I thought I knew all the models... But I hadn't seen this before.

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

Had the People out for a ride (95 degree weather, dressed in Hi Viz wicking shirts). Cruising along in my old white black and orange full face helmet (with matching gloves) I looked like a fast moving orange neon blip on a radar screen. Smiling inside the helmet, nowhere in particular to go...

The light turns green on US 41 and I gently roll on the throttle (this is the break-in period on my new scoot). All of a sudden on my left  a big cycle goes flying by me. With my cheap sunglasses on and the helmet's shield halfway down (to aid in the distortion) I could only see a kind of Matte Charcoal gray on two wheels with a really heavy guy sitting more in it than on it.

He was hauling, but i knew he would find a red light waiting for him at the next big intersection and he did.
I pulled up next to him and said Hi!. He ignored me. Undaunted I said Hi even louder. I got a head nod from the corpulent rider who was decked out in black, with a black skid lid on to match.

I am 63 years old and riding a scooter, if you don't want to talk to me it's OK, I understand... LOL

I am looking at his bike and saying what the hell is this thing? Took a bit for it to register but I finally thought this is one of those Honda automatic things... Some might even say a big-ass Scooter.
Weird looking, but strangely compelling. Didn't see it long, Heavy-set really gunned it when the light changed and then did his level best to get away from the "Old Man On The Scooter".
It had a backrest the size of one found on a kitchen dining chair (that looked comfortable). A kind of cross between the Batmobile and your favorite TV recliner (he looked like he was leaning way back).

After I got home I started looking on the net, Motorcycle.com, and I'm pretty sure it was Honda's NM4. Felt real good as I looked it over (images and spec's). It really is weird looking. A passenger couldn't be happy with it. Very limited storage. Small fuel capacity (for a bike that large). It weighs almost 570 pounds and it cost $11K... I went out into the garage and looked at the People (with a big grin on my face)...

[AMAC1680]

Had the People out for a ride (95 degree weather, dressed in Hi Viz wicking shirts). Cruising along in my old white black and orange full face helmet (with matching gloves) I looked like a fast moving orange neon blip on a radar screen. Smiling inside the helmet, nowhere in particular to go...

The light turns green on US 41 and I gently roll on the throttle (this is the break-in period on my new scoot). All of a sudden on my left  a big cycle goes flying by me. With my cheap sunglasses on and the helmet's shield halfway down (to aid in the distortion) I could only see a kind of Matte Charcoal gray on two wheels with a really heavy guy sitting more in it than on it.

He was hauling, but i knew he would find a red light waiting for him at the next big intersection and he did.
I pulled up next to him and said Hi!. He ignored me. Undaunted I said Hi even louder. I got a head nod from the corpulent rider who was decked out in black, with a black skid lid on to match.

I am 63 years old and riding a scooter, if you don't want to talk to me it's OK, I understand... LOL

I am looking at his bike and saying what the hell is this thing? Took a bit for it to register but I finally thought this is one of those Honda automatic things... Some might even say a big-ass Scooter.
Weird looking, but strangely compelling. Didn't see it long, Heavy-set really gunned it when the light changed and then did his level best to get away from the "Old Man On The Scooter".
It had a backrest the size of one found on a kitchen dining chair (that looked comfortable). A kind of cross between the Batmobile and your favorite TV recliner (he looked like he was leaning way back.

After I got home I started looking on the net, Motorcycle.com, and I'm pretty sure it was Honda's NM4. Felt real good as I looked it over (images and spec's). It really is weird looking. A passenger couldn't be happy with it. Very limited storage. Small fuel capacity (for a bike that large). It weighs almost 570 pounds and it cost $11K... I went out into the garage and looked at the People (with a big grin on my face)...

It's butt ugly and will die on the vine.
For Honda scooters it's another "swing and a miss".


AMAC

[Stig / Major Tom]

I like it.
You can make the instrument panel change colors!
I would set it to flick thru all of them as I go.
Really wow the guys in the highrise F-250 next to me at the light.....if they didn't then shoot my tires out for sport......
Being weird in Ohio has its risks....
Stig

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

Stig, The Older I get the more careful I have become in controlling my behavior where it would hurt people. But along the same lines I seem less effected about what people think of my choices for myself. There is a difference between these two. I am not as mean or angry as I once was. I am gentler even in the face of transgression. But I will ride my scooter in Hi Viz gear (sometimes) and love doing so. Twenty-five years ago it would never have been me on the small engine machines or wearing the "Safety Based Colors". It is a pleasant place to be in; for me a new sort of freedom has accompanied "aging"...

[Foxtrot]

Hi "Papa Sold" really enjoyed your account of the encounter with the Honda. You should be on the other side of that weirdness. I'm a little corpulent, [fat for friends in Alabama], and when I ride my CanAm Spyder there's no telling what's going to happen. I literally was pulled over one afternoon by a civilian who wanted to ask questions about a 3-wheeled motorcycle. And to make a fuel stop you need to allow an hour for all the Bubba's to line up; "hey is that a Harley?", "No it's a hemi!" But I love my Spyder almost as much as my Kymco Xciying!

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

Hi "Papa Sold" really enjoyed your account of the encounter with the Honda. You should be on the other side of that weirdness. I'm a little corpulent, [fat for friends in Alabama], and when I ride my CanAm Spyder there's no telling what's going to happen. I literally was pulled over one afternoon by a civilian who wanted to ask questions about a 3-wheeled motorcycle. And to make a fuel stop you need to allow an hour for all the Bubba's to line up; "hey is that a Harley?", "No it's a hemi!" But I love my Spyder almost as much as my Kymco Xciying!

I thought about the Spyder (four bikes ago; two scooters and two Harley's)... The guys in Barney's (a three store chain in my part of Florida) always seemed to have one or two used and a couple of new ones on the lot. The bike intrigued me, but the dissuaders were price and garage space. The wife fancied the model with the "Passenger's Throne", at that time it was about $24,000 or $26,000, Hefty! Also in my little Chateau they may call it a two car garage but with my Lady's Miata and the bicycles and the kayaks and the paddle boards and the golf cart and the golf cart chargers (you get the idea), the Scooter barely gets a spot; let alone a Spyder

[ScooterWolf]

I have to say it's a pretty cool design. At 11 K I'd rather buy a car though. Didn't research it, but what's a dual clutch? Wonder what it's MPG is as well?
Since it's a limited release any spotting of it will be like a Bigfoot encounter, or seeing a black unicorn.

-Wolf

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

I have to say it's a pretty cool design. At 11 K I'd rather buy a car though. Didn't research it, but what's a dual clutch? Wonder what it's MPG is as well?
Since it's a limited release any spotting of it will be like a Bigfoot encounter, or seeing a black unicorn.

-Wolf

Well the "look" of course is a matter of personal preference. But the $11K which seems high (if you're thinking about Downtowns and People Gt's) isn't really out of line when you compare the Honda to Burgman 650's, And The BMW scoot. The weight isn't too bad when compared to the big ones either (the Burgman 650 is over 600 pounds fueled). For me I just don't want the extra size, weight and cost. Also the handling when riding is diminished, the difficulty moving it around the garage and the cost of operating and maintaining are all negatives the larger you go. This all for a second or so faster to get to 60 mph. If you're a really big guy and or plan on riding 2-up a lot I guess I see it..

[2wheelfun]

I have no immediate plans for a scooter but if I did the GT 300 would be my next scoot maybe. If the seat didn't work I'd invest in one that would make it so. Love the step thru true scoot feature, 300cc, 16 in wheels. I'd have to test it out but that's the scoot I'd look at. Just seems like the perfect scoot. I don't think I've ever seen one in person, just pics.