2025-on Honda Forza 750 Review | Biggest scooter gets a major styling, technology and DCT update

Honda’s big-bore maxi-scoot was launched in 2021 as the flagship of Honda’s Forza scooter line-up – which had been around since 2013 in Europe, starting with the Forza 300, then the 125. Machines bearing the Forza name have sold over a quarter of a million units in Europe alone; big numbers that count as a Honda success story.

But the 750 was much more than a grown-up scooter; although on the outside it looked like a conventional scoot and had scooter-sensibilities such as a semi step-thru riding position with footboards and 22 litres of storage space under a flip-up seat, underneath it was very much a motorbike. In fact the Forza 750 was closely related to Honda’s X-ADV adventure scooter.

And it still is. The relationship has grown even closer for 2025 because not only do the two bikes still share the same NC750-dervied 745cc parallel twin, same DCT auto transmission, same steel tube double cradle frame and aluminium swingarm, and the same electronics package – they also now share a striking similarity in styling design too.

One of the main updates is an overhaul of the Forza’s front end, with a sleeker, sharper, more purposeful look, more in line with the X-ADV’s silhouette. It even gets an electrically adjustable screen – the X-ADV’s is old-school manual. The Forza 750 is every bit Honda’s premium scooter, and it shows it in its equipment spec.

The Forza also shares most of the X-ADV’s 2025 updates, with a smoother-acting DCT automatic gearchange at low speeds and walking pace, new projector LED headlights that incorporate the indicators, new dash and display design, new switchgear including cruise control, and a redesigned seat with deeper padding but the same seat height.

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The differences between the Forza and the X-ADV are cast wheels instead of spoked (same 17in front and 15in rear sizes), shorter-travel suspension and a lower overall seat height, larger diameter front brake discs, electrically adjustable screen, fairing-mounted mirrors and minor details such as a USB port on the handlebars instead of under the seat.

The Forza 750 comes with a fairly premium list of chassis parts, many of which carry-over from the 2021 bike. Wheel sizes are 17in front and 15in rear; the 17in front gives the Forza a conventional, motorcycle-style steering and handling dynamic. The cast wheels are a new, three-by-three-spoke design made specifically for the Forza, running excellent 120/70 and 160/60 Pirelli Diablo Rossos.

Suspension is Showa, with 41mm unadjustable usd forks and preload-only rear shock on 120mm of travel. Wheel travel on maxi-scoots is usually limited by scooter-style design constraints, with implications for ride quality and dealing with bumps. But the Forza’s wheel travel is the same as a conventional motorbike; the closely-related NC750X (same engine and chassis) has the same suspension travel.

And the Forza handles every much like a solid, proper motorbike. The only compromise to control is the riding position – it can feel odd for your legs and feet to not have much to do other than be plonked flat on footboards; most of the steering happens with your torso and hands. But ride quality is, for the most part, normal and it takes a big pothole or a long stretch of cobblestones to reveal limitations in the Forza’s suspension design (or riding position – it’s hard to use your elbows and knees to absorb bumps on a scooter).

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Steering is agile and stable in longer turns, and the bike rolls into corners with a long, low centre-of-gravity tilt – there’s none of the slightly jittery, unplugged feeling common with smaller wheel-sized scooters. Good ground clearance too – you have to lean a decent stretch to deck out the Forza’s hero blobs – amusingly, mounted on the centrestand because there’s nowhere else to put them. The Forza’s not too bad in traffic either – like most maxi-scoots, the biggest limitation to ducking in and out is its length, not width; if only we all had that problem.

The Forza’s brakes are Nissin four-pot radial calipers at the front running on 320mm discs – a few mm larger diameter than the X-ADV, because Honda say the Forza benefits from the extra stability. Because it uses Honda’s automatic DCT transmission, the Forza also features a manual handbrake located above the right handlebar, running a wire cable to an underslung caliper on the underside of the rear brake disc; a conventional rear caliper sits above on the disc.

As per a proper twist-and-go, the back brake is operated by the left handlebar lever – in practice, it doesn’t take too long to stop trying to use it as a clutch. Honda’s linked ABS system chimes in if you grab both brakes at once, and in an emergency you’ll be stopping about as hard as physics allow, hauling up the Forza’s fairly hefty 236kg in short order.

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Maxi-scoots usually have fairly short-range riding position comfort because, unlike a conventional bike, almost no bodyweight is carried through the feet and legs, and little through the bars – it’s all on the rider’s bum. On the other hand, scooters aren’t really usually built for long distances – but the Forza is described by Honda as their GT – Grand Touring – scooter and, with a 200-mile tank range and option for hard panniers and topbox, the seat shape and composition matters.

Thankfully, the 2025 Forza has an excellent standard seat – with an extra 10% urethane padding this year, but remaining at the same 790mm seat height. The seat shape has also been reprofiled, for a slimmer taper to allow better access for feet down – always important when legs have to clear running boards (the fairing above the boards are also reprofiled for 2025 for more foot-space).

Honda also make a comfort seat for the Forza, which actually is more comfortable; so much so you wonder why it’s an option – shouldn’t motorcycle seats be as comfortable as possible as standard?

The Forza 750 is powered by Honda’s 745cc, SOHC, 270° parallel twin – the same unit also powers the NC750X and X-ADV maxi-scoot. It’s an undersquare motor (said to be derived from half a Honda Jazz car engine) which means its 80mm piston stroke longer than its 77mm bore is wide, and which means it’s not a revvy engine.

Honda claim, as per the NC750X and X-ADV, a modest 57.8bhp at 6750rpm and 50.9 lb.ft at 4750rpm. The relatively tall motor is canted forward in a low-slung steel tube frame, which is what gives the Forza its low centre-of-gravity and steady-steering feel.

For a maxi-scoot, the Forza is pretty rapid; for a 750cc motorbike, it’s less impressive. The mild-mannered motor beetles off from standstill at a generous romp and will cheerfully dissect most streams of urban traffic with some throttle-wringing.

Wind it up and it’ll run at motorway speeds all day without feeling stressed. But it’s the bit in between, where the DCT box is slinging up through the gears in its own sweet time, that you most miss a little bit of zasp, a smattering of rortiness, a hint of ye-har – or a bigger pair of pedals. What you actually get is a curious whistling sound as the revs top out.

The Forza features Honda’s DCT Dual Clutch Transmission system for almost seamless automatic gearchanges up and down, which makes the engine impossible to stall and does away with a clutch lever. A pair of finger-and-thumb paddles sit either side of the left handlebar, giving the rider the option to either ride in manual mode, using the paddles to change gear, or to ride in auto mode and use the paddles to change manually when it suits (for example, changing down manually to get more engine braking into corners).

There are various DCT riding ‘modes’ or styles, and these ae integrated into the riding modes – Sport, Standard, Rain – to give different shift patterns.

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For 2025 Honda have modified the very low speed behaviour of the DCT system – the most critical part of the system from a rider point of view and probably the hardest for DCT engineers to get right. It’s the bit where the rider pulls away from standstill, or is riding at very low speed – walking pace; for example, during U-turns or navigating through stationary traffic.

This kind of riding requires extremely fine balance of the auto clutch behaviour, with no hesitation or stuttering, to prevent the rider feeling unsteady. It has to feel natural. In the past this has been DCT’s biggest problem – even experienced riders are seen dragging their feet sometimes on wet roads as they open the throttle from zero and rely on DCT to feed the clutch in at a natural rate. Dragging the rear brake helps, but it’s not ideal.

For 2025 Honda explain how they’re improved the DCT’s low speed running: previously, clutch behaviour was informed by a clutch oil pressure sensor telling the ECU the clutch position. But because oil pressure at the back of the clutch is in flux and unpredictable, the measurement tolerance is too wide to hit a performance target; it could be more, could be less. So Honda have added an algorithm to the ECU computation, adding known factors such as fluid viscosity and resistance, which augments the sensor measurement to give a more repeatable, and more finessed, low-speed DCT performance.

The upshot is it works. At the test ride, Honda have a previous generation X-ADV with the old DCT system available – and it’s clear the Forza has much improved low-speed feel and control. There’s no chugging or lugging as the DCT can’t decide if the clutch should be in or out, with the right amount of clutch slip exactly when you’d want it. It’s the kind of improvement you don’t know how valuable it is unless you experience what it was like before – but new Forza 750 owners, be grateful.

Having said that, Honda haven’t fitted a 6-axis IMU to the Forza, which would add lean angle to the ECU’s DCT gearshift choices – on the road, it’s only a problem when the bike decides to shift into first gear mid U-turn, leading to a momentary stutter.

During our test ride, the Forza recorded an average of 58mpg with spirited riding. Honda claim up to 78mpg. With a 13.2-litre tank, that would give the Forza between 170 to 220 miles to empty, or reserve between 130 to 160 miles.

Since the mid-1980s, Honda have built an unbeatable reputation for reliability, and there’s no reason to think the Forza will be anything less than utterly bulletproof mechanically. The NC750 engine is understressed and has had no issues since its development in the NC700 of 2012, and DCT – despite its complexity – is similarly durable with no major or minor mechanical issues since its launch in 2009.

In fact Honda make the point DCT is actually less stressful on the engine and drivetrain, even down to chain life. There’s no reason to suspect the chassis will be anything less than durable either – as long as the bike is cared-for over winter with rust blocker and a regular hose-down.

In terms of quality feel, the Forza 750 is excellent – we tested a model with panniers (26 and 33 litres), and all-round fit and finish is very good. The cockpit area, featuring a new 5in TFT dash, fairing mirrors, keyless push-button starting and electric screen, is full of plain plastic – the flat bars are shrouded with plastic covers – but while not especially inspiring or interesting, it certainly doesn’t look cheap or tacky. The filler flap is opened with a button, but the actual filler cap is unhinged and looks like the kind of emergency replacement filler cap you’d get in Halfords for 99p.

The Forza colour range is less than inspiring – the Forza is only available in black, grey and a sort of dull bronze (the official name is Matt Warm Ash Metallic). Alas, there’s no HRC version.

No price has yet been announced for the 2025 Forza 750; last year’s bike cost £10,499. If we take the 2024-2025 X-ADV price increase as a guide, that bike went up by £50 (from £11,199 to £11,249) with roughly the same changes as the Forza – so the 2025 Forza 750 price could end up being around £10,549.

Is it good value? The only two rivals for the Forza would be Yamaha’s T-Max Tech Max (with a smaller engine) at £14,011, or Honda’s own X-ADV. Or possibly Honda’s NC750X – which is the same platform, but with a motorcycle sensibility.

Forza insurance is several hundred pounds more expensive than for an equivalent NC750X or X-ADV – presumably this is because it’s seen as a scooter and therefore more likely to be stolen. But it’s worth checking the insurance premium against the very similar X-ADV before pulling the trigger.

This is where we find the bulk of the 2025 Forza 750 updates over the previous model. The Forza fairing has had a complete styling overhaul, with a sleeker, more dynamic look thanks to sharper angles and cutaways.

Headlights are new LED items which Honda say are twice as bright as the previous bike’s lights, with an LED daytime running light on each side – which also double as the indicators; a world first on a bike and which does away with the faired-in indicators previously.

The fairing has several specially positioned air ducts in the cockpit to manage the area of low pressure just behind the screen for rider comfort, and Honda also say they assist in steering agility – and the screen itself is now electric, adjusted from a button on the left handlebar (it can be assigned to a favourites button). It’s also wider and steeper (fully extended) than the old bike’s fixed screen.

In use, at its tallest setting a 6ft rider will have the screen lip just below their eyeline, and the level of sound and wind reduction is considerable. New mirrors, fairing-mounted, also give plenty of rearward view. The screen is made from Durabio, a biomass ‘plastic’ produced from corn pellets, and over 30 plastic parts on the bike are made from recycled plastics (some even made from recycled Honda car bumpers).

The Forza 750 also has a new 5in TFT dash and redesigned switchgear. The previous Forza clocks and switches were based on the Africa Twin’s layout and style; the new clocks are brighter with fresher graphics and colour palette, with a less cluttered and confusing layout. The new dash relies on icons to convey information, but the layout is simple, colourful and nice to look at. There are three different styles of display to choose from: ‘Bar’, ‘Circle’ and ‘Simple’.

New switchgear is partially backlit, and has been shrunk with fewer, smaller, buttons and rocker switches. Cruise control is fitted for the first time to a Forza, with activation is on the right handlebar, set and resume on the left bar. Changing gear manually using the paddle shifts interrupts cruise, but in auto mode the gearbox will head up into top gear if cruise is selected in a lower gear.

The Forza 750 gets a full list of electronic rider aids, all adjustable via a deep menu of options that, as per the X-ADV, feel a bit over-the-tip on a 58bhp maxi-scoot. There are five rider modes – Sport, Standard and Rain, plus two customisable User modes – each altering the level of power delivery, traction control, engine braking level, ABS setting and DCT gearchange mapping. The menu system takes a bit of navigating at the start, but quickly makes sense and does away with overly-complex, Africa Twin-style switches.

The Forza 750 also still comes with 22-litre storage compartment under the seat, with an LED interior light and a USB-C charging point repositioned to the cockpit (where it’s more use) – still has a glove box in the righthand fairing.