Motorcycles

Honda's Adventure Scooter moves from concept to production

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The X-Adv gives us an idea of what Honda says its adventure scooter can do
Honda
The City Adventure concept was first introduced at the 2015 EICMA show
Honda
The 5-stage adjustable screen has been confirmed as a standard feature on the production Honda X-Adv
Honda
The City Adventure concept is Hondas' attempt at creating a new class of two-wheelers
Honda
The City Adventure concept featured a 17-inch wheel at the front and a 15 at the back
Honda
The City Adventure concept at the 2015 EICMA show
Honda
The City Adventure concept at the 2015 EICMA show
Honda
The inverted forks and two-disc setup is expected to make it to the final production model
Honda
Although obscured from the bodywork, the frame and engine combo of the NC family should fit perfectly in this setup
Honda
With a torquey mid-sized engine the X-Adv should be very pleasant to ride in any kind of road
Honda
Hopefully Honda will retain the relatively large (for scooters) wheels in the X-Adv if it is indeed intended to go off-road
Honda
The X-Adv gives us an idea of what Honda says its adventure scooter can do
Honda
It's certainly not accidental that the X-Adv's exhaust looks like a clone of the Africa Twin's unit
Spiros Tsantilas/New Atlas
The tablet-like display of the 2015 concept is a touch of luxury that may well find its way to the production X-Adv
Spiros Tsantilas/New Atlas
The City Adventure concept on display at the 2015 EICMA show
Spiros Tsantilas/New Atlas
The City Adventure concept on display at the 2015 EICMA show
Spiros Tsantilas/New Atlas
The X-Adv retains the same headlight design as the 2015 City Adventure concept (pictured here)
Spiros Tsantilas/New Atlas
View gallery - 16 images

Its first public appearance was at last year's EICMA motorcycle show as a concept model. Blending the all-around potential of an adventure bike with a scooter's practicality, the X-Adv was little more than an interesting concept until Honda recently announced it as a proper 2017 production model.

According to Honda's press release, the X-Adv is a "new breed of motorcycle." Indeed in the past, very few manufacturers attempted to infuse off-road abilities into scooters, and most of them were restricted to little more than sparse adventurous-looking details (hand guards, high fenders). Some notable examples would be Yamaha BW's and the Peugeot Trekker 100, tiny commuters that looked the look, but didn't actually walk the walk off paved roads.

Perhaps the concept of an adventure scooter should be credited to Brutus, a prototype first introduced on 2012. The marriage of a fat-tired off-roader with a 750 cc single coupled to a scooterish automatic transmission seemed even more novel at the time, nevertheless Brutus still hasn't made it to the production lines – despite the fact that it keeps on returning to EICMA in conceptual form every year since its introduction.

Little is known about the X-Adv, with most details coming from Honda's spartan release and the rest from what we can make out of the accompanying images. It is based on the City Adventure concept from the 2015 EICMA, equipped with long travel suspensions and Honda's Dual Clutch Transmission as standard. An adjustable screen and an underseat storage space that can accommodate an off-road helmet sum up the little info that Honda has revealed for the time being. The full specs will be made public at the EICMA presentation in early November.

The City Adventure concept on display at the 2015 EICMA show
Spiros Tsantilas/New Atlas

Beneath the plastics, chances are we will find the 745 cc in-line twin engine of the NC series, producing 54 hp (40.3 kW) and 68 Nm (50 lb-ft) with outstanding fuel efficiency. It fits the bill perfectly with its forward-inclined cylinders suspended from a versatile frame that is used as the main building block in a diverse variety of models – the Integra scooter, the NX750X adventure bike and the NC750S roadster all share the same running gear, differing only in costumes and rider ergonomics.

The three action images that Honda revealed today portray an unpainted production model that has retained the 2015 concept's looks, including the inverted forks and what appears to be a big digital instrument display.

We'll know more in a few weeks' time when New Atlas will be reporting from the ground at the 2016 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy. Until then, Honda keeps things interesting with its latest teaser video.

Source: Honda

View gallery - 16 images
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4 comments
Bob
Small diameter wheels and what looks to be a relatively heavy scooter won't stack up well against a dirt cycle.
Grunchy
Too much body work, this will get all scratched up & wrecked. They should take the Ruckus & make a knobby wheel version: that's the adventure scoot I want!
guzmanchinky
Very cool, but why wouldn't you just get a dual-sport, like the Yamaha WR250R?
ljaques
Why build a ballsy bike resembling a scooter? Scooter riders are too flimsy to want balls and adventurous riders are too macho to want scooter looks. I'm with guzmanchinky in thinking that a dual sport (which we used to call Enduro) is the way to go. The Chinese are now putting out a dual-sport 250cc priced at $1,600, this bike will probably cost $8k-10k. I'd like to see someone pack a 750 out of the mountains after a fuel tank rupture. With the 250, it'd be doable. The Honda CRF250L is only $5k. I don't see the market, Honda. Well, except for those 3 Gnu Yawka scooter riders with balls. Not much of a market.