Honda SH300i

The Honda SH300 is quite an expensive scooter,at around 5k new you could have a choice of used 'proper' bikes. Mine came to me a year old and less than half new price,so savings to be had used,if you can find one.

I bought the SH as a replacement for my Innova 125 and mainly because motorways/windy days or overtaking made the little bike struggle. The scooter is at home on any road,capable of sitting comfortably at 80 on the motorway,handles well on country roads and carves the traffic as well as any small machine.

The 16" wheels give great stability,any speed from walking to flat out will be efficiently processed without drama and regardless of weather conditions. Handling is great up to when it starts to drag it's arse,lefthanders especially,but once you discover that just ride within it's limits. A Honda screen was fitted by the previous owner,it made the scoot really dodgy on windy days or behind lorries,I could see nothing through it on shitty road days either.Good weather protection but more cons than pros,so off it came.

The ABS linked system gives excellent stopping power,at times I'd prefer the system not to be linked,but it's a minor quibble really,more of a preference.

Headlight is good on unlit roads,a welcome asset after the 1 candle power of the Innova.

With a mixture of riding,from town work to flat out and everything in between I ran the tank dry at 160 miles. Works out around 80mpg,not bad for having a bit of performance available. I daresay gentle riding would improve the mpg figure,but I wanted a more everyday picture.

Honda made an effort to build the SH as compact as possible,so one of the casualties of this plan is the lack of underseat storage compared to some other scoots.Mine has a puncture repair kit,toolkit,lock and chain and it's pretty full. This is why the UK model comes with a colour coded topbox as standard.Room for Helmet/gloves/waterproofs. Ask for a demonstration of how to open and close the topbox,it's a bit of a faff at first.

As time goes on I'll update this review to give a more long term picture.