Only Getting About 55MPH WOT into Head Wind

[Mel46]

Our 2013 models both did not break in fully until the bikes reached close to 1200 miles on them. After the first service, which should include readjusting the valve clearance, you should start seeing some improvement in performance. The more you ride it, the better it should be, but first you need to get it broken in, and 500 miles is not the breaking point on a pcx.

[homie]

Since all other aspects of the machine seem to be OK I'm thinking it's a combination of my weight (250ish lbs./18 stone), the wind

Agreed, I bet if you put a lighter jockey (less stones) on that PCX, a calm day and a flat road it would meet it's best potential for a stock setup. You're good... report when you have 1000 miles. I believe you have done a great job breaking in your scoot.

[PCX150Rider]

Agreed, I bet if you put a lighter jockey (less stones) on that PCX, a calm day and a flat road it would meet it's best potential for a stock setup. You're good... report when you have 1000 miles. I believe you have done a great job breaking in your scoot.

Our 2013 models both did not break in fully until the bikes reached close to 1200 miles on them. After the first service, which should include readjusting the valve clearance, you should start seeing some improvement in performance. The more you ride it, the better it should be, but first you need to get it broken in, and 500 miles is not the breaking point on a pcx.

That's what I'll do then. . .and repost on this thread at around the 1K miles.

FWIW I'm going to skip the valve adjustment at 600 ( I can hear the utter shock of the crowd piercing the silence) and go with the UK manual recommendation of 4000 miles (even if it's metric miles it's just a little more). That being said I will be attentive to the valve noise and if it starts changing (I anticipate quieter if anything) I'll pull the covers and note the mileage and valve clearances at that time before I adjust them. I'll thoroughly clean out the strainer screen and check the condition of the OEM oil before I add the new recommended oil with moly. Using 10w-40 because I can and that's all the dealer sold of that type. Will order the 10w-30 online today for the final drive which I'll change in the Fall. . .and about every 2 years after that.

Click this link and scroll down on this forum page to see a copy of the maintenance schedule page Red Baron posted back in February on his new PCX. http://www.hondapcx.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7232

[homie]

That's what I'll do then. . .and repost on this thread at around the 1K miles.
FWIW I'm going to skip the valve adjustment at 600 ( I can hear the utter shock of the crowd piercing the silence) and go with the UK manual recommendation of 4000 miles

I wish I had skipped that silly exercise in futility. I will never believe the dealers actually go through that at 600 miles for what Honda pays them to do so under warranty. It's a wink and a nod between Honda corp and dealers that maintains your ridiculous one year coverage (six months in 4 season real world) and only adds after sale fees to an already lean profit margin on PCX for dealers.

Here is the horror if you havent already seen it...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... oyVAcpcIwl

[PCX150Rider]

Thanks for reposting that YouTube page. I just bookmarked it on my new PC. My old PC is a great emergency machine and somehow still manages on 2GB RAM. A vintage 2007 HP. My new one has 12GB RAM and the videos fly on it. I saw a number of your videos already and as I've said before sincerely appreciate the time and effort you put into helping everyone here with those.

I just ordered that Honda Pro 10w-30 synthetic oil today (with moly) for the final drive. About $18 delivered. I also threw the dice and ordered a corded Kawasaki Impact Wrench. . .about half the price of a Dewalt that I wanted and the ratings were numerous and good and after all. . .it's a Kaw!

https://www.amazon.com/Kawasaki-841426- ... 3AKawasaki

I've already got the socket for the variator nut . . . 22mm I think? And the Motion Pro Holding Tool. I'll deal with that 39mm nut on the clutch when it's necessary using an incantation I found inscribed on the wall of a cave in Shangri la and some kind of yoga technique.

[easyrider]

FYI wind makes a huge difference on the PCX, and hills kill its speed. Just doesn't have the torque . Best I could do with mine was 64 MPH..Then it started stuttering.. I think mine has a limiter on it..and my PCX is stock . You might have to do other things to get more out of it, but why bother.. Its a great commuter bike and is best at 45-55.

[djbass]

I agree with EasyRider, PCX - for the city, on the highway after 60 mph it is not comfortable, perhaps enhanced Givi windscreen will help.

[Mel46]

I mainly modified my bikes to reach 75 mph because of hills and wind. We get on the freeways on occasion but our main concern is when climbing hills in North Georgia Mountains. Nothing worse than being the tail end of a group ride and you can't get enough out of the scooter to climb the hills. Most of the rides are at around 45-55 mph. Add some wind and a steep grade and the pcx could be straining to stay at 55. Now that I have the NCY variator, etc they have no problem keeping up.

[PCX150Rider]

I mainly modified my bikes to reach 75 mph because of hills and wind. We get on the freeways on occasion but our main concern is when climbing hills in North Georgia Mountains. Nothing worse than being the tail end of a group ride and you can't get enough out of the scooter to climb the hills. Most of the rides are at around 45-55 mph. Add some wind and a steep grade and the pcx could be straining to stay at 55. Now that I have the NCY variator, etc they have no problem keeping up.

I'll be crossing that bridge about increasing performance when I get to it. Will weigh out the alternatives at that time (sliders vs rollers) and stock variator vs NCY etc. . .. Going 75 MPH on your PCX must seem much faster.

Oh. . .and I forgot about suspension options. All in due time. Worn parts out. . .new parts in. . ..

Does your PCX seem more stable the faster you go or less stable? You mentioned you have the taller windscreen.

[alx123]

[quote="PCX150Rider"]The first 100 miles I accelerated strongly to give the piston rings a chance to grind into the cylinder wall in order to break in without any lugging and let the bearings ease in as well. Waves of runs from 0 to 30 or 35 MPH. That being said it wasn't sustained speed. It was more about strong handfuls of throttle and then abundant engine braking to let the oil to do it's job. So after about 300 miles I tended to ride it more normally. . .. After that I started pushing into the 45 MPH to 50 MPH range. . .again with handfuls of throttle and then backing off to a 35 MPH or so. Now that I'm just over 500 miles I wanted to give the engine a chance to get used to 55 to 60 MPH. Reaching with the throttle but not cruising at those speeds.

So I don't know if it's Global Warming or what but it seems like it's windy every day here now. . .I live along the east coast U.S. . . .and without taking it onto an Interstate Highway there are limited places I can push into the 50 MPH range. Since all other aspects of the machine seem to be OK I'm thinking it's a combination of my weight (250ish lbs./18 stone), the wind, and the motor could still be a bit tight. I had a Ninja 750R back in the '80s that ran tight for about 1500 miles and once it started to loosen up it was a real eye-opener.

Since I'm so close to doing the first oil change I'll wait until after that to try for 60 MPH and will wait for a calm day. Will post results in a couple of weeks. . .. [/quote]


two things..

Probably not done breaking in (i doubt it, since i believe the scoot can run top straight fron the dealer)

strong winds, really can affect

Youre heavy at 250.

Wait, that's 3 things...

[alx123]

The same hill, the same equipment, the same winds less than 10mph. Gear just hadn't broke in completely. These belts and rollers get better and better in the first 4K and peak performances are seen. Then they slowly degrade in speed I think, I'm not there yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EQ6MHoIYAo

Neat tacho. Saw cheap digital ones in Ebay, are they accurate somehow?

Btw, I can your speedo almost as accurate as your phones GPS..maybe little discrepancy but almost on point..

[homie]

Neat tacho. Saw cheap digital ones in Ebay, are they accurate somehow?
Btw, I can your speedo almost as accurate as your phones GPS..maybe little discrepancy but almost on point..

GPS speed will lag on all apps I've tried, Guess it's just the nature of the connection. Tach should be keeping with the RPM. Yes on ebay and Amazon

Koso Tachometer
https://www.amazon.com/Koso-BA003040-Mi ... Tachometer

Koso Temperature Gauge
Now they have this too https://www.amazon.com/Koso-BA003035-Mi ... Tachometer

[alx123]

Neat tacho. Saw cheap digital ones in Ebay, are they accurate somehow?
Btw, I can your speedo almost as accurate as your phones GPS..maybe little discrepancy but almost on point..

GPS speed will lag on all apps I've tried, Guess it's just the nature of the connection. Tach should be keeping with the RPM. Yes on ebay and Amazon

Koso Tachometer
https://www.amazon.com/Koso-BA003040-Mi ... Tachometer

Koso Temperature Gauge
Now they have this too https://www.amazon.com/Koso-BA003035-Mi ... Tachometer

Used an app called DigiHUD this afternoon to check accuracy of my speedo. Though I wasnt able to watch it real time as I dont have a phone holder..i put the phone inside the gloves storage

Reached a speed of around 103kph (64mph) but wasn't able to push it more because there is a lot of cars ahead.

The app registered a top speed of 98kph or 60.8 mph..

So im guessing my speedo is around 4mph off at that speed..

[Mel46]

Keeping in mind that the pcx is a light bike, when I am on the freeway with it and am running at around 70 mph it seems light, and it feels like it might lift off at any moment. However, it is somewhat stable at that speed, so I am sure that it is only it's weight that is making it feel so light. I do have the tall windshield on it but for me it is much more of a help than a hindrance. The wind flows around and over it rather than slamming me square in the chest.
Prior to having the tall one on it I had the mid high one. Going on the freeway with that windshield was full of surprises. I could be moving along with the traffic and suddenly get a headwind from a truck that would make me feel like the bike had come to a sudden stop, while my body was being pushed backward. It is a weird feeling. All I could do was hang on tight until the blast of wind had dissipated.
Climbing hilly roads is entirely different. The bike is only making up for lost power, not trying to race ahead, though I guess you could try doing that as well. I just want to enjoy the ride and keep up with traffic.

[PCX150Rider]

Did about 70 miles today. PCX running great on fresh oil. Had a stretch of flat road with no wind and touched 60 MPH with some room left to go higher. The machine feels like it's starting to loosen up a bit. Just over 700 miles clocked now and couldn't be happier with it.

[PCX150Rider]

Added note - checked my mileage today. . .118.4 MPG. That's a mix of around town and regular 45 - 50 MPH road riding yesterday. Using Shell 87 Octane (91 RON) ethanol fuel.

[BPT7594]

I don't know about you guys but I did some small mods in my pcx150 and it reaches 80mph, at least on the speedometer, easily. Just a swap of new variator.

[djbass]

80 mph Confess what is this new CVT? You have a picture?

[PCX150Rider]

80 MPH on a PCX? ATGATT for sure.

[homie]

So that must be a non-LED 2014 PCX with a vario kit running downhill and a tailwind