The 2020 Honda ADV 150 takes its adventure to the city

HAVING taken the humble scooter to new lengths with its go anywhere ‘adventure’ – or ADV – variant, Honda is now going back to the city with a 150cc variant that keeps a lot of its big brother’s sharp clothing atop an urban-slick package.

Revealed at the Gaiikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Jakarta, Indonesia – where it is likely to become a common sight - the ADV 150 is a smartly-styled runaround that draws a lot of cosmetic inspiration from the 745cc X-ADV version, a machine that has gone to great lengths to prove what scooters can do with the right approach.

How has the X-ADV 750 inspired the ADV 150?

With only 150cc at its disposal, the ADV 150 won’t performing any of the tricks that saw the X-ADV 750 embarrass honed Adventure bikes with victory in the Gibraltar race earlier this month.

Instead it offers 14.2bhp at 8,5000rpm and weighs just 133kg, making it ideal for nipping between vehicles and – in Asia especially – not becoming a statistic of some horrendous traffic jams.  

With 14-inch front wheels and 13-inch rear alloys, muscular tapered lines and a few sporty styling traits, such as the exhaust and the brake discs, the ADV 150 is an attractive take on the scooter option and arguably more eye-catching than its European equivalent, the Forza 125.

Despite the looks and its brethren though, the drop of the ‘X’ means you shouldn’t expect it to mount more than kerbs and light gravel roads.

Will the Honda ADV 150 be on sale in the UK?

For now, the ADV 150 is earmarked only for the Indonesian market and presumably the rest of south-east Asia, where demand remains strong and is being boosted the growing trend towards sportier variants. 

However, this bike does suggest Honda is keen on broadening the ADV nameplate into a range that could well see intermediate models powered by a 300cc engine, which in turn could generate more of an appetite for European audiences.