Riding and Loving my Honda ADV150

When I first got my motorcycle license, I was riding a Kawasaki Z125. It was a small, cute, mini version of a sports bike and it was fun to ride around. The only issue I've really had is my lack of confidence in shifting - the clutch work and the timing - is just really overwhelming for me. Needless to say, this resulted to the not-so-great crash of 2020.

I really didn't want to ride anymore. I was content being a passenger, but we thought why not give it another shot? I really didn't want to deal with the clutch work and panic once more - so in fall of 2021, I got a 2022 Honda ADV150.

The Honda ADV150 is a 150cc scooter with about 14HP and, according to its the manufacturer, should be able to reach top speeds of 73 mph. Depending on your state, but in Wisconsin, you would still need a valid motorcycle license to drive this scooter since it's over 50cc. It's fully automatic and would be great for riding in town or in back roads.

Come 2022, I wasn't really keen in riding again. I crashed in a roundabout, and I really didn't want to drive through it on two wheels - and Wisconsin is full of roundabouts... for some reason. I barely touched my ADV, even if it didn't require any gear shifting and clutch handling. It felt like I was just over riding.

Well 2023 rolled in and the year greeted me with confidence. The first thing I did after winter was over and riding season started was do some in town riding. The Bear and I did several trips on the Harley Ultra Glide, and it was definitely fun. I love riding, but I guess it's time to rip the band aid!

After a few rides within town, I finally decided to go just a tad bit father on the back roads and rode from Oshkosh to Neenah, to a close by park. It was a chilly but beautiful Sunday morning and it was great! The speed limit was 55 mph, so it was definitely no issue cruising at this speed.

On my following trip, I decided to go South and go to Fond du Lac. I really can't get on the highway since the speed limit is 70mph and let's be honest, most vehicles do at least 5-10mph over. While the scooter can supposedly reach 73mph, realistically I was only able to push it to 65mph at most. Not really bad, but definitely not safe to take on the highway being a small bike at a slower speed.

Definitely another beautiful summer day, it was quite hotter than usual, but it was good! 

The goal is to put in at least 500 miles on the scooter this year, if not more. I do plan to upgrade to an actual motorcycle at some point. Also not gonna lie, I am looking at automatic motorcycles. I know the bike community is quite.... mean when it comes to these things, and some purists and elitists tend to shun automatic bikes but hey, I wanna ride and not crash and get on the highway and not panic! 

It's a lot of research and deciding to do, but it's not anytime soon. I really want to be more confident with my actual riding skills, and not just the miles that I put in the scooter. I want to make good practices to come naturally, so I wouldn't have to think about it consciously but rather, just do the right thing as I go.

So who knows, I'm eyeing the Honda Rebel 1100 DCT, or maybe the Honda NC750X DCT - which are both automatic; but, I'm also looking into the Kawasaki Ninja 400 or the older Harley Iron 883 or Sportster (not the newer model).  These two other options will be manuals, but hey, who knows maybe I can handle it when time comes.

For now, I am enjoy riding the ADV150 - definitely a great scooter that can take you around county roads. It has ABS, and being an ADV it has good suspension. Honestly, I really love it!