![Honda Dio AF25 (2-stroke) [Bought & Sold in Japan]](https://www.notion.so/icons/scooter_gray.svg?mode=dark){kind=icon}
![Honda Dio AF25 (2-stroke) [Bought & Sold in Japan]](https://www.notion.so/image/attachment%3Aa5184b4b-3c32-45e8-a628-2d32f905919d%3AIMG_20230812_125906.jpg?table=block&id=15110891-28d2-8076-a5d7-c633e31e435d&cache=v2)
Time of Ownership: | Early 2023 to Aug 2023 |
Did I enjoy it? | Yes |
Country of origin: | Japan |
Related webpages:
(Thanks Yoshitaka san) | |
Last update: | 11 Dec 2024 |
Japan, I had a holiday of ~3 weeks, and then my university exchange started. I had brought my international driving license and was ready to buy a vehicle. I figured out some stuff about Japanese vehicle laws and costs, and decided a scooter would be the way to go.
In my first weeks of school I would go into my room after classes and browse Yahoo Auctions, looking around. I wanted something cool, something very Japanese and a bit classic. But I was also a student, meaning I had little money. Some very cool examples passed by, but this scooter was in my area, and was willing to deliver it. I paid about €300 for it if I recall correctly, which was about ¥45.000.
Buying it, I wasn’t sure about any of the models, I just saw that the ZX was supposed to be a more sporty model. In hindsight, I found out/think that this was a standard one, in which later on a ZX engine was put, and with a black and black respray it had made this “cool” bike. It was good enough and a bit of fun, just perfect for a student.
Just before buying it I found out about the university’s car club https://www.instagram.com/ouac.drivingschool/ whilst walking around on campus. I joined their club and was there every Wednesday and Friday. Sometimes we practised in their cars, 2x a Honda integra “Type R”, both were modified differently, but had most of the necessary performance parts on it. Gutted, fitted with a cage and bucket seats, and good suspension.
Other times it was maintenance and or modification time. Some of the times I was busy with my own stuff, other times I just stood, talked and assisted.
In the end I played with the rollers, the clutch spring and the roller disc, in combination with a different air intake and exhaust. It was crappy, and the aftermarket exhaust definitely didn’t help but just made a lot of noise. All in all the top speeds was slightly increased, but it’s torque had gone. But it got me moving at a steady 50 km/h + when needed. I remember getting it to 80~90 km/h going on a big long downhill, it’s RPMs sounded insanely high, good thing I only did it for a few seconds.
It served me well, I rode it multiple times a week from Oita University to Beppu, to visit the girl I was dating. I rode it around to explore, to do my groceries, and even to deliver a package of my stuff to send home (That was a bit sketchy, but the post office was nearby. See the pics)
When leaving Japan I sold it to Yoshitaka San, we rode back to Tokyo Airport by car when the Shinkansen didn’t drive, as he was already going that way. A little later as he moved on to work in Tokyo, he made sure the scooter found its way to another Oita Uni Automotive Club member, so I know it’s in good hands. He had the neatest looking scooter ever, it was the very popular one of which so many were sold worldwide, I forgot the name….
I think it was https://www.instagram.com/jdmcarotaku/ Who I met during my holiday in Osaka, in my first weeks of being in Japan) who sent this to me after I got my scooter. As you can see, it’s the same scooter I owned. I don't recall the anime anymore.
Shun San asked me to sign his helmet with the tattoo I have on my arm, which says Don’t Die. In return, I asked him to sign my helmet. It translates to “Safe Driving” in Japanese. They explained to me how to pronounce it, which I have sadly forgotten. This was my goodbye from the Oita University Automobile Club.
Edit: The pronunciation of “安全運転” is “Anzen-Unten. Yoshitaka San ありがとうございました。
This was a part of my commute from Oita to Beppu, when I didn’t take the main road. I had so much uphill on this road, with my setup the scooter pretty much didn’t go over 30, sometimes even as low as 20 going upwards. Downhills were fun though. At its fastest it reached about 80 to 90km/h.
