Automatic scooters are undoubtedly the in-thing in the Malaysian motorcycle market these days, with more and more models entering the “war zone” almost on a monthly basis. However, let us not ignore the elephant in the room: It is now the legacy manufacturers versus the Chinese contenders. As such, how will the 2025 Honda NSS250 fare?

What is the Honda NSS250

The 2025 Honda NSS250 is a new(-ish) 250cc maxi-scooter. Newish because Honda had revised the the previous Forza 250 (called the NSS250 overseas), which was available in Malaysia. So now, it is the NSS250 in Malaysia, while it is the Forza 250 overseas.

Still, we feel that Honda did a great job as they have taken the NSS250 to a contemporary styling, compared to the old school style previously. And Honda being Honda, the bike’s styling is modern but restrained without being fussy. Pictures do not do it justice, because you could just sit beside the NSS250 and point out the small details for hours.

One look at the bike and you will realise how much the maker paid attention to comfort, convenience, and elegance, besides sportiness.

Highlights

• Powered by a 249.5cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, SOHC, 4-valve, with PGM-FI injection and eSP+ engine, which delivers 23 hp (17 kW) at 7,750 RPM and 24 Nm of torque at 6,250 RPM.
• The PGM-FI and eSP+ features ensure a smooth torque delivery, along with optimum fuel efficiency.
• Automatic transmission with dry centrifugal clutch.

• Telescopic 33mm diameter front forks, dual shocks at the rear with double-sided swingarm.
• Single 256mm brake disc up front, single 240mm brake disc at the back.
• Dual-channel ABS.

• Tyre sizes are 120/70-15 in front and 140/70-14 rear.
• 11.7-litre fuel tank.
• 780mm seat height.

• 185kg curb weight.
• 5-inch TFT display with weather, navigation, music streaming, volume control, phone calls, and message notification features via the Honda RoadSync app.
• Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) traction control system.

• Emergency Stop Signal feature which flashes the double signal during hard, emergency stops.
• LED lighting throughout, the front signals are integrated in the fairing-mounted rearview mirrors.
• Electrically-adjustable windshield.

• Smart Key ignition.
• 48-litre underseat storage space, enough for two full-faced helmet.
• Lockable glovebox with USB-C charger, that is large enough to fit a 1.5-litre bottle of water, besides a smartphone!

Riding the 2025 Honda NSS250

Pre-Ride

Our first impression of the new NSS250 was how different it was compared to its predecessor. The older model definitely looked er… older, being long, low, bulbous. The new bike is more compact, sharper, and enticing. The rims are beautifully powdercoated in magnesium-gold, the bodywork has some tastefully-done panels, the tyres are fat, and that taillight cluster was the nicest among all scooters in the market.

Switch it on and the TFT panel comes to life with the Honda wing, before switching to a vivid and sharp display. All the icons, numbers, and tachometer are easily discernible without this writer wearing his reading glasses. The “joystick” on the left handlebar allows to you to toggle through all the bike’s data and features, such as pairing Bluetooth devices, display settings, data display settings, turning HSTC on or off, plus your next maintenance schedule.

Speaking of Bluetooth connectivity, we would always get it done right after receiving the key, before the initial ride. Connectivity needed to be performed through the Honda RoadSync app, which guided us step-by-step, hence it was painless. Once connected, we could begin to use the navigation feature, which we either typed in or spoke of the location into the phone.

However, we would like to point out that since all of us used iPhones, music streaming on the bike is only available through the Apple Music app. But this is only a small niggle, as we hooked up our Midland BT Mini Bluetooth headset directly to our phone, and played music through Spotify. The only shortcoming was we could not control music playback via the NSS250’s joystick or see the song being played on the TFT screen.

The navigation feature was nice to have, of course, but beware, it is not yet as intuitive as Waze when you hope to ride around heavy traffic. Instead, it only points you to take the nearest route, much like when you set your Google Map to motorcycle mode. It also lagged when we rode at high speed, and sent us in the wrong direction altogether. Further, you could not activate shared locations directly to the app. We hope Honda can update the RoadSync app.

First ride

With that out of the way, the engine fired up with a quick but smooth vroom to let us know it was alive. Blipping the throttle while the bike was on its centrestand did not have it vibrate so much that it scraping along the ground. No, the NSS250’s engine was smooth.

Getting it off the stand was super easy and the bike seemed lighter than its published 185kg curb weight. It was also perhaps Honda mounted the centrestand in the correct centre of gravity.

Having ridden other scooters in the past, we began with a small throttle openings to avoid punching off the line with our feet akimbo and zig-zagging like a fool. Instead, the bike rewarded us with a silky smooth acceleration. The engine sounded like your average single-cylinder scooter, but that typical clunking noise was absent.

We tried it again from another traffic light and again, the bike will push off idle in a smooth fashion, as long as the throttle remain in the first one-third.

However, when we ripped the throttle above fifty percent, things happened mighty quickly. Acceleration was still smooth, mind you, but the speeds piled on almost in a blur. Once it reached 90 km/h, the NSS250 took off like it lit the afterburner. And at these speeds, rolling off the throttle will have the bike coasting as if it was freewheeling, which was evident of heavy rollers.

We hope you do not misinterpret what we meant. This was not a bad thing, not at all. Honda did a great job of giving the 2025 Honda NSS250 this “dual character” for better riding. The smooth, linear torque is great for riding in congested traffic and urban areas, while the quick torque and power hit are great for riding on the open highway. In doing so, you do not have to struggle with an abrupt on/off throttle response while lane splitting, while still having reserves of power when you need to overtake slower vehicles on the highway. And Honda did so without needing to equip the bike with a variable valve system which just adds extra complexity.

Handling

We shall come right out and say that the 2025 Honda NSS250 is the best-handling 250cc scooter.

It is given that any scooter is keen to change direction, but the NSS250 does it great stability, almost like a big bike. The front end did not felt like it wanted to plop into any corner and did not waggle like a happy puppy. There was also plenty of feedback from the tyres, unlike other scooters, which gave us plenty of confidence to hoon the bike through corners.

The bike was ultra stable at top speed in a straight-line, too. It seemed to just hunker down on its suspension at speed, despite us sitting upright.

As for the suspension, it is a given that scooters feel harsh over sharp bumps due to their short-travel suspension. But we were completely surprised by this bike as both ends absorbed road irregularities well without once transferring bump energy to our liver. Yet, the chassis did not damp out the feel from the tyres, like we mentioned earlier.

Next come the brakes. The calipers and master cylinders are from Nissin and provided a crazy amount of stopping power when you need it. There was also plenty of feel on the levers, therefore letting you know how much braking you could utilise, which was something which I wished that some bigger bikes has it. Heck, we even trail-braked the bike into corners, which was something very dangerous for scooters.

Convenience, fuel economy, everyday riding

Although Boon Siew Honda loaned the NSS250 to us for only four days, we racked up close to 600 kilometres in that time. We would not have ridden it so much if it was not enjoyable (and we had two other test bikes just sitting at home).

That electrically-activated windshield was a huge welcome. We lowered it for more airflow and visibility when negotiating gridlocked traffic, and moved it up to reduce wind noise on the highways.

The underseat storage space was a huge (pun intended) welcome. We could store our jet-type helmet, plus a 10kg bag of rice and groceries. The front glovebox took a whole 1.5-litre bottle of water (great thing since it is so hot now). So who needs a Givi case when you ride this bike???

Not once was the bike difficult to start or to get on or off. The seat was low enough despite its large side panels, enabling us to plant our feet on the ground securely. Yes, the seat cushion seemed a little hard at first, but our backside did not feel sore after riding all day.

Add to that is Honda’s signature quality. The bike was oozing quality every centimetre we peeked. The panels fitted tightly, there was no creaking when we rode the bike over bumps, everything clicked and locked as they should.

Last but not least, the engine was really fuel efficient. We picked up the bike with half a tank of petrol and we only filled it back up once, also with half a tankful during our review.

Conclusion

To answer our opening question, the 2025 Honda NSS250 clearly shows why the legacy manufacturers are still in the game. Its ride quality, engine performance, build quality are nothing to be sneezed at. Sure, the Chinese contenders pack their bikes with more tech and features, but it is still the Japanese manufactures who provide an complete overall riding experience, especially in the chassis, handling, and overall quality fronts. In fact, this new NSS250 has beaten its closest Japanese rival.

In fact, it occurred to us that it was almost like riding the class-leading Honda Gold Wing, albeit a smaller version. Seriously, it is not because we are pandering to Honda, but it is truly so.

The only shortcoming we encountered was the navigation and music streaming feature, but that has to do with the external app, rather than the motorcycle itself.

So, is the 2025 Honda NSS250 worth the RM25,888 (recommended retail price, not on-the-road)? Every sen of it!

Specifications of the 2025 Honda NSS250

Engine

Drivetrain

Chassis

Running gear

Photo gallery