Honda Integra Test Ride

There's a saying along the lines of not knocking something until you try it. Too right. 

I set out today to take a 2015 Burgman 650 for a ride and decided to try out a red 2015 Honda Integra instead. Thing is, it looks like a scooter, but it's so not. It is a pretty authentic automatic motorcycle... complete with clutch and all. 

Packed with 750cc, it was the deep growl at the engine start up which changed my mind from taking out the Burgman. The Integra sounded like a massive truck engine compared to the Burgman's purr. I mounted it. 

Firstly, let me clear the negatives out of the way.

Number one: no real step through. Although not impossible to get on leg-over front-ways, it's the kind of machine you bend your right leg and throw your knee over standing at the left of the bike facing it. 

Number two: no massive storage. In fact, the under seat won't even store a helmet. But really, for storage, there's nothing two nice panniers and a top box can't fix. (See stock photo below). Besides, there is a handy compartment at the front left just under the handle bar... big enough for a smart phone. Only just... and not an iPhone 6 plus size one either.

Number three: no special standard features like heated grips, retractable rearview mirrors, and sliding windshield. Nope. None of that. What you will get is a fully digital dashboard with large numbers indicating speed and a smaller set displaying which gear you're currently in. 

This unit, my friends, is not a scooter. This is a motorcycle cloaked in plastic bodywork. In fact, the body frame is precisely as the Honda NC750 and its DCT version. Very same bike. Engine in front. Large wheels. Chain drive. ABS and disc brakes. (The ABS was awesome, by the way). 

The bike offers two modes of riding: auto or manual. Auto is basically twist-and-go with a drive or sport option. You really hear and feel the gears changing up and down, too. Sport option delays gear change longer. Manual mode is handled by two levers on the left handle for gear change up or down. Brakes are on the handlebars: right for front, and left for rear. No right foot braking and there's a parking brake which when engaged, keeps the unit from rolling away.

Riding it offered so much stability because of the wheel size and centrifugal balancing of the weight distribution. It's a heavy bike and it sits very solidly on the road. I felt very secure on it; like there was just nothing it couldn't handle.  I rode just barely turning the throttle before it hit 50 mph. Felt great. 

Phew! What a contender this bike is. I had no idea. If you're looking for a motorcycle with the feel of riding a scooter, this is absolutely it! I rode with my legs extended forward the whole time. It was such a pleasure to ride that I'm doing it again next week and again the week after next. 

So current status is, I want one.