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Payne: Honda’s Motocompacto is an e-scooter in a box
Posted by Talbot Payne on November 9, 2023
Pontiac — If the Tesla Model 3 is like riding a smartphone on four wheels, then the Honda Motocompacto is like riding a briefcase on two wheels.
The scooter is a clever reboot of the company’s famed, compact Motocompo bike of the early 1980s. Updated for the trendy electric age, Motocompacto is e-motor driven compared to its two-cycle-engine-powered forefather.
It’s aimed at “last milers” — urban dwellers with a short commute to work in bike lanes; Europeans whose gas cars have been banned from the inner city and need transport from parking lot-to-office; small town/college residents for daily rounds, and so on. At 29” long x 21” tall x 4” wide, the foldable, suitcase-sized scooter can be plugged into your car lighter for a full range of 12 miles.
Naturally, Honda larded Moto’s rollout with green-speak. “The zero-emissions Motocompacto . . . greatly reduces (riders’) carbon footprint while offering great convenience,” preached press materials. That sermon is hard to square with Motocompacto’s assembly at a Chinese factory burning coal from plants owned by the Chinese Communist Party.
Better to just tout Motocompacto’s affordability thanks to Chinese sourcing. The e-scooter costs a very approachable $995 ($1,500 less than the original when adjusted for inflation) and weighs 40 pounds. However, the dealer destination fee is $149.25 which makes the real price 1,144.25. Want it shipped to your home? That’ll set you back another $250 or so.
Put it under the Christmas tree for your college student for the same price as a laptop. They can’t ride a laptop around campus. Some assembly required:
1) Set Motocompacto kickstand.
2) Press the rear button and the stem and handlebars swing upwards out of the case. Lock the stem in place.
3) Swivel the handlebars into riding position. Lock in place.
4) Extract seat from suitcase. Lock and secure in place.
5) Unlock the rear wheel with a side latch. Secure latch. Swivel out the foot pegs.
6) Strap on your bike helmet and you’re ready to riiiide.
A 6’5” giraffe like me asks ergonomic questions right away. Questions like: Can the seat be raised like a bicycle? Unfortunately, that answer is no, and so I folded myself onto the low throne with knees and elbows akimbo.
Operation is similar to a motorbike with a right-handle accelerator lever and left-handle brake. I poked the ON button, selected Mode 2 for drive, thumbed the accelerator, and I was off around M1 Concourse’s parking lot. The electric acceleration is typically brisk, but the top speed is a manageable 15 mph. Despite my size, Motocompacto was balanced, smooth and simple to brake to a stop.
My size was an advantage in carrying Motocompacto around after I folded it up to briefcase size. Forty pounds is heavy — just 10 pounds shy of the max carry-on for an airplane — which suited my giant levers. Indeed, the Honda’s 265-pound weight limit means it can be ridden by big human beings. Wee Mrs. Payne, at 5’5”, is the perfect size to fit on the scooter, but would struggle hauling it up to an office in, say, downtown Detroit. Happily, she can push it around upright on two wheels like a bicycle by extending the stem. Who knows? Maybe an after-market shop will come up with a clever strap ‘n’ rollers so you can drag it around on its side like a suitcase.
Speaking of carry-ons, don’t plan on checking Motocompacto onto an airplane since it contains lithium-ion batteries. Store your necessities into a backpack, and the e-Honda is excellent urban transit.
Its size is ideal for an office cubicle where you fill it to full charge in 3.5 hours on a 110-volt wall outlet. Use its side panels to advertise your company (a Detroit News wrap would look nice) or just put a name tag on it. Unlike a Lime scooter, you can take it into the office with you (also unlike a Lime scooter, I could actually pilot Mototcaompacto without killing myself).
The e-Honda easily fits into the back of an SUV (bonus if the ute/truck has a rear power outlet). Its price is more attainable than e-bikes that can cost $1,500-$4,000. It’s worth noting, however, that the Honda is well shy of the range and speed of those bikes.
Then there’s my favorite mode of urban transport — a good ol’, bargain, $350 Schwinn pedal bicycle. Same speed, no tailpipe, no charging, fits in your office elevator. The best part? It’s great exercise.
For Honda fans who wanted the new, new thing, Motocampacto can be found exclusively at Honda or Acura dealers and Motocompacto.honda.com.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.