Aero 50

HONDA AERO 50 (NB50)

The Aero 50 (NB50) was Honda’s first modern 50cc scooter sold in North America. Honda named this scooter the Aero 50 for the USA and Canadian markets, but elsewhere it recieved other names like the Melody and Vision. The NB50 was introduced in North America in 1983 alongside it’s larger Aero 80 sibling. Initially costing just $619, the NB50 was sold until 1987 with a major update made for the 1985 model year. The AF05E engine found in the ’85 - ’87 Aero 50’s carried on after this scooter was discontinued inside the SE50 (Elite S) and the ’88 - ’93 SA50 (Elite SR/LX) scooter. The Aero 50 was a very important model for Honda, as it marked the beginning of their modern scooter era. This scooter featured plastic body panels, electric start, automatic oil injection, automatic choke and a ‘V-matic’ (CVT) transmission. This initial generation of the Aero 50’s used a similar engine to the Honda Spree but the Aero 50 used a multi-ratio variator to put the power to the rear wheel, whereas the Spree used an inferior single speed design.

The Aero 50 is fairly peppy and great for around town use. It’s got a great amount of storage with its glovebox (’85-’87 models) and the storage in the right side panel (see the ad at the bottom of this page for a look inside this handy side panel storage). A properly running Aero 50 tops out at about 37-40mph and the ’85 to ’87 models can be modified to go quite a bit faster. Check out VTCycles.com for performance parts. In stock form, a properly running Aero 50 achieves at 60-65 mpg. The Aero 50 has a fairly small gas tank though (0.8 gal or 1.0 gal for later models) so range is limited. If you stop to fill it up as the fuel gauge dips into the red you are going to get about 0.6 - 0.8 gallons (2-3 litres). This corresponds to a range of 36 - 50 miles....that’s not really long distance touring material but you could use the rear rack to carry a jerry can.

Honda’s gave the NB50 a major update for 1985 which involved giving the scooter an updated look, a new engine, adding a glovebox and a few other tweaks to make it more comfortable. Honda changed the style by removing the front rack, integrating the rear lights into the scooters’ body and by making the styling more ‘flowy’. I believe all of the body panels are different.

To make the Aero 50 more comfortable, Honda added a plusher leading-link front suspension, in addition to wider bodywork and a bigger seat. Lastly, Honda replaced the existing ‘cubby holes’ on either side of the main frame tube with a proper locking glovebox. On the negative side, Honda ditched the kickstarter and the throttle controlled oil pump for ‘85 (both of which would return for ’86). The early style (’83 - ’84) is shown in the first two photos on this page, while the updated style is shown above left.

Honda also gave the gauges a full overhaul. Both generations are well laid out but I’d give the style nod to the earlier model. The earlier gauges have a neat vintage look to them (below left) that is reminiscent of their mopeds, whereas the newer gauges (below right) are well laid out but have a less unique look. You can see the early model’s dash lit up at night in this video which looks amazing.

Honda made a few changes for 1986 to the new (for ’85) engine. Most notably, Honda beefed up the crankshaft and changed the intake manifold and reed cage to a 4 bolt design. The ’86 intake manifolds use a different bolt pattern on the engine so you can’t switch between years. Honda also brought back the kickstarter and throttle controlled oil pump for ’86. The ’86 and ’87 Aero 50’s are probably the best years because of their features and because of the potential to upgrade them to gain more speed. You can upgrade an ’85 with a big bore kit, but the difference intake manifold pattern means that you are pretty much stuck with the stock carb, reeds and intake unless you get into custom work.

Outside North American, Honda sold this scooter under the names ‘Tact’, ‘Melody Deluxe’ and ‘Vision-X’. In Japan, this scooter was first introduced for the 1980 model year as the Tact and it was revised for 1981 with the neat side panel storage. In the UK, Honda sold several different scooters under the Melody name but it was the ‘New Style Melody Deluxe’ introduced for 1984 that was virtually the same thing as the 1983 - 1985 Aero 50.

If you’re looking for an affordable, peppy and reliable 2-stroke scoot, the Aero 50 is a great choice. You can often find examples with very low miles that have been in storage for years. These scooters are very reliable so all you may need to do is get some fresh gas and oil in it, change the plug and get a new battery and you’ll be set for years of scootering. There may be other problems depending on how it was stored and treated but once you sort these out, it should be a very reliable scooter. The great thing about buying an 80’s Japanese scooter is that they sell for way less than an italian scooter does. Normally, a non running Aero 50 will sell for $150-$350 and an Aero 50 in good running condition will sell for $600-$900. You can still get most OEM parts for these scooters.

Honda sold a decent assortment of accessories for the Aero 50 including a windscreen, a ‘Music Pak’ (fanny pack), a rear ‘tote box’, a rubber floor mat, wire and mesh front baskets, a front ‘box’, a rear wire basket, a seat cover, body cover, decal and stripe kits and a front rack for the ’85-’87 models that didn’t with one. As you can imagine, it’s possible to equip your Aero 50 with a remarkable amount of storage space.

The blue 1983 Aero 50 below has both the official Honda windscreen and front baskcet (click the image to enlarge). Also check out Honda’s accessory brochure for a better look.

If you plan on working on your Aero 50, you should really have a look at the Honda Service Manual for it. To download the service manual check out the links at the bottom of this page.

Here in North America, the Aero 50 got a styling update for ’85 (as previously described). However, it seems that European’s got the updated version of the NB50 sooner than we did. North American NB50’s got the styling overhaul for 1985, but European NB50’s were updated

for ’84 and maybe even ’83. All the European literature I’ve come across only shows the updated ‘Vision’ so it’s possible they never got the first generation. You can see these brochures at the bottom of this page.

If you’re looking for more speed, a decent selection of aftermarket parts is available for the ’85 - ’87 Aero 50. You can get 65cc big bore kits, aftermarket variators, CDI’s and more for these scooters. You can find some of these parts at VTCycles.com.The ’87 Elite 50 (SE50) and ’88-’93 Elite LX/SR (SA50) share a virtually identical engine, so you can use parts intended for these scooters as well. I believe only the intake manifold bolt pattern is different between the Aero 50 and these small Elite’s. The ’88-’90 ‘Elite E’ (SB50) is an entirely different animal so don’t use parts intended for that scoot. If you’re going to be adding aftermarket parts or just rebuilding your engine, do yourself a favor and check out this webpage. The author has written a nice guide to fixing up his Aero 50 into good running condition and then rebuilding the engine with go fast parts. OEM part availability from Honda is mediocre but there is normally quite a few parts on eBay. You can find NOS (new old stock) OEM parts like pistons and cylinders relatively easily.

Overall, the Aero 50 is an awesome scooter. It’s stylish, reliable, peppy and it has great storage capacity. If I were buying one, I’d opt for the updated ’85 - ’87 version simply because it has a glove box and you can buy aftermarket performance parts for it, but if you plan on keeping your motor stock then you might prefer an earlier model because they do have some sweet vintage style. I like the Aero 50 a lot better than the 2-stroke 50’s that followed it in the later 80’s and 90’s (ie. Honda Elite 50/SR, Honda Dio, Yamaha Jog) because it has better storage and more style. I think it makes a load of sense for anyone who doesn’t mind turning a wrench occasionally to keep their vintage machine purring.

Pros:
- Great storage (especially ’85-’87)
- Peppy
- Performance parts available (’85 - ’87)
- Honda reliability

Cons:
- No room for a passenger
- Dwindling OEM part availability
- No kickstarter for ’85 models
- 60-65 mpg is only mediocre

Links:
MotorscooterGuide Forums - Visit the forum on this site to chat about this scoot.
AeroRiders - A forum dedicated to the Aero line of Honda scooters.
BikeBandit.com - Good for looking up OEM parts and finding out what’s still available
For help with your Aero 50, check out this great forum.
For a better look at an Aero 50, watch this video.
Here is an Aero 50 owners story. It includes some great pictures and repair info.
Honda Service Manual: For 1983-1984 models here and for 1985-1987 models here.

If you have any info to add, email me at dandurston@hotmail.com

Key Specs (For ’85 - ’87 model):
* Engine: Forced-air-cooled 49cc two-stroke with automatic oil injection
* Transmission: Honda V-matic variable ratio with automatic clutch
* Bore & Stroke: 40 mm x 39.3 mm (’83 - ’84)
* Compression Ratio: 7.2:1 (’83 - ’84), 6.5:1 (’85 - ’87)
* Power (’85 - ‘87): 3.9hp @ 6000 RPM, 3.5 ft/lbs torque @ 5000 RPM
* Drive: Belt
* Starter: Electric (all years) and kick (’83 - ’84)
* Length: 62.8” / 1595mm
* Width: 24.6” / 625mm
* Height: 40.0” / 965mm
* Wheelbase: 44.1” / 1120mm
* Dry weight: 125lbs / 55 kg
* Seat height: 27.2” / 690mm
* Spark Plug: NGK BPR6HS (changed to BPR6HSA for 1986).
* Fuel Tank: 3.2L / 0.8 Gal (’83 - ’84), 3.7 L / 1.0 Gal (’85 - ’87)
* Brakes: Drum / Drum
* Front Suspension: Trailing bottom link
* Rear Suspension: Swing unit, single damper
* Tires: 2.75-10 4PR (Front and Rear)
* Honda Accessories: Rear case, front basket, windscreen
* Years Sold: 1983 - 1987

Colors:
1983 - Monza Red (R110), Percian Blue (B104)
1984 - Berry Glow Red (R133), Neptune Blue (PB109)
1985 - Monza Red (R110), Black (NH1), Omega Red (R139)
1986 - Black (NH1), Omega Red (R139), Shasta White (NH138), April Blue (PB147)
1987 - Monza Red (R110), Shasta White (NH138)

Most black Aero 50’s had red seats, red ones had grey seats and the white ones had blue seats.

The following brochure scans are courtesy of gingerbeardman. Check out his whole collection:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emsef/sets/72157594288027610/