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TEST RIDE

Test-riding a big automatic scooter for a 1,300km trip sounds boring, right? Well, no, actually

Published: 31 Dec 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: Life

An invitation to test ride the Honda Integra, a big scooter with dual-clutch automatic (DCT) from Hat Yai in south Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, sounds too good to let slip, so I gladly accepted it.

The first thing I noticed walking around the Integra is the seat height, 82cm, which didn't seem a big problem for a small person like me _ I'm just 160cm tall.

The Integra is actually a very handsome-looking scooter. The front of the bike, especially with the V-shaped headlamp and the big plastic surfaces, reminds you of the grand VFR1200, the petit PCX125 and the sporty CBR250. The whole fairing gives a good sense of aerodynamics.

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tau
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Discussion 5 : 22 Feb 2013 at 08.375
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After riding a Honda Air Blade for a long time in Thailand,i wonder how a big bike can fit in the everyday traffic.Now,i drive a big Ford Ranger.I wonder how is it possible that i have suvived on a bike.
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robins
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Discussion 4 : 07 Jan 2013 at 07.304
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@Discussion 3 Thank you for your intelligent comment, that very common practice of coming within inches of any other vehicle at high speed or flashing lights is very difficult for a foreigner to understand. I would love a bigger motorcycle but have not bought one because I see it as being either useless or suicidal under the above conditions. Our legal system is different, in the US, if you rear end any vehicle you are almost automatically at fault, the cost and penalty is very high and it does not matter who you are.
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durieu
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Discussion 3 : 06 Jan 2013 at 17.073
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Robins, Thai people may be shown their real face in the car traffic. The truth is that their society is based on the karma of each one. It makes them may be more tolerant but also much more selfish. In French it exist an expression (in slang) to say that, which is "each one his shit". People who really take care of the others in a selfless way are very rare in Thailand, except to get more “merits” for their own karma! We are may be not better in western country, but we are pushed to take much more care to the other. Isn’t it? Nevertheless, for the same population, about 17000 people died in 2011 on the road in Thailand and 4000 in Franc
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robins
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Discussion 2 : 04 Jan 2013 at 21.352
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Sadly in Thailand, even with a small bike, it's not the limitations of the motorcycle that slows you down, it's your desire to stay alive. There is no way a careful rider can keep pace with the car traffic because the risks would be unacceptable to any good Western trained rider. The incredible selfishness it takes to tailgate a motorcycle or squeeze past him in a single lane with inches to spare at high speed are all too common here.
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durieu
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Discussion 1 : 04 Jan 2013 at 21.261
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“The Integra …/… is designed for all types of customers”. Are you sure? Not for those who are less than 170 cm (their feet cannot touch the ground) and not for those who are more than 180 cm (their knees touch the fairing) and not for those who are not able to drive a bike of 240 kg and not for those don’t want to pay the price of a car to get a scooter, and not for those who love real motorcycle… Nevertheless, even it is not for everybody, Honda had makes a good job and this bike is smart.
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