Honda Navi

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The latest entry into the small bike scene by Honda follows the Monkey, the Ruckus and the Grom. Then name of this bike is the Navi which for me brings about the reminder of the firefly like helper in Legend of Zelda. The specs for the bike have to raise some questions though.

Some of the first specs I look at are brakes, engine capacity, drive system, fuel capacity, fuel system and seat height. What I want to know is how modern the bike is, how powerful the bike is, how far will it go and is it ridable for someone like me that has shorter legs. While I am 173cm (5' 8") I have 76cm (30") legs meaning most taller bikes are impractical.

The Navi has drum brakes front and back. This is likely to use older technology and stopping power for the limited 109CC engine. Lets face it, if it's not going to fast you don't need pricey disc brakes. Ok, this is somewhat understandable. The fuel system is carburetor fed by a 0.9 Gal tank... huh? In this day and age it seems like carburetors should be a choice left in the past. This is likely to save money and price the bike lower. You would expect a chain drive but the Navi has a belt drive. On such a small engine this choice seems like a unnecessary expense. 

With a top speed of 55MPH which is likely going to suck that tank dry and have you stopping at every gas station you come across. The ride height of 76.5 CM (30.1") essentially makes it a tall street bike or a low Adventure bike height. The ONLY saving grace for the Navi in my opinion is the Canadian price of $2299. Even at this price, from reading the specs, it feels like a bike that was made up of left over parts that may not have actually gone together. 

Did I mention the Navi is an automatic transmission?

Having ridden the CB300 I described it as riding a two-wheeled unicycle. Sitting high, a rake that makes you feel like it turns right under you. The Navi I fear will be worse than the CB300 but that automatic transmission will allow you to attend to your chattering teeth rather than the pleasure of the ride. 

Take a good look at the Monkey, the Ruckus or the Grom. While they are smaller in the engine size capacity (CCs)... they at least appear to have some design behind them that isn't born of "how can we get rid of these extra parts?" 






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