Idling stop "safety concerns"?

[RideLondon]

This is taken from the Wikipedia page for honda pcx:

"The global version of the Honda PCX is equipped with an idling stop system, which automatically shuts off the PCX when stopped. This feature is not included on the US model due to safety concerns"

Lol, what "safety concerns"? 95% of high- end cars made in the last 5 years have the same technology.

[Valiant]

Just more BS regulations that prevent the US from getting the same gas saving technologies that our neighbors have.

One more reason why cars are just better overseas.

[RideLondon]

But... What's their excuse?

[Valiant]

But... What's their excuse?

You'd have to ask Honda.

[gn2]

This was covered here years ago.
Basically idle stop is against the constitution, unamerican if not downright communist.

[you you]

This was covered here years ago.
Basically idle stop is against the constitution, unamerican if not downright communist.

Nuke em from space I say.....

[homie]

Unreliable feature? may not start back up and gets you run over by a bus... we could go with that or gasoline is so cheap in the US compared to elsewhere we just don't care about it.

[Alibally]

Cost of fuel isn't really the issue, it emissions.

[you you]

Unreliable feature? may not start back up and gets you run over by a bus... we could go with that or gasoline is so cheap in the US compared to elsewhere we just don't care about it.

you are american through and through aren't you?

[haildamage]

i know a guy who stopped his bike without putting the kickstand down or turning it off. the idle stop shut the engine down. he dismounted and then went to push the scoot into the place he wanted to park it and twisted the throttle in the process. the bike shot forward breaking the plate glass window of the business he was about to go into and injuring his hand. moral of this story: you have to be sure to turn it off or put the stand down before moving it around.

i've had mine for over 3 years now and it never fails to start up instantly, so the danger of it not starting when you need it to is BS.

[kramnala58]

The danger of it not starting is not BS if you're not careful. Using the idle stop in stop and go traffic leads to a quick drain of the battery because there is no starter. I rarely put the idle stop on in Bangkok because I am stopping too often. A coworker borrowed my PCX one day and didn't know about the battery being used to a greater degree. He went to pull away at one intersection and it wouldn't start because the batter was too low. All of the bikes around him were expecting him to go when the light turned green and when he didn't they almost ran up his rear end. Obviously the battery must have been weak, but how was he to know that. So there is the potential that the idle stop can lead to problems. Nonetheless, I still think it is a nice feature.

[haildamage]

interesting theory. i would have though this system would use less battery power than a conventional starter?

i suppose saying that it is BS is a bit strong. i also commute in very heavy traffic with lots of stop and go and have never had a battery problem except for the one time when the stock battery went bad (there was a problem with a batch of the batteries with the 2011 models). i still think that the small risk of an accident caused by the bike not starting in extreme traffic conditions is not enough of an issue for concern to not put it on the US bikes especially in the face of all the possible risks under the sun. heck, sometimes people stall standard transmission bikes accidentally when the light turns green. maybe they should also ban standard transmission bikes!

[wojtek_pl]

I think it's the same 'safety' rule that you can't put a car with automatic gearbox to N when waiting for green light. It has to be D all the time... I think there is a law about that in US...
Anyway, USA _IS_ different.

BTW, 2014 PCX has (advertised...) battery sensor which disables Start/Stop system when battery is low.

[you you]

Nothing is idiot proof.

The American authorities have just made a decision based on risk and demographics

[homie]

For cars I guess its ok, although I hear these systems kicking in at the intersections when you roll down your window and honestly its enough to put me off when a brand new 40-50K auto clunks and thumps off the block like a tractor.

As for motorcycles I just don't want my horse laying down at the gate when everyone else's is chomping at the bit. If any dealer would mentioned such a device on a car or cycle I would immediately move off that product. Yes typical American, but makers love to test market outside the USA where limited liability is king.

[SECoda]

The idle-stop is pushed by the tree-hugger groups in the US to decrease pollution and that may be the kiss of death here. Many folks have reached their limits on the overload of PC for the immediate future. The US self-correcting system (litigious) tends to boot laws passed because they seem good and go with the actual statistics eventually. Things that seem good often are not in practice or don't apply to everything. Then there are the unexpected consequences.

[Mel46]

I would think that California would be the best and worst place to test this kind of technology. Imagine freeway traffic at 5 o'clock. Stop and go traffic. Scooters stopping and starting automatically. Would the battery run down before you got home? What if the battery were old. Would it die on the freeway, or would it die after that at a red light? Would starting and stopping dump too much unburned fuel? Would this feature piss riders off or endear them? These are questions that Honda would have to determine before going into the American market. Perhaps that is why it took Suzuki so long to introduce the Burgman 200 to the United States. We are different from the rest of the world. We are always in a hurry, even when going on vacations. We have very little patience with devices that don't work right the first time every time.

[homie]

We have very little patience with devices that don't work right the first time every time.

Except Harleys we will push them the whole way and never complain because they still look cool. Hey they should try this on a Harley Davidson first and no one would get excited if it didn't work

[SmellyTofu]

Works every time for me when I activate it. Love it on extends stops and starts as quick and seamlessly as a Prius unlike other non hybrids with start stop systems that take half a second of hesitation.

[Alibally]

i know a guy who stopped his bike without putting the kickstand down or turning it off. the idle stop shut the engine down. he dismounted and then went to push the scoot into the place he wanted to park it and twisted the throttle in the process. the bike shot forward breaking the plate glass window of the business he was about to go into and injuring his hand. moral of this story: you have to be sure to turn it off or put the stand down before moving it around.

i've had mine for over 3 years now and it never fails to start up instantly, so the danger of it not starting when you need it to is BS.

The early bikes had a seat cutout switch that stopped it starting if there wasn't anybody sitting on it.
I disconnected it because if I was facing uphill and sitting back in the seat it wouldn't start.