ADV 160 at 33,000 km: What Held Up, What Broke

Still performing. Still a reliable way to get around, still fun, just a little high-maintenance. The CVT belt has been changed a few times and the clutch plate once.

Age of the bike as of this article: 1 year 6 months.

Why high-maintenance?

Almost every CVT service, the technician tells me I need to change the sliders. Skip it and the CVT gets noisy at idle.

Same with the rollers. But sometimes it comes down to luck. It can be two (2) slider changes to one (1) roller change.

Performance

From around 23,000 km, the bike’s torque dropped. By 33,000 km, the technician at Impian X GB Motorworld said the clutch plate needed changing. After the swap the torque came back. The bike picks up like new again.

Impian X is a showroom and service centre for Honda bikes 250cc and below. The official place for authorised Honda service.

Torque comes back by changing the clutch plate. Top speed so far still hits 118km/h downhill. Nothing else has been changed because it still holds up. OK lah for a bike that stays close to home.

This bike can climb Genting Highlands. Read here.

Engine noise

Relatively louder than a new bike. Know how to quieten it? Share in the comments 🙏.

How often the CVT belt gets changed

On average every 11,000 km. The belt gets changed when the technician flags it at CVT service. By then it usually shows “crack” marks.

Bike battery 🔋

Never changed since purchase. Still fine. No crying sound on start and no sign of the engine struggling.

Keyfob 🔑

The indicator blinks every time I start the engine. That means the keyfob battery is weak. Even so, no issue with the bike not detecting the key up close.

What if the battery dies suddenly? No problem. This bike can be started with a pin. Make sure you keep the pin number in your smartphone.

The duplicate keyfob has never been used. The battery in the second keyfob is still fine.

Coolant

Coolant flushing has been done once.

If it overheats (the hot engine indicator lights up), pour coolant straight into the radiator. Keep the spare tank at the optimum level.

At 33,000 km, the engine has overheated only once (on a long trip from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru).

Breaking down by the roadside

Once only. But not enough to need a tow.

The cause was a worn flusher inside the CVT (rear pulley side). The result? The wheel keeps turning even when you are not on the throttle.

The fuel gauge issue

It happened after the first major service, when the fuel filter was changed. The gauge went wrong.

When the gauge shows 1 bar left, the bike stops running. Fill the tank and the gauge drops very slowly.

So check the fuel gauge after a fuel filter change. The technician may not have fitted it properly, which throws the gauge off.

Conclusion

The ADV 160 is a fine bike for someone new to motorcycles. Boon Siew Honda has the Impian X service centres.

If anything comes up, you can go to any Impian X branch without voiding the warranty.

If you are still deciding whether to buy, you can’t go wrong with the ADV 160.