Honda X-ADV 2025 test: Introduction, positioning and rivals of the Honda X-ADV 2025
The 2025 Honda X-ADV remains a super innovative maxi scooter. Since its presentation in 2017, it has gained many followers in Europe for its mix of adventure motorcycle with the practicality of a scooter, which has allowed it to reach 76,000 units sold. For 2025, Honda has given it a facelift to make it even more aggressive, almost as if it were an Origami design, with a front full of sharp edges and angles. In addition, it has a redesigned double LED headlight with daytime running lights (DRL) that now also integrate the indicators, a first for motorcycles.
As for the competition, the X-ADV has some strong rivals among maxi scooters, although none with its off-road touch. Among the main ones are the Yamaha TMAX 560, which is the most expensive, the Honda Forza 750 (the enemy at home), the KYMCO AK 550 Premium and the SYM MaxSYM TL508, which is the most economical.
Honda X-ADV 2025 test: Technical characteristics and equipment
The engine is still a liquid-cooled parallel twin, with 59 HP and 69 Nm of torque. With that consumption of 3.6 liters per 100 km, it is quite efficient for what it offers. In addition, there is a limited version for the A2 license, lowering the power to 47 HP. It also has RbW electronic throttle and HSTC traction control that you can adjust to three levels, in addition to five riding modes, from Rain to Gravel. And they have improved the dual-clutch transmission (DCT) so that it has a smoother output and is more controllable in the city.
In the cycle part, it is very well equipped. It has a super strong tubular steel frame, a 41mm Showa inverted fork and a Pro-Link rear monoshock, all adjustable and long travel, which gives good ground clearance for some off-roading. The wheels are spoked, 17 inches at the front and 15 at the rear, with impressive brakes: at the front it has 296 mm discs with 4-piston calipers and at the rear a 240 mm disc. It is a heavy scooter, 236 kg, but the carrying capacity is also good, with 22 liters where even a full-face helmet can fit.
The equipment is another strong point. This year they have given it a five-inch color TFT screen, with improved graphics and Honda RoadSync connectivity for mobile phones, as well as Smart Key. In addition, it comes with cruise control, which is a luxury for highways, and even a revised windshield that is easier to adjust. It is also a model committed to sustainability: Honda has made 25 body parts with sustainable materials such as recycled plastics, with a view to using only sustainable materials by 2050.
Honda X-ADV 2025 test: how the Honda X-ADV 2025 is doing
I really wanted to get to Catania (Sicily) to get my hands on the new Honda X-ADV. When the memory of a motorcycle is really good and you face a new generation, curiosity assails you in the form of a question: how have they improved it?
The truth is that, reading the technical characteristics provided by Honda in the previous press release, before arriving at the presentation of the the second generation: cruise control.
But I don’t want to get ahead of myself, we haven’t gotten started yet. When standing still, you can already notice an improvement in ergonomics. The seat is more comfortable than before, although there is an optional seat that provides more comfort (and 10 mm of height) which is highly recommended, as is the case with Hondas that offer such an option.
Suffice it to note that 70% of the Honda NT1100 that leave the dealership do so with the comfort seat. The space on the foot platform also increases slightly, as well as the height of the screen can now be adjusted while driving with the left hand using a rather ingenious mechanical mechanism. Its electrical regulation is left to its sister, the Honda Forza 750.
Although the ground clearance is now 165 mm, I reach the ground perfectly with my 178 cm height, although I do not have much flexion reserve. The seat is 820 mm, but the width of the central area does not help. Nor does the 237 kilos of weight help the maneuverability when stopped. The truth is that, once started, they disappear
Before starting, I proceed to inspect the new 5” TFT screen and to my surprise, I see how easy it is to navigate through its menus to configure any parameter. Until now, the Honda menus have been cumbersome, making it necessary to consult the user manual frequently, no matter how small the task to be carried out may be. That’s over. Even configuring either of the two User modes (1 and 2) is really simple.
I finally start. The sound of the new exhaust is more suggestive and as soon as I get going I notice that the response of the DCT transmission is especially smooth at low speed, perhaps the only one that could fit the previous generation.
Driving at very low speed is especially easy thanks to the long wheelbase (1,590 mm). The center of gravity is not as low as the Forza 750 by virtue of its greater suspension travel, but the ease of driving in a straight line at a snail’s pace (i.e. in traffic jams) is almost as effective.
Soon we are driving on a stretch of highway, ideal for testing the cruise control. It is not adaptive – nor does it need to be -, it is activated in the right pineapple and is regulated in the left pineapple, which is still too big for my taste, especially if we intend to ride in manual mode.
The arc that the index and thumb describe to move up and down gears respectively, seems too wide to me when it comes to continuously moving up and down gears on a twisty road. It is not so annoying if you try to intervene in any of the available automatic modes. In this regard, it should be noted that Gravel mode is not so much a special mode for riding on roads, but rather the mode in which the electronic controls are most invasive. To ride on roads or tracks, it is more efficient to configure the User mode to your preferences.
I was surprised by the capacity of the suspensions in the short off-road section that we were able to do, undoubtedly thanks to the optional footpegs (€380, yes) that are located aft of the horizontal platform. If your idea is to take advantage of the off-road capabilities of the X-ADV to reach the last mile or kilometer of your route, the footpegs are essential, since standing on the platforms is not operational in any case.
By pushing the pace, the Honda The Bridgestones fitted as standard are to blame, despite the country look they exude. Brakes and suspensions scratch at high altitude, while the nobility of the frame allows and forgives mistakes. The front axle transmits what is happening under the wheel, while the wide handlebars, together with the 15” rear wheel, give it the necessary agility to make direction changes a piece of cake.
Don’t expect a pointy engine, the Honda X-ADV’s parallel twin stands out in delivering power and torque at low and medium revolutions. Although in Sport mode the gears are stretched, it is not unusual for you to be the one to intervene with the left trigger to go up a gear to be able to feel the thrust of the engine at mid-range.
I cannot fail to highlight that I have always maintained that the DCT is enjoyed in manual mode, as if you were playing on your favorite console, but by trying a section in manual mode and the return in Sport mode, I have to admit that I enjoyed it. more in the automatic Sport mode.
The fineness of adjustment of the Honda X-ADV’s DCT is such that it is normal that its decisions are more convenient than yours. Furthermore, if at a given moment you do not feel it that way, for example, requiring more engine braking at the entrance of a curve than the Sport mode gives you, you intervene, reducing a gear with your thumb and voila!
In any case, the main characteristic of the X-ADV is its ability to adapt to any type of driving and circumstance, providing comfort or sensations to your requirements. This versatility is amplified with the very extensive catalog of accessories that Honda simplifies into several packs, but which also allows you to choose the options individually so that you can configure your X-ADV to your convenience and needs.
