Elite Identification

[cpiunno]

I am thinking about buying a scooter from a guy who lives about 1.5 hours away from me. He's about 200 years old, so he's having a hard time providing any information for me other than it says "Elite" on the plastics, there is a fuel gauge in the rear, and three holes in the front fender. Do those two items equate to any specific year/model Elite?

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

The 3-holed front fairing is a just-about universal feature of Honda 2-strokes. If the fuel gauge is under the saddle, I suspect it's an '88 or '89 Elite "E", Model Code SB50, which is the mechanical cousin of the Spree with updated bodywork and a different frame introduced alongside the SA50 Elite "LX" in 1988. It's rather smaller than the Aero/Elite models, and much lighter too. ~90-100 lbs. But its major downfall to those with tuning aspirations is its engine, shared with the earlier Spree models. There is no variator, which means it's a single-speed powerplant. This forces a compromise between speed capability and acceleration, neither of which excels on these models.

http://www.motorscooterguide.net/page1/ ... age40.html

Still if 30-ish MPH top speed is acceptable, and you want an ultra-light, responsive ride, it may merit consideration. Depending on condition, these can sell for up to $500, but start the bidding at closer to $200 if you're still interested. Wintertime is not peak Scooter Sales season.

[Spreetard]

and the elite e makes for a very nice chassis for a swap.
dude, swap a dio!