ADV 350 - first impressions

[Helicoptermanr22]

They do look good and cheap enough, i pretty sure they would be good off road, ive ordered the grey X ADV wich is September delivery but was very tempted by the 350 for sure, not that i ride fast but think they are only marginally slower than the 750 version.
Someone said that they become alot more flexible after a thousand miles or so and with fuel prices the way they are makes perfect sense.
Enjoy your new steed!

[catcitrus]

Bought a Burgman 400 on wednesday last and last weekend did a 500 mile round trip with a day out in the middle to the south coast and camping at Tuckers Grave south of Bath. The underseat storage meant that all I needed was a small tote bag for all my gear. It cruises at 70 mph easily enough and I'm getting used to the handling, which basically means just a light touch is required. I also find it a bit choppy at low speed but new fork springs and a new shock are on the shopping list. The most comfortable seat on the planet, and excellent weather protection. It wasn't new by any means, but low miles--and super smooth when rolling at sensible speeds. Also spares are plentiful which suits my budget. I reckon at least a 200 mile range on a tank. The revs vary only marginally between 4k and 7k but it revs to 9k.

[EWR]

I thought I'd give a quick update. I'd been enjoying this bike a lot until I experienced intermediate starting problems with it. This manifested itself for the first time when I collected the bike (when the sales team couldn't get it to start again after having had it running) and the same thing on two occasions when I was out, the second of which stranded me for an hour before I could get it to eventually start, with no obvious reason as to causation.

The battery was fully charged and the ignition switch, dash, controls and everything else functioned perfectly but the starter button was simply dead when pushed in conjunction with the operation of the rear brake applied until, randomly, it would suddenly just turn over and fire up.

The dealer came to collect the bike to investigate and then it wouldn't start from cold either, despite my demonstrable attempts to do so. The dealer stated no fault found and that I evidently wasn't following the correct starting procedure (the same reason being assigned to the sales guys who couldn't start it apparently).

They stated that I wasn't squeezing the rear brake hard enough to engage the ignition switch and that, because the fault hadn't presented itself to them or been recorded on the ECU, there was no fault. It seemed a frankly ridiculous explanation and they effectively stated that the fault lay with me, not the bike, despite having experienced and witnessed the same.

Having lost complete confident in machine and dealer, I rejected the bike, which they wouldn't accept until further correspondence brought things to an acceptable resolution, the upshot being they have taken the bike back, without admitting any liability or fault. We discussed sourcing a potential replacement but no new stock is available until next year and so I'm now trying to source something else.

I can only hope it was me and not the bike but I was just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar with models with the same keyless system (Forza, X-ADV) which are potential alternatives?

The bike was otherwise great but the experience was a new one for me and one that has made me re-consider carefully who I buy from and what to buy.

[Godspeed]

That’s crappy

I’ve had a Forza 125, SH125, SH300, and PCX125 all of which have had keyless ignition and haven’t had any problems with any of them. Sorry.

Hope you get the resolution you want

[macvisual]

Sorry to hear about your tale of woes regarding the new ADV-350, hopefully you can find/source yourself an alternative machine to suit your requirements soon.

It's exactly two years since I bought this (2007) Honda SilverWing 600 maxi-scoot, such a fabulous thing, 55 litres of under-seat storage/ABS/comfy/quick along with a smooth 600cc parallel 50bhp engine......what's not to like. Never thought I'd enjoy riding it as much as I do to be brutally honest. It's the simple but effective 'Twist n' Go' experience - simply fabulous.
The only downside with scooter's with small 13"/14" wheels are/can be the choppy ride on uneven road surfaces, but you get used that that scenario after a while.
I've recently just got the SilverWing MOT'd and have ridden about 4,250 miles in one year, much more than my V-Strom machine.


Silverwing by APM Photography, on Flickr


Hope you get sorted out soon...!

Regards;
Peter

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Keyless ignition.
Another pointless annoyance foisted on us in the name of progress, IMO. Merc has even introduced it on heavy trucks, FFS.
A mate had a similar problem with keyless on a car.
The problem turned out to be in the fob...the aerial had become detached from the transducer, and so sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. An expensive vehicle disabled by a stupid little component that probably cost pence.
A complete pain in the bottom...avoid, avoid, avoid.
It doesn't even protect from theft. They do it because it's cheaper than installing a proper lock. Just as touchscreens are cheaper than real switches. Don't be conned.
NB: I had a look at the Ineos Grenadier...the Land Rover looky-likey 4x4. Blimey. All the switchgear is like you'd find in a 1950s aircraft: really chunky and robust. Apparently they did research with people who actually used their 4x4s as intended, and found touchscreens were a major gripe: ie if you were jumping in and out of the vehicle in cold conditions and had to wear gloves, or were using equipment that meant you had to wear gloves.

[minkyhead]

it doesnt sound like there is a lot wrtong tbo .the dealer as most are usless as its time they need to waste fault finding rather than charging 70 quid a hour for a set of brake pads .....
ive only a limited expieriance with scooters but the ones i ran ..yamaha wouldnt even turn over unless the brake was fully engaged ..they would turn over forever if the sidestand was down but never fire up ... bike on centrestand with sidestand down was not uncommon and it would never start .....dont know if the honda has the same usual moped starting switches .just wondering if the sidestand switch could be the culprit ..
very poor service ...sorry to hear about your trouble ..bloody annoying if the dealer cant resolve a issue on a moped its not looking good for anything else

[Oop North John]

I've only a limited expieriance with scooters but the ones i ran ..yamaha wouldnt even turn over unless the brake was fully engaged ..they would turn over forever if the sidestand was down but never fire up ... bike on centrestand with sidestand down was not uncommon and it would never start .....dont know if the honda has the same usual moped starting switches .just wondering if the sidestand switch could be the culprit ..

It has a side stand cut out, but not for the centre stand. I wonder if DCT bikes have the same logic as most recent bikes I've owned have a clutch / side stand / gear cut-outs to stop you starting the bike in gear and it shooting off on its own?

[EWR]

I thought the side stand cut-out switch might be the culprit but no issues there apparently. The bike can be started on the centre stand with rear brake engaged but altering the pressure on the lever didn't make any noticeable difference as to whether it started or not: after an hour or so of not starting, you are squeezing/switching on & off/stands down & up for your life! The ignition switch is overly fiddly and the keyless fob is a nasty, small plastic affair, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the issue.

To be honest, had the issue been identified and resolved, the whole dealer experience from ordering to delivery was so fraught that I'd probably have sold the bike anyway: I don't name and shame but it was painful and depressing. I hope I was just unlucky and that the issue doesn't recur for the next owner or for others.

My father had two Silver Wings which he liked but they are hard to come by and fairly old. I'm looking at Integras (real key!) or perhaps a S/H X-ADV/Forza 750...or maybe not.

[Tonibe63]

There's a 22 plate ADV350 just gone up for sale on UKGSer, selling because he is riding a GTS300 more.