Forza 350 gone - ADV 350 arrived!

[Orcadian]

I've had my Pearl Siena red Forza for almost 3 years and 9000 trouble free miles. Coming from 35 years of GoldWings I was pleasantly surprised just how good these bikes are - hardly fair to call them scooters. I did a 3000 mile tour from here in Orkney to Austria in mid 2024 and it was fantastic. Only when I found the steering head bearings were becoming notchy did I become dissatisfied with it. There's a hell of a lot dismantling needed to replace them and what with? Allowing a dealer to change them would only produce the same problem down the line. I really couldn't be bothered to do the job. So I decided to go for a new ADV 350 and collected it from Aberdeen by van last Friday and can use it from next Sunday 1st March. They fitted a touring screen, side bars and lights plus a rear rack, so it will be ready for a shakedown trip soon. I was never happy with the glorified bicycle forks on the Forza, hopefully the Showa USD setup will be an improvement! I will miss the electric screen but I believe there is a kit for the ADV. As we all know, bikes are always a bit of a compromise and the only bike that's been right, 'straight out of the box', has been my 1500 SE Wing but today's equivalent is SIX times the price of an ADV!
We'll see how things go.

Ian

[charles1976]

Definitely sure you'll prefer the suspension on the adv....be interested to hear your opinion regards footboards....then look very small

[MrGrumpy]

I'm sure you'll love it, it does have a lovely feel when you ride it. The suspension works remarkably well on bad roads, though its pretty firm. Screen? I just leave mine in the fully up position, except in the height of summer when I might lower it a bit. Did you have the Honda leg wind deflectors fitted? They are apparently well worth fitting, and a longer rear hugger helps keep some (but not all) of the mud off. AliExpress do a wide range of plastic bits for the ADV, including huggers for around £12 and wind deflectors at a fraction of the Honda price, as well as tons of other stuff that would never occur to you to fit!

[mottza]

Great bike. I had mine for 9500 miles.

[Orcadian]

I've already fitted the very good hugger (with a small mod) from the 350 Forza as I know how good that was. Yes, the footboards look a bit smaller than the Forza ones - I've only ridden it a few hundred yards from the dealers to the van, so can't comment just yet. I asked for the side bars/lights/rear rack/tall screen AND leg guards. The guards have not been fitted and not charged for. I think perhaps the side bars and guards from Honda are not compatible but having the side bars, I'm sure I can make something functional and aesthetically pleasing (engineer by trade with a well equipped workshop)
I was pleasantly surprised that the handlebars didn't have that 'bridge' type clamp seen on some ADVs, so I was able to fit my Quad Lock bracket for the phone, centrally between the conventional separate clamps. I've also swapped over my rear brake lock from the Forza - a bought one that needed an extra bracket to prevent rotation which slowly released the brake!
One disappointment is that the glove box is now NOT lockable, so why put a USB socket in there? Also anything in that very useful storage space is now vulnerable. Just as on the Forza there is no way to bring the lead out from the socket to your phone. I cut a hole in the lower panel on the Forza with a weatherproof grommet - not found a suitable place yet on the ADV.

Early days yet!

Ian

[Greyerbeard]

The glove box is locked when the bike is locked, surely?
I believe there's an access hole from the battery compartment, but have no personal experience.
A major bonus for me with the footboards is the 'footrests' moulded in at the back of them; very useful for supporting your weight on rough roads in an almost motorcycle riding position.
And don't forget to saw off the 'document holder' prongs from the bottom of the seat, before they punch 'document holder' shaped holes in your luggage/shopping...

[Orcadian]

Glovebox locked when key removed on Forza but doesn't on my ADV - perhaps it's a 26 MY 'improvement' or a fault on my particular bike? Yes, I removed the doc wallet prongs on the Forza after removing the seat to make a neater job. Can't see yet how to remove ADV seat! As I say, early days! Had a brief ride yesterday on a private road but not legal until tomorrow. Need to fiddle with mirrors and perhaps bar position over time.

Ian

[Orcadian]

Managed a quick 20 mile trip today - the roads around where we live are dry and unsalted but venture towards town and they are soaking wet and drenched in salt - hence the short distance to avoid those.
Some first impressions/comparisons with the Forza - suspension is obviously better and more akin to a motorcycle, bar mounted mirrors are a big improvement and the bars can be turned to see better at oblique junctions. The indicator switch is now not confused with the horn - they have sorted that problem. I quite like the self cancelling bit and tried it in various situations - stays on when stationary and cancels in a timely manner after a junction. Not tried it on roundabouts/slip roads yet but it's as good at cancelling as the GoldWing was. Might lower the front a tad - seems a bit higher than the Forza.
Appears just as quick and agile as the Forza but taking it easy on new tyres and tight engine. Footboards are fine for me but leg wind deflectors are definitely on the cards. I like the hand guards too - certainly keep your hands out of the full blast.

Looking forward to a good long run down into Caithness/Sutherland and the Highlands.

Ian