New Honda Adventure Scooter 750

Lots of people have wondered if/why Honda has given up on the large displacement scooter market in the USA.  Well, apparently, Honda has not given up after all! September 15, 2016 is the promised unveiling of the Adventure 750! Honda has a video out , which doesn't really show enough of the bike other than hints that it will have larger wheels and lots of power. Oh, and looks like hard bags/box panniers on back.

Forgot to mention - ScooterFile.com has a link up to the video.

Thanks, Nathaniel for the exciting info!!!

Not thrilled about anything with a chain. My daughter has a 250cc road bike with a chain and the up keep and constant cleaning of surrounding everything is a nightmare. Other than that looks really damn cool.

I don't want a bike with a chain either. I've owned several motorcycles with shaft drive and think that's the way to go. I don't know why someone doesn't build a scooter with shaft drive. My GT's final drive is a chain though it's in an oil bath so doesn't need as much maintenance.

I cannot see that Honda will be very successful with this Adventure scooter. It is obviously going to be quite expensive and I just can't see the customer base for this sort of machine. Yes, I would love to ride one, I am sure it would bea thrill, but I would surely not buy one. It has very little in common with a traditional scooter and I can not see that too many of those who now have maxi scooters will go for it. Neither will it appeal to motorcycle riders or those who ride the smaller scooter for convenience and economy.

I've read a lot of comments on maxi forums saying they wouldn't want chain drive on a scooter, mostly from riders that have never had chain drive, or a motorcycle. In contrast chain drive barely get's a mention from Integra owners, or those that have bought DCT geared bikes from the Honda NC range.

I understand chain drive has this dirty messy stigma, but the days of submerging chains in a tin of melted grease on the kitchen stove are long gone, so are those early inefficient aerosol chain lubes that flung most of the lube from the chain over the rear wheel, and over the back of the unfortunate rider.

Modern chains are better quality, longer lasting, and go for thousands of miles with minimumadjustment. Automatic chain oilers like the Scottoiler have been out for many years, they're easy to install and top up, and you can adjust the flow for prolonged riding in wet weather etc. If you don't like the look of the OE chain guard fitted, there's plenty of aftermarket ones around and some also are attatched to a rear hugger.

Come replacement time it's a lot quicker to change a chain or sprockets and a chain than having to knock up a variator holding tool before and remove covers to change a belt.

I bet no one goes touring with a spare chain in their kit 'just in case', as you can visually inspect a chain and rear sprocket for wear at any time. You know the condition it's in before you leave home.

I wouldn't particularly want a scooter with chain drive unless it was enclosed. I used to be a big MZ enthusiast and chain adjustment and lubrication was minimal because their chains were completely enclosed.

The most powerful maxi scooters available have both been chain drive, the now discontinued Gilera GP 800 and it's younger sibling the Aprilia SRV 850.

Open chain reason: cheaper for maker. With chain oiler, good chain life---Harley used to have it as did Triumph. Really liked my MZ's with enclosed chain. But modern bikes, chain driven and NO CENTERSTAND, can be real pain to take care of.....if you ride a lot.

I'm thinking about all of the reasons that people on this forum have stated for choosing a scooter:
Dislike for shifting, Lighter weight than their previous rolling couch, storage,
step through preference because they cannot easily lift their leg over a motorcycle,
mileage, comfort, and so forth...

Adventure motorcycles are lightweight, so needing a scooter version doesn't make sense.
People with physical handicaps that get scooters for comfort aren't going to be riding autocross,
so those reasons don't transfer. This scooter has no storage like the Africa twin.
Our scooter gets lower mileage for its displacement than many comparable motorcycles.

The only one above that transfers over to the adventure scooter is dislike for shifting.
Not really sure how big that market is.....

Dan

I think Dan brings up some excellent points.  I ride maxi's because they do a lot of things pretty well. For me, I don't need an adventure scooter for my style of riding (I don't off-road) and this new Honda just doesn't have as many things going for it as "traditional" maxi's like the SWing, Forza, Burgmans etc.  I like the idea of 750cc's though ... not that I really need a whole lot more oomph.  

This adventure scooter falls into the same bucket as Yamaha's T-Max for me.  An intriguing idea and likely a heckuva lot of fun to ride ... just too narrow in it's overall utilitarianism for my needs. I'd pass on this one.

I say bring the Honda E4-01 into production ... then they'd grab my attention, imagination and perhaps even my money.  

Honda E4-01 Super Sport Linky

Those headlights remind me of ironman's mask eyes.
I agree it does seem the chain drive is a draw back and from the
design it seems cold weather riding won't be an advantage either to fit everyone
into the ultimate maxi-scooter. What is the advantage of spokes?

w00p w00p

I looked at video----appears to me shaft/gear driven----if true appealing to me=no belt to monkey with or change 2 or 3 times a year, if you ride a lot....belts, etc big draw back to me.....after near 400,000 miles on 9 different new rubber band drive scooters----belt equal pain (and expense) to me.

sonuvabug wrote:

 
I say bring the Honda E4-01 into production ... then they'd grab my attention, imagination and perhaps even my money.  
Honda E4-01 Super Sport Linky

For years many of us had hoped that the E4-01 would be the successor to the Silverwing, but it remained a concept.
Instead we got the DN-01 (Defined by the dealers as "Do Not Order 1") They didn't sell real well.

Personally I was very close to buying a DN-01. Others I know who had them really liked them.
I had even gone so far as to figure out which parts I would have to order to switch to the European headlight system, because I never liked the look of side by side lights where only one is on most of the time.
In Europe the DN-01 had both headlights on and a center high beam which I thought looked much better.

But by the time I was ready for a new bike, the NM4 came out and the lower seat height sealed the deal for me.

Wow! Bring in the E-4! If it has a chain, it would seem like a small sacrifice to accept for that bike. Just the looks blows me away. And the fairing design seems very functional to match its looks. Put a 750 DCT in it, and I'll be sold.

I bought a clean, low miles, 05 Honda Shadow because it had a chain. I test drove newer Shadow models with shaft drive. First gear seemed almost too low and at freeway speed, I kept searching for one more gear. I think that Honda marketed the Shadow's and geared them more for performance than for cruising.

With the chain drive Shadows, there is no room within the engine case to go up one tooth on the front sprocket so I replaced the 42 tooth rear with a 38 tooth sprocket. The bike seemed smoother on the freeway. The change made the gear spacing a little wider and each gear had a little more range. This made 1st gear tall enough that it allowed me to get across an intersection without having to shift into 2nd. It was a 750 so it still had plenty of pep for cruising in top gear. The mileage improved by a few mpg and of course you could always drop a gear to pass.

The new chains are sealed with O-rings so they last a long time. I bought a good chain lube and a small artist brush and would brush chain lube on each link roller about once a month. Since most people in Ohio are seasonal riders anyway, it is only 5 or 6 months. It was not a lot of work really.

I bought a 2017 Africa Twin DCT over a year ago, but I kept my 2013 Silverwing for road trips. One of my riding buddys has the same Silverwing, and just bought the same Twin. He was thinking he would sell the Silverwing, but now that he has ridden a short (for us) 400 mile 2-day trip, he is reconsidering.

I find the Silverwing with a Russel Day-Long saddle, to be unbeatable for straight road trips. It is simple, maneuverable, good storage and comfortable for hours in the saddle.

The A.T. is a blast, with great power and maneuverability, but it is tall and the seat is far less comfortable. It is great for off-pavement.

When my 27k mile Silverwing gets to the point where I need to replace it, I don't know what I will find that matches the on-road comfort and convenience.