Honda Launches The Honda ADV 350 To Take On The Class 2A Segment - Would You Pick The ADV 350 or Forza 350?

When Honda unveiled the City Adventure concept bike at the 2015 EICMA show in Milan it was frankly confusing—the firm didn’t reveal any specs or information alongside the bike, nor did it try to justify the existence of a machine that attempted to bridge the yawning gap between adventure bikes and scooters.

So when that concept became a production reality a year later as the 745cc, parallel-twin-powered X-ADV, combining NC750 underpinnings with those urban-adventure looks and a surprisingly high spec and high price, it was even more of a surprise. Now the X-ADV is in its second generation and a success in Europe, despite costing 45 percent more than the NC750X adventure bike that shares the same engine.

The Honda ADV150, which is a mini ADV750 if you will and competes in the very crowded Class 2B scooter segment, has grown to become on of the most popular scooters here in Singapore due to its rugged good looks, higher ground clearance. Now the Japanese firm is planning to launch a third “ADV” model: the ADV350. Having filed trademark applications for the “ADV350″ name earlier this year, Honda now has model type approval in Europe, and the resulting documents give us the first glimpse of genuine specifications for the bike. We expect the Honda ADV350 to arrive in Singapore soon and it will go up against the likes of the XMax 300, Forza 350 (which it shares a lot of similar parts with), and other middleweight scooters. 

Mechanically, unsurprisingly, the ADV350 will employ the Forza 350 scooter’s 330cc single and much of the Forza’s chassis. Honda
has shorten route to production and increased cost efficiencies by using the Honda’s Forza 350 as its base, carrying over the same 330cc single-cylinder engine and twist-and-go transmission. There’s no change in performance in the transplant, with Honda’s documents showing a peak power of 29 hp at 7,500 rpm.

The chassis, too, appears likely to be borrowed from the Forza 350, as most of the dimensions are close to those of the conventional scooter model. The ADV350′s wheelbase is fractionally longer at 1,520mm (59.9 inches) instead of 1,510mm (59.5 inches), which is likely to be the result of larger, off-road-style wheels and tires instead of the Forza’s 15-inch front, 14-inch rear combo. Weight is similarly up a fraction, going from the Forza’s 406 pounds to 410 pounds. A second version of the ADV350 has also been approved with the same physical dimensions, but a weight of 415 pounds, suggesting it features extra equipment as standard.

What the Honda ADV350 could look like fully kitted out

The ADV350′s overall length, at 86.6 inches, is a fraction longer than the 84.5-inch Forza, again probably due to the larger wheels. It’s also wider at 35.2 inches across instead of 29.7 inches, pointing at broader bars, but even though it’s sure to have more ground clearance than the Forza, the ADV350 is lower at the top of its screen, which can be adjusted to give a height range from 51 inches to 56.3 inches. In comparison, the Forza sits 59.3 inches tall.

Another modified version of the Honda ADV350

Honda’s strategy with current ADV models is now complete for all the licenses classes in Singapore, with the ADV150 catering to the Class 2B riders, the ADV350 catering to the Class 2A riders, and the X-ADV750 catering to the Class 2 riders. For those of you currently riding the ADV150, will this 330cc single cylinder engine be a worthy upgrade? Let us know in the comments section below!