Yup it's true. I picked this little sweetheart up today from a guy in CT. It is a 1983 Honda Aero 80, 2 stroke. 1st year they made this model. He bought it from the original owner with only 27 miles on it in 1993 for $200. She parked it in the basement for 10 years after she tipped it over and got scared of riding it. He put another 113 miles on it and then let it sit in his garage for 20 years... until today. He put a new battery in it and she surprisingly runs like new. These pics are before I've gone over it with a fine tooth comb. It will be "museum ready" next time I post pics. This has to be the lowest mileage Honda Aero 80 in the country?!
I didn't get a chance to ride it much but I will today. From what I've read online, the aero 80 absolutely kills its 4 stroke cousin (the elite 80) in acceleration. Top speed of the 2 scooters is about the same though... 40mph. Here's my other recent old Honda find. It's a 1978 NC50 Express with only 1600 miles. I found it within 1/2 mile of my home and paid $100. With much elbow grease, it turned into a very nice looking moped. I put about $250 worth of parts on it... new front & rear brakes, tires and tubes. New battery, all new bulbs, rectifier, air filter, ignition switch, complete tune up, a set of used front & rear baskets, small windshield and on and on. I love these old hondas! The bag is on the seat to protect it.
I rode one owned by a friend this summer. It was a blast and really well-suited to scooting thru the city. Enjoy!
Its great. I'm looking for a mint Elite 250. Anyone know of a reasonably priced one give me a holler! My Helix has 65698 miles and has been in storage 7 years now. Need to get "Felix" up and going. Just needs a new battery.
Wow ! I really like your bike. When you have time can you take a picture of your carb. I am really curious what parts are interchangeable between the 125 and the 80 Aeros. BTW, your dash is really cool!!!! I am glad she is running great -Have fun!
One word: wow!! Awesome find. Doesn't it feel good finding something like this? I found a mint C70 Passport last year that was so nice I kept it in my kitchen for the first month or so. This is it here: One of my daughter's on it (thinking it'll be hers someday, pfft).
You find the nicest people storing away their Honda. I had an Express as a kid. Life was great back then! Ride reports? Does she rip?
So true. Then you find the nicest people (like us) who actually ride them. I put a lot of miles on my little Hondas. What's the sense of having bikes if you're not going to use them, right?
Great looking scooter. Beautiful cleanup and polish. I have a 1983 Honda Aero-80 Scooter Silver and I thought I had low mileage at 2, 247. You've got me beat by a mile! All mine needs is a new battery. Everything else is original. I am planning on cleaning mine up and putting it on the sales block this summer. Hope I can get it looking as good as yours. I am really impressed!
Make sure your slow jet is clear. If it idles without adjusting the screw, you have miraculously avoided the problem. Might be worth running some Seafoam or Marvel Mystery Oil through in the fuel. Can you do that with a 2 stroke?
Beautiful scooter. Hopefully the crankshaft seals will hold up. I don't think I've ever seen a 2 stroke sit for that long without the seals going bad. I had to replace them on my 1980 Puch moped. I believe it was only the right, but I did them both. It was sucking in transmission oil through the right seal and smoking like crazy, though it still ran. I also had an '82 Passport many years ago. I wish I fit on small bikes like that.
klxguy that one you found was pristine for sure. Here's a quick video of mine running and riding. This was the only time I rode it. She still has jast 140 miles. It is taking all my willpower not to ride it around though! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g76gp0RFbik