Honda NC 750D Integra

To understand the Integra, you must understand its name. Honda’s New Concept division named this model thusly because it integrates the best of both worlds with the convenience and ease-of-operation of a scooter while delivering motorcycle-like performance and handling. This ingeniously clever name turns out to be a genuine instance of truth in advertising as the Integra seems to perform as promised.

It launched in 2012 and got a facelift in ’14 for the look that it more or less carries today. Head-on, it’s difficult to immediately identify the Integra as a scooter ’cause it bears a strong resemblance to many current sport-tour bikes, and that’s just what it looks like coming at you. The recessed LED headlight/turn-signal lens dominates the front of the fairing with panels on each side that simulate that sportbike scoop and intake vents that shunt pressure away from the entry to reintegrate with the slipstream through vents on each side. This helps to reduce drag-inducing turbulence, and that concept carries on up into the vented windshield that completes the protective pocket started by the front fairing and legguards with low turbulence up top to reduce the head-buffet effect.

A negative-LCD instrument cluster displays all the usual metrics with a three-stage “S Mode” indicator plus fuel economy information that allows you to moderate the throttle to get the max mileage out of each drop of dino-juice. Honda’s Ignition Security System takes care of business with a wave-key gadget that detects the ID chip in the physical key and disables the ignition if a code mismatch is detected. Behind the fairing, a rather full tunnel almost completely fills in the step-through area ahead of the flip-up seat that covers a 21-liter storage space that can hold a single full-face bucket or a decent amount of groceries/stuff/whatever.

A tapered, deep-scoop seat cradles the rider’s rear at 790 mm off the deck with full footboards behind the legguard to finish out the relaxed and comfortable rider’s triangle. Out back, LED lighting and a mudguard/plateholder unit finish off the tail gear, and much like the head-on view, the view from the rearward arc looks much more like the arse-end of a proper sportbike than a scooter. Of course, that’s easy to do since this isn’t really a scooter.

A diamond-type frame forms the structure with steel-tube members for strength, because after all, unlike a scooter-style swingmount drive, the Integra carries its powerplant forward within the main body so it needs to be properly buttressed. The front suspension comes in a standard configuration sans adjustments, but the Showa forks that showed up in the 2016 models aren’t completely vanilla as they come with the Dual Bending Valve technology that provides a superior ride to that of straight-up plain stems.

Out back, a monoshock supports the motorcycle-style swingarm with spring preload as the only tweak. The steering head rides at 27 degrees with 110 mm of trail and a 1,525 mm wheelbase for a fair compromise between agility and stability with acceptable parking-lot behavior, and the weight balance falls out evenly at 50/50 between the 17-inch wheels that give the Integra its motorcycle-like handling. A single 320 mm disc and twin-pot caliper slows the front with a 240 mm and single-piston anchor out back and a two-channel ABS on overwatch as the first layer of stability insurance.

New to the model family for 2018, the Honda Selectable Torque Control (traction control) provides the second layer of stability augmentation to make the Integra suitable for the bottom experience tiers. Speaking of experience, Honda makes the Integra available to riders at the A2 license tier with a conversion kit that knocks the 40.3 kW down to an even 35 kW to meet the necessary requirements.

The liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine also packs 68 Nm of torque to back up the top-end power that is now top-endier than ever with an elevated rev-limit of 7,500 rpm. It runs with 77 mm bores and an 80 mm stroke with a 10.7-to-1 compression ratio, but it’s the 270-degree firing order that gives the mill its most distinctive feature; a rumbling lope at idle.

As cool as the traction control and larger-than-normal-for-a-scooter engine is, it’s the transmission that steals the show. Honda’s Dual Clutch Tramsission delivers much the same twist-and-go operation you’d expect from a “scooter,” but with so much more to offer. First off, the transmission is a proper gearbox with a pair of clutch packs that alternate and feather power to a pair of shafts rather than using a variable-diameter pulley-and-belt system typical on scooters. Riders can choose between a “D” mode for economic riding, three “S” modes for sportier shift intervals and an “MT” mode that lets you push-button shift up and down the range. Pretty nifty stuff indeed.