Honda Forza 300 test

Menus

• A complete upgrade of the 300 at Honda
• 4-T single cylinder, 279 cm3, 25.2 hp at 7,000 rpm, 27.2 Nm at 5,750 rpm, 182 kilos with full tank, from € 5,799
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Engine and transmission
• In the city
• On motorways and main roads
• On departmental
• Cycle part
• Brakes
• Comfort and duo
• Consumption & autonomy
• Convenient
• Revisions
• Conclusion
• Honda Forza 300 review in video

A complete upgrade of the 300 at Honda

4-T single cylinder, 279 cm3, 25.2 hp at 7,000 rpm, 27.2 Nm at 5,750 rpm, 182 kilos with full tank, from € 5,799

"When things change, things change", said the great Michel Audiard. Eternal words well integrated by Dai Takakuwa. Who is that ? Quite simply the chief stylist of the latest Forzas, a subtle, rich and delicate being, since we also owe him small masterpieces such as the Honda FTR 223, which is the dream of any collector of racy motorcycles normally constituted.

In short: forget the previous Forza 300, this one has nothing to do with it. Although: observant minds will have noticed that the lines have a little air of dejà vu, which means that this sentence would contradict the previous one. Is Le Repaire inventing a new literary genre? Not at all: in their broad outline, the features of the 300 are those of the Forza 125, a huge success in urban mobility over the past three years, which is also being renewed in the middle of the 2018 vintage and with which the 300 shares some evolutions that we will tell you in detail below.

In the meantime, if there is just one thing to remember, it’s this: the Forza 300 is the compact size of a 125 Sport-GT and the performance of a 300, so. Downright nice, as a punch-line, especially if you add a benchmark build quality and high-level equipment.

Honda Forza 300 review

Discovery

We said it has nothing to do with it. The old Forza 300 was round and bulbous, a bit in the spirit of a beluga that would have mated to a small freezer with wheels (I know, it’s weird, but stretch the imagination, thanks).

Suddenly, the Forza 300 is quite identical to the 125 and that is understandable given the success of the latter (30,000 copies sold in Europe including 12,000 in 2017 alone, which earned it third place among 125 scooters, behind two other Honda, the SH and PCX, not bad for a high-end machine, end of the parenthesis).

Honda Forza 300

We can therefore play the very funny little game of the 7 errors: the 300 has the inscription "300" on its side flanks behind the monogram "Forza" (the 125 does not mention its displacement), the arches of the body are in silver color (the 125 is in black, except the silver gray version which is entitled to blue). That’s not all: the turn signals act as a night light and that is still the surest way to distinguish the two versions (although the 300 is not entitled to the new red color of the 125, to be precise).

The Honda Forza 300

For the rest, it is not in the dimensions that you will see the difference: there is 5 mm difference in length (2140 mm against 2135) and 20 mm on the wheelbase (1510 mm against 1490): same with lynx’s eye, we bet you won’t tell the difference. These compact dimensions do not prevent the saddle from being able to accommodate two full-face helmets.

Finally, it should be noted that the quality of the paints and the finish are to be cited as an example..

In the saddle

The 2018 Forza are full of gear. It starts with a new dashboard which has a digital window that is really rich in information (average consumption, range, driving time, clock, two gauges). Perfect ? Yes, except that the left stalk is moderately ergonomic (there are two buttons, "info A" and "info B" to scroll through all the information and Honda persists with this reversal of the turn signal and horn control, when even BMW came back in line). Well, it seems we got used to it over time.

Honda Forza 300 speedometer

Another important novelty: an electric bubble that beats over an amplitude of 110 mm and whose fluidity of movement will be welcomed.

Honda Forza 300 adjustable screen

That’s all ? No: the Forza 300 also has switchable traction control. One might wonder if such a system is really useful on a machine of 25 horsepower, but as the Yamaha Xmax 300 had one installed last year, one imagines that for the folks at Honda, it was a question of honor above all. And we must recognize that it can always be useful, one day in small form, on white bands surrounded by rotten grilled.

Apart from that, we will note that the saddle is still relatively high, at 780 mm and requires having a little legs to put both feet flat.

Honda Forza 300 floor

Engine and transmission

The engine block has been taken from the previous Forza 300 and has been nicely upgraded. This is also where the difference with the 125 is necessarily more noticeable: indeed, we go from 15 to 25.2 hp and from 12.5 Nm to 27.2 Nm and all this, we remind you, in almost the same size. One can imagine: one has peri-urban skills that the other does not have, even if the engine block is 9 kilos heavier than that of the little one.

Honda Forza 300 engine

A few figures to illustrate these facts: do you want to humiliate a keke in a Seat Leon TDI tuning (pleonasm) at the start of the green light? The 125 covers the 200-meter standing start in 13.4 seconds and that might be a bit tight if the Philistine fitted an escapement with "William Saurin" outlet and a reprogramming chip. You will then have a better chance of doing it on the handlebars of the 300 which cuts down the same exercise in 11.1 seconds.

Idem: you are more likely to contribute to the recovery of public finances by being flashed on the handlebars of the 300, which peaks at 129 km / h according to Honda, than with the 125, which announces 20 less.

Forza 300 single cylinder

But like at Le Repaire des Motards we also love poetry, what about emotions beyond numbers? There are some differences: as much the 125 is soft, discreet and is generally forgotten, as the 300 is a little more sonic and distils some vibrations at idle, which end up disappearing while driving..

One last and important detail: the 125 has a stop & start system, magical in town. The 300 is not entitled to it. Pity.

In the city

Easy, that’s the first word that comes to mind during the first few meters on the handlebars of this Forza 300. We obviously feel the small excess weight compared to the 125, but overall, this weight is forgotten, d ‘as far as the turning radius is very good, that the three-part throttle / engine / transmission tuning is just extremely excellent. The retros allow you to go back up the line between the lines of cars with the joy of a gazelle zigzagging between groves of fynbos in the plains of the South African Northern Cape (a place where one will find, paradoxically and in spite of of this similarity, little Forza 300!). The practical aspects are present with in particular a storage compartment, a 12 Volt outlet and a keyless starting system.

Honda Forza 300 city test

A favorite with urbanites and a favorite with dealers, the 45-liter top-case is also controlled by the keyless start system, with a three-meter radius. Perfect not to be encumbered with a bunch of keys that cut your pockets (which is not the case with the price of this Forza 300, we’ll talk about it at the end).

Cruising along the harbor in a Honda Forza 300

On motorways and main roads

Nearly 130 km / h flat, here is what allows you to consider long journeys, or to make serious commuting to get to work without fear of taking the expressways. The acceleration is fairly linear, up to top speed and the stability is not at fault, even in the big curves. This Forza 300 is eminently reassuring.

Honda Forza 300 test drive on expressway

The electric windshield is not a gadget: in the high position, it will still let a little wind hit the top of the helmet of a "pilot" of a certain size (like more than 1 , 85 m), but the shoulders are fairly protected.

On expressways, overtaking is easy.

The Honda Forza 300 on a curve

On departmental

Two good news here, which affect both the agility of this new Forza 300, which allows it to swallow long distances on the secondary network with great ease, or to twirl from one turn to another without even come to think of it, on the handlebars. What remains in mind is the beautiful neutrality of this Forza 300 which remains evident in all circumstances, even when the pace picks up a little..

Honda Forza 300 test on winding road

Likewise, without being exceptional (it is the structure of the machine that wants that), the comfort of the suspensions is quite honest and in any case much better than on its favorite enemy, the Yamaha Xmax 300.

The Honda Forza 300 on the road

Cycle part

At first glance, it is identical to that of the 125, which suggests that the little one is oversized to handle this influx of horses! There are still some differences: the suspension springs are different and stronger on the 300, the frame has been reinforced and the swingarm is different (hence a wheelbase increased by 20 mm).

That’s not all: where the 125 trusts Michelin, the 300 sits on a pair of Pirellis that we didn’t have a problem with, apart from a few very natural slips on white stripes taken on the corner. Is that when you have traction control, you start to dare things !

Honda Forza 300 tire

Brakes

The Forza 300 is based on a device identical to that of the 125, apart from the nature of the modulator. So it’s a simple 256mm disc that officiates at the front, pinched by two pistons; a single piston bites a 240mm disc at the rear. The power is sufficient and ABS has the good taste of not triggering inadvertently even though, on hard braking, you can feel its operation through the rear brake lever. Nothing abnormal.

Honda Forza 300 front wheel

Comfort and duo

The rider’s comfort is quite good: the saddle is wide and did not cause us any pain in the foundation during this test day. The saddle is generously sized, the grab handles are in place and if we had met Prince Rainier, we would have offered to borrow Charlene to get the famous "Geraldine’s opinion". This is only a postponement.

Honda Forza 300 shock absorbers

Consumption & autonomy

The 11.5 fuel tank guarantees 375 kilometers of range. Our test could not measure precise real consumption, but the figures put forward by Honda are often close to the truth. The Forza 300 has a fuel gauge, a range indicator and an average consumption indicator. At the end of a fairly dynamic trip, the on-board computer indicated 3.9 l / 100, which already provides 300 km of autonomy. To be confirmed in the context of use with work trips carried out at a more reasonable pace.

Convenient

The large trunk and its 54 liters can accommodate two integral, making it one of the scooters with the most room under the saddle behind the XMax (300 and 400).

Honda Forza 300 test on small roads

Revisions

We have a first standard service at 1,000 km of 30 minutes (around € 50 for oil filter – oil – transmission oil check and lighting checks). There are then revisions every 12,000 km (oil change and filter) and at 24,000 km: oil change, oil and air filter, belt / rollers.

Conclusion

The power of a 300 in the size of a 125: the argument hits the mark and the cocktail is delicious. When you have the power of a large (say an average) and the size of a small displacement, it is the weapon to move in the city. And elsewhere, thanks to a nice extension and a nice level of equipment, even if some would have possibly swapped the traction control for a stop & start system, so pleasant in town.

The appearance of the 125 probably guarantees a great success to this 300: modern, well designed, well finished, it also makes a reasonable return on its excess benefits. Count in fact an extension of 700 euros, which is very reasonable. The Yamaha Xmax 300 sees a dangerous competitor arrive head on, who also happens to be much more comfortable. Enough to allow this new Forza to dominate the 300 scooter category, especially since if you have the A or A2 license, we say to ourselves that this is the perfect format for switching.

The Forza 300 is available in 4 colors

Strong points

• Quality of presentation and finish
• Look
• Space under the saddle
• Complete dashboard
• Performances
• Electric bubble
• Handling
• Ease of driving
• Versatility

Weak points

• Some vibrations in slow motion
• No stop & start
• Ergonomics left stalk

Honda Forza 300 technical sheet

Honda Forza 300 review in video

Test conditions

• Itinerary: Half-day trip between Nice and Monaco
• Motorcycle mileage: 500 km
• Problem encountered: none, the tour of the F1 circuit is cool, even on a scooter

The competition: BMW C 400 X, Kawasaki J 300, Kymco Xtown 300, SYM Cruisym 300i, Yamaha Xmax 300

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