That's it!

The next Italian I see, I am going to go up to them and give them a big wet sloppy kiss, right on the lips!

Ok, maybe not, but when it comes to scooters, I have reached a definite conclusion: The Italians know what they are doing.

This afternoon, Kevin, the sales manager at Lancaster Honda, invited me to test ride and review two of their 150cc scooters, the Honda SH-150i, and the UM MatrixII. Not being one to turn down a test ride, I agreed immediately and told him I'd try to be back later in the evening since I had to retrieve my wife from an appointment.

I showed upat 6:00 and he asked which one I wanted to start with. Since he was the one who had extended the invitation, I allowed him to choose for me, and he suggested the SH-150i. Despite some earlier statements that may seem to contradict me on this, I have been itching to try one, just to see what it was like, so I did not hesitate to agree with his suggestion.


My initial impressions of the SH-150 are as follows:

• Appearance: Clean lines. Nice paint, with a few obviously plastic panels, but some not so obvious.
  
• Fit and Finish: Very good. No loose panels. Very well put together.
• Storage: Bleh. The storage on the SH-150i is a joke, but then, with the big wheels there is a trade off in storage, unless one wishes a completely unrealistic seat height.
• Aesthetically, the SH-150i is easy on the eyes and on the ears. It does not make a whole lot of noise and is very pleasing to my eyes. It has a broader fairing than the Kymco People 150, but still maintains a thin enough floorboard as to be comfortable.
• Seat height seems a bit taller than I'm used to, but I was able to balance easily on the balls of my feet.
  
• Footroom is limited, and barely accomodates my size 10 1/2 feet, but I'm used to that.
• Mirrors are set wide enough as to allow an ample view behind the rider. I could see my shoulders, but the mirrors seem to still be more than adequate. No jiggling, even when stopped.
• Vibration is minimal.
• Instruments are easy to read, though the fuel and temperature gauges seem to be at a strange angle which makes them a little hard to read, but not impossible. There is a trip meter and a clock, if that's important to you.
• No kickstand

Now, on to the ride.

• The SH-150i is very similar in stability and agility to the Kymco People 150, but then, the Kymco borrows heavily from the Honda. The SH-150i is everything the Kymco People 150 tries to be, and comes very close to being.
• The SH-150 sticks to the road. It seems a little heavier than it's Taiwanese doppelganger, which would certainly make a difference. It seems just a little less agile, though not by much. The suspension is smooth.
  
• The seat comfort is good. By the time I was done with my 20 minute ride, I still felt comfortable. There is a fairly good lower back, well, more just a butt support, which seems to help.
  

As for performance, the SH-150 is sure to please.

• The fuel injected engine accelerates smoothly and much more agressively than the carbeurated scooters I've ridden. It was very close to the Piaggio BV-500, up until about 50 mph (reported). There is no hesitation in the acceleration. The CVT is very smooth.
• I was hugely impressed by the speed of the SH-150i. I had it up to a reported 65mph on a short stretch of rt 283, and nobody was passing me. The stretch I was on is posted as 65 mph, and most drivers push that fairly agressively, so I was somewhat surprised. Even though the SH-150 didn't want to go any faster than the reported 65, it was making no complaint and there was none of the discernable vibration that I am accustomed to on my People 150 at speeds above 50mph.
• Cornering was very good. As mentioned above, the SH-150i is very stable, so it corners like a dream.

All in all, some might question whether the SH-150i is worth $4,500, and while, personally, that is out of my price range, I don't think anyone who purchases this scooter will be disappointed. If I had the money to spend, and didn't already have a serviceable 150, I'd be sorely tempted.

The SH-150i is a sure winner, even if the price is initially a little daunting.

**coming tomorrow: UM MatrixII review - 150cc's on the cheap**

**edited to note: Kevin at Lancaster Honda confirmed my suspicions that the SH-150i is at least assembled in Italy, if not completely manufactured there. It certainly has the quality of the only other Italian scooter I've ridden so far.**