Honda X-ADV (2017) in the driving report

Posted on by admin

Honda X-ADV (2017) in the driving report

Large scooter in enduro look

The Honda X-ADV, a new addition to the large scooters, is said to be the first travel scooter to do well on gravel.

E.First live contact with the Honda X-ADV. For years you have been swinging your right leg over any kind of motorized two-wheeler and activating the sensor system for personal computer searches. You assess the seat, handlebars and footrests, sway at the knee, tug on the levers, squeeze through the spring travel. In a matter of seconds, the computer in the upper room opens a drawer and sets a measuring stick.

Honda X-ADV (2017) in the driving report

Large scooter in enduro look

X-ADV, the algorithm fails before the first ascent. Swing over or climb through? Not an ergonomic, but a fundamental question. Is the Honda X-ADV a scooter or a motorcycle? Honda itself lists the new playmobile among the adventure models next to the Crossrunner and Africa Twin. However, the closest technical relative is the Integra scooter. Whatever the Honda X-ADV may be, one thing is certain: It is a pretty unconventional concept. And a brave one.

After all, the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer has recently fallen on the nose with eccentric scooter derivatives. The avant-garde DN-01 and Vultus have already been taken out of the range in this country, the brave Integra is stagnating in sales at around 15 percent of the quantities of the two NC 750 sister models.

But the gut feeling says: The Honda X-ADV could be a bigger hit. First, because off-road bikes from the BMW G 310 GS to the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro are currently in vogue across all displacement. Second, because the designers are the
Skillfully adopted the lines of the visually so successful Africa Twin for the new Stollen-Roller. And third, because the new cover was put over a whole arsenal of technical changes.

Swing over or climb through? No matter. With a moderate seat height of 820 millimeters, the Honda X-ADV gives its driver the choice. The first look at the command center. Butted handlebars with hand guards, raised windshield, in between the rectangular digital display. An upside-down fork peeps through the fairing, with a wire-spoke wheel reinforced with two brake discs with Bridgestone Trail Wing tires between the bars. Are the Honda model planners really serious about off-road ambitions? Although – probably because of the seat height – they screwed a 15-inch rear wheel into the reinforced and extended aluminum swing arm instead of the 17-inch version of the Integra.

Subscribe to MOTORRAD videos on Youtube

Driving impression Honda X-ADV

The Honda X-ADV no longer has an ignition key, instead a transponder. Turn the central switch, tap the electric start button – and there it is again, the familiar sound. Two-cylinder parallel twin, 745 cm³ displacement, 270 degree crank pin offset. The cylinders of the long stroke tilt forward by 62 degrees. This flat design creates space above the engine and enables model planners to choose between a scooter or a motorcycle. Just like the standard dual clutch transmission. Coupling and shifting was yesterday.

D-mode selected, accelerate, departure. The Honda X-ADV patters cautiously from the raised silencer. The automatic zaps into the next of the six gears at 3000 rpm. Is the shift speed really increased on the Honda X-ADV in this mode? The temperament remains reserved, just enough for cruising. In S mode, the Honda X-ADV only shifts at 5000 revs, keeps the speed high and the engine in a careful position – even if the bite is always a bit restrained at 55 HP peak power and a lot of flywheel.

The fact that the low-speed concept ends at 6250 rpm is hardly noticeable with the automatic. Only in manual mode, in which the gears are changed using two switches on the left end of the handlebar, does the twin’s shortness of breath bothers. But as I said: clutching and shifting was yesterday. Instead, relax and accelerate. Whereby: The X-ADV has moved away from the decidedly casual seating position of the Integra. The straight handlebars straighten the pilot and pull him towards the front.

This fits in with the new, not least optically suggested, active driving experience of the Honda X-ADV, to which the new suspension elements also contribute. The spring travel, which is 30 millimeters longer than that of the Integra, does not provide as much additional comfort as expected, especially on the tightly tuned hindquarters, but gives the Honda X-ADV more lean angle. We’d like to go a little faster because the new double disc grips more firmly than the single disc of the Integra, because the Bridgestone tires also grip well and the X-ADV with its 65 millimeter longer wheelbase is even more stable than the Integra . The 15-inch format of the rear wheel is not reflected in the handling. At least not negatively. And by the way: the new windshield, which can be adjusted in height to just under 14 centimeters without tools, makes the lively ride even more pleasant.

Driving off-road with the Honda X-ADV

And how does the Honda X-ADV perform on an off-road excursion. You may or may not consider it to be sensible, at any rate the excursion into the countryside on a scooter has seldom been fun so far. You carefully feel your way along the dirt road, trying curiously. Sitting? Go into the cross on the bumpy road. Standing? The running boards position the feet too far forward for the upright ride. How about footrests? With scooters so far only a topic for the passenger.

The Honda X-ADV can be retrofitted about two hand’s widths behind the running boards from the Honda accessories catalog. The prices have not yet been determined, but the driver is safe on the roughly serrated milled parts. It’s always an unorthodox idea that fits the concept. And so you quickly dare more, you are amazed how easy it is to control the power of the two-cylinder in S mode. Not having to think about shifting and using the clutch in the uncomfortable terrain frees up unimagined driving reserves. Starting up the mountain on gravel? The bloody beginner succeeds right away. The drift around the hairpin? Experienced people steer with the stern precisely to the centimeter. Immediately memories of the just as easy to control Africa Twin with DCT transmission are awakened. Even when going downhill, the electronics do not shift up too quickly thanks to the incline detection, and thus maintain the engine braking effect.

You quickly get cocky when you hear the pebbles thrown up by the front wheel of the Honda X-ADV patter on the aluminum engine guard – but also the buttery-softly damped fork on the first cross-channel that comes across as hard metal. Maybe a reminder to stick to yourself. Because at 238 kilograms, the X-ADV weighs only 5 kg less than the Africa Twin with DCT transmission. In this respect, one trolls off the field with a temporarily chilled, but positively surprised little face. Wondering how much more universal and adult the sports colleague has become on the way from Integra to X-ADV. It is therefore understandable that with the surcharge of almost 2000 euros on the Integra and the base price of 11 115 euros, it has finally arrived in the price league of large scooters (BMW C 650 Sport: 11 300 euros, Yamaha Tmax: 11 500 euros). But theirs
The bar does not fit for the scooter in the Crocodile Dundee outfit either.

Differences between the Honda X-ADV and the Integra

engine

  • Later switching times in D mode for more liveliness

landing gear

  • Upside-down fork instead of conventional fork
  • Increased spring travel (154/150 mm instead of 120/120 mm)
  • Rear wheel size reduced from 17 to 15 inches
  • Spoked wheels instead of cast wheels
  • The swing arm is longer and more stable, thereby extending the wheelbase from 1525 to 1590 mm
  • Double disc brake in front (Integra:
  • a disk)
  • Ground clearance increased to 162 mm
  • Seat height 820 mm instead of 790 mm

miscellaneous

  • Enlarged windshield and five-fold adjustable in height
  • Transponder ignition key
  • Handguards
  • Engine protection plate
  • Tank reduced (13.1 instead of 14.1 liters)
  • Muffler pulled higher
  • Body redesigned
  • Display redesigned
  • Base price 11,115 euros (Integra: 9,205 euros)

Technical data Honda X-ADV

Drive: Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two balance shafts, an overhead, chain-driven camshaft, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, wet sump lubrication, injection, Ø 36 mm, regulated catalytic converter, alternator 420 W, battery 12 V / 11.2 Ah, six-speed dual clutch transmission, O-ring chain.
Bore x stroke 77.0 x 80.0 mm, displacement 745 cm³, compression ratio 10.7: 1, rated power 40.3 kW (54.8 PS) at 6250 / min, max. Torque 68 Nm at 4750 / min

landing gear
Bridge frame made of steel, upside-down fork, Ø 41 mm, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base, double disc brake at the forehead, Ø 310 mm, four-piston fixed calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 240 mm, single-piston Floating saddle, ABS. Wire spoke wheels with aluminum rims 3.50 x 17; 4.50 x 15, tires 120/70 R 17; 160/60 R 15

Dimensions + weights
Wheelbase 1590 mm, steering head angle 63.0 degrees, caster 104 mm, spring travel front / rear 154/150 mm, seat height 820 mm, empty weight 238 kg, permissible total weight 415 kg, tank capacity 13.1 liters.
Warranty: two years
Colors: silver, white, red
Price: 11 115 euros, additional costs: 285 euros

Related articles

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *