Tag Archives: ADV

2021 Honda X-ADV Is Getting Some Updates

Casual ADV Riding

Ever wish your ‘maxiscooter‘ had offroad capabilities? Maybe it’s time to sell your current ride to pick up the newly updated 2021 Honda X-ADV (if you’re located in Europe, that is). The Euro 5 approved scooterbeast comes with a plethora of new updates such as more engine power, higher top speed, optimized gearbox, fly-by-wire throttle configuration, lighter frame, lockable glovebox and updated seat for riders to have an easier time resting their feet on the ground.

The same 745cc engine is found in last year’s model, except this time around Honda bumped the power figures and redesigned the engine to save 1.4kg of weight. The engine sees a  3.6 horsepower increase, bringing it to 58.6 horsepower at 6,700 rpm, and the torque sits at 69 nm (one more than last year). The engine’s rev-limiter has also been cranked an extra 600 rpm higher. 

Due to the introduction of fly-by-wire throttle control, the new model comes with four total riding modes: Standard, Sport, Rain, and Gravel. This is very important for ADV riding as different situations can call for different throttle configurations to make your life easier. The User Riding Mode allows for control over all parameters to create custom maps for your trip.

The 5 inch TFT display found in most of Honda’s 2021 models finds its way to this scooter, as well as all the smartphone-pairing, Bluetooth functionality that comes along with it. 

lamborghini motorcycle concept

Although the motorcycle doesn’t have a ton of visual updates, the few changes Honda sprinkled in managed to make this bike look far more luxurious and higher quality. Personally, I’m not a scooter guy myself, but I cannot deny that this thing looks absolutely awesome with the introduction of the new daytime running LED headlights.

The scooter comes in four colour options (red, black, silver and grey) and pricing will start at $ 13500.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Swappable Batteries and Improved Battery Tech Could Mean Electric ADVs Aren’t Far Off

One of the biggest obstacles for electric ADV bikes is the fact that battery technology just simply isn’t there yet. However, that might be changing and sooner than you think, according to ADV Pulse.

The publication notes that battery technology is quickly progressing. Things like pre-charged swappable batteries, which are already in some scooters and are currently being developed via an alliance between Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha, could make getting a fresh battery as easy as pulling into a battery-swapping station for fully charged battery.

Also, battery ranges continue to improve every year. Lucid Motors has a massive battery on its new car and Tesla’s future batteries are supposed to get 500 miles per charge with short charge times. At the same time battery lifespans are increasing. Tesla’s new battery is supposed to be good for up to a million miles, which will eliminate the need for most folks to replace a battery.

TVS Apache RTR 200 4V

All of these developments will take some time to make their way to motorcycles, but they will and it will likely happen before you expect it. The new battery technology is coming. Even now, it’s pretty impressive what can be done on an electric motorcycle. A bonafide electric ADV bike has yet to be seen, but with these recent developments and what’s coming, it’s likely right around the corner.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

What We Love About The Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L And What We Hope To See Next

At Motorcyclist, we’ve been huge fans of the Honda Africa Twin since it first came out in 2016. And with rumors of an upcoming, larger-displacement AT swirling around the Internet, we’ve been thinking about what could make it even better.

For the last several months, I’ve been borrowing my buddy’s 2016 model and it’s been a great all-weather companion thanks to its utility, character, and build quality. Best of all, it’s kept me riding while my fancy Italian sportbikes—divas that they are—have been holding out for Tuscan-esque sunshine.


RELATED: Honda Africa Twin Redondo Beach Police Motorcycle Ride-Along


There’s a lot to love about the AT, but I can’t help but consider what I hope Honda brings out for the new model—always a fun exercise when you get wind of something new in the moto world.

What We Love

The AT feels like a wrecking ball.

The first time I rode the Africa Twin, I felt like I could run through a brick wall. Between the tall in the saddle stance and the thumper-esque engine note, it gives the impression of being a big dirt bike. And since handling is super stable, the rider feels a bit unconquerable on the thing.

The motor is one of the recent greats from Honda.

The Africa Twin is kind of gnarly for a Honda, kind of unrefined. But in a good way. The parallel-twin engine has honest-to-goodness character, and the exhaust note snaps and burbles under deceleration, encouraging gratuitous revving at stoplights. More importantly, the power delivery is great off road and is exceptionally usable on the street. With 65 pound-feet of torque available at 5,500 rpm—and not too much less than that delivered at the bottom-end of the rev range—it’s easy to slide the rear end around on the loose stuff. And mated with a peak output of 82.4 hp that hits at 7,500 rpm it’s easy to use every last bit of it all the time.

It’s utilitarian and hard wearing.

The red, black, and white paint looks best splattered in mud and road spray. What’s great about the AT—and ADV bikes in general—is that they’re meant to be ridden hard. They aren’t pretty or fussy and they don’t mind getting their feet wet. As a cold-weather companion, the AT has been a stalwart for me. It fires right up on frigid days, its nuts and bolts haven’t started looking fuzzy after blasting through salt-caked roads, and it’s made me feel secure and in control on sketchy road surfaces.

After coming indoors from a satisfying 30-degree ride and wrapping my hands around a hot cup of coffee, it seems a natural posture from which to ruminate on what I love about the bike that just delivered me safely home. And at the same time, I wonder what Honda’s got up its sleeve next. Here’s what I’ve come up with and what I’m hoping for myself—in case, you know, I get to borrow the new one for a while too.

Changes That Could Broaden The AT’s Appeal

Improved road handling.

Off-road, the AT comes into its own. But on the road, the 21-inch front feels vague—not unexpected, but it’s not all down to the 21-inch front/knobby double whammy. There are other bikes with that combo that are easy to scrape the pegs on all day. And even running OEM rubber, the AT’s front end doesn’t communicate what it’s doing on pavement.

Multiple specs.

I’m cool with Honda pursuing the more off-road crowd, but when it built the Adventure Sports and delved deeper into the off-road realm, it ignored the fact that the base model was already pretty off-road biased. What’s made bikes like BMW’s GS models so successful is that they can be whatever the rider wants them to be. The point of a big ADV—for many riders, anyway—is that it can go off road but it’s first and foremost a great road bike.

To satisfy a broader range of customers, maybe Honda could take a page from the Euro manufacturers and build multiple specs. Keep the Adventure Sports as the more off-road-focused model, and then massage the base AT so it’s better on the road. Giving it a 19-inch front wheel would be a start. As it is, Honda doesn’t offer a bike that really competes with a Ducati Multistrada 950, Kawasaki Versys 1000, or the slew of larger-displacement road warrior ADVs, like the BMW R1200GS or KTM 1290 Super Adventure. The Africa Twin should be the Honda to do it. But it isn’t.

A new TFT dash.

With a base price of $13,599, the Africa Twin should have a TFT dash. It’s 2019.

Updated electronics package.

For 2018, Honda gave the Africa Twin a revised electronics suite with a ride-by-wire throttle and seven-level traction control, but we’d like to see more changes. We’d expect cornering ABS to be included on the new model. Also, standard heated grips across the model range would be very welcome. And a heated seat.

Up/down quickshifter.

Even though DCT, Honda’s automatic transmission, works well, I’d rather save the additional weight and have a sweet-working quickshifter. And at the price point, a good quickshifter should be a no-brainer.

More power.

The Africa Twin’s motor is a gem and a very usable package on the street. It has great torque throughout the rev range, and since it only revs to around 8,000 rpm, you can take it into the red all the time. It’s good fun and very addicting. So why not capitalize on its best feature? More is almost always better.

A centerstand that’s easier to use.

It’s not as though the Africa Twin is unusually heavy for the breed, so it shouldn’t be so hard to put up on the centerstand. It’s like Honda mounted it in the wrong spot or something. It takes more muscle than my tethered-to-a-screen dad bod can reliably muster, and I’m not afraid to admit it. It’s the motorcycle’s deficiency, not mine (I’d like to think).

Are you an Africa Twin owner? What would you like to see on the next-generation model? Comment below.

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com