Honda ADV150 "Adventure" Scooter Review

[MotoNews]

Published in: Bikes

Honda ADV150 "Adventure" Scooter Review: Tiny Titan for the Colossal Hearted

The ADV segment is so hot, scooters are getting in on the action. We got our hands on Honda’s trick little ADV150 and ran it though some on- and off-road testing. Can you take a scooter off road? What are the bike’s limitations? Is it really “ADV”?

While more common outside of North America, scooters are fun, practical, and exciting ADV transportation. If you’re willing to slow it down a little, scooters have many benefits over traditional motorcycles. A low center of gravity, great fuel efficiency, comfort, nimble handling, and good rider protection top the list. But what makes the ADV150, or any scooter, “ADV”?

• ADV150 Power and Performance

Honda’s ADV150 feels right at home on most two-lane roads, comfortably cruising between 45–55 mph. Tight, sweeping corners are a blast with the very neutral and predictable handling. Much of this is derived from the bike’s low center of gravity and nicely balanced IRC Trail Winner 80/20-style tires. The Trail Winners provide decent traction both on and off the asphalt. They held up quite well on cold rainy surfaces as well, and we even had a bit of fun sliding the rear end around in some light snow.

The 150cc torquey fuel-injected power plant does well on back roads. The quiet and efficient motor started right up every time, even in freezing winter temps. At around 220-lb. rider weight, the bike was able to pull over 60 mph on a flat paved surface. It took about 20 seconds to reach that top speed, but it was quite stable. While it may be able to go faster, our guess is it’s electronically governed, as high speeds on a vehicle this size could be catastrophic for some riders.

With a smaller and lighter rider weighing around 120 to 160-lbs, the bike feels much quicker plus there's plenty of room for luggage.  The ADV150  design comes from Asia (Phillipines and Indonesia) where the pilots tend to be smaller and daily use of scooters like this really helps commuting on congested, chaotic and often broken roads. 

Many traditional scooters have an “underbone”-style frame which allows them to be completely step-through. While more convenient, the bow shape is also not as strong. Honda’s solution to this is a duplex-cradle frame which, almost like a motorcycle, has a set of top tubes that meet the frame lower down. This creates a very rigid ride which contributes to its sporty on- and off-road manners at the sacrifice of some convenience and weight.

Dual hand-lever braking with the front ABS-enabled 240mm rotor felt positive and sufficient for a heavier rider. For a premium 150cc model at over $4,000, we would have liked a rear disk but the 130mm rear mechanical drum brake could be locked up at will, which made gravel-roading surprisingly fun.

• ADV150 Features, Comfort and Geometry

Like many modern ADV bikes, the ADV150 is packed with creature comforts any scooter rider would enjoy. From the gadget geek side of things, the keyless ignition system is a nice touch. You can simply keep the key in your pocket and start the bike after turning the ignition selector to “ON.”

The ignition selector sits in a control panel on the right-side dash that also houses the remote fuel and seat release rocker. Fuel is added below the front seat and will store a healthy 2.1 gallons, giving a solid 150-mile range with spirited riding. Looking under the seat reveals a grocery bag-consuming 27 liters of storage. A large-sized ADV helmet with peak won’t fit in there, but smaller street helmets, and certainly half-face helmets, wouldn’t have a problem.

Speaking of storage, there’s another, smaller 2-liter glove box on the left side dash with a 12V outlet for charging your phone in relative safety from the environment. With the scooter’s clean lines, you could very easily throw on some saddle bags to quickly turn the ADV150 into a travel companion if you’d like. Although our test unit didn’t come equipped with a rear rack, they are available both from Honda and the aftermarket.

To further enhance rider comfort, an adjustable windscreen can be easily set in two different positions over the instrument panel that provides plenty of information but is a bit hard to read in direct sunlight.

When riding, the ADV150 has a very natural seating position affording good visibility and comfort. Compared to a traditional scooter step-through-style frame, one limitation to the double-cradle frame is it effectively creates sideboards for your feet, which limits foot space. You get used to it easily enough, but the ADV150 also wants to put your feet slightly forward, creating a slightly awkward standing geometry.

• ADV150 Off-Road Riding. Is it “Really” ADV?

That’s right, standing geometry. We tested the bike off-road and had mixed feelings. Part of the issue was being six feet tall, but most of the problem came from the forward angle and position of the foot well. Sporting size 11 boots doesn’t give much wiggle room, but smaller feet may find it more comfortable.

The biggest improvement for the ADV150’s off-road prowess is it’s beefed-up Showa front and rear suspension with class-leading 5.1 and 4 inches of travel respectively. It’s not just the travel, though. The springs and dampening are actually stiffer, which makes cruising gravel roads at 45 mph very possible. Just don’t hit any deep potholes or washouts! Unlike adventure motorcycles with rock-eating 21-inch front wheels, the ADV150’s 14/13-wheel size combo needs a little care when navigating the rough stuff.

The ADV150’s wheel size combo suffers from a lack of dual-sport style scooter tire options. Small bikes and scooters like Yamaha’s Zuma 125 or Honda’s Ruckus and GROM have matching front and rear rim sizes, with an increasing selection of big-block-style off-road tire options.

That said, there’s no doubt the ADV150 can handle most any gravel road you throw at it. Its friendly center of gravity and lower speeds keep you from getting in too much trouble, and we even managed to run it across some water crossings without any issues. Actually, it was a lot of fun!

• Honda ADV150 Comparison and Summary

So how does it stack up to competition? Yamaha’s closest rival would be their newly redesigned 2022 Zuma, which sports a 125cc engine and many of the same creature comforts like USB charging. Unlike the ADV150, it lacks a windscreen and has a step-through design. Both weigh in at around 300 lb. but the Zuma uses traditional 12-inch wheels with only three inches of travel front and rear. At $500 less than Honda’s entry, it would be a tough call.

The biggest competition comes from Honda’s 2021 PCX, which costs about $3,800 and received a few updates we hope to see on the ADV150. The PCX gets a new, higher compression-ratio engine with a very slight (7cc) bump in displacement and four valves. Also worth noting, the 2020 PCX came with 14-inch front and rear wheel, but in 2021 moved to the ADV150’s 14/13 set-up, as well. The only change for the ADV150 from 2021 to 2022 is it now comes in a sporty “candy rose red” color which looks more exciting than the “matte black metallic” of 2021. The unit pictured here is not fully OEM as it has a reduced rear fender and an aftermarket ball mount added to the bar clamp.

For almost a decade we’ve heard people ask what makes a “real” ADV bike. Our answer has always been, “The one you’re on.” If you take a scooter like Honda’s ADV150 and set realistic expectations for its use, you can go most anywhere on a fun, well-built, easy-to-handle package at an affordable price. From touring and commuting to bombing around back roads, the ADV150 can do it all. MSRP: $4,299  Powersports.Honda.com

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PROS:

• Above average Showa long-travel suspension
• Peppy motor, solid build quality and reliability
• Comfortable seat and center stand make life easy
• Keyless ignition is a nice value add

CONS:

• Gauges hard to read in direct sunlight
• Odd size wheels mean limited tire choices
• Needs exciting colors and crash-friendly turn signals
• Kick-starter option please!

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• Honda 2020 ADV150 Scooter Key Specifications

Engine:	149cc, SOHC, liquid-cooled 80º single-cylinder four-stroke
Fuel Delivery:	Fuel injection w/ 26mm throttle body
Front Suspension:	31mm Showa w/ 5.1” travel
Rear Suspension:	Twin Showa shocks w/ 4.7” travel
Front Brake:	Single 240mm disc w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	130mm drum (mechanical)
Tire Size (F/R):	110/80-14 / 130/70-13
Wheelbase:	52.1 in.
Ground Clearance:	6.5 in.
Seat Height:	31.3 in.
Fuel Capacity:	2.1 gal.
Wet Weight:	294 lb.

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