juanzo

On 11/18/2020 at 1:49 PM, soi3eddie said:

 

I bought my ADV150 in February and have covered 9,000 KMs so far. From Bangkok, a 3,000 KM tour around Southern Thailand and back and also a 3,000 KM tour around Northern Thailand and back. Add in a few trips to Hua Hin and Pattaya too. It's a great bike for touring especially if you might to do a bit of rough road or off road tracks. True, it's no fun on the faster divided highways but would they really be fun on any bike? Where the ADV150 definitely wins for me is the versatility and the fact that it can go almost anywhere (except serious off roading for which a CRF would be needed). Pretty much any road other than the main highways is a blast - it goes plenty fast enough and handles really well for a scooter. Mae Sot - Mae Sariang - Mae Hong Son - Pai- Chiang Mai - Arunothai - Chiang-Rai was simply fun all the way. The scooter could keep up with bigger bikes in the mountain curves. The brakes (discs front and back) and low centre of gravity meant confidence on approach to sharp downhill corners. I'm using it more around Bangkok too but I still dislike the cut and thrust of all the other bikes such as couriers and food delivery riders in the city. It gets through traffic well and is really stable to ride. All in all I'm pleased to have chosen it and have booked for modifications at Set by Sar to give it a bit more power.          

I had my first multi-lane highway experience today. Traffic was light, so I decided to open her up.  She maxed out at 113kph, and I can't say I was entirely comfortable.  90kph felt fine.  That said, I am going to get in touch with Set by Sar and see what options are available to pull some extra horsepower out of it and maybe a suspension upgrade (even though I'm mostly comfortable with the suspension).  A trip to BKK may be in my future unless there is a shop here in CM that can do all the work.

On 10/25/2020 at 9:56 PM, SS1 said:

I recommend to purposefully practice locking the rear on different road surfaces in a safe area and you'll get the feel for it. I slide the rear almost every day in a couple of corners in my soi (not blind corners) just for fun and practice ???? you'll get a good feel for it. 

I haven't practiced it, but I have done it a few times in avoidance of accidents.  A little practice may be in order...

Man, this makes me feel so naive.  Been here many times and its been "home" for a year and a half now.  I have no experience seeing or hearing of this - not to say it doesn't exist.  

One of the few cultural observations I can make is how unruly and spoiled the male kids are in school - I was a volunteer teacher.  I can only attribute it to a lack of discipline at home.

I have heard stories that when Thais get angry, they go bash*t crazy apparently.

Other than that, all seems peaceful in my little village.

I'll be quite curious once he returns to civilian life if the SDNY Attorney's Office slaps a subpoena on him immediately...

36 minutes ago, SS1 said:

 

I would recommend contacting Set by Sar in Bangkok via Facebook or Line and explain to them exactly how you want your bike (e.g. focus on acceleration, top speed, or both). They ship parts even overseas, they're famous in Asia. If you want you can PM me your Line ID and I'll share the contact of a person at the shop who speaks English. You could order by post then have any local shop install them for you in CM. 

Yeah, the ADV doesn't have ABS on the rear but I much much prefer it that way. I often slide the rear into corners, a bit like riding a supermoto. You can see a video here from Friday I'm testing it on the track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0yjRuJNb6c&t I've also upgraded the tyres, the suspension with YSS and the front brake with a 300mm rotor after my original review.  

If you find yourself locking the rear during panic braking, I recommend to get into the habit of only keeping 1 or 2 fingers on the rear brake. This way even if you slam the brakes, you won't have enough force to fully lock the rear. When I'm filtering fast in Bangkok traffic I've always got 3 fingers on the front brake and 2 on the rear ready for a quick stop. 

Awesome brother, thanks for the hookup.  

Did you have both front and back suspension upgraded?  Was it an off-the-shelf yss product or did they get into the valving and tune them for your weight/needs?  I could spoil myself and upgrade the suspension if it means even more of a road Cadillac ride.

Panic braking hasn't happened often, but I always ride with at least 2-3 fingers on the brakes.  You're likely a much more advanced rider than me, I don't have the feel for when the rears lock up (its actually not concerning, I've spent a lot of time off-road on big bikes with the rear locked up and can control the bike with relative ease).

Thanks!

On 10/1/2020 at 10:25 PM, Xonax said:

I just got the new 2021 Honda ADV 150 yesterday and I am extremely pleased with how it drives and handles. The suspension is great, like on a bigger bike and the bike is perfectly balanced, opposed to my old PCX 150, which was horrible to ride. The only disadvantage is the limited storage space under the seat, which doesn´t fit a large full-face helmet. I wanted this bike badly, so I had to buy a new and smaller helmet for it as well.

The same day I bought it my brother in law who seems to know just about every shop in CM brought me to a place that sells top boxes - under the seat storage problem solved.  My only suggestion is to view a few designs and especially look at the opening/locking key hardware feel.  mine feels a bit, for lack of a better term, cheap.  Works for now, nice convenient upgrade.

On 1/14/2020 at 7:35 AM, properperson said:

 

everyone has different ideas and opinions about scooters / bikes.... That's what makes Forums like this so interesting...

 

The main reason for me plumping for an ADV was the suspension - it irons out bumps far better than any small scooter ...when you chuck in the rear disc and ABS, it was a surefire winner for me.....

 

As regards the riding position - The "dirt bike bars / riding position" was a big plus for me over the pcx "cruiser / sofa" position...

 

700km in - deffo no regrets .....

By no means to start an argument, the ADV only has front abs - I've learned this from experience ????

On 6/14/2020 at 6:31 PM, SS1 said:

You can’t expect much from a cheap 150cc engine but I must say it’s very slow out of the box. Compared to my Aerox with some variator mods, it felt really sluggish. The top speed is around 118km/h which is almost enough for BKK, but it gets there so slowly it feels boring and is dangerous when overtaking cars. I went to ร้าน Set By..Sar โชคชัย4/44 who gave me a modded ADV150 to try. Told them to copy whatever they did there and after upgrading the air intake, throttle body and modifying the pulley, it was completely transformed. Now it accelerates like crazy (for a scooter) and is a total blast to ride. Cost: 5500 baht.

 

The part of this post I'm most interested is where in Chiang Mai I can find the engine mod kit.  The rest is a brief review of the bike vs my experience with the NMAX.

Well, I bit the bullet and picked up an ADV150.  I love riding that thing, I enjoy the higher riding position and overall feel of the suspension, and it definitely eats bumps far better than my nmax 150.  Far more comfortable ride, but does require a little extra attention when splitting lanes due to ride height.  Im pretty sure it has a larger gas tank as I've been going to the pump less.

The only place where I see the NMax is better is throttle response and access to power.  The ADV150 is a bit sluggish and I have to be a bit less aggressive, but its not a dealbreaker.  

Also, I believe the NMAX has front and back antilock brakes - the ADV150 only has the front.  I've had one time where I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a car that pulled out of in front of me and while I did avoid a collision with my rear brake squealing, I'm wondering if I would have missed the car by a better margin with rear antilock or not.  The fact that I could slide the rear end may have actually helped swing it out of the way of the front of the car.

I'm located in Chiang Mai and was wondering how I might go about finding that engine mod, any ideas?

Thank you!

Quote

 

On 6/14/2020 at 6:31 PM, SS1 said:

The ADV-150 is an excellent scooter particularly because of its suspension. You can fit a full-face helmet under the seat (depending on its size) but it's a bit tight. I wrote a long review some time ago in another group, copied it here. 
 

Bought the new ADV150 a week ago and promised some people here a proper review. When it first came out, I was a little sceptical, wondering if it’ll be just another PCX with fancier fairings. But damn, I was wrong: this thing is the best scooter I’ve ever tried.

I was already saying years ago why can’t they make a small scooter with offroad suspension or like a mix between a scooter and a supermoto. The roads here seem to be getting worse by the day and personally, I always use some <deleted>ty backroads to beat the traffic jams. There is nothing I hate more than having to slow down for bumps and potholes. Finally, Honda came up with a concept that’s simply perfect for Bangkok roads. To put things into perspective, I’m used to riding the Aerox 155, BMW S1000R and KTM 690 SMC-R, and have had/tried a Click, PCX and Nmax too. This little machine simply beats them all big time for commuting in Bangkok. (except the KTM, of course)

The highlight of this bike is the suspension. Out of all the bikes, it’s closest to the KTM on how it feels when riding over rough road surfaces. Compared to other scooters or the BMW, it feels like I’m riding on a pillow. The suspension just eats every road imperfection like a boss and once you get a bigger bump, you just stand up and hop over it. On bits of road where I’d normally slow down to 20-40km/h on the Aerox or S1000R, I just fly over at 100km/h with a grin on my face. It’s also very comfortable for riding with a passenger (or two) and the girlfriend can confirm. There is no problem taking it a little offroad either or climbing on / jumping off sidewalks and curbs.

Secondly, the brakes are the best brakes I’ve seen on a small scooter. The front brake is strong and works flawlessly compared to cheaper scooters that suffer from the ABS system engaging too quick or staying on too long. The front ABS lets the tyres squeal and stops the bike almost like it hits a wall. The feeling of the ABS is closer to my S1000R than e.g. the Aerox 155. It’s got a disk brake on the rear as well, thankfully without ABS as an “ADV” bike should.

I have absolutely no problem filtering quickly with the scooter in tight Bangkok traffic jams. The turning radius is steep and it feels very nimble. At first, I thought the wide handlebar could be a problem, but no issues at all. It’s actually great because it’s the widest point of the bike, so you use it to measure where you can fit through. In comparison, the Aerox has a wide ass (centre stand peg + exhaust) so you might scrape a car in a tight spot even if your handlebar fits through. After switching some aftermarket mirrors on (with adjustable angle) I fit into gaps where regular 125/110’s with original mirrors won’t.

You can’t expect much from a cheap 150cc engine but I must say it’s very slow out of the box. Compared to my Aerox with some variator mods, it felt really sluggish. The top speed is around 118km/h which is almost enough for BKK, but it gets there so slowly it feels boring and is dangerous when overtaking cars. I went to ร้าน Set By..Sar โชคชัย4/44 who gave me a modded ADV150 to try. Told them to copy whatever they did there and after upgrading the air intake, throttle body and modifying the pulley, it was completely transformed. Now it accelerates like crazy (for a scooter) and is a total blast to ride. Cost: 5500 baht.

Overall it’s got a very sturdy feeling to it thanks to the big handlebar, is very comfortable to ride and can also accommodate a taller rider. I’m 175cm and have like 40cm left in front of my knees. It feels safe riding at top speed, unlike other scooters that get a bit unstable and scary. The seat and riding position is very comfortable for both the rider and pillion. It’s got all the stuff that modern bikes should, including keyless ignition, idle-stop and 12v socket for USB charger etc. It has a 28-litre underseat storage and another box in the front that perfectly fits a small handgun or a couple of 7-Eleven sandwiches.

The only thing I don’t like about it is the underseat storage. You’re supposed to fit a full-face helmet in but with a regular medium-sized SHARK helmet, the lid has to be forced shut, which certainly won’t do any good for your helmet. It also has a backup lock so you can open it with a generic plastic key in case your battery is out, so when you leave it parked with your 15,000 baht helmet anyone with that kind of hex key can come to steal it. Also, the front storage is another flimsy piece of plastic that doesn’t lock. At least it’s facing down, so your sandwich won’t fall out in case it accidentally opens.

I wouldn’t actually use this bike for "adventures" out of town since it won’t be fast enough for the highway, but it’s the best commuter for Bangkok you can find. I realise I’ve just written an essay raving about a goddamn 150cc scooter so maybe that will give you an idea on how good it is ????. Highly recommend getting one if you’re currently in the market for a scooter.

 

This was the info I was looking for, thank you so much.

On 6/14/2020 at 6:31 PM, SS1 said:

The ADV-150 is an excellent scooter particularly because of its suspension. You can fit a full-face helmet under the seat (depending on its size) but it's a bit tight. I wrote a long review some time ago in another group, copied it here. 
 

Bought the new ADV150 a week ago and promised some people here a proper review. When it first came out, I was a little sceptical, wondering if it’ll be just another PCX with fancier fairings. But damn, I was wrong: this thing is the best scooter I’ve ever tried.

I was already saying years ago why can’t they make a small scooter with offroad suspension or like a mix between a scooter and a supermoto. The roads here seem to be getting worse by the day and personally, I always use some <deleted>ty backroads to beat the traffic jams. There is nothing I hate more than having to slow down for bumps and potholes. Finally, Honda came up with a concept that’s simply perfect for Bangkok roads. To put things into perspective, I’m used to riding the Aerox 155, BMW S1000R and KTM 690 SMC-R, and have had/tried a Click, PCX and Nmax too. This little machine simply beats them all big time for commuting in Bangkok. (except the KTM, of course)

The highlight of this bike is the suspension. Out of all the bikes, it’s closest to the KTM on how it feels when riding over rough road surfaces. Compared to other scooters or the BMW, it feels like I’m riding on a pillow. The suspension just eats every road imperfection like a boss and once you get a bigger bump, you just stand up and hop over it. On bits of road where I’d normally slow down to 20-40km/h on the Aerox or S1000R, I just fly over at 100km/h with a grin on my face. It’s also very comfortable for riding with a passenger (or two) and the girlfriend can confirm. There is no problem taking it a little offroad either or climbing on / jumping off sidewalks and curbs.

Secondly, the brakes are the best brakes I’ve seen on a small scooter. The front brake is strong and works flawlessly compared to cheaper scooters that suffer from the ABS system engaging too quick or staying on too long. The front ABS lets the tyres squeal and stops the bike almost like it hits a wall. The feeling of the ABS is closer to my S1000R than e.g. the Aerox 155. It’s got a disk brake on the rear as well, thankfully without ABS as an “ADV” bike should.

I have absolutely no problem filtering quickly with the scooter in tight Bangkok traffic jams. The turning radius is steep and it feels very nimble. At first, I thought the wide handlebar could be a problem, but no issues at all. It’s actually great because it’s the widest point of the bike, so you use it to measure where you can fit through. In comparison, the Aerox has a wide ass (centre stand peg + exhaust) so you might scrape a car in a tight spot even if your handlebar fits through. After switching some aftermarket mirrors on (with adjustable angle) I fit into gaps where regular 125/110’s with original mirrors won’t.

You can’t expect much from a cheap 150cc engine but I must say it’s very slow out of the box. Compared to my Aerox with some variator mods, it felt really sluggish. The top speed is around 118km/h which is almost enough for BKK, but it gets there so slowly it feels boring and is dangerous when overtaking cars. I went to ร้าน Set By..Sar โชคชัย4/44 who gave me a modded ADV150 to try. Told them to copy whatever they did there and after upgrading the air intake, throttle body and modifying the pulley, it was completely transformed. Now it accelerates like crazy (for a scooter) and is a total blast to ride. Cost: 5500 baht.

Overall it’s got a very sturdy feeling to it thanks to the big handlebar, is very comfortable to ride and can also accommodate a taller rider. I’m 175cm and have like 40cm left in front of my knees. It feels safe riding at top speed, unlike other scooters that get a bit unstable and scary. The seat and riding position is very comfortable for both the rider and pillion. It’s got all the stuff that modern bikes should, including keyless ignition, idle-stop and 12v socket for USB charger etc. It has a 28-litre underseat storage and another box in the front that perfectly fits a small handgun or a couple of 7-Eleven sandwiches.

The only thing I don’t like about it is the underseat storage. You’re supposed to fit a full-face helmet in but with a regular medium-sized SHARK helmet, the lid has to be forced shut, which certainly won’t do any good for your helmet. It also has a backup lock so you can open it with a generic plastic key in case your battery is out, so when you leave it parked with your 15,000 baht helmet anyone with that kind of hex key can come to steal it. Also, the front storage is another flimsy piece of plastic that doesn’t lock. At least it’s facing down, so your sandwich won’t fall out in case it accidentally opens.

I wouldn’t actually use this bike for "adventures" out of town since it won’t be fast enough for the highway, but it’s the best commuter for Bangkok you can find. I realise I’ve just written an essay raving about a goddamn 150cc scooter so maybe that will give you an idea on how good it is ????. Highly recommend getting one if you’re currently in the market for a scooter.

 

thanks much for the very detailed review!

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Forza...

11 hours ago, Agusts said:

Not sure what you mean by "getting bounced around"..., if it's very fine vibration on good paved road, then lower the tyre pressure as mentioned, even less than recommended psi, a little lower is okay and you see the difference right away...,  if off road then no scooter will be smooth, well, relatively to proper off road bikes...

 

If falling into small holes and bad road surface is the problem,  a little better shocks helps, but my experience is the biggest difference is rim sizes, bigger the better, an R16 is far better than R14, I immediately notice that when I change bikes. So try finding a scooter with bigger rims... (of course it's rim plus tyre vertical thickness added - the total diameter ).

Thank you very much for the detailed response.

13 hours ago, DaRoadrunner said:

If it is getting old, what condition are the shock absorbers in?

I just upgraded to yss shocks and forks and it hasn't made a bit of difference.

Hey Gang,

I'm getting pretty tired of getting bounced around on my Yamaha Nmax here in Chiang Mai.

I'm curios about the honda ADV 150, but wonder if i want real comfort I'm gonna have to step up to something like a Forza or the new yamaha Xmax 300.

And direct advice you could give me?

Many Thanks!

I had yss front forks and rear shocks upgraded but I still feel every bump in the road.  The ADV 150 has a longer length of suspension travel and showa gas shocks stock, so I figured it would absorb bumps better.  

I may be best to see if any of the Chiang Mai scooter rental shops have any to rent and test drive one for myself.

Hey all,

My Yamaha n-Max is simply bumping me around on the city streets and I want something of similar size but has a softer suspension.

Are their any ADV 150 owners out there that can comment on ride comfort?  As a side question, can you fit a full-size helmet under the seat?

Many thanks...

Please read my post that relates what I was told by the LA Consulate.

Thank you for the response - I checked your profile to try and find the post, but was unable to find anything regarding the LA consulate along with need for flight ticket copy or copy of proof of residency after arrival... Was there another place i should look?

Thank you!

For those who have applied for the METV from the USA:

1. Is an airline ticket copy a clear necessity (I'm suspecting it is)?

2. Do i have to supply proof of where I am staying upon arrival? What If I'm staying at a friend's house?

Thanks!!