We Put the Nicest Person On A Honda
WE PUT THE NICEST PERSON ON A HONDA
A Not-Quite Test of a Just-Barely Motorcycle
by Sally Tatom, a Just-Now Rider
Even the unusual has its own rationale. Two issues ago, we were told by Honda R&D that Honda expects to increase sales by appealing to people who don’t yet know they’d enjoy motorcycles. The appeal is supposed to come from machines like the Honda Express, a tidy little package which is more than a moped while not quite a motorcycle.
Last issue Honda published an ad for enthusiasts. You’ve always wanted to have your lady along, the ad said in essence, but she’s always been a bit worried about the noise and the gears and the size and speed. Here’s your chance. Introduce her to motorcycles via the Honda Express, which is quiet, light, slow and shifts for itself.
A ha, we said. We are perfectly equipped to test this machine and this marketing concept. The newest member of the staff is a female. Sally Tatom is intelligent and adventuresome. She knows all about grammar and spelling and punctuation and proofreading, which is what copy editors are required to know. What she didn’t know (until this moment) was anything about motorcycles. We borrowed a Honda Express, got Sally a helmet and turned her loose.
ally Tatom is intelligent and ad venturesome." Gosh. I might find one or two others to vouch for my intelligence, but my spirit of adventure? Even though I have lived 10 miles from the ocean for 22 years, I have never learned to swim. (Scared.) Can't ice skate. Wouldn't try horseback riding or snow skiing unless I was paid (a lot). And you'll never catch me rock climbing or mountain climbing.
I guess what did it was when I told the staff about the “new me”—the person who wanted to do all those things and more— the one who wanted to be more daring. Maybe Ed even learn to ride a motorcycle. God knows I didn’t think they’d take me up on it.
The day the Honda Express arrived at our office I was apprehensive (to put it mildly). Everyone had told me for days that it is the easiest thing to ride they’d ever experienced. They said if I could ride a bicycle, 1 could ride the Express. Little did they know it took me weeks to learn to ride a bicycle.
I must admit I was surprised at the size of the Express—I remember thinking it was too small for me! I liked the color—a zappy green. (They also come in orange and yellow.) When I commented on the color the editor said something like, “I knew you’d zero in on the important things!” But, the vehicle had arrived. Zero Hour had also.
I tried to claim I was too busy reading copy to try the thing out just then, but the entire staff (including salesmen from out of town) all were anxious to see me do my stuff. Well, I put on my new helmet, was given a brief introduction to the machino and off I went.
It was a cinch! I can ride a motorcycle!
But the Express is somewhat different. It has an automatic transmission, so there’s no shifting gears to concern yourself with. I've seen guys pulled over to the side of the road trying to start their bikes—using lots of leg muscles and determination until the thing finally kicks over. (Honda calls this having a dialog with the machine.) With the Express, made with women in mind, it’s not necessary to kick the engine.
Sitting on the seat (or standing to the side of the machine if you prefer), feet planted firmly on the ground, turn on the ignition, close the throttle and. just to be safe, hold the front (right) brake lever in. Give the starter pedal a couple or three pushes to wind the spring, pull the rear brake lever in. which releases the spring and spins the motor. (The first few' times you start the Express you’ll be surprised at how' soft the motor sounds.) Put your feet on the footpegs, give it some gas, and you’re off. Easy. The machine is equipped with an automatic clutch which engages as engine speed is increased.
Now' it’s just a matter of working the throttle and brakes. The throttle is just like that of a full-scale motorcycle. To accelerate. roll the throttle grip toward you. To decelerate, roll it the opposite way.
The brakes on the Express are the big difference. There are two bicycle-type brake levers. The right one stops the front wheel and the left lever works the rear wheel brake. To stop, just apply both hand brakes. That’s all. No foot brake to w'orry about.
1 loved it!
I rode around the parking lot a few times, then relinquished it to other staff members who wanted to ride. Everyone else took right off too and agreed it is great fun. 1 wanted to continue riding but since the bike is made for only one person, 1 had to wait until my turn came up again.
I really did have copy to read, so it was the next day before another chance came. 1 wasn’t apprehensive this time—I was adventuresome and rarin’ to go.
I found that riding the Honda on the street in traffic was lots different than scooting around the parking lot. I took the Express up to 25 mph (top speed for the bike is 30), felt the wind lash it around a bit, felt every bump in the road and realized I still had more to learn.
Feeling a bit like the Leader of the Pack I led the other folks to the neighborhood where the photos for this article were to be taken. On the residential street where there was little traffic, 1 got to know' the Express, learned to lean slightly into the corners, and had a ball. I rode up and down that block until I felt so confident I couldn’t believe it w'as me. I could balance while signaling, stop smoothly—I did everything but pop a wheelie! I can’t stress how' easy it was. And on my way back to the office a biker coming toward me in the other lane nodded to me as he passed. Sally girl, you adventurous thing, you're a motorcyclist!
What a good thing Honda has done. This is more than a moped but easier and less troublesome than a motorcycle. It can take you where you want to go. be it the shopping mall (baskets for your purchases are optional), the beach, the college, the office, or out for a ride to enjoy your environment without the confinement of an automobile. It’s not a bike to ride down Pacific Coast Highway during rush hour, but on an uncongested road it's right at home. And it would be perfect for putting around a campground.
It's great for anyone of any age, as long as he or she can qualify for a motorcycle operator’s license. It really is a motorcycle, you see. It has all the equipment required of a road bike—a headlight (which has a high beam, and for safety's sake is on whenever the engine is on), a horn (which doesn’t sound very nasty, but is an attention-getter nevertheless), two rear-view mirrors, side reflectors, and a taillight. It is equipped with a choke to help with earlymorning cold starts, a stop switch, and a speedometer.
Unleaded gasoline is required, and Honda says the Express gets at least 100 miles to a gallon. It weighs only 95 lb., is easy to maintain since most parts need be serviced only every 12 months or 1000 miles, and costs just $299.
Mastering the Express was great fun. I am anxious now to try the next step up— maybe even a 125. One step at a time. I have an invitation to try snow skiing this weekend, and I just might learn to swim this summer. |0]
