Opinions On The Honda ADV 350, After A Test Ride

As this blog is a testament to, I absolutely love the Piaggio Beverly maxi-scooter platform. In fact, I have two: a 2017 Beverly 350 that lives with me in Northern Ireland, and a 2023 Beverly 400 that I keep for when I'm in Spain.

As I've covered previously, the 350 is the bike I've been slowly updating and improving over the last year. It's been a great machine, not to mention a fantastic classroom for learning how the whole scooter/CVT dark arts work, but it is nearly ten years old. So naturally, I'm often flicking through the classifieds to see what its replacement might look like.

There are zero Piaggio dealers in the whole of NI, so the obvious option, just buying a newer Beverly 400, isn't really an option without a massive logistical headache. But over here, they do love their Hondas. With quite a few dealers in the region, a potential replacement that constantly pops up is the Honda ADV350. Which along with its sibling, the Forza 350, it is just about the best-selling maxi-scooter duo in Europe right now. So it has to be worth a look, right?

For those who have been living under a rock, the ADV350 is the machine that kickstarted the whole "adventure scooter" trend. Think of it as a regular commuter scooter that's been hit really hard with the adventure bike stick. The marketing bangs on about it being great on and off-road. But, just like your average Range Rover, the most "off-road" most ever see is a muddy track to the local football pitch. Nonetheless, there is no denying it's a fantastic, manly, rugged looker. So, as a manly, rugged man myself (joke!), when a used one popped up at the right price at a local dealer, I had to give it a try.

The dealer in question was GS Motorcycles. In total, a 3-hour round trip for me taking the scenic route. But even putting the test ride aside, it was a worthwhile trip just to see their fantastic showroom and meet their genuinely helpful staff.

Enough waffle. Let's get to the ride.

Round One: The Showroom Showdown

After a 90-minute scenic ride, I arrived at the showroom and saw the ADV lined up out front alongside three "proper" motorcycles. I duly parked my trusty Beverly 350 next to it and stepped back for a look.

Honestly? The Beverly looked a bit pretty pathetic.

Compared to the others, it looks small, demure even. It just didn't look the part compared to the others. It looked every inch the polite Italian scooter, and I mean that in the worst way possible. By contrast, the ADV slotted right in with the adventure bikes. It has the same frontal proportions, and at a quick glance, you wouldn't even clock it was a scooter.

Visuals: Big win for the ADV. Big loss for the Beverly.

My contact for the test ride came out and fired the ADV up. Honestly, if it wasn't for the dash flickering to life, I wouldn't have known it was running. It is so quiet. Now, in the motorbike world, quiet is usually seen as a bad thing. But I'm completely done with the "loud pipes save lives" bollox. Loud pipes give you a fecking headache; quiet, in my book, is good.

I threw a leg over it, and it immediately felt comfy. For a tall, adventure-style bike, the seat-to-footrest distance is surprisingly short, noticeably tighter than the Beverly, but not quite enough to be a dealbreaker. The bars did get worryingly close to my knees at full lock, but since they are exposed tubular bars, a set of riser blocks would easily sort that out. (Full disclosure: I'm six foot three.)

The lady I dealt with told me I had an hour and to take my time. I fully intended to. I hit the open road, initially pootled around to get a feel for it, and almost immediately discovered my first niggle.

The Suspension: Showa Marketing vs. Reality

Honda makes a massive deal about the suspension on the ADV350. It has "proper" motorcycle suspension: dual-crown forks up front and remote-reservoir rear shocks, all made by Showa. According to the blurb, this, ladies and gentlemen, is the real deal.

Except, it's not.

I've no idea what went wrong in the R&D department, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to bluntly call it shite, well OK maybe not shite, but it certainly doesn't live up to the hype.

Before I verbally pull it apart, let me qualify that: I know suspension. I was a pro mechanic on high-end mountain bikes for 20 years. A huge part of that job was selecting and tuning suspension. I understand shim stacks, rebound, compression damping, and spring rates. Granted, this isn't MTB suspension, but the mechanical principles are exactly the same.

And I can tell you, the ADV's suspension is nothing special. Yes, it has a Showa badge. Yes, it has gold paint on the outside. But I guarantee the internals are pure bottom-rung stuff. To stop the bike bottoming out when (or if) it's taken off-road, they haven't employed clever high and low speed damping circuits; they've just massively over-sprung the entire thing. It is incredibly harsh, harsher even than the 10-year-old Beverly 350. It's all marketing, no class-leading ride quality.

The Performance: Where's the Magic?

Okay, so the ride is jarring. Let's look past that and get it onto the fast roads.

This brings me to niggle number two: the performance. I know it's only a 330cc engine, but I was really expecting some clever Japanese engineering magic to make those CCs shine. There wasn't any. It feels more or less identical to my Beverly 350, except once I hit the motorway, the Honda ran out of legs much sooner. It was just... okay. It was smooth, the power delivery was predictable, but it was just ... OK.

Now, I know it's unfair to compare the ADV350 to my Beverly 400, cus the Bev has the full 399cc's, but I'm going to anyway: there is absolutely no comparison. In every single metric, the Piaggio 400 completely smokes the Honda. Unfair? Maybe. But it's the truth. Yes, it's got more displacement, but everyone bangs on about how Japanese bikes are greater than the sum of their parts when it comes to performance. Really? I think not. And that's before we even get to the old school dry clutch (ADV350) and the moto tech wet clutch found in the Bev erly 400. But I digress...

The Weather Protection: Form Over Function

I realise I'm biased. I like the traditional "Vespa" style of scooter, which begs the question: Why look at an ADV? But aside from aesthetics, there is a very practical reason most scooters use that traditional shape: Wind protection.

The whole point of the scooter platform is that you can ride it in regular clothing without freezing. And that is my third niggle: the ADV350 offers practically zero wind protection. The narrowed front fairing is shaped to look aggressive, meaning it punches a very small hole in the air. That adjustable screen? You might as well unbolt it. There is no discernible difference between the highest and lowest settings. I bet if it wasn't there you'd feel no difference.

The reality: once I got over 40 mph, I was getting absolutely battered. I'm talking naked sportster battered. Wind blasted my torso, my helmet, and straight up my legs. I guess that's the trade-off for adventure styling. In the summer, you could suffer it. But in a wet Northern Irish winter? You'd be miserable. It relegates the ADV350 to a "fine weather machine", which entirely defeats the point of buying a scooter as a daily rider.

The Storage Myth: Size Isn't Everything

Finally, we arrive at niggle number four. Along with the "awesome" suspension, Honda constantly brags about the enormous 48-litre under-seat storage, claiming it easily swallows two full-face helmets.

Well, I can tell you: one of those things might be true. It might technically hold 48 litres of water, but it absolutely cannot swallow two full-face helmets. I couldn't even get one of my helmets to fit!

As any woman (or man!) will tell you, it's not just about the size; it's about how it's used.

Because the ADV has so much ground clearance, the underside of the bike is pushed high up into the chassis. To keep the seat height manageable, the storage space gets squeezed in the middle. The result is a space that is very long, fairly wide, but incredibly shallow. You don't have an under-seat bucket; you have an under-seat tray. To make matters worse, the floor isn't even flat, it slopes forward dramatically. They've even had to install little plastic retaining walls just to stop your gear from rolling to the front. The numbers might look great on a spec sheet, but in the real world, it's seriously impractical.

The Verdict

And that, firmly and finally, removes the Honda ADV350 from my list of potential replacements. I love how it looks, but I just couldn't live with it day to day.

Sure, some people will read this and say I'm just a Piaggio fanboy who never intended to give the Honda a fair shake. But I'm not just a Piaggio fanboy; I'm a fan of function first. For me, the ADV350 is 100% form over function. Yes, it looks incredible parked up. But when it comes to doing its actual job, being a comfortable, practical, year-round commuter, it fails miserably.

So, I'm keeping the Beverly 350. And when the time eventually comes to upgrade, even if it means flying to GB and dealing with ferries, the only logical choice is another Beverly 400.