Honda Forza 750 maxi-scooter test

Menus

• GT sport scooter
• Twin cylinder of 745 cm3, 58.5 hp, 69 Nm, 11,649 euros
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Contact
• In the city
• Highway
• Departmental
• Part-cycle
• Braking
• Comfort
• Convenient
• Consumption
• Maintenance
• Video test
• Conclusion

GT sport scooter

Twin cylinder of 745 cm3, 58.5 hp, 69 Nm, 11,649 euros

A page is turning for Honda scooters in 2021! Who remembers the SWTs, the Silverwings … and then the ADVs and finally the´Integra 750 (2014) and X-ADV (2016), polymorphic children between scooter and motorcycle. And then the Forza 125 arrived (2015), an aesthetic revolution, designed in France and available in 300 and now in 750. The range of Honda scooters is now clear and complete up to the 750 standard … eyeing the maxi-scooter market and in particular the model that trusts sales, I named the TMax 560.

A plush and rewarding maxi-scooter

Discovery

The Forza 750 is both new for 2021 and a scooter from familiar ground. Because the Forza takes the base of the Integra (which disappears from the Honda range) and especially of the X-ADV 750. The look here is much more GT compared to the X-trilliant of the X-ADV. We therefore find a covering designed for protection, with a high screen, as well as everything you need in carrying capacity, especially with the help of the top-case and suitcases (optional), to compensate for a place under the reduced saddle (22 liters only) compared to its major competitor. As a result, we only place an integral here, when we can put an integral and a jet at the competitor, or even two integral on some 300 models.

The tapered rear nevertheless gives it a little sporty air, with an overall look close to its little brothers 125 and 350. And it differs above all from the X-ADV, thus offering the choice between a unique maxi-scoot trail on the market and a GT version.

Honda Forza 750 in blue

Below, we find the 745 cm3 in-line twin, now Euro5, which here delivers 58.5 horsepower at 6,750 rpm and 69 Nm at 4,750 rpm values ​​with 5% better compared to the X-ADV and naturally much higher than the smaller displacement TMax. It must be said that the engine has undergone modifications compared to the X-ADV with work on the intake and injection, but also on the larger air intake with an air filter also larger.

And if this prevents a priori an A2 version, this is not the case, since the Forza 750 can be clamped and therefore accessible in 47.5 hp, after reprogramming of the electronic box and a modification of the intake valves (around 250 euros).

In-line twin cylinder set at 270 °

But it is above all the invasion of electronic assistance that characterizes the model with three driving modes (rain, standard and sport) to which is added a configurable mode. Everything is involved in the power level, engine brake (EB), HSTC traction control and DCT mapping. The HSTC traction control is adjustable on 4 levels (3 levels + the possibility of deactivating it, or 2 more than the X-AV).

Less common, the scooter has an emergency braking warning system which also triggers the warning to be better seen. And we also find the automatic turn signal stop.

4 driving modes influencing power, engine braking and traction control

We also benefit from the smart key, also available on the 125 at Honda, which unlocks the scooter as well as the trunk, or even the top case. This makes it possible to have only one central button, which allows to lock and unlock the steering, but also to open the trunk and the tank..

Central push-button, allowing locking, assisted by the contactless key

Only the chassis still sits on a diamond-like frame, although the wheelbase extends to 1,590 mm (1,525 mm for the Integra) and the weight drops by three kilos to 235 kilos. We especially note the 17-inch front wheel (15-inch rear wheel) when the competitor has kept a 15-inch front wheel. And we remain like the Integra and the X-ADV on a chain drive and not a belt.

Double LED optic with lighting of the warnings in the event of emergency braking

And then, Honda obliges, we find an excellent overall finish, worthy of premium, due to an equally premium price.

In the saddle

Maxi-scooters are generally high perched and the Integra was in this lineage with a saddle perched at 830mm lowered to 790mm then in its SP version. We therefore find here a saddle accessible at 790 mm, lower than a TMax (800mm) but higher than a C400 (775mm) but whose access is not the easiest compared to other scooters at because of the central tunnel both wide and quite high. You will therefore step over it more like a motorcycle. Then the 1.70m pilot will barely put both feet on the ground.

LED rear light

Right in front of you, you get a color TFT screen, even if it is small compared to the market with only 5 inches, compared to the 6.5 ’’ of the C400GT for example. Everything can now be controlled by voice if necessary via a communication kit Honda Smartphone Voice Control via Bluetooth with the telephone accessible via the Roadsync mobile application (on Android only for the moment but it should arrive on iOS) which also allows to benefit from the navigation but in audio only (no navigation on the screen, even in the form of arrow), to read his SMS and to answer calls received. There is even a weather function. This involves the use of an intercom microphone in the headset. But the advantage is that you can control the audio and the functions via the left control unit..

Several choices of graphical presentation of information

The screen offers 4 possible presentations, with an additional day / night setting, with the possibility of choosing and mixing the desired Information simultaneously, enough to occupy a few evenings with the guide to discover everything and configure everything according to his tastes.

The handlebars fall well under the hands, in a natural way. The rather low saddle therefore does not require you to raise your hands. We still feel the weight of 235 kilos (in running order) is twenty kilos more than its competitor.

The feet are easily positioned on the narrow, but long step, allowing the feet to extend far in front if necessary.

The high screen does not interfere at all, being just placed under the gaze of the pilot from 1.70 m.

Contact

The twin engine snorts in a low, rewarding sound and yet this is the original exhaust. Being shorter than the old one also makes it visually more pleasing. It almost feels like you’re on a motorcycle than on a sanitized scooter, which the Forza isn’t.

58.6 hp (43.1 kW) at 6,750 rpm / A2: 47.5 hp at 6,000 rpm

Relatively straight, with a very straight kickstand, the Forza 750 is easily raised.

In the city

The reaction to the throttle is both instantaneous and strongly depends on the mode chosen. The Rain and Standard modes are rather "quiet" and do not really allow you to really feel the interest of the 750, especially as the gearbox tends to shift very quickly and you can thus end up in the sixth and last gear. in the city. Everything is really revealed in sport mode, responsive, friendly … always accompanied by the growl of the twin in acceleration. It’s rewarding and dynamic, linear but effective. The size of the Forza then allows it to slip through traffic without any concern with good maneuverability at the rendezvous but without excess being more stable than truly agile.

The turning radius of 2.8m is very correct, allowing you to turn around in a street without too much difficulty. Parking allows you to feel the weight when you are on the machine and this will justify getting off to handle the scooter alongside, rather than trying, for example, to back up on your toes.

Maneuverability in town

If it is less fun than its direct competitor and strained by a greater weight and a higher center of gravity, it is easy to handle and you get used to it completely after a few hours..

Highway

The Forza voluntarily engages on the motorway, with a significant reach, capable of stalling at 150 km / h at just 5,000 rpm (in Germany), with perfect stability, aided by the 17-inch front wheel. It is therefore largely possible to accelerate still widely to reach speeds prohibited in France up to the red zone at 7,000 rpm. This is where we realize the excellence of the bubble that manages to protect from the wind, without generating any disturbance behind it either. We are therefore excellently well protected behind and both for the pilot and the passenger. And that’s where the Forza earns its GT scooter stripes. We then approach the excellent stability of the maxi-scoot, at maximum speed and both solo and in duo.

Only at 5,000 rpm at 150 km / h

On the last gear at 130 km / h, the pick-ups are smooth, unless you give a sharp boost to the accelerator, allowing the gearbox to go down two or even three gears to allow rapid overtaking..

Departmental

The advantage of a DCT gearbox is that you can forget about shifting completely. And if in Rain or standard mode, we plague the box which shifts all gears very quickly to be rather under revving, with the benefit of low consumption (indicated by a tachometer in green compared to yellow), the sport mode allows you to start having fun, especially since the Forza offers both precise steering and a flawless cycle part, very rigid and reassuring.

69 Nm at 4,750 rpm / A2: 65 Nm at 4,000 rpm

The limit comes in arousal and when the virolos quickly follow one another where the box can decide to change gear when you do not expect it, sometimes with somewhat long raises. So don’t hesitate to use the paddles to force a downshift. Because yes, even in automatic mode, it is possible to force down (or up) a gear via the pallet under the left fingers. And it is all the more important, that the first three reports are geared towards acceleration and the following three more towards optimization of consumption..

And this confirms the rather GT character of the scooter with a dose of sport … but without excess. The Forza will love to roll up without forgetting the box, able despite everything to go down by itself two gears while you are at 120 km / h while returning in third to resume, if you open wide! Because it is the characteristic of this DCT gearbox which does not shift a gear only linked to engine speed but to a mixture of engine speed and percentage of handle turned. This is how if you’re in fifth gear and you turn the grip fully, it allows the box to drop two gears at once for quick overtaking. The gearbox is rather fast, but the Forza only makes 58 horsepower and at the same displacement, motorcycles may be faster for overtaking..

Firm comfort in duo

Part-cycle

The Forza 750 proves to be super stable with an excellent chassis, reinforced by the grip of the Bridgestone T31 tires which showed all their efficiency in the rain of our test..

Braking

The ABS rear brake kicks in rather easily on its own, but it must be said that most of the testing was done on wet roads. The braking offers a good feeling and a good power, without excess, but perfectly dosable.

Double hydraulic disc 310 mm at the front, single 240 mm at the rear

Comfort

The Forza 750 is sporty in terms of comfort, offering firm comfort in both the saddle and the suspensions, whether solo or duo. It is therefore not a flying carpet on the road, making it nevertheless more comfortable than a TMax and less than a Burgman 650. The handles are a little low and encourage the passenger to cling to the pilot rather than to the handles. At the same level as the pilot, the passenger is also very well protected by the screen. On the other hand, the passenger’s position is more motorcycle than scooter and therefore pleasant, with the knees not too bent for our Sandrine (1.60m).

Convenient

You can put an integral under the saddle, or even a modular (when you find the right position, do not hesitate to do several tests), a clear improvement compared to the Integra which barely accepted a jet.

A 22-liter trunk to put on a helmet

But if you want more, you will have to go through the top-case (50 liters) and the optional suitcases (26 and 33 liters), but in the same color as the maxi-scooter, available in blue, red, black and silver. There is a 9 liter console bag available as well.

Honda Forza 750 equipped with Top-Case and suitcases

A storage compartment completes everything at the front but without a USB socket, the latter being only available in the trunk in USB-C.

USB-C port for charging under the saddle

It is finally very easily on the central stand, which is far from being a generality.

Consumption

Honda announces a consumption of 3.6 liters (WTC mode) which rose to 4.5 liters according to the on-board computer at a steady pace and mainly in sport mode. The whole therefore gives an autonomy of more than 300 kilometers with the 13.2 liters of the tank. An autonomy which must be able to reach 350 km with a use of commuting in town and peri-urban at normal pace. Advantage therefore against the competitor with a larger tank (15 liters) but which also consumes more (5.1 liters).

What to go to the countryside

Maintenance

Like most Honda models, maintenance is done every 12,000 kilometers.

Honda Forza scooter range

Video test

Conclusion

The Forza 750 is a rewarding, qualitative, technological, stable GT maxi-scooter, with a large engine for the category, allowing it to be efficient in recovery and extension, all with reduced consumption. Less day-to-day fun than a TMax, it is on the other hand much more GT. At 11,649 euros, almost the same price as the X-ADV 750, the Forza 750 is positioned just below the price of its competitor 560 … which has exploded in prices in recent years, pushed by aficionados who still follow and buy despite the increases. But we can only remember the already 9,290 euros of the standard Integra … which takes more than 2,300 euros here. Something to also look at the side of the latest Forza 350, lighter and above all twice cheaper (5,799 euros for the 300, price not yet defined for the 350), largely sufficient for urban and peri-urban use or even more with its speed peak at 137 km / h. Suddenly, the Forza 750 will be of particular interest to those who want a plush, statutory urban maxi-scooter, reliable (the NC platform has proven its reliability helped by a five-year warranty) less bulky than a Burgman 650 and more powerful and with a more pleasant engine than a C650 GT and above all capable of seeing further than the peri-urban. So don’t hesitate to add the top-case, or even the suitcases, to increase its carrying capacity, which can allow it to travel far with everything it needs to leave for several days. And since it arrives in dealerships in November, this is an opportunity to go see it for real, or even try it out..

Strong points

• Performances
• DCT box
• Protection
• 5 year warranty

Weak points

• Chest capacity
• Weight
• Non-adjustable screen
• Price

Honda Forza 750 technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: small varied roads + interurban highways with a bit of town
• Motorcycle mileage: 250 km

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