? for PCX150 owners

[you you]

Damn you guys are lucky. Mine seems to run into a wall at 62 mph (indicated). It seems like theres a rev limiter there. I'm at 4,000 feet, I dont know if that matters.

That's tall. Does the seat hump bother you

[Urbanian]

That's tall. Does the seat hump bother you

not if you sit behind it...

[CaptnJim]

I may be coming to this discussion a bit late, but hope I can add something worthwhile. We bought a pair of PCX 150s last week, for my wife and me. We have been riding motorcycles for over 4 decades, mostly dressers and cruisers for me, sport bikes and dressers for my wife. I bought a "little" bike a few years ago, a V-Strom. Different interests have cut into our riding the last few years. My wife got rid of her last bike, I was down to just the V-Strom and not riding it all that much. She suggested we go this scooter route. I wasn't so sure.

Of course, we compromised... and got the scooters. I did the research, we visited some motorcycle and scooter shops - everything led us to the PCX 150. After 10 days with the scooters...

I can't believe how much fun we're having! These things are just plain easy. Peppy off the line; they pull strong to about 55, then continue to pull, just not as fast. No issue with getting them up to 65. I have ordered the Givi windshields for them, but the smoked version is back ordered... I think the bikes will be more comfortable at speed with the windshield. For reference, the last motorcycle I had without a windshield was an H-D Sturgis back in 1982.

I've joked that I have "come full circle"... I bought a nearly worn out Honda 150 Dream when I was 14 - that motorcycle represented freedom to a kid. 25 motorcycles later, I am back on a 150... and having a blast! I have to admit that I used to think scooters weren't quite a "real" motorcycle. I could not have been more wrong... all the reasons I started riding 45 years ago are why I am enjoying these little scooters so much.

Commuter bikes? Not for us. We retired 7 years ago and have been traveling and enjoying life. I can ride whatever I want. These days, when a Harley rider pulls up next to us at the stoplight, I just smile and nod. Over the years, I had 9 Harleys... 4 Goldwings... a couple BMWs... and some Hondas and Yamahas. We know how to ride. We've done the long distance stuff. These days, we do our traveling by RV or boat, and these scooters are going to fit in fine with that lifestyle.

Bottom line: the bike will haul you to 65+. It won't be the "65 experience" you would enjoy on a bigger bike. Until we bought these bikes, I didn't know I could enjoy 45 mph on a bike... I'm even having fun "urban cruising" (we're in the Phoenix area visiting our daughter), something I didn't care to do on any other bike.

We're not going to do 500 mile days on these scooters. That's not what they're good at. We're not looking to do extended time on the highway, but we picked these because being highway legal gives you more options... if I want to jump on the Interstate for a few miles, it's doable. We are getting 100+ mpg. You can maneuver these bikes around a parking lot like they are a bicycle... but, they're still stable on the road. What's not to like? I am impressed by these little scooters... and, did I mention: they are just FUN!

Good luck with your decisions, Redhandmoto.

Captain Jim

[Slickvic]

Great write up, Captain!

I am planning on visiting the dealer today and this posting got me all fired up again.

[dasshreddar]

The Captin knows... more than just a commuter bike

[Mel46]

Just to add my two cents worth again, my wife and I went 142 miles round trip yesterday on our scooters and she was ready to go again today. She loves her 150! We were doing 55 mph all the way to the Alabama border with a strong head wind, but had to hurry on our trip back because we had to meet someone at our house. We did the return trip at 60 mph. By then the wind had died down so we were running on our own power without benefit of a tail wind. She said that she had plenty of juice to go faster but we were on back country roads so we kept it down. Still, it is a 150 and it kept up with my Burgman 400 without any major effort.

[The_Head]

I can hit 65 mph now, if I tuck in a little bit behind my new windshield. It seems I am about 5 mph slower than most PCX150 owners. I think it is my altitude (4000'). It's not that high, but I think it makes a difference in power.

[dinamasu]

I can hit 65 mph now, if I tuck in a little bit behind my new windshield. It seems I am about 5 mph slower than most PCX150 owners. I think it is my altitude (4000'). It's not that high, but I think it makes a difference in power.

I am at Sea Level (official city elevation is 14 feet, but most of the town is lower than that) and I can only get to 65 mph if I ride in a tuck. Otherwise I top out at 62 mph on flat ground with calm winds. I weigh 165 pounds.
My PCX150 is stock, no windshield, but has a Honda top box.

[Mel46]

I would say that as the 150 gets broken in it loosens up and gets faster. We now have very close to 2400 miles on ours and it is now quite capable not only of moving nicely with traffic in the city but also moving comfortably and speedily along country roads. We can take it on the freeway but I wouldn't advise it just because it is light, though we have been on the freeways a few times and it kept up with traffic nicely. Factors that might affect it are wind, the rider's weight's and whether it has a windscreen or not. I'm sure how high above sea level you are would also affect it but you can get it re-tuned for that. Once we put the Givi screen on we weren't fighting the wind as much. I have had all sorts of bikes in my life, so I can compare them reasonably, I believe, and I would have to say that if you bought a 150 you would not regret it.

[The_Head]

I'm not minding too much. I'm at an age where I don't mind driving under the speed limit and don't mind getting passed. I still dislike being tailgated though. I don't take it on the highway too much anyways. If I were on the highway more, I would recommend a bigger scoot. If honda were to offer a bigger scoot this summer, say a 200 or that 300 Forza they sell elsewhere, I might make the jump though.

[you you]

I can hit 65 mph now, if I tuck in a little bit behind my new windshield. It seems I am about 5 mph slower than most PCX150 owners. I think it is my altitude (4000'). It's not that high, but I think it makes a difference in power.

I am at Sea Level (official city elevation is 14 feet, but most of the town is lower than that) and I can only get to 65 mph if I ride in a tuck. Otherwise I top out at 62 mph on flat ground with calm winds. I weigh 165 pounds.
My PCX150 is stock, no windshield, but has a Honda top box.

Your city is only 14ft above sea level???

[dinamasu]

Your city is only 14ft above sea level???

Kind of. Here are the details: Stockton elevation is 0 - 32 feet above sea level. The average elevation is 15 feet above sea level. The elevation at City Hall is 11.5 feet above sea level.

I live at the eastern edge of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, an expansive inland river delta and estuary in Northern California in the United States. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lies just east of where the rivers enter Suisun Bay. The Delta is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. The city of Stockton is located on the San Joaquin River on the eastern edge of the delta.

The total area is around 1,100 square miles (2,800 km2), around 70 reclaimed islands and tracts, surrounded by 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of levees surrounded by 700 miles (1,100 km) of waterways. The delta was originally marshland; reclamation was made by the building of levees, by Chinese laborers in the 1850s.

A typical levee was constructed as being approximately trapezoidal, 10 ft (3.0 m) above original ground level, and approximately 30 ft (9.1 m) wide at the base rock armoured on the river side. The construction was a colossal engineering undertaking.

The farm land to my west is lower than the water level of the rivers and sloughs. That is they are below sea level. Only the levees keep those farms from returning to marsh land.

I live about 65 miles or a little over 100 km due east of San Francisco as the crow flies. About 85 miles or 125 km traveling on the roadways.
.

[redhandmoto]

@CaptnJim - Hah! You guys - thru your threads on ADVRider - were my PCX "enablers"

[Mel46]

i don't think you could go wrong with a pcx150 unless you expected it to fly.

[redhandmoto]

the answer is "yes".

Simply getting out to rural areas around here almost requires travelling high-ish speed county and state highways just to get beyond the frenetic commuter zones. For a new scooter, that meant that it had to be able to handle 55-60 mph for long stretches without quailing or undue stress and still be light/torquey/flickable enough for optimum urban handling.

It had taken a while to get the initial break-in miles done, and it wasn't until yesterday that we got a full wring-out with a round trip run from metro Washington, DC up to the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers at Harper's Ferry, WV. What with local dawdling, about 125 miles round trip.

About half of that was at 55-65 mph - people familiar with Northern Virginia will know what the commuter arteries are like: Amateur Hour for manic NASCAR wannabees with all the aggression and none of the skills, but the PCX was able to handle it well, keeping up and out of trouble, with plenty of throttle response and good handling at those speeds. The drive-train complained not at all, taking everything in stride - never felt like it was being 'hammered' or unduly stressed.

On the winding rural roads through the horse country and into the low mountains, it was just glorious. Not much has been said about the PCX's 'leanability'; I think that's where it particularly shines, sticking flat and all right like a glob of mud in sharp farm road curves. I had way too much fun to pay any attention to gas mileage - I'd left with less than a tankful, and just had a stop, coffee, and fill-up when I got down to a single bar.

Through the day and in all conditions, it did so well that it had me fantasizing about a tour - why not? The windscreen has arrived but is not yet installed. With that, backpack and commodious tail bag or light panniers, why not indeed? With the seat sorted and comfortable, and the varying positions available for shifting the feet and legs around, I may only add a sheepskin. And maybe one of those bar-mounted cupholders on gimbals.

Next up, out to the Blue Ridge, the head of the Shenandoah Valley, Antietam, and on to Gettysburg; once out of suburban madness (which now extend 50 or 60 miles in all directions), more leisurely countryside travel is almost limitless.

I have not for some time been enjoying even the light motorcycle in the urban/suburban mesh - the constant need to up- and downshift block-to-block in shorter errands gets tiresome. CVT machines eliminated the chore dimension and restored fun to quick trips, but most - and we've had a few - were not happy or really safe in the aerial combat of commuter highways. The PCX has proven, for me, to be the best of both worlds.

ps - highest speed seen was 65; never hit the rev limiter. The air dam of my corpulent self served as a brake. Selah.

[The_Head]

Yeah, the engine does not seem winded at 65 mph. It sounds like a quiet Honda generator just doing it's thing to me. I am glad, the engine should last a long time since it doesn't sound like its being overly stressed.

[you you]

Your city is only 14ft above sea level???

Kind of. Here are the details: Stockton elevation is 0 - 32 feet above sea level. The average elevation is 15 feet above sea level. The elevation at City Hall is 11.5 feet above sea level.

I live at the eastern edge of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, an expansive inland river delta and estuary in Northern California in the United States. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lies just east of where the rivers enter Suisun Bay. The Delta is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. The city of Stockton is located on the San Joaquin River on the eastern edge of the delta.

The total area is around 1,100 square miles (2,800 km2), around 70 reclaimed islands and tracts, surrounded by 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of levees surrounded by 700 miles (1,100 km) of waterways. The delta was originally marshland; reclamation was made by the building of levees, by Chinese laborers in the 1850s.

A typical levee was constructed as being approximately trapezoidal, 10 ft (3.0 m) above original ground level, and approximately 30 ft (9.1 m) wide at the base rock armoured on the river side. The construction was a colossal engineering undertaking.

The farm land to my west is lower than the water level of the rivers and sloughs. That is they are below sea level. Only the levees keep those farms from returning to marsh land.

I live about 65 miles or a little over 100 km due east of San Francisco as the crow flies. About 85 miles or 125 km traveling on the roadways.
.

There's a Stockton in the colonies too?

[The_Head]

There's a Stockton in the colonies too?

Stop calling my country "the colonies" or I'm going to start reporting your posts to mods. It's insulting.

[gn2]

It's insulting.

Why not have a nice cup of tea, that should calm you down a bit.
Then get a history book out, one about the British Empire.
You will find that your country owes its very existence to the British colonial system, and its independence to the French.
So don't be insulted, be grateful.

[redhandmoto]

Then get a history book out, one about the British Empire.
You will find that your country owes its very existence to the British colonial system, and its independence to the French.

As does yours to Lend-Lease.
Nicht war?