A Honda ADV350 Is on the Way

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.

While Honda hasn’t seen fit to bring the X-ADV to the US market, its follow-up, the ADV150, is offered here, and now the 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.

Related: 2021 Honda ADV150 First Ride Review

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the ADV350 uses 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.

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.

Honda’s strategy with current ADV models is mixed, as the smaller ADV150 is sold in the USA and many Asian markets, while the X-ADV 750 is offered in Europe—it was originally designed by Honda’s Italian R&D department—and Japan. The new middleweight ADV350 is clearly destined for Europe, as proved by its type approval in the region, but it might also be suited to markets like the USA where Honda currently offers the smaller machine.