In 1959 a friend bought a new Cushman Super Eagle motor scooter and I was envious. Being a poor boy I could not afford one so I bought an old scooter for $50 and tried to restore it. That scooter was fun even though it had a top speed of 35 mph and could not climb a hill. I connected 6-volt batteries to the head and tail lights and at night only turned on the lights when I met a car because I didn't want to run the batteries down. When I turned sixteen and got a car I sold the scooter for the same $50 I had given for it and since then I have always wanted a nice scooter.

One day I got to thinking, I'm getting to be an old man and if I get a scooter in my lifetime, I'd better buy one now. Linda and I talked it over and decided a scooter must meet the following criteria. It must be a two person scooter, it must run at highway speed to be safe, it had to be dependable and we had to find a way to haul it behind the motorhome. The Honda Reflex scooter met the criteria so we started shopping for the best deal. Only 2,500 Reflexes are imported each year so they can be hard to find and even harder to find a discount.

After talking to several dealers, some had Reflexes and some did not, we found our best deal at S&S Honda PowerSport in Clarksville, Indiana. The Reflex has a base price of $4,999 and we bought one for $4,444 including two helmets with face shields, plus shipping, set-up and prep for a total cost of $4,835.

Next we needed to install a platform on the back of the motorhome with a tow bar connection so we can tow our Honda CR-V behind the scooter. Pit Crew in Georgetown, Indiana had done work for us before so we gave them a shot at installing a platform. The platform ended up being too low and would drag the ground and Linda thought it was too difficult to run the scooter up and down the ramp. We decided to bite the bullet and go to New York where Overbilt Lifts could install the best cycle / scooter lift available. But that is another story.

The Honda Reflex motor scooter is probably the best motor scooter on the market. It has a 250 cc engine and has a top speed of 80-85 mph with one aboard and about 70-75 with a passenger. It weighs 351 pounds (dry) and can carry an additional 366 pounds. The entire seat opens to a large storage area, plus it has a large glove box and a smaller storage box. The tires are tubeless, the brakes are dual hydraulic disks and the engine is water cooled. The first tank of gas produced 60 miles per gallon, exactly what Honda advertises.

We look forward to packing picnic lunches and touring state and national parks on our scooter. Remember, you are never too old to live your childhood dreams.