First Look: Honda Forza 250 ASV-4

THIS MIGHT just look like a big scooter with a Honda paintjob (that looks amazingly similar to the old GP500 Nastro Azzuro Honda paintjob campaigned by Rossi), but this prototype scooter really could hold the key to the future of motorcycling for us all.

Called the Forza 250 ASV-4, the scooter will feature alongside a host of Honda products at the ITS-Safety Tokyo Motor Show at the end of this month. But what makes this scooter more interesting than most is the newly designed front and back areas to absorb impact forces during a crash, new mirrors to show more of what's going on behind you, an integrated antenna to pick up safety broadcasts beamed directly to the bike, better lights and the latest generation of the company's Human Machine Interface (HMI) where early warnings of danger are broadcast to the bike then put up on a large, LCD screen for the rider to react to.

If it talked and had a camp sense of humour, this scooter would be the first real step towards having your own Knight Rider style bike in the garage!