Road test of HondaForza 750 2025 Between motorcycling and tourism

some ideas are worth rediscovering. The scooter (in its general theme) has carried with it an image of a small urban machine, practical and playful since the dawn of time, with a rigorous driving style akin to the Savoyard sausage (the diot, for connoisseurs). But since the new century, the machine has become more comfortable, more competent, more powerful and more versatile. Honda's Forza 750, almost a GT in its macrocosm, is the pinnacle of this trend.

descended from the Integra RC62, this big baby has become strategic on the market and has to deal with a star dusegment. Opposite it, the famous Yamaha T-Max enjoys a strong reputation and a slightly sportier temperament. On the other hand, the Forza boasts a robotized gearbox that perfectly matches its mission and ambitions. The 2025 version takes efficiency one step further. Let's see how.

behind us, the Mediterranean and its accents of the Grand Bleu carpet the horizon with physiological freedom. It was near here that Enzo and Jacques began a fratricidal competition that inspired a generation of Luc Besson's poetic dreams. Less dreamy, more serious, the 7 and a half Forza presents a proud appearance with its reworked design. Its stature is more assertive, more mature, as if it had swapped its shirt for a suit. Still bourgeois but sharper, with a hint of squalor and a noble stance on its wheels, it's perfectly suited to a corporate executive or an uptown cab driver.

there's plenty of plastic on board, some of it very soft, giving a false impression of lightweight quality. As always with Honda, the assembly is serious, the finish very appreciable and the finish first-rate. But is the handlebar cover really necessary? Once on board, the Forza's imposing stature fades somewhat to make way for a sober environment dedicated to a ride somewhere between touring and comfort. But we'll discover that it can do more than that.

the phone goes to sleep in the small right-hand glovebox, a press on the ignition button (the key can remain in the pocket), a pull on the starter and the twin-cylinder wakes up with a discreet, well-bred rattle. A flick of the thumb to engage the DCT, and the group sets off through small Sicilian villages full of surprises.

in this environment, Honda's robotized transmission works wonders. At "take-off", the clutch bites with the same grip as an experienced human hand, keeping a small point of slip to moderate the roll, but ready to disengage completely to really get going. The old gearbox might have seemed to suffer a kind of hesitation at this stage, lacking the sensitive, cognitive approach of the human "feeling" - the new one, on the contrary, deliberately and confidently manages this "hesitation". Bluffing! When turning on the throttle, or when performing plateau-like maneuvers, the maxi-scoot moves as well or better than with any other type of transmission, having eradicated the little hiccups sometimes encountered on older generations.

the Dual Clutch Transmission can be operated in either Driving Modes or Manual mode, with left-hand shifting, but its efficiency is such that it remains in Automatic mode at all times. In Sport mode, it can delay upshifts by letting the engine rev up, and sometimes retains the gear when the throttle is not fully engaged, to keep the engine revving. A behavior in keeping with its name, but not really with its engine.

after all, the Forza's twin isn't the most at ease in high-speed use. In fact, it wasn't designed for it. Its playground is the mid-range, where it makes optimum use of its torque. Consistent, with a smooth response and a certain depth of sound, it allows you to extract yourself from city situations, aided by the gearbox's short first ratios. Pick-up is frank and energetic, giving the impression that sporty riding is on the cards as the twin becomes wilder.

except that when you start to tease it more wickedly, the block continues its effort in a less flattering noise, with accents of culinary tools. The pursuit of acceleration continues, but with less enthusiasm than when it takes advantage of the "fat zone" of power. And yet its strength is 58 bhp, seasoned with almost 7 mkg of torque. But the mechanics are subject to the law of their origins, dating back to the NC 700s, with a technical design designed to save money (and not to save money, mind you). The 745 cm3 prefers GT behavior, which will be the rule for 90% of Forza use. For moments in a hurry, this business scooter is still capable of 170 km/h. Without veering off course or waddling around corners. Stability in all situations is proven, accompanied by a healthy, homogeneous chassis. Only the slight negative thrust in the back might bother you a little. But who likes cruising at this kind of speed on a scooter-GT?

with 236 kilos in the buffet, you can't expect ballerina-like handling. And yet, with its low engine position, quality suspension and well-thought-out geometry, the Forza instantly puts you at ease, engaging and cornering at a flowing, even engaging pace, but without bouncing from one to the next. Reassuring at all times, it doesn't lose its grip on the scars and crevices of the road, and barely locks in when entering a curve a little too optimistic and the brakes too insistent. Its damping works beautifully, with a remarkable digestion of asperities, leaving a good reading of the road and a well-calibrated firmness. Only in the case of certain high compressions would we have appreciated a slightly softer shock absorber stop. But that's quibbling.

the Forza's mass finds a good braking lieutenant in Nissin's 4-piston radial calipers. They attack the 320 mm discs with suppleness, providing easy, even metering, with plenty of power in the jaws when needed. Road-holding braking, but the bite could be more incisive. As for the ABS, you really have to slam on the brakes to activate it.

the area in which the Honda 750 Forza best expresses itself remains, as you'd expect, dynamic touring. Its bow protects the legs well, the seat is comfortable and the bubble deflects air away from the forehead to protect the torso and minimize pressure on the helmet. All this in the upright position.
Because when brought up to its base, it quickly becomes noisy when the speed goes out of town. The height change operation is electric, with some manipulation of the multifunction pad by the left thumb. Personally, and in the opinion of many, a dedicated button would have been nicer and more practical.

except that Honda wants to simplify its control system. The on-board display is teeming with information (better arranged than before, with more orderly graphics) and settings as you enter the menus. The abundance of electronics has enabled the manufacturer (and others) to develop and even over-develop functionalities, but it's not always easy to create intuitive navigation. The backlit controller and its paths take a little time to learn, or rather to get used to its logic, and then enable a host of operations. In fact, if the Standard, Sport or Rain driving modes don't suit you, Honda has included two User modes for setting acceleration, engine braking, traction control or DCT management to your liking. Note: if you deactivate Traction Control (or HSTC torque control), it will return the next time you restart the machine. Among the things to review, the turn signal control (still....) is not yet perfectly in line with the thumb's natural trajectory, and activating the warning system requires some research. Why not place it near the opening buttons? There's plenty of room, and it's right under your nose. On the other hand, DCT control is much more intuitive than before. The Japanese have fitted cruise control as standard, which we unfortunately didn't have the chance to try out.

one of the strengths of a scooter, with which very few motorcycles can compete, is the large trunk under the seat. The forza's 22-liter recycled-material hull (Honda has great ambitions in this area) can accommodate a full-face helmet, even a crossover-type helmet with a cap. Make sure the front of the helmet faces downwards, and the base of the trunk, so that it fits snugly. The seat is easy to use, with a button on the center console and two retaining cylinders. The fuel filler flap is also controlled by a button of the same type. Keyless is transparent and practical on the Forza, which is not always the case with other manufacturers.

thanks to its set of suitcases (optional), the Forza transforms itself into a small sport-GT, capable of carrying a few belongings in makeshift dimensions. Almost a renaissance of the Deauville , with 20 years more technology. But don't expect too much: the right-hand luggage compartment, severely reduced by the exhaust pipe, can only be used as a briefcase, or even as storage for a rain suit. The left-hand hold is more convincing, with room for a small helmet. Small, eh? or a sponge helmet.

upgraded to Euro5+ standards, the Forza 750 doesn't undergo any major changes, but acquires a more enhancing touch and reinforces its qualities. Pleasant, easy-going, bourgeois (in the good sense of the word), more of a polo player than a water player, it lives up to its lineage and should still be able to take a bite out of its best enemy. Especially as it can count on its X-ADV brother, also modernized, to tackle a more "adventurous" picture. Its price is also in line with its claims. Strong but not exaggerated.

Greg Rattin - Manufacturer's photos