Freeway riding

[Mel46]

Changing the variator, drive face, and rollers takes 15 minutes. Any shop can do it.
But I understand if you don't want to do any mods. However, please consider getting a tall windshield at least, which will help in fog and rain. There are all sorts of spray on water repellents for plastics available.

[Lanesplitter]

New to the forum and am all but certain I’m getting a new 2018 PCX but my only hesitation is that I’d like to ride it on the freeway for my commute. The hours I drive are highly congested and I just sit in 2-to-4 lane bumper to bumper gridlock traffic on 101 most days, jealouly watching motorcycles and scooters whiz by, lane-splitting (legally -I’m in CA) literally cutting the commute time in half.

Then, once I’m in San Francisco, the parking options appear to be less expensive and a bit easier than for my car with surface street parking.

So my question is, am I crazy for considering the PCX-150 for a commute on 101 with a 65mph speed limit, even though I rarely am able to hit that in my car on my commute? Before finding this forum I posted on Reddit scooters and riders with higher powered scoots told me it was too dangerous to ride it because the top speed is limited to 62-63mph. This would only seem to be an issue with light traffic but even then, there are significant numbers of people using the slower lanes for 55-60 mph speeds (gas savers, cruise controllers etc) that I would seem to ride comfortably (yet alertly) among.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Late reply. Have you lane split before? I find it stressful. I used to go from East Bay to Mission and Dolores in evening rush once a week. 30 minutes, mostly splitting. One negative about the PCX is the mirrors are at the same height as most car mirrors. At low speeds the PCX is fine on the freeway. At 65mph, my 2013 can do it, but traffic goes faster. Flat stretches are okay. But I-80 from Carquinez Bridge to Richmond sucks for the long, steep hills. They can suck your speed down a lot, and that's a fast stretch of highway. I've done 80 to 101 south to Skyline on a weekend morning, no problem at wide open throttle. GGB and the area north of that tunnel suck for crosswinds. I think they are felt less on the PCX than my V-Strom. It's fairing acts like a sail.

Manueverability is great on the PCX. One of my favorite things about it as a city commuter. If you are splitting, don't forget to watch for other motorcycles splitting when you try entering the split-stream. You don't want to get hit by a guy an a BMW GS1200 doing 50 in stop and go traffic. Keep your splitting speed to 35 max, try to split the two left most lanes. This commute video is typical of my experience on the Bay Bridge. It has clips until I reach 101 N. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpA4VuEYqJ8

Oh, I did about 30 miles on I-5 from 580 south to Patterson one time. Light traffic. Really not fun on that road. I felt very small and too slow at 65mph.

[Mel46]

...and there you have it in a nutshell.

I have lived in San Francisco and my daughter lives there now. The traffic, streets and hills are tricky...sometimes I would rate them as crazy.

The PCX 150 is an ideal around town scooter. However, if it were up to me I would want to improve it as much as possible in order to give me as much visibility and speed as possible. I have extra lights on mine in the front and the back. I also have the tall windshield which makes a taller outline for traffic to see you. Still, if you don't want to improve it now it is understandable. After you have had it for a little while you may change your mind though.

[fish]

Ride Calif. highway and cross GGB on a PCX?
Please don't! Too light, too short, engine too small.
Buy bigger....which you will be dearly wishing you had done after 1 month on that little PCX.
Or, putting it another way...you'll never wish you had gone smaller than a PCX, just bigger.
Darn few on here modding a PCX for less speed.
But it's your pesos.
Fish

[grndslm]

Get a Burgman 200. Faster with more storage, and yet just as nimble.

[87112]

Burgman 200

Pros- light. Pretty fast. Freeway capable. Japanese reliable.

Cons- awardward riding position with too narrow bars and seat too low even for 5 feet 6 people. Lots of cheap plastic that is inferior to any Honda product. Awful resale value that cant be given away. There is a used Burgman 200 unsold more than one year at my local dealer.

[Mel46]

The Burgmans are good bikes, though I would reserve judgement on the 200. When it first came out we considered buying it for my wife but she hated the seating position, the heavy lean to one side when the side stand was down, and the instrument panel. Still, it has a very capable engine.

I had a Burgman 400 and loved it. It was comfortable, it had plenty of horsepower, even the original windshield was nice, though I eventually swapped it out for the bigger Givi. It did have one problem. It was too bulky for inner city riding. I needed a scooter that could get around in traffic, and could turn quickly. We purchased the PCX for my wife, but I found myself taking it for short runs to the market, etc. more than my big Burgman. Eventually I traded it in for another PCX.

So, in short, if you do not like the Burgman, don't consider it cheap. The engine is good. It comes from a good manufacturer. I understand that it is popular in Europe. Reject it because of styling. Then consider getting a scooter that has the power it has but is more to your taste in styling. Other contenders might be Kymco, Yamaha, even Vespa. Just look for 200 cc or bigger.

[gn2]

There is a used Burgman 200 unsold more than one year at my local dealer.

That in itsself isn't an indication of whether or not the Burgman 200 is or isn't a good scooter. (it is)
More likely the dealer is simply asking too much money for it.

[PCX150Rider]

No Freeway riding for me on the PCX.

Too many vehicles competing for space and traveling too fast around this region . . .. If I do have to go on the Interstate I take my motorcycle. That being said it's like running with the Bulls from Pamplona.

Even on the back roads where the speeds are more sedate you still get people in a hurry but at least you have a chance to deal with it. . .let them go by. . .or take a turn onto a different road.

[Mel46]

On the rare occasions that we do take the freeway, it is for one or two miles (one or two exits) at most and we stay in the outside lane. With the NCY variator kit we can run at 70 mph with a little reserve. However, the PCX is a light bike, so when trucks pass us we can only hang on and hope we maintain control until it is well past us. That is no way to ride, and we don't feel safe, so we are quite happy to get off of the freeway and leave it to the bigger machines.

[hikari2763]

I am a bit jealous, everyone keeps talking about these speeds, but I don't think I have ever exceeded 45mph on I-5 here near Seattle, it is mostly an exercise in moving a few feet at a time! On the rare occasion that I do get to go that fast on roads like 167 I find I can't maintain over 60mph, big hills will even set me back into the 50s.

I do have a 125 though, not a 150, but I imagine the weight is similar, and I don't actually feel so bad in crosswinds on it, however I find after a bit on the highway dealing with the crosswinds tires me out more than I would expect. It also doesn't really have that much storage, not so much that I would want to go on a big trip on a stock one. Personally I have been thinking about trading it in on a Kymco X-Town, which seems the perfect size to commute and do some light touring.

[easyrider]

Even with the 150 hills and long grades will put you back depending on your size especially with a head wind. For that very reason I opted up to a Forza 300.Worked better for me and more comfortable seat.The PCX is a great commuter inner city, college campus style bike especially if you have a smaller Asian build .

[Mel46]

hikari2763, how is it that your 2011 is red? As far as I know the 2011 PCX 125 sold in The United States was white. Of course, a set of replacement panels in almost any color is available online fairly inexpensively.

Also, if you want to be able to maintain speed while climbing hills get the NCY variator kit. It was originally produced for the 2010+ PCX (though I have never seen a 2010, and they didn't start importing them until 2011).

The NCY kit will not only give you about 10 mph more top end, but it will also give you more output for climbing hills, which will allow you to maintain speed going up hills. ...something to think about.

The kit costs a little over $100. ($110 and free shipping)

https://www.corsportusa.com/i-18174-201 ... ulley.html

You would need the VARIATOR, drive face, and 13 gram rollers.

[WhiteNoise]

Mel, when I bought my 2011 PCX 125 in Florida I had the choice of Red or White on the showroom floor. The White one spoke to me. Glad I made the right choice...for me

[Mel46]

WN, interesting. I have never seen one in the U.S. (I am talking about a 125cc version. I have two of the red 150cc models...2013)

[WhiteNoise]

Mel, my guess is that sooo many White's were sold that folks got to believin' that Red's didn't get on the boat fact is...
The U.S.A. Welcomed the 2011 Honda Pcx 125 in mid 2010. Some of us thought it would never get here! Especially me!!
Our color choices then were: Pearl White or Candy Red

See U.S.A. Specs --> Scroll down 3/4 on this page:
https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/ ... nda-PCX125

[87112]

I am a bit jealous, everyone keeps talking about these speeds, but I don't think I have ever exceeded 45mph on I-5 here near Seattle, it is mostly an exercise in moving a few feet at a time! On the rare occasion that I do get to go that fast on roads like 167 I find I can't maintain over 60mph, big hills will even set me back into the 50s.

I do have a 125 though, not a 150, but I imagine the weight is similar, and I don't actually feel so bad in crosswinds on it, however I find after a bit on the highway dealing with the crosswinds tires me out more than I would expect. It also doesn't really have that much storage, not so much that I would want to go on a big trip on a stock one. Personally I have been thinking about trading it in on a Kymco X-Town, which seems the perfect size to commute and do some light touring.

I live in Seattle too. Man, I think of leaving everyday. There is just no escape from the hoardes of people who have moved here. Every weekend I try to ride and the only escape is East on I-90 cause up and down the Sound feels like a mini San Francisco region now. I actually really hate it but stuck as in I cuss at myself and my life for not being able to leave.

Anyway, about your 125 and hwy 167, wow I would never attempt tht on 167, Thats the most redneck freeway in the region. Most of the people are doing their Nascar impressions there. Stay safe!!

[Rain]

About the only thing that pisses me off on the freeway are the doubles. Those bastards are supposed to be speed governed at 110, but I've been on 120kph (that's 10 over legal here) and a lot of those mongrels go by sitting on 140kph... The wind blast is pretty bad and the vacuum and swirling side wind effect is a bit savage on a light PCX scoot.

Good fun, but a bit...well, exciting.

It doesn't worry me when on a sports bike as I can easily stay ahead of them.

I ride the freeway a few times a week on the scoot, at 110/120kph the wind buffeting is a bit hard to take with the stock little PCX screen. However, biking is all about "being in the wind" so I am a bit reluctant to fit a Givi or any other aftermarket screen to the little PCX so far.

I'm an experienced rider, ex racer etc, so speed and hazardous conditions don't scare me, I just love all types of bikes and riding.

If I was going to fit a windshield to the PCX I think I would look at a set of slightly lower handle bars and a more swept-back style of windshield. The feet back leaning more forward style of riding.

[hikari2763]

I honestly can't say as I bought mine used if it came stock that color or not, I wouldn't trust the title which does say red, but, when it came in the mail it said VTX750 as the model number, which took me some time at the title place to clear up. I mostly go up and down highway 7 where 55mph is fine, I don't have a car though, so I am out alot if you see a red pcx, ridden by a woman with red hair and a pink highviz vest in the Tacoma/Seattle area it is probably me

I love my PCX, but I am not sure I want to invest money into it or not, seeing as it is my only transport and occasionally the freeway is really nice and the limit is only 60mph around here. Would a windshield lower the drag at high speeds in a meaningful way, and would adding panniers/top case increase my drag in any meaningful way?

Really, I want both more speed and more carrying capacity, freeway capability without sacrificing the nimble handling, as the PCX really just seems to be so fun to ride because it is so nimble.

Here is what I got right now, I think it is all stock, but tbh I have no clue what the previous owners did

[you you]

Looks pretty stock to me tbh