? for PCX150 owners

[redhandmoto]

Good morning all - longtime PTW rider de-lurking here; only into scooters since '08. Eyeballing the PCX150 hard lately, and thought I'd ask for the input of 150 owners with miles and experience under their belts.

I'm looking for a sub-250cc ride that will cruise at 60mph - in stock configuration - on flattish roads without pegged rpms or undue stress. I've owned a Yamaha Zuma 125, a Yammie Vino 125, a Genuine 150: all good bikes, but unfortunately not quite strong enough for keeping up and out of trouble on county highways and roads, where folks regard the 45-55mph speed limits as a suggestion.

I enjoy long daytrips into the country, but to get there, I have to navigate 20 miles or so of demented commuters and the usual urban mix of the distracted and insane.

So: in your experienced opinions, can the stock PCX150 - post break-in - cruise comfortably at 60, without variator or gear upgrades? Thank you for your input!

[Mel46]

Ours can easily cruise at 60 all day, but if I were you I would get a windshield that is worthwhile. The one that comes with the bike is not really a wind anything. Also, the seat is not comfortable for long trips. Otherwise, this scooter is a marvel. I would definitely consider this scooter as one of the best little scooters out there.

[gn2]

I enjoy long daytrips into the country

For this reason alone the PCX is probably going to be unsuitable.
It is small, cramped and uncomfortable on long trips.

[Dudley]

i removed the seat hump. it allows me to scoot back about three extra inches and makes a huge difference.
how long is a day trip?
66 miles to my moms was no problem.
but an aftermarket seat is in my future.

[redhandmoto]

Thank you, Gents.

Indeed, the seat is the problem - the back stop hump would be removed and thrown away as a first measure, with an eye to a flattish aftermarket number in future, or professional modification as I have seen in some posts here.

I am 5' 11", with a 32" inseam, and did not find the PCX to be especially cramped in my "test-sit" sessions - if the seat were to be swapped-out/modified. Changing the seat ...and a decent windshield...would be vital.

I do, however, enjoy a full "legs-forward" posture when the hours get long. I had added aftermarket "highway pegs" to my Zuma which worked marvellously, and so I will be eyeballing the PCX on Monday to see if it might not be amenable to the addition of fabbed pegs...

Also in our history of bigger scoots owned and ultimately rejected was the Vespa GTS 250ie, which, while more than powerful enough, I found to be uncomfortable and crampy on long hauls. Seating and the ability to move about a bit is a highly subjective thing - seems like a modded/aftermarket seat would solve that problem with the PCX for me...

Ergonomics aside, the baseline question for me is: how happy/unstressed is the PCX150 at 60 mph for a few hours on end? Can it, for instance, do that without a windshield?

EDIT: a long day trip for me can be upwards of 300 miles - I once did 225 on my wife's 49cc Honda Met...all I coulkd think of at the 110 mile point was,"Now I have to ride it back..."

[dasshreddar]

Just buy one you won't regret it.
I have a vino125 and a gy6 150, the pcx150 is so much smoother/faster and starts way easier.
I only do sprints to 60+, so my shorter than stock windshield is fine.
Get a bigger windshield if you think you need it, flatter seat, and lean the bars forward and you should be

[ItsaHonda]

The PCX150 is certainly capable of long trips, and crusing at 60 mph is not a problem...though it's not particularly ideal for it, nor was it designed/built for touring in mind. I have a PCX125 and it has enough juice to cruise at 60mph and I'd love to take it on at least a few long distance trips for the adventure/fun factor (even though I do have another scooter that is much better suited to normally handle the big stuff). We have a member in our local club that has ridden his Piaggio Fly150 from Florida to Wisconsin and back, as well as to Tennessee and various long day trips within the state of Florida. The Piaggio Fly is smaller and a bit less powerful than the PCX150 (and is air cooled vs. the PCXs liquid cooled system).

As far as stress on the engine in terms of cruising speed, I would say that even the 150 is going to be near (or within 10%) of it's maximum output... the 150s apparently 'top out" around 68 mph (62 for the 125s), BUT, running them even at WOT (wide open throttle) hasn't seemed to hurt them (yet). I pretty much ride mine between 90-100% full throttle. I know of 2 PCX125s that completed the Cannonball run... rode fully pegged across the county (from Georgia to California) in 48 hours. I am pretty sure they are designed to run hard. It IS a Honda, after all....

[Mel46]

My wife rides her 150 beside me when we go to the North Georgia mountains and she has no trouble keeping up with my Burgman 400. We have gone on the freeway with them also. Now that she has a new windscreen and seat she wants to ride all the time. Too bad the weather is not cooperating. But to answer the question, I believe that the 150 can top out at between 75 and 80. We haven't pushed it to the Max but we rode at 70 on the freeway and she said that she still had some juice left.

[khaosaming]

I have a PCX 150. It cruises comfortably at 50-55 (80-90 km/h). 60 mph (95-97 km/h) is achievable, but the bike struggles to keep it. Top speed is 65 mph (104-107 km/h). My PCX is still breaking in (about 850 km on the clock). I hope it will loosen up after I've done some 2000-3000 km on her.

So, I'd say that the PCX 150 does not cruise at 60 mph comfortably without modifications (variator, windshield etc.).

[Urbanian]

I typically cruise at 60, but have never been on the road more than about 40 miles at a stretch or 100 miles for the day. At 65 mph the 150 doesn’t even breathe hard. The factory installed limiters keep the bike running well within its capabilities. OTOH I’ve never pegged the throttle except once when going up a long steep hill.

I’ve never felt cramped even with the infamous hump and my 32” inseam, but you won’t get full extension for your legs without removing the seat hump. If you slide back far enough, you won’t need pegs.

The tall Givi is greatly appreciated at highway speeds. Makes a world of difference.

[khaosaming]

Here's a video that shows how a Thai rider can go as fast as 118 km indicated on his brand new Honda PCX 150 (400 km on the clock). I have never been even close (110 max on my ride). Maybe it's just that I'm bigger and the wind resistance is higher.

[khaosaming]

I just returned back home from a short 60 km trip to Khaosaming. Yes, that's the place where I got my nick from. I must tell you, the PCX was a different bike today. She seems to be opening up.

This time I took another approach. First, I dropped the missus, didn't put my little red riding hood gear on but wore just a shirt, helmet, shorts, flip-flops and gloves. Second, I took a new route on a straight tarmac road with a good surface.

Until now, I've been kind of causious and hesitant to really try her to the full. Boy, it takes a long time from 100 for the needle to rise to almost 120 -- but it does. I tried to lie low and conceal my body behind the small windscreen. That helped sure, but when I got up it still could maintain that speed.

The PCX reached an indicated 90-100 km quite easily. When driving behind a pick-up truck, I could maintain that speed without effort only half-throttle. Top speed was 118, just like on that Thai riding video. Downhill, I sometimes saw figures close to 120 indicated.

I washed my PCX just prior to the trip and cleaned the front disc brake. The brakes seemed quite responsive. I was surprised to see that it can take such a performance hit when riding pillion. I guess it's because my wife wears clothes to protect her from the sun. Her clothes (and my hood) act like a small sail preventing the bike from reaching it's ultimate momentum. The PCX is clearly a one man vehicle.

[jasontheparamedic]

To me, for the smaller bikes you just can't do better than the PCX, in terms of quality and power.

[redhandmoto]

Well, there ya go! Many thanks to all who have replied.

That video shows that the 150 can get up to 60mph/95.5kph fairly quickly, eh? And you guys who've taken it out for extended day trips all seem to be quite happy with performance at sustained running. Good to know.

I originally posted the question because in past, I've bought scoots whose performance was not really what the press reviews or enthusiasts' forums would have one believe. Big surprise, huh? And no dealer anywhere around (here, at least) will permit test rides, so I am left with soliciting real-world experience input from owners.

I am between scooters right now, using my wife's new 49cc Vino Classic for local errands whilst I research a new ride for myself. I will not be going out on the Interstates, but the local commuter/cross-county connector roads I need to use regularly can themselves be challenging: posted 50 - 55 mph limits are interpreted as 60 - 65, so I'll need to be able to keep up and to avoid the whackier cagers. Once away from the urban areas, I can slow down and cruise in the fifties. The 150 seems more than able.

Have looked at and rejected other machines: the air-cooled Genuine/PGO 170i (jury is still out on high speed/overheating issues); other 125/150 class bikes can't really do what I need done, and I want to stay under the 250cc and maxis, mosty of which are too big for heavy urban traffic. SYM & Kymco have a few bikes I might consider, but there are no dealers around.

Wasn't planning to do any real long-distance touring with a PCX, but now that the subject has been raised, I can't see why not - good screen, tail bag, saddlebags, tank bag for clothing, toiletries, tools, maybe a couple fuel bottles, and away you go!

[Urbanian]

SYM & Kymco have a few bikes I might consider, but there are no dealers around.

I've heard the SYM HD200 (171 cc) is quite the speedy little bike. But it's not fuel injected and there's practically zero dealer support which are the two main reasons that gave me pause. Then along came PCX150...

[redhandmoto]

SYM & Kymco have a few bikes I might consider, but there are no dealers around.

I've heard the SYM HD200 (171 cc) is quite the speedy little bike. But it's not fuel injected and there's practically zero dealer support which are the two main reasons that gave me pause. Then along came PCX150...

Yep...local Genuine dealer has an '09 NOS HD200 just sitting that he got along with a bunch of Symbas from Carter Bros, back in the pre-arson days...it got a lotta positive publicity when it performed so well in the ('08?) Cannonball, but the Alliance re-build of the SYM dealer network hasn't spread this far east as yet...plus, as you say, it's carbed...

There is actually a Big-Four dealer around who is ostensibly a Kymco dealer, but they won't carry any Kymco scoots over the 50cc line-up...anything bigger in the Kymco line would have to be bought sight-unseen...

Honda...all my cycles (except for one aberrant DR Z400), from mini (C110) to mid (VT750) have been Hondas, and I just, you know, trust them...unlike all the Italian marques...the Italian industrial/supply chain/infrastructure model - for N America support, anyhow, is...inconsistent, let us say...

The paucity of scoots available in the US compared to the rest of the world is remarkable...

[gn2]

I've bought scoots whose performance was not really what the press reviews or enthusiasts' forums would have one believe.

You can add the PCX to that list.

The 150 seems more than able.

It really isn't.
If you want something which will sit comfortably at a genuine 65 you need a 250.

[redhandmoto]

[It really isn't.
If you want something which will sit comfortably at a genuine 65 you need a 250.

mmmm...an honest 60, cruising...that's what I need.

gn, do you ride a 125 or the 150?

[gn2]

Mine is a 125.
The 150 has slightly better acceleration and only a few mph higher top speed.
The power output of the 150 is only 10kw (13.4 bhp) which is less than a good 125

[redhandmoto]

Well, I s'pose there's a big 'Rashomon' factor here, as there always is with partizans of any given bike...the fellas replying above, howsomever, report no sweat with 60mph-cruising on the 150, so...