Honda’s Zoomer scooter is the choice of champions in the MotoGP paddock. With its no-frills look and ultra-reliability it’s the only way to get around.

All around the MotoGP paddock you will see the super-cool Zoomer – its bare and minimal looks may seem basic, but the machine is far from it, fitting in well with the hi-tech world of MotoGP. At its heart is an environmentally-friendly fuel-injected, liquid-cooled 50cc four-stroke motor which pumps out around 4bhp. Drum brakes front and rear haul the lightweight 84-kilo machine smartly, while the chunky balloon tyres give sure-footed handling.

Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden uses his 50cc Zoomer to get around the busy paddock in the 18-round World Championship. His machine is fully personalised and comes in a cool, military camouflage green, resplendent with Nicky Hayden stickers and Repsol Honda logos.

With so many demands on his time, Nicky needs a scoot that will always be ready to go and the Zoomer fulfils that need. He said: “You can just get on it and go, it never lets me down. I also think it looks kinda cool – especially mine. It’s just perfect for the paddock.”

Konica Minolta Honda’s Shinya Nakano also uses a Zoomer. The 1998 All Japan 250cc champ and 2000, 250cc World Championship runner-up thinks there’s nothing better for getting around on. The 29-year-old Japanese star says: “My Zoomer is fantastic! It’s perfect for going from A to B around the paddock and it

looks so good. At the end of the year I’m signing my Zoomer and giving it away in a competition but I will be very sad to let it go!”

The Zoomer isn’t just for the race paddock. Motorcycle journalist Bertie Simmonds bought one and commented: “I love the stripped-down looks of the thing and the fact that there’s so many accessories you can really personalise the scooter. I use it for running around the village where I live. It’s perfect for that and also fuss-free and 100% reliable. You can’t beat it.”