Honda ADV 350
I'd had my Pearl Siena red Forza for almost 3 years and 9000 trouble free miles. Coming from 35 years of GoldWings I was pleasantly surprised at just how capable these bikes are - hardly fair to call them scooters, being nothing remotely like the small wheeled offerings from the 1960's. I did a 3000 mile tour from here in Orkney to Austria in mid 2024 on the Forza and it was fantastic. Only when I found the steering head bearings were becoming notchy did I become in any way dissatisfied with it.
There's a hell of a lot dismantling needed to replace them and with what? Allowing a dealer to change them for new OE items would surely only produce the same problem further down the line. I really couldn't be bothered to do the job myself, as although I have the space and the tools, I would only be able source taper roller bearings once it was dismantled and might mean being without it for a length of time - the originals are caged balls. So I decided to go for a new ADV 350 and collected it from Aberdeen by van mid February and could use it legally from 1st March. They fitted a touring screen, side bars and lights, plus a rear rack, so it will be ready for a shakedown trip soon. I was never happy with the glorified bicycle forks on the Forza, where the forks weren't supported by a top yoke like a motorcycle - no wonder the bearings suffer!
Hopefully the Showa USD setup will be an improvement! I will miss the electric screen but I believe there is a kit from Asia for the ADV. As we all know, bikes are always something of a compromise and the only bike that's been right for me, 'straight out of the box', has been my 1500 SE Wing but today's equivalent is SIX times the price of an ADV 350!
I've fitted my rear brake lock, Quadlock clamp for the phone and the excellent rear hugger from the Forza. So it's nearly sorted to my liking. I managed a quick 20 mile trip on 1st March - the roads around where we live were dry and unsalted but venture towards town and they would be soaking wet and drenched in salt - hence the short distance to avoid those. Some first impressions and comparisons with the Forza - suspension is obviously better and more akin to a motorcycle, bar mounted mirrors are a big improvement and the bars can be turned to see better at oblique junctions. If necessary I could extend them by cutting and sleeving as I did on the Super Cub - heck that's 6 years ago! That option was never possible on the Forza with fairing mounted units and those mirrors were certainly not to my liking - needing a position shift to see everything behind, rather than a glance.
The indicator switch is now not confused with the horn - they have sorted that problem. I quite like the self cancelling facility and tried it in various situations - stays on when stationary and cancels in a timely manner after a junction. Not tried it on roundabouts/slip roads yet but it seems as good at cancelling as the GoldWing was. Might lower the front a tad - it's a bit higher than the Forza. It appears just as quick and agile as the Forza but still taking it easy on new tyres and a tight engine. Footboards are fine for me but leg wind deflectors are definitely on the cards. I like the hand guards too - they certainly keep your hands out of the full blast. I'm looking forward to a good long run down into Caithness/Sutherland and the Highlands. I'm on with dismantling my two Honda top boxes to paint the lids in the new bike colour but there's ample storage for now just riding around Orkney and they will only really be needed on longer tours, although I do like a top box for odds and ends, wherever I'm going.
The first ride out to Burwick, South Ronaldsay
I recently had a day trip over into Caithness with a mate who was visiting Wick and the bike performed well, with 1200 miles done, it's starting to free up, just as the Forza did. One advantage over other bikes is that the Ferry crew can lash the bike down using the very solidly mounted side grab-rails, rather than with a rope over the seat - admittedly over a piece of carpet, but it still left marks on the 'Wing seat that often took days to disappear. Fuel economy is starting to approach that of the Forza, now it has a few miles under its tyres. That bike returned 92 mpg on the Austria trip! The power unit is almost identical to that on the Forza with the exception of an extra O2 sensor on the exhaust. One small downside is that the exhaust has to be removed (new gasket to head needed each time) to replace the rear wheel or even check/replace the rear pads. There's quite a bit of dismantling to get the wheel out as it is, half the swing arm has to come off! The very wide bars are fantastic, making flicking the bike into alternate bends far easier than the Forza - really confidence inspiring, even in the wet!