Riding a Honda Jazz Scooter
October 1, 2007
So I bought the scooter. A 2005 Honda Jazz to commute to and from the office. It kind of looks like this:
I am not into cars and find driving to be a tedious chore. However, I love this scooter. Lyal Avery was/is giving me grief as the scooter driving CEO. Sure, I don't look very cool on it as a 40 year old, in fact I probably look quite dorkish, but this thing is awesome. It's perfect for a commute and is fun to drive. I actually like driving now. I thought that would never happen. It gets as far as I can tell over 200km on 5 liters of gas!
As I live on the North Shore, I have to travel the Lions Gate Bridge twice a day. It was a concern but it is not really a problem. South bound is quite a steep approach and the scooter peaks at 47km/h on the climb. However, I make it up on the down run where I can get up to 70km/h. The north bound approach is more gradual so I can maintain 50-55km/h. As I am in rush hour traffic each way most cars can't get over 60km/h for any length of time anyway.
owners manual
Hi -- I recently purchased a 2004 Honda Jazz and absolutely love it. I became addicted to scooters after renting an electric one last summer and wanted something with a little more get up and go. This little bike sure is blast!!
Now for my questions --
1) I was wondering if anyone had a downloadable version of the owners manual. The previous owner of my Jazz seems to have misplaced it.
2) someone told me that the engine had a govenor (or whatever it's called on it)
Does anyone know how this can be removed or adjusted to increase the top speed from 50 to 60 kmh?
thanks in advance!
Cath
owners manual
Hi -- I recently purchased a 2004 Honda Jazz and absolutely love it. I became addicted to scooters after renting an electric one last summer and wanted something with a little more get up and go. This little bike sure is blast!!
Now for my questions --
1) I was wondering if anyone had a downloadable version of the owners manual. The previous owner of my Jazz seems to have misplaced it.
2) someone told me that the engine had a govenor (or whatever it's called on it)
Does anyone know how this can be removed or adjusted to increase the top speed from 50 to 60 kmh?
thanks in advance!
Cath
Scooters are stylish, not cool
Don't worry about looking cool, scooters are stylish. It's like comparing a classic car to a modern one. Just like the classic car a classic scooter is timeless.
Honda Jazz
I was searching Honda Jazz scooters in google and your entry was the 5th listed so I decided to give it a read. I'm thinking of buying a scooter but am really nervous about driving in Vancouver. Partially because the drivers are bad and also because our weather throughout the year is nearly 89% rain. I'm interested to get your feedback since it's been a while that you've posted this page. Any further comments about the Jazz Scooter?!??!
Thanks for the help!
jen
I Love The JAZZ Scooter
Hi Jen,
I LOVE IT. I live in North Vancouver and drive to and from work everyday, including the horrible wet winter we just experienced.
Why I love it.
1. It feels safer than riding a bicycle on Vancouver streets. Vancouver drivers are horrible, but unlike a bike you get a full lane birth when they pass you.
2. You can get by almost any traffic jam in the city. A few months ago an accident at Burrard and Georgia locked traffic up everywhere. I literally turned off the scooter, walked it on to the side walk for three block to clear the accident. Put it back on the road and drove away.
3. Parking. You can always find parking.
4. Rain doesn't bother me at all. I bought rainproof hiking pants, and a ski jacket with removable liner. Presto. Rain no Problem.
5. I can only go a max of 60Km/h. No speeding tickets. I'm a legendary lead foot.
6. Doing last minute errands is a breeze. Jump on the scooter and go. It simply doesn't feel like an ordeal to go to the store for bread and milk.
7. I hate driving. Never really liked it. That's probably why I'm a lead foot. I want to get where I'm going and get it over with, but something about riding on a scooter (I assume a motorcycle is the same), makes me love driving.
8. I fill up on 6 dollars (used to be $4.50) of gas every 7-10 days and I drive it everyday to and from the North Shore, and then to my ultimate games.
9. Bikers (motorcycle) and Scooter(ers?) almost always wave as they pass you. That's the friendliest response I have gotten from strangers in Vancouver since I moved here. I went on a hike last sunday and said "Hi" and smiled to everyone I passed. Only 2 said anything back and only another two even returned the smile. So, a wave just because I'm on a scooter is pretty cool to me.
10. My three year old son thinks it's pretty cool that his dad rides a scooter. I know once he goes to school, he will realize it's pretty lame and nerdy, but for now, he thinks it's cool. :)
11. Insurance costs me exactly $365.00 a year.
12. It's plain old fun.
One caveat. I believe, you need to be "somewhat" comfortable riding a bicycle on a city street if you are going to be comfortable riding a scooter on the street. If you are not then a scooter might not be for you. I bought mine used from a lovely woman who put only 400km on it. The guy at Carter Honda who services my scooter said that situation is not atypical. Many people like the idea of a scooter, but once they are on it and in traffic they lose all confidence. But as I said, I actually feel much safer on it than on a bicycle. When I was on my bike, cars would literally be inches from me when they passed, or would honk if I was more than a foot from the curb, which would always jolt me.
Hope that helps.
Let me know if you get it.
Very Exciting!
That helps a lot and it certainly appears you're still digging your two wheels. I've seen more and more scooters on the road lately, no doubt because I'm more honed into them, but also because I think the price of gas and push of going green is making people to choose different options. I hope it becomes a culture like it is in Europe but that might be a while down the road.
I was walking down Commercial Drive tonite and saw 4 Vespas parked side by side with the group of owners huddled at a coffee shop across the street. When I took a closer look, they all smiled proudly. I can see the appeal of the bond shared between scooter(ers) lol!
I'm going to test one out this weekend and scoot around the city to see if I can handle the traffic without having an anxiety attack. I've ridden the Jazz before in Victoria and I remember it being a blast, but of course, I was with 6 of my friends so why wouldn't it be?!?
Once again, I appreciate your enthusiasm and your advice. I will indeed let you know if I get one and perhaps send you a little pic of my new purchase!!
Jen :)
Honda Jazz
Hi David
Thanks for sharing your experience with your Honda Jazz. Do you know if it can carry a passenger and if it still handles well with one?
Joel
Only 1 Passenger
The scooter is meant for only one passenger: the driver. The seat simply doesn't support two people. Though some 50cc scooters do have seats that can fit two people, I would be loathe to 'double' anyone for too long. Your adding another 130-180 lbs to a little 50cc motor. You will not be going up hills with any speed at all. For short trips on the flat I guess you would be OK, but if you are planning to carry a passenger on a regular basis, I would go for a 150-250cc, but you will need to have a different class of drivers license with a larger bike.
Thanks for this link
Hi David,
Your blog seems to attract a lot of potential scooter riders, including me. I bought a 2007 Jazz scooter at the end of the summer (from a person who had the other reason scooters come up for sale - to upgrade to a faster, bigger bike) and am having a blast riding it. Your enthusiasm factored in my decision. Driving to work is a pleasure - I take bike routes where I can to cut down on traffic - and I arrive at work or home less stressed and with a smile. I love the curtailed desire to speed and I'm going to take it really slow in the rain, and just leave more time to get places. So thanks for being one more smiling rider on the roads - it is an instant bond with people in a rather "my own little bubble" city.
cheers,
Jennifer