Had a lot of fun on and off road, over the weekend, leading a group of bikes ranging from Harleys and Ducati’s to XR’s and Scooters. Due to still nurturing a broken patella, not motorcycle related, I chose the lighter Honda ADV 150 for my first ride back as I wanted some understanding of its off road capability in any case.
I’d been impressed with it around the city with respects of comfort and handling. The Nissin front and rear disk brakes and Showa suspension a marked improvement on any other A1 automatic scooter I’ve ridden. Was it though, as its marketing tag suggests a soft road scoot capable of touring the backroads and exploring the backtracks?
I’d never ridden a scooter this far before so as a precaution I fitted an inflatable seat pad and happy to report no sore backside whatsoever. Like a lot of scoots though for taller riders a seat modification to prevent you sliding forward is recommended.
Taking it steady on rocks I found it nicely balanced with no need to put my feet down which I was trying to avoid. On the sand and fine gravel I was pushing the front a bit but never out of control. Could have lessened that had I dropped the tyre pressures a bit. The ABS front ONLY, perfect off road. In all for 14 inch front and 13 inch rear handled surprisingly well. Yes bigger wheels as always would be better but then you lose suspension travel or a sure footed seat height. It’s always a compromise. I feel they got this right!
If your going to compare it to anything it has to be the PCX, it’s sister in respect of engine and chassis. I personally have never been a fan of the PCX. Always felt a bit bulky to me but this doesn’t and although a heavier financial commitment, worth it for its refinement and versatility in my opinion.
As far as what really doesn’t matter so much to me, I like the look, LED lights all around, secure dash pocket with power supply, dash display is well laid out and real world fuel economy. With a few big boys chasing me I was giving it some and thought 40km per litre was fair for the fun I had.
If you want to get out and about but not yet ready for a full manual or just want one toy to do it all, this is an option worthy of consideration for sure!
