Still No News on Arrival of Latest Forza 300 to U.S.

[Old Grinner]

Honda still hasn't announced the arrival of the newly redesigned Forza 300 to the U.S..

However, we can rest assured that the Metropolitan and Ruckus will be here for 2019. It's nice to know for the new riders or urban dwellers.

http://hondanews.com/powersports/channe ... n-for-2019

So my local Honda dealer still has preexisting 2018 stock piling up in inventory with only one 2019 PCX and no hint of when the new Forza 300 will be on the showroom floor. Go figure.

Is it possible that the U.S. market just won't support the effort by Honda to get on with it at this time? Even the lesser priced Kymcos aren't exactly flying out the salesroom door either. . .still plenty of 2017 leftovers.

That said the Yamaha XMax seems to be selling in my area. Not in huge volume but they do sell. My local dealer was out of stock a couple of months ago . . .. The 2019's should be in soon in black matte.

The Burgmans and Vespas are sort of in a league all their own. Price point is an issue too.

The Forza and XMax are about the only choice that gives you a lot of bang for the buck in that sub $6,000 MSRP range (plus fees). Basically you can't go wrong either way. . .just see which one fits you best. But without having a Forza to compare the XMax to up front and personal then the old "Matthew" effect of a widening gap between the "haves" and "have nots" can come into play.

[87112]

In my area there is still a 2015 New Forza left. I saw it a couple of weeks ago.
https://ridemotorsports.com/Scooters-Ho ... 590113d905

I think buyers of motorsports are turned off by the high 6k msrp. For example the Ninja 400 is 5k msrp and with 100 more CCs.
Dealers risk losing money on stocking scooters, can't blame them.

[Old Grinner]

Wow. . .that is a good deal. . .and they've hopefully fixed the fuel pump and electrical problem recalls.

Brand new, going on 4 years old, I'll bet someone with good negotiating skills may be able to shave the destination fees off as well.

The new Forza is a whole different animal. More electric and LED ified.

But I can see the measure of getting a CBR300R for under $5K or a CB500X for under $7K. Of course they don't have the storage capacity but if you don't visualize needing anything more than a seat pack or tank bag they are viable options.

[Jge64]

The market in the states for scooters right now is crap. It hasn't shown any growth in quite a while. Yes I realize we all like scooters here, but unfortunately most generations are not buying bikes, cars or scooters these days. I'm sure American Honda has a warehouse full of forza's, and dealers also... They need an incentive cleanup program, I doubt they'll do it because Of budgets, it needs A LOT of money to clean it out, like a grand Or $800, and they don't have that. $200 isn't going to do it. Again, because the market is crap. I'm sure it will eventually come in, but might be a year or two… oh and it doesn't help that most us dealers hate scooters, won't stock them, because there's not a lot of gross or interest in them.

I think the new PCX is a great bike. All the reviews are in, and I think it's a different bike then my Xmax. I think my Xmax is more sporty, more powerful, but gives up some of the amenities that make the PCX very nice. They are remarkably similar in the feature/ benefit area. It's amazing to me how much the Xmax feels like sport bikes I've owned.

Just put a Polini variator on the Xmax. Amazing explosive RPM, lighter weights, but I took it off because it is intensely loud, even installed correctly. It has 12 -7 g weights inside and makes too much of a racket for me. Putting it on eBay next week

[Old Grinner]

The market in the states for scooters right now is crap. It hasn't shown any growth in quite a while.

Actually after the crash of 2008 a lot of things have changed. . .like our buying power has dropped by almost half due to that big government bail out of Wall Street and devaluation of our currency. The people on retirement that didn't have it too bad for a while suddenly got hammered. No you hear about elderly making choices between food or medicine. . .. Sorry, I digress.

The seat on the new PCX is pretty much the same as the 2017. . .just not comfortable for larger riders and due to it's design there's not much that can be done about it.

That said "Cheeky Seats" was able to come up with a seat cover for the older PCX models up to 2013 with the "hump" that cures the problem (but you already knew that right?). Their padded seat cover is about $150 and if you remove the hump from the stock seat and install their seat cover you can ride in more comfort and slide back more. I saw a used 2013 Red PCX 150 the other day with only about 900 miles on it for around $2,500 and I thought. . .geezzzzz. . .that may be a possibility. . .but not just yet. From what I've read Mel say's the older PCXs (pre LED headlights) are actually faster than the new ones and could do over 60 MPH no problem. But as with anything there were some issues with the rear hub face-set-driven in the clutch. Some times they sound like a squeek. . .sometimes they don't.

https://libbysmotoworld.com/Scooters-Ho ... 310133508c

I liked my 2017 but felt compelled to trade it in towards my new Zuma 125. It does what I need it to (local errands, forest dirt roads, foul weather). . .but starts to sweat after 50 MPH. I'm not selling it but am seriously considering selling or trading my old Bandit 1200 for a new light weight but practical ride. It's just not my cup of tea any longer, it's heavy, and there's too much traffic now to let it do what it was designed for. The tires, chain, and battery are all relatively new and it runs great. So the time is now to adjust and adapt for my needs at this stage of life.

In addition, you've possibly read here that I'm working on my antique KLR 650. As long as I can still get my leg over the saddle on that thing it will continue to be my number 3 ride.

Again I digress but I've heard good things on this forum about the XMax and Forza 300 and like everyone else am dealing with the times we live in. I also like the CBR300R. . ..

For the times have most certainly changed and visions have become reality.

[davenowherejones]

Canada is going to have very few scooters available soon. Kawasaki offers none. BMW theoretically has 3 (C650GT, C400X, C400GT), never seen any on the road. Suzuki lists the Burgman 650 & 400 available (expensive). Yamaha has for 2019 SMAX, BWS125 & BWS 50. With mighty Honda offering the all powerful Ruckus 49cc and the PCX150.

Very rarely do I see a scooter on the road even if I head in to the big city. It is rare to even see a motorcycle these days. The Hells Angels do make a bit of noise sometimes. A few people do the Sunday rides.

Right now it is cold, wet & dark. Mind you it is 4:00 AM and I am going back bed.

[Old Grinner]

Canada is going to have very few scooters available soon. Kawasaki offers none. BMW theoretically has 3 (C650GT, C400X, C400GT), never seen any on the road. Suzuki lists the Burgman 650 & 400 available (expensive). Yamaha has for 2019 SMAX, BWS125 & BWS 50. With mighty Honda offering the all powerful Ruckus 49cc and the PCX150.

Very rarely do I see a scooter on the road even if I head in to the big city. It is rare to even see a motorcycle these days. The Hells Angels do make a bit of noise sometimes. A few people do the Sunday rides.

Right now it is cold, wet & dark. Mind you it is 4:00 AM and I am going back bed.

I'm still riding daily as long as there's no snow/ice on the road. It's been in the 30's in my area during the day and night well below freezing. There is ice forming on some of the salt water fed marshes. I rarely see another scooter or motorcycle on the road during this time of the year. Maybe if the temps get close to 50 I'll see some riders taking their machines out but still far and few between. The local motorcyclists and scooter riders generally populate the roads in numbers from around Easter to Halloween. . ..

My Zuma 125 stock windshield and brush guards do give me some welcomed protection. The longer I own it the more I like it. It's turning out to be the great year 'round scooter I hoped it would be.

It is disappointing that Honda hasn't offered the newly designed Forza 300 in North America yet. Maybe next June perhaps? That seems to be around the time they like to introduce new models of the PCX. Time will tell. If they do I'll be right down to my local Honda dealer to check one out.

The key features that will determine if I get an XMax or Forza 300 (if available next year) will be the seat comfort and basic ergonomics. One of the available accessories for the XMax that I'm glad to see they offer is the passenger backrest. I won't need a top box. I've got a top box on the Zuma for the local errands. That said, I'm not sure if Honda offers just a passenger backrest for the Forza 300 Euro version.

[Oldie]

I was out on my Forza today. Dry roads and 40 degrees. Very comfortable ride (although I did have my heated grips on). Scooters just seem to be able to handle the cold weather so much better than standard bikes. The Forza continues to impress and it's really beginning to feel quick, even with only 1,250 miles on it.

Snow forecast on Saturday so I guess that I'll hang up my gloves for winter.