Honda Helix reviews

This scooter was top of the line, and after all these years can still stand up to the expensive brands. Starts easy every time, cruises at 50-55mph. I had it up to 65 but backed off because it gets squirrelly. 75 mpg Show less

I purchased my first Helix in 1989, when the bike first appeared on the market. I was driving an Elite 150 that had a "pop-up" headlight. A great scooter as well, until I saw the grey Helix in the show room. A few months later, it was mine! I used to commute 1 hour each way to New York City on it averaging 65mph on the highway. Ran like a champ. Anyway, I moved to Florida and left the bike for a new owner in N.Y. The scooter bug bit again, so from 1999 to current I had 3 more scooters. They were Italian models and they were fine, but never the same feel as my Helix. Also remember, Helix production stopped for a few years. Well 2 weeks ago today, I purchased my second Helix. I love it as much as I did my first 16 years earlier. There is nothing like the driving comfort, especially at 6' 1". My legs stretch out nicely! The power is just fine, but no more highway riding, espcially in South Florida! This bike is pure genius. I can only imagine this same scooter with a 400cc in it. Show less

I bought a Honda Helix scooter on July 23, 2004, which was used. It had 6846 miles on it. It runs GREAT! It can accelerate from 0 to 25 MPH in less than 3 seconds. It can go from 0 to 40 MPH within 5-6 seconds. The V-matic transmission is an absolute pleasure to use! Last year, I did have a wreck on it, some of this probably due to lack of experience, combined with going too fast for my level of experience. I was going 55 MPH (at the speed limit). When I realized I was getting in trouble, I was able to get slowed down, probably to 30 MPH before going off the road. Fortunately, I did not get hurt seriously, but did require a one-night stay at a hospital and some minor hand surgery. However, I found two "undocumented" safety features that minimized my injuries. The first of these is the nice floor board for my feet. While I had a bruised right knee, having this floor board, as opposed to footpegs like a motorcycle, seems to have saved me from a broken leg (or two). Also, the soft seat seems to have acted somewhat as a passive restraint. My body did not get thrown forward. While I had some facial bruising and cuts, I feel that the severity was reduced by this seat, which may have helped to hold me back some. No, I did not seem to have any neck injuries or whiplash. As for my face shield, this seems to be an asset and a liability. While the scooter substained around $2,000 worth of damage, I was able to repair much of this myself. It was mostly the body that got tore up. Very little internal damage occurred. I was able to do most of the restoration myself. This scooter has also went through a Winter quite nicely. It is proven to be drivable even at a temperature of only 15 F. Even in cold weather, it still started up within about a second or so. The Honda tires that seem to be included on these scooters seem to be great "all purpose" tires (except ice and snow). The braking is pretty good, even in rain. The only braking problem that I seem to have in the rain is that the brakes are more apt to "grab". The engine is on the quiet side--almost too quiet, such as when maneuvering through a parking lot. As for the computerized dashboard, it is great for the most part. Most of it is very easy to read. However, it is hard to see it when driving against the sun. As for hills, it does not do too bad. It seems to handle up to about a 20 degree hill ok. I have been known to go up a 25-30 degree hill, trying to get to someone's house. It did have some difficulty, which was compounded by the fact that it had gravel, which limited my idea of getting a "running start". Knock on wood, I have never had the scooter do an "unintended wheelie". Probably its long length and wheel base might be the asset here. The gas milage is GREAT. In city driving, I can expect to get between 45-50 miles per gallon. My average seems to be about 48 or so MPH in the city. When mixing city driving and country road driving and a touch of highway driving, I was known to get up to 66 miles per gallon. In a time when gas costs a fortune, it is so nice to be able to fill up my tank for about 4-5 dollars! Speaking of gas milage and such, I found that the gas guage seems to be overly optimistic. The manual says that the capacity is 3.2 gallons. However, when my gauge is showing about 1/3 tank left, it still takes only about 1.7 gallons. The gas gauge is also more linear than most, possibly due to a compensating computer algorithm. Adding fuel is a bit problematic, though. It tends to splash out a bit over the tank and into the area around where you put the gas in. This seems to happen about 70% of the time, and this requires you to wipe up the excess gasoline. I also love the optional anti-theft feature. When I park it in a parking lot, I use this a lot. It is nice knowing that if someone tries to steal my scooter, they'll be driving around in circles--LITERALLY! By the way, this scooter is my ONLY motor vehicle that I have. Given the nice sized trunk (bigger than that of many motorcycles) and a backpack, I can haul home about 6-8 bags of groceries. I have also been known to place a 36-roll pack of toilet paper between my legs! However, I don't recommend this for long trips or in places where you have to use your brakes a lot. I have also been able to hang 1-2 LIGHT bags on my handlebars, such as a bag containing a loaf of bread. Parking is a luxury on this thing! I can squeeze through some rather tight places. At my church, I pick a somewhat "out of the way" place to park. As for coping with road defects, it seems to be mediocre at this. However, it will survive certain pot holes that may cause scooters with smaller wheels to just flip over. Again, the long wheel base may be an asset here. However, you WILL get a bad jolt if you hit a bad enough pothole, particularly if you hit this going much over 10 MPH. It is amazing how many doors this scooter opens up. For being "only" 244 cc's, it seems to haul! It is not excessively heavy like a big motorcycle. I even tried laying the bike down on grass and wanted to see if I could stand it back up on my own, and I was able to. I even let my older brother take it for a test drive, and he loved it! He has some motorcycle experience, so he was able to put it through a more severe test than I would have. It passed his "severe" test(s)! I'm talking about cornering at high speeds (i.e. 30-50 MPH) and such. I do have one complaint about newer versions of the Honda Helix. I am displeased by the fact that they now come in only all black or black and white. I am opposed to all black due to appearance and safety concerns. I would like to see this model come out in more colors. I did get to compare the Helix against a Reflex, although I have not driven the Reflex. I do not like the Reflex's dashboard near as well as the Helix's. The Reflex also has a harder seat and seema to have noticeably less trunk space. They both seem to have the same sized engine (244 cc). However, the Helix is a much better value. Also in my opinion, I think that the Helix is a prettier bike. I also found that the Helix may have a "longevity gene". I heard about one guy whose only vehicle was a Honda Helix (much like me), and he has around 150,000 miles, and it was still running! I also found that the Helix may be slow to depreciate in value. When I bought this 1998 model from a Honda dealer last year (2004), it was still selling for around $3400. May God bless the engineers that designed the Honda Helix! I highly recommend it! From John Nozum Show less

I am a brand new cycle rider and my 2005 Honda Helix has been a wonderful bike to learn on! I am only 5'3" and every other scooter felt to tall for me. My Helix fits me just fine. I can't wait to get experienced enough to try Tampa Bay traffic and ride to work. Show less

No doubt in my mind, this is THE single best scoot made. Its comfort is legendary. Acceleration is, at the very least, adequate if not downright quick. You will leave most 4 wheel vehicles and many motorcycles behind. My average mpg is 68-73. Braking with the front disc and rear drum is astonishingly good. Top speed I have seen on mine was 75mph before I chickened out. Handling around town is nimble and light. I've been riding motorcycles for a long time, and this scoots' a keeper. Honda got it right the first time, and I'm glad it's back. Show less

Great scooter. The Helix created the classification of "Maxi Scooter" back in 1986 and it hasn't changed much in the last 20 years. It's sort of odd for a scooter because it's got a motorcycle size engine and a trunk big enough to bring home groceries. Handles the highway easily (but I stay away from roads where people are averaging 80MPH though). Does great in town too. Not the prettiest one on the road, but definitely a keeper. Solidly built, well designed. I didn't like it at first, but now I would buy it again. Show less

I've had my Helix since '95 in the rolling hills of Maryland & I was planning on upgrading after moving to Florida but since I've moved there's no way I'll give it up for a bigger machine. It provides plenty of power for all the hills & it's proven to be a reliable scooter with only a few problems over the years: a split carburetor intake manifold & broken drive belt. It reliably gets over 65 mpg with great pickup. On the highway it gets a top speed of around 70 depending on head wind but feels comfortable at around 65 mph. I use it in place of a second car & plan to keep it for many more miles. The older model requires a little extra back support, which they may have improved on with the newer ones. Show less

I looked at all kinds of scooters and settled on the Helix because of the reliable honda name and the way I sit on it. It's low enough for my feet to touch the ground comfortably. It performs like a beast on the road. Plenty of power with some to spare and the mileage is great. Plenty of trunk room too. Would you believe it fits 5 loves of bread? Buy one. You won't be disappointed, and if you are, I'll buy it from you. Show less

I bought a bright yellow 2004 Helix for several reasons. Economically...$2.50/gal of 87octane gasoline is not pleasant when your main pony is a '95 Jeep Wrangler with only 15mpg. My Helix gets 50mpg on average. Have yet to try higher octanes. Practicality... that trunk is HUGE! I hit the weight limit(22#)long before the volume limit. It holds an 18pack of beverages with room to spare! How about 2 gallons on Milk, loaf of bread, 2 dozen eggs and a brick of cheese? Breakfast for the whole tribe! Ease of use... since it's an automatic, my wife has no worries while using it to commute when she desires to. Esthetically... nothing turns more heads. Sure, a larger cycle can go faster from a dead stop (and lose more rubber!) but my Helix is so quiet and so sleek that I spend more time in the grocery store parking lot explaining the scooter than I do actually shopping, loading and commuting back and forth! If you commute short distances and hate to put that kind of wear/tear on your primary pony, I recommend a HELIX! Test drive a new one today, but watch out for older ones that have low miles and high storage. Lack of use is NOT a plus for these beasts... they love to be ridden and I love to ride it! Show less

I purchased this scooter with previous experience with motorcycles. Due to a bad back I was unable to return to motorcycles but found scooters within my realm for daily use. The Helix combines a great machine for comfort and speed under 65 mph. Fuel consumption has averaged 64-72 mpg which is both highway and local driving using Super Unleaded fuel. I do find that at 65 mph the rear end starts to resonate although I have obtained 70mph on a flat surface or downhill with no headwind and single rider. With any bike you can feel it's upper limit comfort zone from the feel of the frame etc. I feel the comfortable limit for me is at 60-65 mph max. At 65 mph it starts it's resonating trick in the rear end. My wife and I ride frequently (she weighs about 125 lbs.)and 55 mph seems to be it's sweet spot with some reserve power. I perform my own service (600 mile service done) and so far found it to be typical access for maintenance. Scooters in general with their fairing and fender removal make service more time consuming. I did obtain the optional passenger backrest which made a world of difference in handling, balance etc. with a passenger on board. It aids both the operator and passenger greatly. I have now averaged 100 miles per week and find it very useful and manueverable. I do recommend any of the aftermarket tailight modulator devices to be more visible. I have already had several Texas drivers try to take me with them to heaven prematurely. Since the only running light in the rear is the brake light unit, I recommend Honda changes the Helix so the turn signal lights become running lights also. Show less