THREE KIND OF A

Honda ADV 350, Honda Forza 350 and Honda SH350i

Honda knows what it’s doing when it comes to scooters and over the last half-a-century (and beyond) has built up an enviable reputation for its bulletproof machines that start on the button, every time.

To see if its latest generation of scoots are as good as we’ve come to expect, we’re taking a look at its range of 350 scooters – having recently spent a couple of days in Italy, riding the ADV 350, Forza 350 and SH350i from its R&D centre in Rome to its European manufacturer base in Atessa. With just £400 between them, Honda’s got you covered no matter whether you want an out-and-out city commuter, something a bit sportier, or one that’s capable of having a bit of an adventure. But which one’s for you?

It’s hard work developing motorcycles and scooters. It can take years of design, development and testing to get each model ready for production. That’s why when a factory finds success with a particular engine or chassis, it wants to ensure that it gets as much use out of it as possible.

While it’s nothing new for a manufacturer to release multiple models loosely based around the same constituent parts, the rigorousness of the homologation testing process and strictness of emissions regulations mean that it’s becoming increasingly common for whole ranges to be built from the same (or at least similar) bits. We think that’s interesting – and we wanted to explore it further.

That’s why we’ve created this new series, in which we’ll test three such bikes (or scooters) back-to-back and see what exactly it is that makes them tick. It won’t be a head-to-head test and we won’t be declaring a winner – it’s all about looking at how manufacturers are cleverly adapting their technology to suit the needs and desires of different riders, with the aim of helping you lovely lot work out which is the one for you.

Honda ADV 350

You might not automatically think about scooters if