Is bigger always better

[Foz]

Hey , ive a friend, who's recently become a paraplegic, he's into motorcycles and hopes to eventually end up on a canam (3 wheeler), we are approaching retirement age,(57 and 58 ) Ive suggested we join a club where we can have a ride and a coffee ,tell lies and escape home once a week .
So heres my question. I'm Iookin to members that owed maxi scooters and a pcx . I love the ease at which i can ride, park , store my PCX, but longer rides may require a bit more grunt especially in a group of riders , the forza 300cc, looks a good fit , do you sacrifice some of the practicality of the smaller bike to a point of losing its absolute appeal, when you own the maxi's remembering I love the pcx. Cheers Jeff. Perth WA
I shoud declare I am a average rider who has a sense of security (maybe falsely) on the small light scooter,

[fish]

Owned 150cc, 163cc, 400cc scoots - and the Honda Forza.
The Forza will keep up nicely on group rides, has a low center of gravity which you will appreciate even on your first ride home from the Honda dealer!
The Forza is no harder to ride than my two small scooters. It is not a fire-breathing bike that will get you into trouble even after you get comfortable with it - like a liter sport bike so often does.

My kids call me Capt Slow, (I once passed a car on the highway. Sept of 2008 I think it was.) and I loved the Forza, and was never afraid of it.
Fish

[GeorgeSK]

I would expect a group ride to occasionally take a bit of highway to get to the fun roads, and for that you really need the Forza 300 class. We went on a charity ride with about 100 Harleys, a few Indians, and a couple of Can-Am's - we kept up just fine (two up, a snick over 400 lb with gear). PCX would not have cut it, even riding solo. It also would possibly have been a bit embarrassing. As it was, we were the only full-face helmets and light color jackets to be seen. Amazingly enough, we were well received and everyone was very friendly.

Forza is much heavier, but once you are moving it feels reasonably nimble (but it surely doesn't dance like the PCX). It is, however, far more planted in a wind or at 55+ MPH. It also has more storage if you choose to carry more gear for inclement weather. Rolling it around the driveway is certainly more work, but not terrible (assuming a reasonably flatish driveway).

I started with the PCX, and now it is so cheap to insure at 6 years old and has so little value on the used market that I will likely just keep it around because I do like it better for my solo rides to students' houses (I'm the Scooter Tutor - it's actually pretty funny).

So - a quick game of spot the scooter:

Feed the Dog Ride.jpg (237.52 KiB) Viewed 2068 times

Sorry about these upside down tries - I can't figure out how to ditch them from the post.

[gn2]

Lets just be absolutely clear, a Forza sacrifices absolutely nothing to the PCX in terms of practicality. (its the other way round)

[Foz]

Hi , thanks so much for fhe advice, I was hopeing the response would be like it has been with the forza being in the ball park of user friendliness., I understand than this is a little of a opinion driven question , however here goes. Is there a year onwards that's alot better model than the previous year s . Cheers Jeff

[fish]

Assuming a good service history - Shoot for the latest year, and of course the model with ABS.
Any issues with early ones will have been sorted.
Last check there were still a few new old stock models on dealer floors - if you want to go new.
Fish

[Old Grinner]

I previously owned a 2017 PCX and really liked it initially but later traded it for a Yamaha Zuma 125 due to comfort issues with the seat mainly. I'm bigger and that may not be better.

My Zuma 125 works great for around town and some moderate "off road" ventures. I've done 50 mile round trips with it no problem. That said I was finding that I wanted something that could do stints on expressways, or longer distances, but still had the ease of use of the PCX (or Zuma) but was more comfortable and weighed less than my sport bike and had a lower seat height than my dual sport.

Long story short I was hoping the newly designed Forza would be available in the U.S. by now. A lot of folks are still hoping . . ..

As stated previously on this thread there are still some new "leftovers" scattered around different states here in the U.S. but occasionally you'll see a used Helix, Reflex, or Forza pop up on Craig's List or something. The thing to do on the used Forzas is to make sure the electrical and fuel pump recalls have been sorted out.

So, I started to compare the new Forza to the Yamaha XMax 300. A lot of the reviews I watched were from Europe or Australia. Some in English, some in French, and some in Italian. Some had subtitles. . ..

Bottom line is I bought the XMax 300 and couldn't be happier. Comfort is excellent (for me) and the sophistication and performance is huge for only a 300cc machine. All that for a $6K price tag. You can get them for less OTD depending on the deal.

It's not as light as the PCX but light enough and not a struggle to get it on the center stand. It has a great stock windscreen that is manually adjustable. It also will hold two FF helmets under the seat. Although heavier than the PCX it has that kind of nimbleness and maneuverability. It's just a pleasure to own and ride. That said the seat is a bit tall for some. Moving forward on the saddle at stop lights or intersections can help with getting feet planted on the ground.

If you are looking for something with more ooommmmppphhhh and comfort, yet not too heavy, and reasonably priced, I suggest checking out the new Yamaha XMax 300 if you want one sooner rather than later or pray to the Honda God that they will soon release that new Forza 300 into our market place. Either way I don't think you can go wrong and that seems to be the opinion at the end of the day from a lot of reviews I've seen.

There are other marques worth a look also. If $$ is no object then check out the Vespa GTS 300. If you want more selection Kymco offers the X Town 300 just to mention a couple . . ..

Take your time whatever you decide on but the great thing about Honda or Yamaha products is the broad availability of parts online and dealerships for parts and service.

[Old Grinner]

Sorry about these upside down tries - I can't figure out how to ditch them from the post.

About the "upside down" pictures . . ..

If there are any pictures that you have posted and want to delete them make sure your are logged in and just go to the "User Control Panel". Under "Options" choose "Overview" and then "Manage Attachments". You'll see all the files you've posted. If you know the file names then go down the list until you find the ones in question and then choose delete.

The thing is if the "upside down" pictures are the same file name as the "rightside up" pictures then it may end up deleting both.

But from what I can tell they have unique filenames.

Maybe WhiteNoise can chime in here with the words of wisdom to save the day in that case . . ..

[GeorgeSK]

Deed Done! Thanks, OG.

[WhiteNoise]

Great member advice (how-to) given OldG. Thank you. That works folks!
(I went ahead and removed the "code code code bar" for ya too).

I played your spot game George. Found ya! From here, your Forza looks as big as the Harley's, but purdier. Good times and a nice day. Wow Hard to come by both around these parts. So much rain. Never ends. More this week. But today suns out and I'm Riding. Woot!!

[Oldie]

Bigger (300) scoots are generally better in every way but I've never been able to re-capture that crazy fun element that you get from a PCX. But, if you must do highway work then bigger is better.

[springer1]

I've never been able to re-capture that crazy fun element that you get from a PCX. But, if you must do highway work then bigger is better.

Yep.

[Cube]

Does depend on the highway.. lots in my area with a 45MPH speed limit.

I've been debating my 'fleet'. The PCX is a lot of fun in town and I have a SilverWing for higher speed stuff, but I find that I'm envious of the fiancee's Reflex for all around riding and have been looking at 300 class bikes.

[you you]

So - a quick game of spot the scooter:

Feed the Dog Ride.jpg

Easy. It’s the one that doesn’t make me cringe with embarrassment.

[chicaboo]

Hi , thanks so much for fhe advice, I was hopeing the response would be like it has been with the forza being in the ball park of user friendliness., I understand than this is a little of a opinion driven question , however here goes. Is there a year onwards that's alot better model than the previous year s . Cheers Jeff

Hi Jeff,

If you're tall or long legged you might have trouble on the previous gen 2013-2018 Forza. I'm almost 6'2" or 187cm and my knees were uncomfortably close to the dash on the previous model Forza. If I had any form of knee protection on I wouldn't fit on it without a strained riding position.

I don't know how the new model stacks up, but if you don't have any luck with the Forza or Xmax the Kymco Downtown 350i and Xtown 300i are well priced. The DT350i feels a bit big and intimidating almost, like a 500, but has power for 2up. You definitely want at least a 300cc for club rides.

[fish]

A little ovef 6'3" myself. Never a problem with my first generation Forza.
Fish

[chicaboo]

I used to be 190cm tall or 6'3" in my younger days before injuries, so I think I must have long thigh bones and/or a big arse?
I tend to have trouble with my butt to knee length on planes, trains and automobiles. Public transport is never fun for me.

[you you]

Public transport is never fun for me.

Same here. Have to stick to the aisle seats and keep moving my legs out of the way.