(An ode to “buttercup” from a couple of Burg fans)
Susan loves her new Honda Helix. She bought it as a learner scoot on her way to a Burgman 400; but, now that the Helix has shown her the joy of scootering I wonder if she’ll really trade up. To make sure she was making the right decision, she let her good friend Pete put her through her paces.
Pete’s a scooterist who’s been around the block more than a few times; owns a Suzuki Burgman 650 and is a regular contributor at BurgmanUSA.com. So, as the proud owner of the scooter with the largest displacement available you might thing Pete would poo-poo the timid little 250 from Honda (244cc’s to be exact).
Well, actually he did quite the contrary. Pete gave it a pretty sweet review, harping on the Helix’s cushy seat, easy handling and solid feel.
This review was followed by a night ride review. He still liked it, but found it hard to get used to stepping on the brake peddle. The foot brake didn’t cause me any issues for me because both the Helix and the Vespa T5 have foot brakes… now, the Genuine Blur? Different story.
In the end, it’s not like Pete would trade in his big Burgman for one with less than half the cubes, but when he described it as “quite endearing”, it did bring back memories. Now, granted I LOVE my T5, but I do miss Uhura’s big digital gages, and complete disregard for aerodynamics. I imagine one day I’ll own both. HECK! I may start a Honda Scooter museum.
If you’ve been considering a Helix, you should click on the title link and let Pete and Susan push you over the edge.
6. November 2006 at 3:34 am
I owned a helix years ago, one bought on a whim. I kept it for a year and put 2,500 miles on it. It was a revalation to me after years of motorcycle riding. Here was a tool actually useful to get around town, in a way motorcycles never are. I thougt if the Helix was as good as that, the Reflex must be fantastic. The Reflex was fine but no charm, gone in several monthes. Since then I have owned a number of different two wheeled machines and now, back to the Helix. It is a 20 year old black (repaint)job, and perfect for the maniacal juants around town. Long, low, foot brake, bad suspension, trunk, big butt seat for all; what else is there?