2006 Honda Scooter reviews

I have a Honda Big Ruckus. It can do it all. I have a Doctor's Bag on the front. I keep straps in it. I can get anything on it from a 50 pound bag of dog food, to a sleeping bag on the front and a duffel bag on the back. And for long trips the back support is a Lower back saver. See the rear seat when unlocked with your key flips up! Above the muffler is a long black box it is your tool box and has a lock, also changing the seat position requires the key as that is locked. I am thinking of selling mine to buy a new Bonneville, but my wife's eyes widened. I think I found her her first bike. If you want a bike that does not look like you are on a Roman Holiday. Or a bike that does' not look like Batgirls motorcycle from the 60's. A bike that looks like it eats vespa's. Or a bike that looks like a extra from a Mad Max film. If you answered yes to all this then the Honda Big Ruckus is for you. Good Luck with it. Show less

Originally we wanted to just get a motorcycle, but my husband working in the ER said that he had seen enough of motorcycle accidents at work and decided a scooter might be safer. So I went ahead looking at scooters. We went to a dealer and saw the Silver Wing. It was a bit too much and a little bigger than what we needed. I really liked the size and price of the new Reflex. Both my husband and I drive it; it's a blast! I drove around as a passenger for the first 150 miles and loved it. I've started driving it by myself lately and it's quite a head turner. People love it. The security guards always ask about it at the gate at work. And the first fill up I spent $8.62 with the most PREMIUM gasoline available. It lasted us 2 1/2 weeks. A lot better prices than my Jeep. I would recommend this scooter to anyone not looking for anything too powerful, too big (as I'm only 5'5), but still looks hot. They are hard to find, being that there's only a few imported from overseas each year, but it comes highly recommended if you can find one! The Reflex will be mine one day, and my husband is looking at getting himself maybe the Silver Wing or another 400-500 scooter. Show less

I originally purchased the Ruckus for the fuel savings. I have a 30 mile round trip commute. My truck gets 13 mpg, the bike gets 85 mpg. Add in that I don't have to pay $50 per month for parking, and in less than a year the bike is completely paid for with savings. The bike is stock for things that affect performance, other than the fact I use AMSOIL synthetic engine oil and gear lube. Top speed on level ground is about 35 mph. Going downhill with a tail wind I have hit about 42 mph. Climbing a steep hill the speed can drop to 15 to 20 mph. A strong head wind can also lower the top speed. Several reviewers have complained about the under seat storage. I think the Ruckus has the best hauling capacity of any scooter. I can carry a 20# propane cylinder between the seat and the battery box to get it filled. I have hauled many bags of groceries by tying the bags to the seat frame, and using cargo nets that are about one foot square. I throw a day backpack under the seat for things that you always want to carry, like a flashlight, a few tools, fuses, a brush for helmet hair, etc. I just added a Givi top box so I can leave the helmet on the bike when I don't want to bring the helmet in for some reason. The Ruckus is a people magnet. Someone always wants to talk about the bike. The Ruckus is also fun to ride, so I find myself looking for any opportunity to run an errand. When I wear out this Ruckus I will be getting another little Ruckus for commuting. I want a bigger bike for long road trips, but that would be an additional bike, not instead of the little Ruckus. I ride year round. As soon as the snow and ice melt following a storm I am riding. If it is merely cold I just wear more layers. Coldest ride so far is about five below. I run 0w-40 oil in winter. Show less

Wife and I bought two Big Ruckus scooters spring 05 and haven't had any problems. It is very user friendly and performance is great! This is a great scooter both men and women will feel comfortable on. We constantly get stopped by guys asking about the scooter and they think it's great but didn't know Honda made one. We wrote a letter to Honda pleading for them to reintroduce it and do a better job of advertisment. Yellow was the best color but red, blue, or green would be good too. This is about the only scooter that a lot of men would feel comfortable on. The seat is comfortable and the ergonomics for a tall guy like me are excellent. The back rest is very nice, it seemed to be a bit strange at first but soon became one of the scooters best features in my mind. We tour and it's very nice to lean back. The head lights are wonderful but had to adjust up a bit. The brakes are fine but rear could be stronger. The scoot handles nice on the freeway and is the most comfortable 55 to 60 mph. Also handles well in gravel and on dirt road. This is a great scooter and I highly recommend it to the men who want a scooter and to beginners. This scoot rocks! Show less

I've been riding Silverwings since the first one arrived in 2002. Having two artificial legs, I'd been looking for an automatic with foot free operation for years! 80,000 miles and 4 Wings later, I can say nothing but good things about these motorcycles. Yes, I said motorcycle. Scooters don't go 100 mph and out in the plains of Montana mine did! Why have I had four bikes you might ask? The first was my learner and got dumped a few times. 15,000 miles later I traded her for a new model that went on my first cross country venture. Two weeks after returning, some lady rear ended me on a bridge constuction stop and totaled the bike (sending both artificial legs in flight which scared the poor constuction guys). The insurance settlement paid for bike #3 and that one logged over 36,000 trouble free miles! My latest is a 2002 low mileage unit that I bought from an old man (You Meet The Nicest People on a Honda). don't hesitate to buy one of these bikes. If I can ride one, anyone can. Show less

I have the '05 Sport model. This scooter is a blast to ride. If you've outgrown the need for the acceleration of a regular bike, and desire a simpler ride (no shifting), this is your answer. Just twist 'n go. It is my main method of transport to work. Just be sure to do the K-mod for best performance. The suspension is a tad rough...(but is adjustable)...but in all fairness, the roads in PA suck BIG TIME. The handling is fantastic. If you remember the thrill of riding a mini bike as a kid, this is like re-living those days, but on a street legal, 75 MPH, cool looking machine. Show less

The Honda Silver Wing is a well thought out machine by Honda! The safety and balance, that you feel when you barely roll on the trottle and find yourself doing 85-90 with plenty of throttle left, is not only exciting, but impressive! The only complaint I have is inflating the rear tire...the rotor is really in the way. But, other than that, the storage and the craftsmanship is exemplary. I do agree with another writer, that a compartment light with a switch would be a good idea...as well as relocating the light. Some thoughts on making the pig tail for the battery tender easily accessible would be nice as well. Other than that...if you are thinking about buying one...do it!!! 55-60 miles per gallon and most cars on the road can't touch the Wing, from 0 to 60...She's pretty dang fast for a scooter! Show less

I've always enjoyed riding larger bikes but decided to purchase a pre-owned scooter to keep at the beach. I was lucky enough to find a 2003 Honda Reflex with 3,000 miles on it. Like New!! After adjusting to the operation of a scooter vs a motorcycle, riding the Reflex was a delight. I rode along the beach road to Pennascola, Florida for lunch. My wife rode as passenger with no problem. The reflex was very stable and well balanced. Acceleration & handling was great. I would highly recommend the Honda Reflex to the novice or experinced rider for a whole lot of fun for the money! Show less

I have a 2001 Silverwing- my first bike. The main reason for getting it was my 50 mile daily commute from SF to Redwood City. Aprox 18miles of fast highway riding and 10 miles of city each day. Since 2000, I've put three sets of tires on it- well worn I must add - I seem to run through a set at about 12-14K. Which is pushing it they should probably be replaced at around 9-10. Basically one set a year for me. Most of my riding is done on Highway 280 which in the SF Bay Area circles tends to be a high speed adventure for anyone driving or riding. 70-80mph is the norm most of the time. The Sliverwing has done this trip almost every day of the week for several years with out missing a beat. Synthetic oil, I change it pending how the oil looks not nessisarily by milege. Mine is all stock and I've resisted putting a big lunch box on the back of it and glad I didn't. I pack a standard Laptop with case, dress shoes, even rain gear in the trunk. It all fits if you plan it right. There is even a little space left over for a lunch bag. I've done a couple of rides outside of my weekly commuting. Did some coastal rides with the local dirtbiker/street slick riding knee draggers, whom were all very surprised to see the Silverwing glued to their back side as we pushed up Highway 1 hitting 80-90mph at times. Granted, I was taking the Wing to the limit and using the breaks to the point of lock up before powering through turns the light bikes were simply coasting through, but the Wing would jump out of the turns and with some flogging and put me right back in the group. The hard core sunday knee draggers were quite impressed that they were not waiting for the Scoot as they had expected but waiting for an older street biker who was bringing up the rear by quite a distance. I did a long 6oo mile round trip from SF to the mountians above Fresno- 100ft to 8200ft. Back roads, twisty mt roads and flat out Highway 5 riding. I had a duffel lashed down behind me which fit nicely I might add which had gear, sleeping bag, sailing gear for the regatta I was attending at the lake. The Wing did very well. The only thing that got to me were the grips are not the most comfortable after 300 miles of non stop riding. At high speeds, fast freeway riding (lets just say keeping up with traffic 80+) it got a little buzzy after a few hours with it running at high RPM's. But the Wing played tag with a fully tricked out Goldwing for several hours. Crusing by groups of classic Harley types in comfort behind the windscreen was a nice feeling. The Goldwing rider was quite amused and when we pulled off for a gas stop the complete stranger (Goldwing rider) said he had heard about the Silverwing but never came across one before. He was shocked that the little Wing could catch and pass his big roadmaster when in the 90mph range. Yes, the scoot will move! My normal commute milege runs about 50mpg, the cross country trip my best was 58mpg, that was at tank of gas when speeds were below 60mph. When doing the mountains the Wing suffered from altitude sickness when I hit the 6500ft mark though it got me to my destination and had a lazy idle and run while at the lake. I'm sure if it lived at 8200ft you could get it calibrated for that altitude. The fit and finish has held up well, mine is the metalic red/burgandy color with standard brakes, not the fancy ABS model. Though it has proven to be well balanced for wet riding, locking up the wheels is easy to do with the powerful breaks. For commuting and the occasional long ride and even runing to the local store in the city the Wing has proven to be a great choice. It will get up and go when you feel like burning up some pavement, haul your work gear in clean mode, non-bulky extra storage isn't needed. It has proven to be a solid reliable daily commuter not afraid of being used, true Honda it will run for more miles than you'll ever ride. Show less

This is the bike I really wanted when I went into the show room. I originally left with a Honda Elite 80. wasn't enough bike for my needs. So a week later I was back and left with the bike I was supposed to have (at least for now SilverWing calling my name). Does 75 mph on the highway. I am getting about 59 MPG, but I think I'm just a little too aggressive on taking off. Show less