with traffic in 30mph zones. The frame is similiar sized to Hondas larger scooters so its much more "Spacy" than the 50cc models. I recently acquired a 1986 model in need of work and have started a web page with more info on this model. Click here for more info.

The Aero 125 (NH125) was similar in appearance to the 80 cc Aero/Lead mentioned previously but was capable of  60+ mph with a cruising speed of  50~55.  I received an e-mail from Mark who says he reaches 65 mph on his 84 Aero with 8000 miles. The largest Honda scooter to have a two stroke motor , these scooters seem to be the rarest of the bunch. I think in the USA they were only sold for one model year.     Being a big fan of two strokes, this would probably be my choice for the Honda with the most "boy racer" potential. JoeD has supplied an account of his rebuilding of his NH125 which I've posted on my Honda owners site. Joe also has a Elite 150 and compares the two.

The 1984 Honda Elite 125 (CH125) had a four stroke liquid cooled motor which would have been one quiet puppy. Speeds were similar to the aero 125. A road test from 1984 can be read by clicking here . 1985 saw the introduction of a 150cc Elite (CH150) to north america which, apart from minor differences, was identical to the 125 cc. It evolved over the several years it was available in north america but no radical changes were made to the motor. From what I've heard from owners of used 125/150's the Top speed seems to be about the same as the 125 Aero~ 60 mph flat out or 50~55 mph comfortably. I believe the 150 continued to be sold until the end of the 80's in North America. The Elite is known as the Spacy  throughout the rest of the world and you could buy a new one up until very recently anywhere but North America.     I have a separate web site with more information about the Elite/Spacy CH125/150. Another 150 web site with specs is here.

A 1985 Honda Elite 250cc (CH250) is pictured here.  The 250 is the second most likely candidate for commuting by highway. Flat out speed is over 70 mph for a healthy 250 but 60 is comfortable cruising speed. As in the 150/125 Elite, the 250 has a water-cooled motor and is very quiet. Some separate web sites I have on the 250 are a road test and a page concerning Elites/Spacys in general.      The 250 Spacy was being produced until quite recently although from 1989 on it was a completely different bike( body style, motor, fuel tank, frame). It has since been replaced by the modern 250 cc Hondas such as the Foresight, Forza, Reflex et al. The modern scooters all have longer wheelbases however and in at least one mans opinion the Elite 250 is the "ultimate scooter".   Some Elite 250 links:  Round the world trip,  Australian Spacy page

Some Links:    a Helix Page  with many links to other sites and also originator of the Helix web ring. My attempt at unravelling the Helix  mystique.

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Scooter items galore at  the Scooter Graphics shop  with Tshirts, Coffee mugs, Clocks stickers, bumperstickers,  etc all with unique scooter designs . Support this site and get some cool looking items for yourself or friends.

For the most comprehensive listing of scooter models and links in the known Universe visit ScooterTunes website at http://www.scootertune.com/index.htm . You'll need to use Alta Vistas translation site to read the Japanese pages but the effort will be rewarded. After 2 years I still haven't visited all the pages of the links they list. This site is the motherlode and even if you're just interested in Hondas visit their comprehensive Honda scooter model listing.