SH125i (JF 14)

The SH125i is Honda at its most sober, and that's exactly the point. A liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 125 cc single makes 14 hp and 8 lb-ft, drives the rear wheel by belt and sits in an underbone frame that keeps the whole scooter at 269 lb (122 kg) wet. The detail that defines it is the wheel size: 16 inches at both ends, which gives it real stability over potholes and tram tracks. There are no rider aids and no gadgets here, just a center stand, underseat storage and a job to do. Function over flash.

In town it's about as light and easy as a scooter gets: you thread it through gaps, turn it around without planning ahead and park it where nothing else fits. The engine is frugal, running costs are tiny and the reliability is the kind you stop thinking about. It's for you if you want a tool that starts every morning and asks for nothing in return. The honest caveat is the suspension. It's tuned firm, and on broken pavement the ride gets choppy. The rear shock takes preload, the fork adjusts nothing, and there's no ABS. Know that going in.