Scooter Review Honda Today 50 No matter what anyone says size matters – especially when you want light, cheap, frugal transport
Words by GREGOR STRONACH, photography by LOU MARTIN 'Today’ is an interesting moniker for this diminutive scooter – the curious blend of old and new school technology on a tiny little frame makes it seem more like a toy than a tool of transport. Literally everything about the Today 50 is small, from performance to wheelbase, which measures in at just over a metre. Even the seat height is well within midget proportions – at 695mm, even the most vertically challenged will be able to get a foot on the ground at the lights.
 But don’t let its size put you off – if you’re a city dweller looking for a seriously inexpensive transport option, you couldn’t do much better than this.
The heart of this little machine is its 50cc four-stroke engine, which is a marvel of modern engineering. Built in China originally for the Japanese market and to be as frugal and emission-free as possible, the Today’s single-cylinder forced air-cooled engine is a beauty. While it’ll never win any drag races, it’s still powerful enough to get you going through the city streets at a reasonable clip. Putting out just 2.8kW, it does take a while to get up to speed, but once there it’s a comfortable ride.
The suspension is rigid enough to provide a positive ride, but compliant enough to deal with the rough surfaces of inner-city roads, in spite of the tiny 10-inch wheels.
Braking is the only sore point for the Today – its reliance on old school cable-todrum brakes both front and rear was clearly a decision based more firmly in economics than safety, but they do the job. The brakes are linked front to rear, which helps a little as does the fact that the Today is speed limited to 60km/h, but with 75+ kilos of rider perched on the seat emergency stops are best avoided.
There are, though, some compelling arguments for the little tyke. Chief among these is its fuel economy. I rode the Today everywhere for a weekend – up to the shops, out to visit the folks, down to the pub and over to a mate’s place. I was by no means being gentle on the throttle either – to reach and maintain any decent sort of pace, I was wringing that throttle as hard as I could.
 The total fuel bill for the weekend? 80 cents – less than it would have cost to take the bus 200m up the road. And when the fuel light came on, and I eventually filled the tank, the cost was a wallet-lightening $3.79. Or about $2.50 per week for me.
With a price tag of $1990 (not including on-roads), and fuel economy like nothing I’ve ever seen before from the greenie-friendly engine, Honda’s Today could well be the inner-city transport solution that many have been looking for.
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 28/10/2003
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