Honda Reflex reviews

I love everything about my Reflex-250 except that the transmission shifting is ROUGH from a start up until about 10 MPH. I have a slightly inclined drive-way, and as I drive up at about 4-5 MPH, it "jerks", "chatters" and acts similar to my belt-drive lawn-mower when I first drive away. This occurred from the first day that I bought it. I took it back to the dealer and he as much as told me that "that's the way they come" and that it was my driving habits that caused the roughness. I do find that if I take-off from a stop-sign or a parking place that if I do so by quickly "cracking" the throttle, that it does not act in this manner. However, I prefer to accellerate in a normal manner and have no need to cause rear tire wear with "jack-rabbit" starts. Everything else is perfect. I have tested it at 80MPH on the interstate and at normal city/highway speeds, I consistently get about 70MPG. A radar check of my speedometer shows that it reads 4 mph high at 55MPH. I also find that the speedometer is hard to read unless the sun is at your back. A different colored background for the dial-face (white?) would make it more readable. I also replaced the original windshield with one about 3" higher. Once again, I love my scooter but I wish it had a smoother transmission at low speeds. Show less

Time to put the bike away for the winter but loved it all summer. I almost feel like putting ski's on it. I purchased my 2003 Reflex from a dealer used with 190 miles on it in June. Since then I have put over 4200 miles on it. It handles great and catches everyone's eye. So far I have saved more money by buying this Scooter than I could have by driving my 2001 Chevy truck. People look at you a little strange when you are doing 65 (local highway speed limit) and you pass them. So far I have had my Reflex up to 78 mph without any problems. I love the leg-room and the ability to reposition your body on the seat without any fear of slipping or falling. See you out there on the roads somewhere! Show less

Purchased this bike about a year ago. Have put about 2500 miles on it, ride with some motorcycle buddies. This bike has no problem keeping up with motorcycles. With my long legs, I am a bit cramped and had footpegs installed on the floorboards. Show less

I traded my 2004 Zuma with 2000 miles for this 2002 Reflex with 2900 miles. This was a good thing. This scooter will cruise in the fast lane of a freeway easily. The only problem is that there is a model wide speedometer issue. Reflex speedos seem to read fast. Mine is no exception. It reads about 5 mph faster than actual speeds in the 25 to 45 mph range as checked by radar(I can't check it at higher speeds). For this reason, I can't believe the people who claim top speeds of over 80 mph. Mine says its doing about 83 on flat highway, but I don't trust the speedo. I haven't asked my dealer yet, but I've heard others say that it can't be adjusted. I wonder if the higher speedo reading translates into higher odometer mileage. Otherwise, this bike is everything I wanted. Large trunk under the seat. Large glove box. Fast enough for me to ride the highways. Very solid feel at speed. Looks great. Smooth ride with one, passable with two up. I ride regularly with my son as a passenger. He is my same size. No problem on the highway with a passenger. Does slow my top end almost 5 mph and my acceleration a bit. With two up, almost 300 lbs, the ride is noticably more rough than with one. I would ride this scooter on a long trip if I was going alone. Try to get a light colored one (yellow or gold) the plastic pannels are white under the paint. Chips and scratches show up too well on the red and black models. Show less

This is my 14th 2 wheeler, and the 5th Honda scooter....it's a fine machine! There are other brawny scooters on the market and I'm sure that they are all ok, I chose the Honda for it's beautiful styling and ease of service and parts at the thousands of Honda dealers nationwide. I get about 60mpg and about an 85mph top speed. The Aprillia is also cool, but where do you get parts and service, not too many dealers....also the resale value of the Honda scooters remains very high. The Suzuki and the Yamaha are also sweet machines, however the Yamaha's I've owned never compared to the Hondas for reliabilty in my personal experience. My Suzuki's have been good. I guess it's just a toss-up, they're all good. The only problem I have is dealing with all the people that compliment the scooter and want to gab about it, when I just want to get down the road. I have had absolutly no problems in 4k miles, just a lot of pleasure. It rides fine with 2 aboard, with a negligeable decrease in performance. I found a yellow one, very cool. I purchased the GIVI D211 ST oversize windscreen for winter riding, I use the stock smaller screen in the summer. The large screen makes the rain blow over the top of my head and keeps me a lot warmer. The scooter style is great for keeping your feet and knees warm, too! The glove box is nice and the under-seat storage is HUGE. I say, "Spend the $$$, the comfort, fun, is priceless." The automatic drive is super, you pass most other bikes when they clutch to shift! Riding 500 miles is no problem...no vibration, or excessive noise, or wind pressure against your body make for minimal road fatigue. See ya on the road! Show less

I've had this scooter for about 3 weeks now. I love it around town. I use it everyday for a quick ride by the beach. I have the same feeling I had when I was 10 years old with my first mini bike. You feel like you're on vacation when you're on it. Have fun on the road. Show less

Well, I just wanted to give an update. Just hit 10,000 miles. I use it each day to commute to my two jobs. About 100 miles a day or 500 a week. I use the interstate some and highways. I think she handles great in any condition or weather. Feel very safe driving it in the rain even. I feel the Reflex has plenty of power- I cruise at 70mph just fine down the interstate and there is plenty of power left at 70, I seem to be able to power up and pass just fine if needed. She is close to maxed out at 80 miles an hour- almost at red line then. There have been comments about the speedo being off- but I have found that I am at true speed. I believe instead that everyone else is just driving way too fast. The Reflex handles wind just fine- but get the Givi 210 windsheild, it really saves on you getting buffeted around. It works tremendously. Maintanance has been just fine- I take mine to the local honda dealer for the scheduled maint intervals- she runs like a charm, just start her up and go. I am still very pleased with the Reflex and highly recommend it to anyone. I would buy another without hesitation. She is rock solid, no mechanical or maint issues- honda reliability is so true and second to none. This 250cc does all that the 400cc scooters can do. I take my wife for rides and we have done highway and interstate 2-up with no power problems at all. The Reflex is stable, comfortable, stylish, and more. Get one. Show less

I started out looking at scooters seriously about seven or eight weeks ago. I looked at Yamaha and Honda quickly then looked at the Piaggio BV200. I was seriously considering that scooter until I went to the dealship and found that were acting like they were doing me a favor by selling it to me. The search was still on so I looked at Honda and Yamaha again. I didn't like anything from Yamaha and was bent on getting a Helix but when I finally saw the Reflex and the slight price difference between the two I knew that this was going to be for me. Needless to say I was impressed. I looked at it one day, the next week I dropped a down payment and then the following week I bought it outright. That was June 25th 2004. In less than four weeks I have put over 550 miles on this thing and I love it. I have osteo-arthritis in my left knee and for the past two and a half years I have been basically home bound. I've had this disorder for almost nine years but it has gotten real bad in the past two. I feel like this scooter has given my life back to me. The only thing I would trade the Reflex for is a Silver Wing... maybe next year. Show less

I bought the 2004 Reflex Sport, which is black with chrome accents and a low, sport windshield. I wanted to get a scooter to carry on the back of my truck to use during vacations. It had to be under 400 lbs. That ruled out the Burgmans and the Silverwing. I didn't realize that I'd like it so much and it would become my primary around town transportation. The Reflex brought fun back into riding on two wheels. Having owned nine motorcycles from a Suzuki 185 to a Kawasaki 1600, I can say the Reflex is an amazing experience. It's smooth, quick, and handles exceptionally well. It's stable at slow speeds, darts through turns and traffic very quickly, leans far over in the turns, and with the 7-position adjustable rear spring-load you can dial in your own ride. It handles rough roads, speed bumps, and road irregularities easily, thanks to its wide 13 and 12 inch tires, long wheelbase, great suspension, and its outstanding seat. I would rank the seat, for both rider and passenger, in the same league as those on very expensive touring bikes. The seat, once unlocked, pops up and has a huge, 33 liter, storage trunk with a light, helmet lock, and access to the fuses, battery, tool kit, and owner's manual. There are two other small storage boxes next to and under the handlebars. The 3-speed transmission is impressively smooth, quiet, and has seamless shifting. The Reflex doesn't have the off-the-line acceleration, like the kind when you can pop the clutch of a standard motorcycle. Obviously, it's a 250cc scooter, designed to be smooth off-the-line. But, it's deceptively quick, once moving, and has adequate acceleration for any urban or rural road. that's not true, in my opinion, on the freeway or interstate highway. The Reflex can go highway speeds, I've had it to to 82 MPH, but it doesn't have the torque or horsepower to pass quickly or to make the evasive moves a rider may need for safety. Still, some riders use the Reflex on their regular highway commute or even on longer trips. It handles wind very well as its body was designed in Honda's wind tunnel. The taller windshield by Givi would be necessary for anyone wanting to use the Reflex Sport on the freeway. I think next to its sheer fun factor (being a quick, light-weight, flickable bike), the thing I like best about the Reflex is its economy. Everything is simple with this scooter: No lifting your leg over the seat - There's no clutch or shift lever so you don't have to hold in a clutch, downshift quickly, or shift into neutral at stops...you just "twist and go - Hand operated disk-brakes are excellent and easy to use - Light weight means easy to maneuver and haul - Inexpensive to buy and maintain with Honda reliability - and GREAT gas mileage, which makes this type of vehicle practical for the future and for millions of those on frugal budgets. I've never gotten less than 65 miles per gallon. The Reflex has a lot of standard equipment, as well as five features I've never had on any of the motorcycles I've owned: a frame mounted fairing that has wind protection for your legs, a centerstand, a temperature gauge, a parking brake, and storage compartments. Until now, I've always had only one motorcycle in my stable, which at this point is a Kawasaki Vulcan 1600, but now I have two. The Reflex has brought a new dimension to my love of riding on two wheels. Highly recommended! Show less

Crazy gas prices and the need for a bike made me look into scooters. I was about to purchase the new yami vino 125cc but with my height and weight, for the traveling I do, I am so glad I picked the 250cc. The flex will easily do 45mph to 60mph sustained in texas conditions (everything is wide open roads and city speeds is 35-45 mph and 60 to 65 mph on city highways), the bike easily does this without much hassle. The reflex has a front that looks like a sportbike with the one headlight on, the dash and handlebars have a silverwing look, the speedo and tach have chrome trim around them, and the gas cap is covered with a lock. The bike handles extremely well as this is my first adult bike. I wanted ABS brakes on it and of course I have the infamous rubbing sound on the disc brakes, it is very common on these bikes. As far as acceleration goes, it is very nice even with my weight around town. Highway use can be done, where as the 125cc couldn't do it, but I wouldn't recommend interstate driving on this because of the wind and cars driving way beyond speed limits. The occasional highway in town should be fine. The overall finish of the bike is honda quality, storage very ample under seat and many ways to position your feet when driving. The backrest is adjustable, once the bike warms up it runs purty, has a kick and centerstand the bike weighs about 370 pounds (roughly the weight of some sportbikes). Overall I rate it pretty high for a scooter and I give it all my thumbs up for beginner bikers. You will get used to the bike after a few rides. Some will be satisfied with the power and some may not, but this is an automatic scooter (so it's easy to operate). Hope this helps! Show less