AVOIDING TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES
We know two-wheels are best, but COVID-concious commuters are starting to look at alternatives to crowed public transport. Could Honda’s SH125i be the perfect choice?
Honda knows what it’s doing when it comes to scooters. The SH125 has been around in some form or another since way back in 2001. It has been updated every few years since – but the basic formula remains the same; an efficient motor, ‘big’ wheels and agile handling. And it’s still working. After the last update in 2018, the SH125 became Europe’s best-selling scooter (shifting a respectable 18,000 units).
The headline news for the latest SH125i is its new four-valve eSP+ (enhanced Smart Power) motor which is connected to a twist-and-go Continuously Variable Transmission. It makes more power and torque than the outgoing two-valve version, kicking out a claimed 12.9bhp and 8.9lb-ft of torque. Not exactly lightning fast, but in town it feels nippy, mostly because that power’s delivered low down in the rev range.
You’ll be able to get the bounce on your four-wheeled counterparts away from the lights – and it’s quick enough to pull out of junctions into all but the fastest of traffic, without having to wait for a big gap in traffic. WONDERFULLY IDLETo help improve fuel efficiency, the SH125i gets Honda’s Idling Stop technology. If you’re sat idling for three seconds, the motor essentially goes into standby until you twist open the throttle and get moving again. You can turn it off with the press of a button, but I don’t see why you would.
It will come as no great surprise that the SH125i’s natural habit is in and around town. It excels here, with its ‘big’ (for a scooter) 16-inch wheels helping to offer light, agile handing, making cutting through traffic and performing fluid U-turns in tight spaces a doddle.
Out on the open road it’s not exactly in its element, but it’s capable. It’ll sit at 65mph without too much trouble, even if it takes a bit of work to get up there from an easily achieved 45mph – and while wringing its neck on a downhill stretch, I was surprised to see 75mph on the speedo.
I wouldn’t recommend riding it that hard, but even though it was right at its limit it remained stable, smooth and ultimately untroubled by my attempted hooliganism.
It was planted in faster corners too, helped no doubt by its low-down fuel
tank and engine. A low centre of gravity is never a bad thing. The Michelin City Grip tyres proved themselves perfectly capable too, offering ample grip even on greasy, rain-soaked tarmac.
As you’d expect, the suspension’s not hugely sophisticated, and it’ll rattle your bones if you barrel over a bump or through a pothole with too much vigour. That’s only ever a problem when the speed picks up though, as around town it’s more than up to the job. There is preload adjustment at the rear, but I didn’t bother messing around with that. TRUST THE BRAKESThe brakes are decent, too. Unlike many of its counterparts, there’s no linked system. Honda’s trusting that you can operate two levers without getting into trouble. Even if you were a less experienced rider, I’m confident you’d find nothing to worry about on the SH125i. The twin piston Nissin caliper and 240mm disc at the front and 240mm disc and single piston Nissin caliper and 240mm disc at the rear offer reassuringly progressive stopping power.
The rear’ s great; just drag it a bit and you’ll be performing the tightest of turns with no trouble – and if you need to stop in a hurry, grab a handful of both and you’ll be pulled to a halt in no time. No issues with the ABS either. I did manage to lock up the rear momentarily (just for fun), but it didn’t unsettle the scooter unduly. It also comes fitted with Honda’s Selectable Torque Control (read – traction control). The only way I managed to get it to spring into life was by throwing some wide-open throttle at a very loose gravel drive – something any sensible rider would surely never do. It can be deactivated too, which is worth knowing –... if skids are your thing.
FUEL FOR THOUGHT
If you’re planning to use the little Honda primarily for commuting, there are another couple of things worth mentioning: its fuel efficiency and storage capacity. Honda claims it’ll return 126mpg, and I reckon you could achieve that if you were primarily riding in an urban environment, but the best I managed was 102mpg during my time traffic busting in town and thrashing it on the open road. In excess of 100mpg is nothing to be sniffed at. You can fill its seven-litre fuel tank for less than a tenner and ride for over 150 miles without needing to top up. That’s cheap motoring right there.
Finally, let’s touch on the SH125i’s crowning glory – its storage space. There’s 28 litres of underseat storage (large and deep enough for my full-face Shoei helmet, a set of waterproofs and a bottle of water, with room to spare – oh, and there’s a USB port under there to charge your
phone, too) – and Honda UK is also throwing a 35-litre top box in with the price. That’s enough space to do a weekly shop for two people without a rucksack – or if you’re commuting, never have to carry a helmet into the office again.
Let’s talk price. It costs £3459; not exactly cheap, particularly when considering the cost of scooters from the competition. But it’s a Honda. It’s not exactly expensive when you take into account that renowned build quality and high-level finish. And if you’re a commuter weighing up whether or not to buy that train pass, it’s worth knowing that with a small deposit, a three-year PCP deal would see you paying around £70 a month (or just under £100 for an HP deal). That’s not to be sniffed at.