TESTED: Honda X-ADV

Can you cross a big cc scooter with an adventure bike? Well, Honda has had a good go at it, and Andy Bell had a good go on it…

The stuff that matters…

Power: 58bhp @ 6750rpm

Weight: 237kg (kerb)

Price: £11,249

Contact: www.honda.co.uk 

Pics> Honda

What is it? 

In essence, you’re looking at a big capacity scooter with an adventure bike twist. Honda’s X-ADV has a lot in common with its Forza sibling with just a sidestep in their potential use as they both have the same punchy 745cc parallel-twin engine, and the tech is also shared in the most part with the DCT, cruise control, TFT screen, etc. 

Talking tech…

While this is still a road-going machine, the option to take a ride off-road is made more appealing by adding an extra 33.5mm travel to the front fork and 30mm to the rear shock. The wheels are still 17in front with a 15in rear but have been swapped out with spoked wheels more suited to rough terrain. The styling is even sharper with a little more height overall and, as with the Forza, a new brighter, aggressive-looking headlight is also present with integrated indicators. 

With all the talk of extra height and its off-road abilities, you would be forgiven for thinking you would miss out on comfort or practicability. This couldn’t be further from the truth; the seat height is still only 820mm (830mm with comfort seat option) and also it has the reprofiled edge for ground reach. The underseat storage has been kept the same at 22 litres, with enough room for a full-face helmet. Here you also find the USB charger (which hasn’t made it to the handlebar mount), extra bright light and double rams for lifting the seat unit. 

The handlebars are a bit wider at 940mm, which puts you in a better position of control should you be inclined to find a gravel track. To make it as suited as possible to off-road antics, tough plastic hand guards are in place to deflect wind and rain, while adding protection for hands and levers from stones when off-road. A shot-peened aluminium bash plate provides additional protection to the underside. To really capitalise on the experience, there’s also a Gravel rider mode that provides full power, maximum engine braking, less traction control and low levels of ABS intrusion.

The screen has been improved over last year’s model, now only needing one hand to lift and lower, although it still feels like it could have had the full upgrade and gone fully electric like the Forza.

The brake discs up front are only a tiny bit smaller than the Forza at 296mm, not that this was noticeable as they still only require the same very light touch needed to pull up the scooter. 

Cracking on…

After a couple of hours riding around on the road, we pulled over at the start of a gravel track for the next leg of the test and were encouraged to switch the X-ADV into its extra rider mode, conveniently called ‘Gravel’. As you would expect, ABS and traction control become less intrusive which, for where we were heading, was needed. 

Setting off one by one with a shower of stones being kicked up, the road machine with its more road-biased tyres was going where I wouldn’t like to take many bikes without knobbly tyres fitted. It did the job in hand though, providing more confidence than I had originally expected. I‘m not going to say this is a bike for a motocross track by any means, as larger stones and any sudden changes in pace or direction still gave you a reminder that you were not on a focused off-roader, but here we were ‘off-road’ and not hanging about. 

The X-ADV I was riding had a little extra for such excursions in the way of foldaway motocross-style pegs which came into their own at this point. When you are out and about on the road these can be flicked up and locked out of the way, but when needing a bit more of a sure footing these just kick down and offered all the grip I wanted for my boots.

After this blast away from the usual traffic, it was amazing to be able to simply press a button when we found Tarmac again to toggle back into a road-friendly mode (I opted for Sport), completely changing the characteristics of the engine for the blast back down the hillside to where we were stopping overnight, as if we had never left the road.

Riding the Forza and X-ADV back-to-back you do feel a slight difference, with the X-ADV having the extra travel in its suspension and with its tyres that also have the ability for light off-roading not quite offering the same level of grip as the ones on the Forza. I don’t want to put a bad mark here as this was only really noticeable when leant over and hard on the throttle. Not as many of these scooters are sold in the UK as the Forza, but they are very popular in Europe.

Worth a punt? 

There’s a lot to like about the X-ADV, not least its ease of use and great, parallel twin motor. The question is whether an option like this is more of a style exercise than a purchase based on function. 

I like taking bikes off-road, but I’d be very selective about the degree of trail riding I’d undertake on the X-ADV. While it’s definitely capable of light off-road riding, ground clearance, suspension travel and even the position you sit on the scooter could cause you a headache if you really started to push on, on the loose stuff. This being the case, I’d question whether the Forza would be a better bet for the majority of those looking for a big-capacity scooter, as that is wholly focused on the job at hand, while the X-ADV is more of a gesture to adventure bike riding, albeit it at a very serious price. The point being, I’d have to buy this bike based more on its quirky look than its actual off-road prowess, and I’m sure that for a lot of people that won’t be an issue.