Advantages: Gorgous, comfortable, brilliant fuel economy Disadvantages: Initially expensive and a few design flaws.
I've had my Habana (or 'the Love Machine') for 5 years now and sad will be the day that we will be parted.
I'm not an expert and don't know all the scooter/motorcycle/car type language. All I know is that once upon a time it did 80 mph and for a 125 cc thats pretty nippy. It currently costs me about £5 to fill the tank all the way up and that will do about 80 miles before I fill it up again but I never run it dry.
Yes after 5 years it coughs a bit in cold weather when I first start it up but other than that runs really well considering. It is very comfortable to ride with a very large seat and relaxed riding position which almost makes up for getting soaked if it rains!
Some say that it's a Vespa 'wanna-be' and yes it does mimic the retro style but the fact that it is so much more substantial than a Vespa is really appealing ...
Advantages: Looks cool, cheap to run Disadvantages: Expensive to repair, parts take weeks to arrive as have to come from Italy
My hubby has had a Habana Custom 125 in pale blue for 3 yrs. From the very beginning it has been a nightmare. He has had 3 speedo cables, is on his 3rd gear and has now been told that the exhaust and back tyre need to be replaced. We don't own a car so this is his mode of transport for gettin about and to work and back daily. The last time it packed up it was off the road for 10 weeks as that is how long it took for the part to arrive from Italy. It cost him £2500 3 yrs ago and he has spent near on £600 on it in that short time. He's had enough now, and as it packed up on xmas eve, as soon as it is repaired he's getting rid of the bloody thing. Looks nice but very unreliable. ...
Advantages: Stylish, Low seated (good for short leggies), Very stylish. Disadvantages: Heavy (depending on your viewpoint)
My Y reg Aprilia Habana Retro 50 in Carribean Red (OK, it's burgandy!) is my first motorised 2 wheeler, and so far, I love it.
Lets get one thing straight. The Habana 50 is classified as a "moped" in the UK which means it is restricted to a top speed of 30 mph. As anyone with any experience in this field will know, restricted "mopeds" in fact have a top speed of between around 25mph and 40mph depending on the make/model/restriction etc. The Habana 50 is on the slower side of this limit. It IS NOT a fast 50cc. In restricted form my one runs at 30mph on the flat at full throttle. This is 30mph as indicated on the speedo ... in reality I would estimate this to really be 25mph. Downhill I can get it up to 45mph on the speedo, and uphill it will only struggle to 25mph at best.
Given that it's so slow why do I still love it? I am 27 ...
