HONDA PS 125

When the invite to the launch of the Perfect Scooter pinged in my inbox, I could hardly turn it down. I love scooters: they’re officially the nippiest way to get about town (ask the Kawasaki GPZ-mounted courier who I beat to the lights the other week), more practical than a raincoat in a thunderstorm (you don’t even have to carry your helmet around with you), and certainly more fun than dreary old public transport. But what would make a scooter perfect?

Ample underseat space to fit a full-faced helmet is a must (I hate those open-faced jobbies that leave you chinless in a crash). A scooter with no hook on which to sling my handbag is not even worth contemplating, and it would have to be stylish. A girl about town couldn’t possibly look scruffy. It would have to perform well enough to let me enjoy the odd twisties (hard to find in The Smoke), weave my way in and out of cars and squeeze through the smallest traffic gaps. And it would need enough CCs to let me on to the M25, and be reliable – I don’t take kindly to being stranded in the rain on my way home from a hard day’s work. And last but not least, it would have to be affordable – because probably the best thing about scooters is that they let you travel cheaply. Unlike our tube and railway systems…

So expectations were high when I flew to Italy’s sunny Porto Fino to meet Honda’s brand new PS125 – the PS stands for Perfect Scooter, in case you were wondering. Honda had organised the perfect day to spend with the Perfect Scooter; ride the PS along the coastal roads from Porto Fino to Genova where we’d enjoy (soft) drinks in the main Piazza’s bar, then go for a spin around the busy city streets, before heading for dinner at a restaurant. Sounds good to me.

But first, a bit of background. Honda says the increasing number of people passing their test means the PS125 is one of their most important new models. Most new riders spend a couple of years on 125 scooters, so Honda sees it as a first contact with customers who, if pleased with the experience, will stay faithful to the big H forever after. Honda has also seen its share of the scooter market skyrocket from six to 32 per cent in recent years, and they want to keep it growing.

To my relief, rumours of a pea green scooter were unfounded. Instead, a wishy-washy green version came only as one option, with more sophisticated grey, blue-grey and black colour schemes to choose from too. The PS has a distinctive, classy look about it, with plenty of original details such as the vents on the nicely rounded front fairing and the stylish, pointy rear. But best of all, it looks solid, with the typical superb Honda finish. This is no flimsy scooter.

To prove the point, the PS gets a fuel injected, super-clean and economical four-stroke engine, supported by Showa suspension and stopped by Honda’s combined braking system. The underseat storage is built to hold a full-faced helmet, and is easily opened by turning the key in the ignition. Climb on board and the large, super-comfortable seat leaves stacks of room for a pillion. There’s even a grabrail that doubles up as a rack for the 35-litre top box available as optional equipment. The cubbyholes at the front are handy for storing bits and pieces, and the handbag hook is present. Hooray!