Educate me: Honda Spree

I've been looking for something cheap on gas to get me to work during the warm months. I've got a line on a Honda Spree for $300 as long as the guy doesn't sell it before I get a chance to see it. Top speed limit on my 7 mile commute is 45mph. Crazy idea? Awesome gas saver? Seller says he;s heavy and it tops out around 27mph for him. I'm about 200lbs. Any aftermarket for them to bump that speed up? I'm not real up on scooters so any info is appreciated.

thanks!

This might get better responses in Sprockets...

Is the Spree 50cc? I had an old Suzuki FZ50 (50cc) that topped out at around 28 with me at probably 130 lbs max.

I'd look for an 80-150cc scooter if I was going to be out in 45mph traffic.

You'll need to get your motorcycle endorsement (or at least temps) if you don't already have it.

I had a buddy do just that in michigan. He got 75 mpg on some scooter. He has balls, but he loved it.

Forgot all about the sprockets section....

It's a 50cc, there's a "long way" that eliminates the scariest part of the drive if I decide I'm not ballsy enough. It would be easier if there weren't a giant air force base between me and work.

a buddy had one of those back in the day. i think it would do 45 fairly easy, with a top speed downhill with a tailwind of 55 or so, with two of us on it for a total weight of around 150-170lbs. this was way back in middle school though, so its been a while.

45 mph would be dicey, 30 mph side streets and I would be OK with it. I don't know what the laws is in Ohio, but in New York you don't need a motorcycle license for that scooter, under 50cc. Is that part of the equasion? If not, go with a 250cc or larger.

My $.02

Dan

In reply to PubBurgers:

7 mile commute? fugetaboutit!

I know some of the honda scoots had a governor on the variator which could be removed. Not sure if that's the case on the spree. My brother used to let me ride his ungoverned honda scoot around the neighborhood when I was a kid. 35mph is not scary. Not sure about 45.

I think the Spree has a different type of tranny than most modern scooters which severely limits it's top speed and is not easy to modify. I had a Yamaha Jog (2 stroke 50cc) that would easily do 45 with my 200 lbs. So... there are 50 cc scoots out there that would be suitable for your commute, but i don't think a Spree is one of them.

I would spend a few hundred more and get an actual motorcycle.

Scooters are a death wish.

93gsxturbo wrote: I would spend a few hundred more and get an actual motorcycle. Scooters are a death wish.

Well, I don't know if i would go as far as to say that. They are a lot of fun in ways a motorcycle is not. If I lived in an urban area, a scooter would be my main mode of transpo.

Can you fit a turbo on a 50 cc scooter? That would be my vote. You try it first, though. I'll watch. With a camera.

Rufledt wrote: Can you fit a turbo on a 50 cc scooter? That would be my vote. You try it first, though. I'll watch. With a camera.

on a 2-stroke it would just blow the mixture out the exhaust. in europe, where you can get a license for under 50cc at 14, then up to 150 it think at 15, and a full-on motorcycle license at 16, 250/400 size bikes with 50cc motors and tuned pipes are/were fairly common.

you can get tuned pipes for the more popular scooters, but if you want more that 45 mph you'll need more than 50cc

are all 50cc scooters 2 stroke? i suppose that question reveals my scooter-ignorance level.

Though I do remember from my R/C days people used to be able to eek quite a bit of power from those tiny 2-stroke engines by porting and tuned pipe combinations. I think it would be fun to try!

I used a spree as my daily commuter for 2 years. They are legally mopeds in the state of oregon. That means they have to be under 50cc, travel no faster than 30mph and have under 3hp. This also means you do not need a motorcycle endorsement to ride one. It takes some pretty creative trip planning to avoid roads with traffic moving faster than 30.

I had mine modded enough to hit 35mph and that was pretty scary. Tiny little tires, inadequate brakes and no real suspension led to that.

Nowdays there is a strong aftermarket for them and big bore kits and pipes are easy to find.

I think an old moped with 16 or 17 inch wheels would be a better bet to try and hit 45mph. Plus they can be made to look cool as well. Folks have hit better than 70mph on modded mopeds.

In Ohio, if it doesn't have pedals (functional...for providing locomotion) it is considered a motorcycle and you need the motorcycle endorsement on your license or the appropriate temps.

That's how I bought a "moped" and ended up getting my motorcycle license. Ohio doesn't care if it is 50cc or 1500cc, no pedals = motorcycle.

Guess I failed to mention I'm also trying to snag a pair of non-running Tomos mopeds. Realistically it looks like one of them would be a parts bike.

I rode around a 78 Vespa Grande moped a couple years back. The most fun you can have going 18mph flat out.

Sadly the Spree does not qualify as a moped in Ohio and a motorcycle license and insurance are required. That doesn't really bug me as I need to get my motorcycle endorsement anyway. If I tack on a mile or two to my trip I can avoid the one worrisome road, though I'll still have a 2 mile stretch of 45mph speed limit to contend with.

Local here runs a scooter on my morning commute (35 kilometers = 22 miles). Haven't seen him since the snow started - but earlier in the fall he was decked out in a snowmobile suit, with Javex bottle cut-outs on the handlebars and a full windscreen to break the wind. Worse part was seeing him in the dark (6 am), and he's jumping back and forth in traffic like he has some death wish... maybe that why I haven't seen him lately ...

Not how I want to commute.

Back in 1964, I had a Honda C-110. Motorcycle with 50cc and a 4 speed tranny. I weighed 200#. That little thing was a blast, got stupid gas milage which didn't matter as gas was about 50 cents a gallon, but it would easily get up over 50mph. I even rode it from Columbus to Mid Ohio on the Interstate. I don't know if there is anything like it now, probably not. I really preferred my CBX.

racinginc215 wrote: here is what I know it can carry two cases of beer if you stack it right and you walk away virtually unharmed when you hit the side of a cop car. Then again I was under age when that happened I might get hurt now.

I'll have to find the pics from my last trip to Denver. That sounds oddly familiar.

You can probably do 45 on a Spree, but you won't want to on those skinny wheels and tires.

A 50 Spree is pretty underwhelming. They make a good campus scoot or pit bike, but not much else. A decent china 150 scooter can be had for around $600- an old Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha can be had for stupid cheap money and, unless they are totally whipped, are virtually indestructible. Mrs. Mini got a 1977 KZ400 with 7k miles( that needed only a good cleaning)for $400. Light enough to be easy to handle, but big enough to run highway speeds without breaking a sweat, and small enough to park almost anywhere.

I had a Spree and I'm fairly certain it only hit 40 while cruising down a large hill with the wind at my back, they just aren't that powerful even for a 50cc. I don't remember the technical reason but their design doesn't lend them to mods.

Since you are going to have to get a moto endorsement anyway look for the very-80s Elites or a Passport (the Cub's brand in the US). They are both available in larger displacements that will do highway speeds much easier.

Spree is definitely a small-sized 50cc 2 stroke scoot, largely plastic, very flimsy feeling (easy for one guy to pick up).

I'd take one in heartbeat as pit bike, or if I only had to go a few blocks. Beyond that, you'd need to be small of stature (150# or less) and very brave to take on any actual traffic.

I'd recommend saving a few bucks and buying a cheap old motorcycle if you're looking for real transportation.

asterisk wrote: I had a Spree and I'm fairly certain it only hit 40 while cruising down a large hill with the wind at my back, they just aren't that powerful even for a 50cc. I don't remember the technical reason but their design doesn't lend them to mods. Since you are going to have to get a moto endorsement anyway look for the very-80s Elites or a Passport (the Cub's brand in the US). They are both available in larger displacements that will do highway speeds much easier.

I agree. I had an Elite 80 in high school, and 55 was about all it would do. My friend's Spree was like a toy in comparison. That's pretty bad.