Honda Metropolitan Scooter

Is the Honda Metropolitan Scooter the new Spree?

The Metropolitan, also known as the CHF50, is one of several 49cc scooters offered by Honda since the early 1960s. It was introduced to the US market in 2002. This same vehicle is marketed as the Jazz in Canada, the Scoopy in Australia and the Crea Scoopy in Japan. These minis are going to get you a max speed of about 40mph and up to 110mpg. Not bad for having a 1.3 gallon gas tank.

The 'Met' is just another great Honda motor scooter. Here are some of the specs for the 2008 and 2009 models of the Metropolitan:

Engine Type -- 49cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke

Transmission Automatic -- V-Matic belt drive

Front Brake --Drum

Rear Brake -- Drum with CBS

Wheelbase -- 46.9 inches

Curb Weight -- 176 lbs

Fuel Capacity -- 1.3 gallons

Colors -- Ocean, Ghost, Monza, Graphite

Price – starting at $2399

Metropolitan II (CHF50P)

Nearly identical to the Metropolitan, the Met II was created to meet moped laws in the United States. It was slowed down to only reach speeds of 25 mph and shared all the color schemes with the Metropolitan. It was discontinued after the 2005 model year.

Predecessors

Honda produced many 49cc moped/scooters before the Metropolitan hit the make. Here are a few of the more popular versions:

Spree – Produced for 4 years from 1984-1987, it was legally classified as a moped and would reach a top speed of roughly 30 mph.

Engine - 49cc Air cooled 2-stroke single cylinder

Wheelbase - 41.9 inches
Curb weight - 180 lbs

Fuel Capacity - .66 gallons

Colors - Sparkling Red, Black, Kriti Blue, Shasta White, Lollipop Green, Cortina White

Other names for the Spree - Nifty 50 and NQ50

Honda Super Cub - Debuted in 1958 and went on to put Honda on the map in the United States. The Cub is still produced today, 50 years after its inception. Its primary market is in Asia.

Express – Built between 1977 and 1983. Used models go for anywhere from $50 on up to $700.

Honda History

In 1937, Sōichirō Honda began producing piston rings for small engines which lead to manufacturing small engines to be used in motorcycles, and then in 1948 he started producing complete motorcycles as president of the Honda Motor Company. He remained president until his retirement in 1973. His legendary status was such that People magazine placed him on their "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year" list for 1980. He has been dubbed by many as "the Japanese Henry Ford.”

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