273cc motor puts out 22bhp which is about twice that of my PCX. Good for a 70mph top speed (speedo was climbing VERY slowly at this point but I ran out of road) that is reached reasonably quickly but in the real world, great for getting away from the lights that little bit faster, overtaking with confidence, cruising at 50mph into a headwind or nipping into those little gaps you see before they close.
ABS is great
Looks cool, not that anyone other than you will care about that though
Bad points
--
Traction control interferes far too early e.g. with enthusiastic starts from the traffic lights and makes the bike feel like it's about to stall.
Suspension and small wheels make the ride pretty awful
I thought the ride position would be much the same as the PCX but you sit WAY higher and feel both exposed and disconnected
Seat was surprisingly high for me at 6'3. You won't be able to put both feet on the ground if you're below 6'
The bike DOES corner well but the ride position doesn't inspire confidence and while it'll get round a bend pretty quickly, I felt was gritting my teeth on more than a few occasions when I'd been a bit heavy-handed going in.
The brakes! What the actual fuck? The front was so badly setup I thought that Vespa had installed them the wrong way round (back brake on the throttle side). Nope. The front brake on this bike was shocking. The back was very good admittedly but I have no idea what this was about. No stopping power from the front at all. The dealer said this was a new bike and after riding it around the car park insisted that it was setup correctly.
Build quality is questionable. I know I was on a demo bike but the under seat storage bin just sits in place and I had a bolt vibrate out of the leg guard whilst riding round town.
Display is terrible, you can't see it without looking at your knees.
Switch gears are fiddly and trickier to operate (with gloves on) than they need to be.
The Super model that I was looking at is over £4700 brand new!
I'm actually really disappointed.
They're so well-reviewed that I was expecting to ride one and throw my money at the dealer but not so. I had the bike for a full two hours and kept finding things I didn't like about the bike. It did absolutely nothing to endear itself to me. That said, I did enjoy hustling it back across town when I realised I'd forgotten the keys for my own bike. The extra power made the bike good fun to nip through city traffic and I was almost convincing myself that actually I did really like it.
I got back on my PCX after signing the GTS back over the dealer and realised what a sweet bike it really is.
Yes, it's underpowered but other than that, I think it trumps the Vespa in every way. Honestly, if they made a 300cc version of it I think it'd be the perfect city scooter. Time to book a test ride on the Forza for me!
People buy Vespas for the same reason people buy Harleys.
In the UK market there's really only one decent scooter available new which sits in the middle ground between 125 and 300 and that is the Peugeot Citystar 200.
It makes 20hp from its 190cc engine so a fair improvement over a PCX.
Price is pretty good at £3300, even has a full stainless exhaust as standard.
Four decades on two wheels has taught me nothing, all advice given is guaranteed to be wrong
The Xmax250 might be pretty good, but it's not really a middle ground job, its a full fat 300 size scooter, but with the power of a 200.
It has a short service interval, has the awful one off/one on headlamps, generally looks hideous and at just 20hp has a low powered engine which is a pretty old design.
Four decades on two wheels has taught me nothing, all advice given is guaranteed to be wrong
Vespas are a fashion accessory. Some really like them, but the small wheels make them difficult to ride, which is weird because I've ridden a 2010 Honda elite 110 which has 12" wheels but has a very capable suspension. Much as another mentioned, Harleys are much the same. I can't understand the allure of riding something that leaves all your bones broken and your teeth on the ground after a ten minute ride. But again, it's a fashion accessory.
Paul Smith
scootinfool.blogspot.com
Scootin' Fool on YouTube
Lancaster County Pennsylvania
2013 Honda PCX-150 (Angry Hornet) - Leo Vince Corsa Exhaust, NCY Variator (13g Rollers), NCY shocks, Givi D322S windscreen, NCY drum brake actuator arm, Denali Soundbomb mini horn
2006 Piaggio Beverly 250 (Rosa)
Dave and I went for a ride a couple of weekends ago with the local Vespa club. We were the only PCXs. I had just changed out the variator on my wife's bike, which he rode. It took the curves better than the Vespas, IMO, and it can now reach 75 mph. I can't say how well the Vespa is as a straight line riding machine, but I don't think curvy roads are its friend at higher speeds. The group was having fun and had various sizes and ages of Vespas, so I was able to see the advances that have been made, but I still don't like them.
Currently own:
Red 2013 Honda PCX150 Givi tall windshield & tailbox - Lots of extra lights Custom seat from Thailand - Bad Boy Airhorn Takegawa Lowering Shocks - Michelin City Grip Tires Headlight assy upgraded to LEDs w/HS5 main bulbs NCY variator, drive face, and rollers
273cc motor puts out 22bhp which is about twice that of my PCX. Good for a 70mph top speed (speedo was climbing VERY slowly at this point but I ran out of road) that is reached reasonably quickly but in the real world, great for getting away from the lights that little bit faster, overtaking with confidence, cruising at 50mph into a headwind or nipping into those little gaps you see before they close.
ABS is great
Looks cool, not that anyone other than you will care about that though
Bad points
--
Traction control interferes far too early e.g. with enthusiastic starts from the traffic lights and makes the bike feel like it's about to stall.
Suspension and small wheels make the ride pretty awful
I thought the ride position would be much the same as the PCX but you sit WAY higher and feel both exposed and disconnected
Seat was surprisingly high for me at 6'3. You won't be able to put both feet on the ground if you're below 6'
The bike DOES corner well but the ride position doesn't inspire confidence and while it'll get round a bend pretty quickly, I felt was gritting my teeth on more than a few occasions when I'd been a bit heavy-handed going in.
The brakes! What the actual fuck? The front was so badly setup I thought that Vespa had installed them the wrong way round (back brake on the throttle side). Nope. The front brake on this bike was shocking. The back was very good admittedly but I have no idea what this was about. No stopping power from the front at all. The dealer said this was a new bike and after riding it around the car park insisted that it was setup correctly.
Build quality is questionable. I know I was on a demo bike but the under seat storage bin just sits in place and I had a bolt vibrate out of the leg guard whilst riding round town.
Display is terrible, you can't see it without looking at your knees.
Switch gears are fiddly and trickier to operate (with gloves on) than they need to be.
The Super model that I was looking at is over £4700 brand new!
I'm actually really disappointed.
They're so well-reviewed that I was expecting to ride one and throw my money at the dealer but not so. I had the bike for a full two hours and kept finding things I didn't like about the bike. It did absolutely nothing to endear itself to me. That said, I did enjoy hustling it back across town when I realised I'd forgotten the keys for my own bike. The extra power made the bike good fun to nip through city traffic and I was almost convincing myself that actually I did really like it.
I got back on my PCX after signing the GTS back over the dealer and realised what a sweet bike it really is.
Yes, it's underpowered but other than that, I think it trumps the Vespa in every way. Honestly, if they made a 300cc version of it I think it'd be the perfect city scooter. Time to book a test ride on the Forza for me!
Appreciate the review. Interested in the size given you are 6'3
I quite fancy one but I'd get Dodge Ball abuse off the wife and kids.
At 6'3" you are not going to to like the stock seating / short legroom of the Forza300. They are designed for people about 5'7". You will likely love everything else about it and buy it anyway, knowing that you'll have to take the seat to a professional custom seat shop and have them re-do it for you since no after market seats are currently available. I'm 5' 10" and that was my experience. I have a seat cushion on mine for now until I can make the appointment at the seat shop. It raises me up a few inches and gives me a little more room.
