March 22, 2006—Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced an all-new series of Forza scooters, a 250cc bike which has won Honda many fans with its sporty styling and advanced electronic features, including the Honda S-Matic transmission and the Honda Smart Card Key System.

New S-Matic transmission-equipped Forza Z will be launched on Monday, March 27 followed by Forza Z ABS, equipped with the front/rear-wheel-linked anti-lock braking system, as well as the Forza X, the base model of the series, to be launched on Monday, May 22.

The Forza has enjoyed strong sales since its previous new-model release in 2004, with new registrations in the calendar year 2005 totaling 20,575^*1 vehicles. The new Forza inherits the earlier models' popular design and performance capabilities. The key concepts in the development of the new series were convenient packaging and a comfortable, fun ride.

These stylish new scooters take sporty styling and ease of handling to a new level.

The design of the new Forza has been updated with improvements to the front meter visor and trim, as well as to the shape of the headlights. A reduced cowl profile makes the front view even sportier. Bold rear styling has been achieved through the adoption of clear lenses on right and left tail light units, built into the rear cowl. In addition, the shape of inner stop lamps and turn signal indicators have been changed into round shapes equipped with nine LEDs per side for increased visibility and sharp rear-view.

The manual shift mode of the Honda S-Matic transmission on the Forza Z and Forza Z ABS has been upgraded from six speeds to seven, and the scooters are the first in the world^*2 to be outfitted with an auto-shift mode in addition to a kick-down gear shifter, all of which create a riding experience finely tuned to driving conditions.

The Forza X is available in Pure Black, brilliant Pearl Milky White, and the Forza Z is offered with 2 more choices of luxurious Digital Silver Metallic and Winning Red, the color very popular on the previous “Forza Z Special” limited version,. The Forza Z ABS is available in Pure Black and Digital Silver Metallic.

＝Key Features＝

The Forza Z and Forza Z ABS are the world's first scooters to be equipped with the Honda S-Matic, an automatic transmission popular for its ability to provide the same driving performance and operability as a manual transmission. The Honda S-Matic offers riders a choice of three different transmission modes; a dual-mode (D-mode, S-mode), automatic mode, and a six-speed manual mode — depending on driving conditions.
The Honda S-Matic installed on the new Forza Z and Forza Z ABS scooters offers for the first time a fourth choice — auto-shift mode. In addition to employing a kick-down mechanism, auto-shift mode allows riders to shift among seven speed ranges in order to fine tune their ride for an optimal driving experience.

The transmissions of the latest Forza series are equipped with seven speed ranges set at a higher gear ratio than earlier models. This allows new Forza to cruise on lower engine revolution which realizes quieter ride and significantly better fuel efficiency in comparison with a former model to cruise at the same speed.

Auto-shift mode combines the best characteristics of the three conventional transmission modes: D-mode, which is intended for use in urban areas, S-mode, which is designed for suburban riding, and manual mode, which is optimal for winding country roads. The ratio control unit in the transmission automatically chooses optimal gear ratio for the driving environment based on collected evaluation factors, such as throttle opening, vehicle speed, engine speed, pulley position, driven pulley speed, FI mode signal, and mode change signal, enabling the rider to concentrate on acceleration and braking. In addition, rather than smooth shifting, auto-shift mode provides a direct transmission feel and sense of acceleration by lowering engine speed when up-shifting. While cruising and accelerating, selecting an engine speed based on the throttle opening makes it possible to cruise at a certain engine speed.

A rapid and wide opening of the throttle during cruising causes the ratio control unit to down-shift without decelerating. This kick-down mechanism delivers strong acceleration at higher engine rev, enabling powerful acceleration when merging on to an expressway, or after turning.