Honda Motorcycle Company is quite synonymous with many weird and quirky-looking inventions ever since their arrival in the United States back in 1959. Some of their most iconic and revolutionary motorcycles, such as the VT250 Spada, Road Fox, FC50 Beat, and many more, helped Honda build their reputation over the years. For 2022, Honda is back with the even more quirky Honda Navi, which is available for a base MSRP of $1,807.
Being one of the most affordable motorized vehicles on sale here, the 2022 Honda Navis' main focus is affordable and fuss-free city commuting. Even though the Navi is a new entrant to the United States market, this moto scooter has been doing duties in the crowded streets of almost all the Asian countries. It is quite reputed for its bulletproof reliability, smart design, and overall versatility. With no major rivals in the scooter space, the 2022 Honda Navi is here to set the sales chart on fire.
10 Long And Comfortable Seat Makes It An Excellent Commuter
Swing your leg over the wide and well-cushioned single-seat of the 2022 Navi and you would be quite impressed with the comfort level on offer. This seat is decently wide and can accommodate two full-grown adults with relative comfort. The seat material and bolstering are excellent for city commuting, too.
What further contributes to the comfortable seating is the low seat height offered by the Navi. It comes with a seat height of just 30.1", making it adequate for even the shortest of riders. The handlebar is wide and comfortable to hold. The long footpegs (similar to that of motorcycles) help to create a perfect rider's triangle, too.
9 CVT Automatic Transmission Is A Boon In The Stop And Go Traffic
Being a Honda Activa (sold in Mexico and many Asian countries) underneath, the Honda Navi gets the same single-step CVT automatic transmission as the Activa. With no gearshifts to be done, this CVT transmission is a boon, especially when riding through congested city traffic.
Even if you twist the throttle, the transmission doesn't bog down the riding experience, unlike other scooters with a similar transmission setup. The transmission responds swiftly, and the rubber band effect that the CVTs are famous for is well contained in the Honda Navi.
8 Humongous Storage Area Makes It Quite Versatile
One main differentiating factor of the Honda Navi from the other motorized scooters is that it gets a keyed storage compartment underneath the fuel tank. This also adds to the character of the Navi. This storage space can store a few grocery bags with ease, adding to the versatility.
This is a 15-liter storage compartment and would also be ideal to store many other items like jackets, gloves, etc. What makes it even better is that this storage space is waterproof and that helps you store any electric devices, offering peace of mind. The entire compartment is detachable, too.
7 Compact Dimensions Lets It Park Anywhere
With a short wheelbase of 50.6", the 2022 Honda Navi is a godsend in busy cities. Due to the short overall dimensions, be it length, width, or height, the 2022 Navi could be easily parked in any space that you could locate. As a result, you don't need to hunt for a parking lot, which is a very cumbersome task.
It is also a breeze to navigate through the streets, as you don't need to concentrate too much on brushing with other vehicles, due to the Navi being very short. The curb weight of 236 lbs makes it one of the lightest vehicles, too, and that adds to the convenience and comfort.
6 One Of The Most Frugal Moto Scooters Ever
The single-cylinder motor mated to the CVT automatic transmission means that the 2022 Honda Navi can deliver a whopping 110 MPG. Unless you ride like an absolute maniac, the Honda Navi is going to be a consistent performer in the fuel efficiency front, as reported by some of the users.
Even though the Navi gets a minuscule 0.9-gallon fuel tank, it is more than enough to cover a reasonably long distance without needing to constantly refuel. This would ideally make it very attractive to college students, delivery workers, and many more who are dependent on a frugal city runner.
5 Two-Up Riding Is Possible
As mentioned previously, the seats are adequately long and wide. This makes the Honda Navi a brilliant tool for two-up commuting. The rider could easily go on for at least 30-40 miles before the pain starts to kick in. That is more than enough for a regular commute. The legroom is impressive, and the low height is a selling point too.
The pillion seat comfort is better than many of the reputed motorcycles out there. With the rider and pillion on the motorcycle, both of them have an adequate amount of space to move around. The soft seats coupled with low height and good legroom are all beneficial for both.
4 The Single-Cylinder Motor Is Known For Its Longevity
The 109cc air-cooled single-cylinder OHC motor offered in the 2022 Honda Navi is known for its bulletproof nature. With just regular maintenance like oil and filter changes, valve clearance checks, and belt changes, this motor could potentially run on and on. It is also very cheap to rebuild, as the parts are readily available and cost barely anything.
Many users of the Honda Navi and the Honda Activa from India have reported no major issues with the motor, and there are more than a million of them plying on the road. Furthermore, this 109cc motor has been around for ages and hence you could find the solution to any problems quite easily.
3 Agile Handling
The 2022 Honda Navi gets a steel chassis, which contributes to the rigidity. As a result, this bike doesn't feel nervous or twitchy, both on the straight roads and on the corners. When it comes to the suspension, the front end comes with 26.8 mm inverted forks with 3.5" of suspension travel. The rear end gets a nonadjustable single shock.
This setup helps the Navi to be an excellent proposition inside the city, as the handling is pretty agile throughout the speeds it is capable of. As a result, the Honda Navi darts through the traffic with excellent precision. The stability on offer is wonderful too.
2 Not The Best In Terms Of Ride Quality
The inverted front forks make the Honda Navi adequately comfortable at slow speeds. The reasonably small potholes and bumps will not pose a problem to this scooter. However, larger ones affect the ride, as the front suspension jolts quite a bit.
The rear suspension is also similar to the front, as the ride quality at very slow speeds is pretty much decent. However, the moment you fall into some of the bigger craters, the rear gets unsettled. The ride is also very bouncy at higher speeds, which can be a deal-breaker.
1 The Features List Is Pretty Much Non-Existent
The 2022 Honda Navi is barebones when it comes to the features on offer. This scooter comes with an analog speedometer, odometer, and fuel gauge, all of which are hard to find in this day and age. The halogen headlights and taillights are on board too.
The front and rear end gets the archaic drum brake system. However, the combi braking system makes the braking a bit more confidence-inspiring. Apart from that, there is no Bluetooth connectivity, ABS, and multiple riding modes. All that the Navi has is a powertrain, a chassis, and a comfortable seat, and that helps to keep the costs minimal.