Short answer: this Honda ADV160 review finds a likeable city scooter with adventure styling, a real US dealer network, and honest limits — a 157cc liquid-cooled single, front-wheel ABS, a two-position windscreen, and a $4,499 price that has not moved since the bike arrived in America. This Honda ADV160 review judges the US bike only: the 2024–2027 models sold by American Honda, not the India-spec machine with a TFT display and flex-fuel running that never came here.
One framing fact belongs at the top of this Honda ADV160 review: the ADV160 is a current, normal US model, not an import curiosity. Honda sells it in the United States for $4,499 plus a $600 destination charge, every year from 2024 through 2027, and the 2027 bike is a color-only change in Matte Black Metallic. For the full performance story, including the top-speed and mileage tests, see our ADV160 performance guide when it goes live.
Honda ADV160 Overview and Model-Year Updates
The overview of this Honda ADV160 review starts with the bike’s identity: a “City Adventure” scooter, in Honda’s own phrase, that borrows the ADV family’s rugged look and puts it on a practical 294-pound scooter platform. It is not a small adventure motorcycle — it is a scooter that handles broken city streets and groomed dirt better than its street-only cousins.
Latest US Year Is 2027: a Color-Only Change
Latest US year is 2027: a color-only change is the model-year headline this Honda ADV160 review stands behind. Honda announced the 2027 ADV160 on February 10, 2026, with dealership arrival in June 2026, at the same $4,499 plus $600 as every earlier US year, in a single color: Matte Black Metallic. Honda’s own 2027 page lists the same 157cc engine, the same 240mm front disc with ABS, the same 27-liter main storage compartment, and the same 294-pound curb weight as before — no mechanical change is stated for 2027. The year ladder runs 2024 (Red Metallic and Pearl Smokey Gray), 2025 (Pearl Blue and Matte Black Metallic), 2026 ($4,499, with Pearl Smoky Gray reported), and 2027 (Matte Black Metallic only). Model codes run ADV160AR for 2024 through ADV160AV for 2027, and Honda’s spec page carries the Model ID ADV160A.
ADV150 Ran 2021 to 2023: the US Skipped Nothing
ADV150 ran 2021 to 2023: the US skipped nothing is the lineage fact this Honda ADV160 review keeps straight, because the 150 and 160 are easy to confuse. American Honda sold the ADV150 for three model years — 2021 at $4,299, 2022 at $4,299, and 2023 at $4,349 plus $400 destination in Candy Rose Red — before replacing it with the 160 for 2024. The 150 was a 149cc liquid-cooled single with a two-valve head, a 26mm throttle body, a 31.3-inch seat, and the same 294-pound curb weight and 2.1-gallon tank as the 160 that followed. The 160’s real upgrades were displacement (156.9cc), a four-valve head, a 28mm throttle body, Honda Selectable Torque Control, and a lower 30.7-inch seat. This Honda ADV160 review never transfers the 150’s test figures to the 160: Rider magazine’s 65 mph and 75-plus mpg belong to its 2021 ADV150 test, not to this bike.
Honda ADV160 Engine and Specifications
The engine section of this Honda ADV160 review is short on mystery: Honda publishes the full mechanical spec and no power figure at all. That absence is itself a fact worth stating.
| Spec (Honda USA, 2027 page) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Engine | 157cc (156.9cc) liquid-cooled single, SOHC, 4 valves |
| Bore x stroke | 60.0 x 55.5mm |
| Compression | 12.0:1 |
| Fuel system | PGM-FI, 28mm throttle body |
| Transmission | Automatic V-Matic belt drive |
| Curb weight / fuel | 294 lb / 2.1 gallons |
| Summary | Honda ADV160 review: Honda USA publishes no horsepower figure |
156.9cc Liquid-Cooled eSP Plus at 60.0 by 55.5mm
156.9cc liquid-cooled eSP Plus at 60.0 by 55.5mm is the engine fact this Honda ADV160 review prints with confidence, straight from Honda’s 2027 spec page: a liquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke with a single overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder, and Honda’s eSP+ (enhanced Smart Power Plus) package, driving the rear wheel through an automatic V-Matic belt drive. Against the ADV150’s 57.3 x 57.9mm bore and stroke, the 160’s bore grew 2.7mm while the stroke shrank 2.9mm, for a 7.6cc gain to 156.9cc. Global-market pages print 11.8 kW at 8,500 rpm (about 15.8 hp) and 14.7 Nm at 6,500 rpm — this Honda ADV160 review labels those as global figures only, never as Honda USA figures, because Honda’s US pages carry no power or torque number at all.
Compression 12.0:1 and a 28mm PGM-FI Throttle Body
Compression 12.0:1 and a 28mm PGM-FI throttle body is the breathing spec this Honda ADV160 review pairs with the displacement figure. The 12.0:1 ratio is high for a small scooter single and is part of why the 160 feels stronger than the 150 it replaced, while the 28mm programmed fuel-injection throttle body (up from the 150’s 26mm) feeds it. In practice, the delivery is what Ultimate Motorcycling described in its 2026 test: smooth and linear from a stop to about 50 mph, then a slow climb toward the top end. There is no reputable named dyno test for the ADV160, so this Honda ADV160 review prints no wheel-horsepower figure — and the content-farm claim that “independent dyno tests suggest 15.6 hp” is not a dyno test and is never cited here as one. For the tested speed and economy numbers, see our ADV160 performance guide when it goes live.
Honda ADV160 Price and Market Availability
Price is where this Honda ADV160 review is at its simplest: one price, four years, no games.
| US model year | MSRP + destination | Colors |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,499 + $600 | Red Metallic, Pearl Smokey Gray |
| 2025 | $4,499 + $600 | Pearl Blue, Matte Black Metallic |
| 2026 | $4,499 + $600 | Pearl Smoky Gray reported |
| 2027 | $4,499 + $600 | Matte Black Metallic only |
| Summary | Honda ADV160 review: $5,099 before tax and fees, every year | Dealer discounts exist; they are not MSRP |
Honda ADV160 Price in the USA: $4,499 Plus $600 Every Year
Honda ADV160 price in the USA: $4,499 plus $600 every year is the figure this Honda ADV160 review confirms across Honda’s own pages and dealer listings alike. The 2024 bike listed at $4,499 plus $600, the 2025 bike at $4,499 plus $600 in dealer listings with VINs to prove it, the 2026 bike at $4,499 in Ultimate Motorcycling’s review, and the 2027 bike at $4,499 plus $600 on Honda’s own page. That is $5,099 before tax, title, license, and dealer fees, every single year — no increase across the generation. One dealer listing showed a $4,299 selling price against a $4,499 retail price; that is a dealer discount, and this Honda ADV160 review never prints it as the MSRP. Against the PCX, its closest Honda sibling at $4,349 plus $600 for 2026, the ADV160 costs exactly $150 more by MSRP — see our PCX125 review for the street-focused side of the family.
Cycle World’s $4,449 Figure for 2025 Is an Error
Cycle World’s $4,449 figure for 2025 is an error, and this Honda ADV160 review says so plainly rather than splitting the difference. Cycle World’s 2025 ADV160 page prints “$4,449” both in its prose (“available in Matte Black Metallic or Pearl Blue for $4,449”) and in its MSRP table — $50 below Honda’s price. Honda’s price and every dealer listing agree on $4,499 plus $600 for 2025, so the $4,449 figure is simply wrong, not a second price or a mid-year cut. The same care applies to the 2024 launch coverage that quoted a $400 destination charge plus a $100 freight surcharge: the destination charge on Honda’s current pages is $600, and this Honda ADV160 review uses the current figure.
Honda ADV160 Design, Features and Technology
Design is the ADV160’s whole pitch, and this Honda ADV160 review gives it full credit: the rugged bodywork, the tall windscreen, and the long-travel suspension make a $4,499 scooter feel like something more expensive.
Smart Key and a Two-Position Adjustable Windscreen
Smart Key and a two-position adjustable windscreen are the two features this Honda ADV160 review calls out first, because they change daily riding. Honda Smart Key means no conventional key: walk up with the fob in your pocket, twist the switch, push the starter, and go — the same system the ADV150 introduced to this line. The windscreen adjusts between two positions without tools, so a rider can drop it for city airflow or raise it for wind protection on faster roads. Around those two headline features sit the practical ones: a 27-liter weatherproof main compartment under the seat plus a 2-liter front compartment with a charging port, all-LED lighting, and a full LCD digital instrument panel that is clear and easy to read. Note the storage trap this Honda ADV160 review avoids: the 30-liter figure on some pages belongs to non-US markets, not to the US bike — Honda’s US pages say 27 liters plus 2 liters, every year.
No Idling Stop on US Bikes: the ADV150 Had It
No Idling Stop on US bikes: the ADV150 had it is the heading this Honda ADV160 review keeps verbatim — and the copy underneath it must be precise about market, because the fact is narrower than the heading sounds. Honda’s US ADV160 pages list no Idling Stop system among the bike’s features, and the same is true of Honda’s US ADV150 pages: the 2023 US ADV150 spec sheet lists the windscreen, Smart Key, fuel injection, ABS, and V-Matic drive, with no Idling Stop anywhere. The Idling Stop system on the ADV150 lives in non-US manuals and non-US spec pages — the 2020 and 2021 global ADV150 owner’s manuals carry an Idling Stop switch and indicator — so the honest statement is that Idling Stop is a non-US-market ADV fitment, absent from the US 150 and the US 160 alike. Riders from a global-market ADV should not expect the engine to cut at stoplights.
Honda ADV160 Riding Experience and Comfort
Riding experience is where this Honda ADV160 review must be disciplined: the honest verdict comes from Ultimate Motorcycling’s 2026 US test, enthusiastic within clear limits.
The video below in this Honda ADV160 review is a full review and first-ride video of the ADV160 from an Asia-market channel — honestly labelled as a non-US review, useful for seeing the bike’s size, dash, and road presence, but not a substitute for the US test data quoted in this article.
Riding Position, Handling and Low-Speed Maneuverability
Riding position, handling and low-speed maneuverability are the ADV160’s genuine strengths in this Honda ADV160 review. The riding position is upright and relaxed, the 30.7-inch seat suits a wide range of riders, and at 294 pounds with a 52.1-inch wheelbase the bike is light and nimble enough to paddle through traffic and filter with confidence. Ultimate Motorcycling’s tester praised exactly that urban agility, and the 31mm Showa fork with 5.1 inches of travel plus dual rear shocks with 4.0 inches take the edge off broken pavement that would rattle a street-only scooter. The 14-inch front and 13-inch rear wheels roll over potholes better than the 10- and 12-inch wheels on smaller scooters, and the wide handlebar gives good leverage at parking-lot speeds. Two-up riding is possible but modest: the passenger perch suits short trips, not long tours.
Street Legal and Freeway Legal, but Only Barely
Street legal and freeway legal, but only barely is the honest freeway verdict this Honda ADV160 review borrows from Ultimate Motorcycling’s test, because it is the single most useful sentence ever written about this bike. UM’s tester wrote that the motor adds power linearly to about 50 mph, then climbs slowly to a 70 mph top speed, and concluded: “The Honda ADV160 is freeway legal, but only barely. Although I was able to wind it up to 70 mph, you really don’t want to take it on a road with a speed limit over 55 mph.” That makes it adequate for urban freeways and suburban highways, not for sustained interstate work — and it is a real improvement over the ADV150, whose 149cc engine fell below California’s 150cc freeway threshold. The same test recorded fuel consumption around 75 mpg with a hard-twisting wrist, which this Honda ADV160 review treats as the tested figure, not the only figure: owner reports run higher, and the full mileage story lives in our ADV160 performance guide when it goes live.
Honda ADV160 Review: Pros, Cons and Verdict
The verdict of this Honda ADV160 review is straightforward: city streets, short freeway hops, and the occasional groomed dirt road make the ADV160 one of the best $5,099 packages Honda sells. Sustained interstate or real trail work: it is not.
Main Advantages and Limitations of the Honda ADV160
Main advantages and limitations of the Honda ADV160, stated with equal weight in this Honda ADV160 review. Advantages: a $4,499 price frozen across four model years; a modern liquid-cooled four-valve single with fuel injection; front-wheel ABS with a 240mm disc; a two-position windscreen and Honda Smart Key; 27 liters of main storage plus a 2-liter front compartment; a 30.7-inch seat and 294-pound weight that flatter shorter and newer riders; and a genuine dealer network with a transferable warranty. Limitations: a 70 mph top speed that makes sustained freeway work a chore; no horsepower figure from Honda USA and no dyno test to quote; a rear drum brake with no ABS at the back; suspension and small wheels that are quickly overwhelmed off pavement — UM’s words were “not even close to being an adventure bike”; and one real recall to check on 2024–2025 bikes, covered in our ADV160 reliability guide when it goes live. Rivals: the PCX at $4,349 plus $600, the Yamaha Zuma 125 at $3,799 plus $460, and the Yamaha XMAX at $6,399.
One-Year Transferable Unlimited-Mileage Warranty
One-year transferable unlimited-mileage warranty is the warranty heading this Honda ADV160 review keeps verbatim — with a wording note, because Honda’s own pages shortened the phrase over the years. A 2025 dealer spec dump prints “One year, transferable, unlimited-mileage limited” warranty, which supports the heading exactly, and the 2023 ADV150’s US page carried the same “One Year Included, Transferable, unlimited-mileage limited warranty” wording. Honda’s 2027 ADV160 page shortens it to “Transferable, one year included, limited warranty” without the unlimited-mileage phrase in that snippet. This Honda ADV160 review therefore quotes the full wording with its year source and notes the shorter 2027 wording, rather than attaching “unlimited mileage” to a year whose page does not carry it. HondaCare extended coverage is available, and the warranty transfers — a real selling point on a used ADV160. For the used-buying checklist, see our ADV160 buying guide when it goes live.
Honda ADV160 Review FAQs
Direct answers to the Honda ADV160 review questions riders ask most.
How much does the Honda ADV160 cost in the USA?
$4,499 plus $600 destination, says this Honda ADV160 review — $5,099 before tax and fees, unchanged across the 2024–2027 model years.
What is the latest Honda ADV160 model year?
2027, says this Honda ADV160 review — a color-only change in Matte Black Metallic, announced February 10, 2026, at dealers from June 2026.
What engine does the Honda ADV160 have?
A 156.9cc liquid-cooled single with four valves, says this Honda ADV160 review — 60.0 x 55.5mm bore and stroke, 12.0:1 compression, PGM-FI with a 28mm throttle body, V-Matic belt drive.
How much horsepower does the Honda ADV160 make?
Honda USA publishes no figure, says this Honda ADV160 review — global pages print 11.8 kW (about 15.8 hp), labelled by market only, and no reputable dyno test exists.
What is the top speed of the Honda ADV160?
About 70 mph in Ultimate Motorcycling’s US test, says this Honda ADV160 review — freeway legal, but only barely, and not a bike for roads posted over 55 mph for long.
What mileage does the Honda ADV160 get?
Around 75 mpg in Ultimate Motorcycling’s hard-ridden test, says this Honda ADV160 review — owner reports run higher, and the full spread is in the performance guide.
Does the Honda ADV160 have ABS?
Front-wheel ABS only, says this Honda ADV160 review — a 240mm front disc with ABS and a 130mm rear drum without it.
Does the Honda ADV160 have Idling Stop?
No, not on US bikes, says this Honda ADV160 review — Idling Stop is a non-US-market ADV fitment, absent from Honda’s US ADV150 and ADV160 pages alike.
How much storage does the Honda ADV160 have?
27 liters under the seat plus a 2-liter front compartment, says this Honda ADV160 review — the 30-liter figure on some pages is a non-US-market number.
Is the Honda ADV160 good off-road?
Only on groomed dirt and light paths, says this Honda ADV160 review — Ultimate Motorcycling called it “not even close to being an adventure bike” despite its rugged look.
What warranty does the Honda ADV160 have?
One year, transferable, says this Honda ADV160 review — the full “unlimited-mileage” wording appears in 2025 dealer material, while Honda’s 2027 page shortens it.
Should I buy an ADV160 or a PCX?
The ADV160 if you want rugged styling, longer suspension travel, and bigger wheels for $150 more, says this Honda ADV160 review — the PCX if you want the lower, street-focused scooter at $4,349 plus $600.
