Honda Reflex Scooter Review

HONDA REFLEX SCOOTER REVIEW

NOTE: These images are copyrighted to ©Lumenosity LLC and may not be re-used without express consent.

In another of my page I gave a review of the big brother to the Reflex, the Honda Silverwing in which I extolled it's virtues of speed, comfort and... did I mention speed?  But one of the biggest drawbacks to super-scooters like the Silverwing and the Yamaha Tmax is the price - they're really, really pricey!  Sure they're fun and great-looking machines but at $9-10k per copy new they're just overpriced toys with little utility, even though a "scooter" is supposed to be utilitarian by nature.

But the Honda Reflex is quite a different machine altogether.  No it's not a pocket-rocket super-scooter, what with only a single-cylinder 250cc motor but if you look at the Reflex as only the sum of it's specifications you'd be missing out on possibly the best 2-wheeled vehicle ever produced.

Right off the bat the Reflex is an eyeful, with a swooping front-end fairing with a pair of sculpted lens covers over the it's dual-light setup, one low-beam the other high-beam and both really bright in typical Honda fashion.  In fact head-on the Reflex looks more like a pure sport-bike with a tall windscreen rather than a mid-sized scooter, in fact it's almost... intimidating to look at from this perspective:

The rear visuals are just as eye-catching with a row of circular paired tail/brake lights and turn signals covered by a single lens cover over the entire assembly.  On the lower side fairings are straked vents allowing the little 250cc engine to help itself vent out heat build up something any small-sized engine can always use.

In fact overall the Reflex looks as if it was visually setup from an ex-Ferrari designer making it the best looking scooter I've ever seen, far and away much better looking than it's big brother the Silverwing.

But good looks are just the start of the little Reflex's excellent DNA as it handles really, really well.  The seating position is perfect for a scooter and in comparison the the Silverwing the handles are much lower - almost in sport-bike position but still in easy reach allowing you to keep upright in the nice, firm-yet-cushy saddle.  In fact I think Honda missed the boat with the Silverwing handle positioning and should have kept it similar to the Reflex.

You certainly wouldn't expect a 250cc motor to have much get-up-and-go especially in the low-end rpm range, but there is plenty of torque supplied by the big 250cc single lurking under the exterior as it cleanly gets far ahead of vehicular traffic from a stop.  You certainly won't win any drag-races against a GSXR or CBR waiting to smoke their next prey but you don't have to worry about that monster Hummer behind you at a light from barreling over you either.  There's also plenty of horsepower to keep you on in-city highways comfortably keeping a 65mph pace and easily getting up to over 80mph for passing.

But one of the major reasons people purchase a scooter is because they want a city capable commuter with ultra-high gas mileage and the Reflex doesn't disappoint with users averaging between 68 to nearly 80 MPG depending on how aggressively they ride.

Under the seat storage is nice with room for one full-face helmet or enough office-related accessories for to take to work.  And there's plenty of room for those things and a rain-suit in case the weather turns foul later on your ride.

CONCLUSION:  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Unlike the Silverwing which I gave a "neutral" rating the Reflex is most definitely a best-buy.  Unfortunately Honda dropped it from their scooter lineup, something I hope they seriously reconsider, but if you can find one on the used market - and that may be a tough find since most people don't want to let them go - you should scoop it up immediately.  I personally like the Ferrari-red myself.

RIDE  SAFE:   ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET AND USE THE HIGH-BEAM DURING DAYLIGHT.