No longer considering the SH150i

[Baysidebob]

OK, I'm no longer considering, I'm owning. I took the SH150i home yesterday. The only downside for me is lack of storage but I had an after market top box waiting which went on easily. It looks like the grab rails provide good tie-down points for heavy stuff on the rear seat if needed (that's what the manual suggests). I have no trouble sitting on it flat-footed to the ground but I can see how this might not work for some.

"Style" was not an issue. I have a pretty motorcycle sitting on a battery tender because riding it in wet weather would be like cutting the lawn in a tuxedo. The SH certainly doesn't look like a "traditional" scooter. The wheels take some getting used to but given the sorry state of my local streets I'm grateful for the increased size.

I needed 150cc or more to get over the SF Bay Bridge from time to time and looked at almost every scooter out there. It came down to two things: 1: reliability; 2: dealer/network. I was leaning toward Vespa but have no confidence in the local dealer. Honda dealers are everywhere and I've had very good experience with Berkeley Honda/Yamaha. So I went in and asked "How Much?" I was given a figure and responded "MSRP in January?" and we quickly worked something suitable out.

The pesky manual mentioned something about avoiding full-throttle starts for a few hundred miles so I can't speak to performance. If there are any high mileage SH riders out there I'd be interested in how long it goes and what breaks. At 63 if I find this one "just right like Goldilocks" it may last a lifetime for me. If it's a lemon I'll drop it like a hot rock while I'm still able to ride.

[F800]

I got past the considering phase also. I have a little over 650mi. If the SH150i is as trouble free as the early Honda scooters then I'll keep it for a while, if it is like my former Honda Reflex scooters, I'll get rid of it. More about the scooters I've had before.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=454

I had considered the Vespa also. It was being sold out of a Honda/Kawasaki dealership. I would like to ride the SHi for at least a year before I give any good or bad reports about the scooter.

[Baysidebob]

One added note: I notice I can get my heals back far enough on the floorboard to easily stand up for the speed bumps. Not so on others I've tried and a bigger deal than one would think.