The Honda Forza family expands | NEWS
With this dreaded virus ruining all the bike shows this year, manufacturers are drip-feeding their 2021 model line ups during autumn. We showed a teaser of Honda’s new Forza a few weeks ago on SLUK but here’s the full 2021 Forza family line up – including a new 350cc, new 750cc and updated 125cc.
750 Dual Clutch Transmission
The big news, of course, is the all-new 750cc Forza. The big scooter uses Honda’s excellent 745cc twin-cylinder DCT engine. If you’re not familiar with DCT, or Dual Clutch Transmission it’s a cross between manual and auto and gives the rider an option to change gears using a paddle-shift – or keep things fully automatic. It’s not like riding a conventional CVT auto scooter though, you can actually feel the gears changing, which makes for a more involving ride.
TBW – Throttle By Wire rider modes
The engine runs TBW – Throttle By Wire and gives the option of three standard riding modes – Standard, Rain and Sport. Plus there’s a User mode that can be customised by the owner.
HSTC – Honda Selectable Torque Control
Three selectable levels of torque control are available and can also be switched off.
Features
The 750 boasts a 21-litre underseat space large enough for a full faced helmet, it also has a TFT dash and Honda’s new Smartphone Voice Control System which allows voice management of calls, emails, music and navigation whilst on the move. There’s also Smart Key ignition, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) to flash the rear indicators if negative acceleration is detected (emergency stop situations).
It’s a premium scooter with features many middleweight bike riders will also approve of and will make a great long-distance commuter, or tourer.
Licencing category?
The full power 750 produces 42kW (56bhp) so you’ll need a full Cat A licence but there’s a 35kW (46bhp) version available for A2 licence holders. That version can easily be converted to full power by your Honda dealer when you pass your test (or vice versa).
Forza 350
The excellent Forza 300 has been replaced by the new larger capacity 350. The new 330cc Euro 5 engine gains 50cc and 12% more power to produce 20.8kW (27.8bhp) and 6% extra top speed to 137km (85mph).
The styling has also been updated for 2021 to bring it in line with the rest of the Forza family and it has an electric screen for improved rider comfort.
Features
- Electric screen
- Room for 2 full-faced helmets below the seat
- Honda Smartphone Voice Control System
- Smart key
- ESS – Emergency Stop Signal
Forza 125
The already very well finished Forza 125 has become Euro 5 compliant for 2021 and is said to have a tank range of 500km (310 miles) from its clean and frugal modern engine. Tested to the WMTC – World Motorcycle Testing Cycle the 125 achieved 42.7km/l. The updated engine has also reduced total hydrocarbon emissions by 40%. The liquid-cooled enhanced Smart Power engine (eSP) also boasts HSTC traction control.
The 125’s styling has been brought bang up to date for the new model year. It also comes with a re-designed electric screen with an extra 40mm of travel – giving 180mm of movement from the switch on the handlebars.
