Started with a 50cc Honda Metro. Great quality. Lacked acceleration, even when the 38 mph top speed was adequate. Quality was impeccable though; everything was perfectly thought-out.
Genuine (PGO) Buddy 125; first gen. with the halogen headlamp. Engine was great; felt like Honda quality. Torquey. Small wheels combined with powerful disc brakes were not a good combo for me. I pavement-surfing when I locked the front brake when a deer materialized in front me me while I was going 50. It didn't jump out in front of me or anything, it was just standing there, looking at me, and I didn't see it as soon as I should have because of the crap headlight design. This is the kind of little detail that the Taiwanese aren't as sharp about as the more experienced and more obsessive Japanese companies. On paper, you'd never see it. Anyway, decent bike, but the whole engineering package was not the same quality.
Burgman400. Great bike. Spun the clutch a bit too long for my taste, and ran out of steam pretty fast after 70 mph. Quality was back to Japanese standard. It was getting to the point where the price/size/weight was starting to favor a motorcycle though. For about the same money, my SV650 did most things better. (except carrying luggage and passenger)
Silverwing. Fantastic bike, all around. Got about the same fuel economy of the Burgman and was quicker everywhere. No sweat to cruise at 85 mph on this baby. Sat a little higher. I still miss this one sometimes. I don't think I'd buy one again though; rather have a used ST1300, I think.
When I went from the Buddy 125 to the Burgman, I felt like something was lost. The nimble feeling.
So after a hiatus of a few years during a fit of responsibility, I bought a used 2013 PCX 150. I thought I'd retain that nimble feeling of the smaller scooters, while still having enough power to keep the speeds at mile-a-minute speed levels.
- The impeccable Honda quality is there. Everything is just well thought-out and well-finished.
- The 14" wheels are a noticeable upgrade from the smaller ones on my old Buddy. On par with the Burgman wheels. (though the shorter wheelbase does yield a choppier ride on busted-up concrete pavement)
- High-speed handling is better than the Burgman; on par with the Silverwing. Fantastic for 150 class. (Occasionally, the Burgman would pogo around a bit during a high-speed sweeping turn. Really scary.)
- Haven't checked fuel economy yet; but it doesn't feel like 100 mpg.
- Underseat storage is great. I can't imagine how they made room for a full face helmet AND 14" wheels!
- Brakes are great. Strong, but not too grabby. Linking them was a stroke of engineering genius. I know how to use brakes properly, but this is the perfect compromise between the cost of ABS and old-fashioned individual brakes.
- Looks, awesome. Easily among the top 5 best-looking scooters out there.
- Seat: I have the much-hated stepped 2013 seat. It's not bad, but I'm only 5'8" tall, with a 30" inseam. I figure a non-stepped seat would make it miserable when my wife rides along. I would have liked a pattern that allowed the bum to breathe a little. I already have a beadrider on the way. They work as well as a spendy Corbin leather saddle, if the basic seat shape is sound. For now, I'm using a Somewhat breathable Walmart foam bleacher seat, which is a big improvement.
- Foot placement: Would've been nice if they made room for the feet forward position without the soles of the shoes being skewed out into the wind. That would've required bigger bodywork to fare, which would have hurt the fuel economy, so I understand.
- Suspension: Rear bottoms out too easily. I'm only 175 lbs, and it happens fairly often. No good at all for higher speed riding with a passenger. Thinking of the rear shock upgrade for a winter upgrade.
- Throttle action: Perfect, along with the Burgman400's. The Silverwing's throttle return spring is pretty stout; it got old. This one's light and smooth.
- Instrument Cluster: No clock? WTH. I don't mind the lack of whiz-bang fuel economy tracking or dual trip meters, but a digital clock is 1980s technology. There's no excuse for not having one. I don't even care if it has to be chosen instead of the odometer. All else is good. I guess I'll stick on one of my old Casio digital watches with double-stick tape somewhere. (they're water-resistant and accurate)
- Helmet hook = fail. We shouldn't need a stupid extension strap for the helmet hook to be usable. That's a monumental failure by Honda. The Silverwing would hold two D-ring type helmets without extensions needed. Aftermarket locks that go behind the license plate frame are pretty widely available too now.
- Tool kit = fail. Wasn't included with my (used) bike, but when I looked up what was included, it was a joke. A 2 in 1 screwdriver and helmet loop, that shouldn't even be needed. How far have we fallen, since the 1960s? We can't even be trusted to tighten a loose nut or change a spark plug? The manual I downloaded is no better. It's 95% fluff, not even worth carrying.
- Lights: The headlight is a bit on the wimpy side, for a bike capable of 65 mph. Aiming it a bit higher will help. I too don't like that they put the horn where the turn signal should be. What the HELL were they thinking?! I can understand that the need for the horn can be urgent, but the few times I've needed it, it didn't feel quicker to get to either. (and I haven't even ridden in over a year) Everything else is great.
- Idle mode vs. kill switch: This would've been much more useful than a kill switch. Makes me wonder if there's some DOT regulation that motorcycles in the US have a kill switch instead.
- Mine came with the tall Givi windscreen. I can't imagine the shorter stock one being adequate @ 60 mph.
