Quiet and quirky, Honda’s motocompacto scooter is an odd sight, so the Dispatch stopped to talk to Harley (apropos for a motorbike rider) Beekman, a 6-foot, 230 pound security guard at the City’s downtown parking garage.
He was keeping an eye on it for a friend, he said, and she said he could give it a test drive.
“I seen it, and I was like, I'm gonna try to ride that,” Beekman said, a light in his eyes. “I didn't believe it was going to be able to hold my weight, but it works, fantastic…I'm like, to see this thing be able to move, I can't even imagine someone who's a little bit lighter. Oh, you're getting to whip around. This thing is amazing.”
The motocompacto folds into its own body, and the handle bars when folded in provide a carrying handle for the box. It’s just 3.7 inches wide, 21.1 inches high and 29.2 inches long when folded, Honda’s website says. The small tires stick out a bit from the bottom when folded up.
The specs on the website say it is good for people up to 265 pounds, has a range of 12 miles and has a 15 mph top speed. The battery lasts up to 3.5 hours.
Beekman guessed it was maybe 30 to 45 pounds (He’s a good guesser. Honda says 41.3 pounds.)
He could see using it to “get around and zip around town.” It fits in an apartment, in a car.
“I think it's really cool…say, if you did have issues, maybe walking. Now you’ve got to have a little bit of balance, but now you're not walking, you know what I mean?” he asked, his voice conveying the excitement. “You’re on the road, alright? You’re like that toddler just ready to get out, ‘Let’s go!’ But yeah, no, it’s awesome!”
