Impressions from the first ride on the PCX.

[Inoplanetyanin]

First I have to mention that I currently ride a 50cc Honda Metropolitan and have put nearly 16,000 miles on it. Prior to Metropolitan, I had a 650 cc 1982 Yamaha Maxim motorcycle.

I've been considering the PCX and 110 Honda Elite for the past year but never had a chance to ride either.

Finally I found a used PCX 125 with 800 miles at my dealer who was willing to let me test ride it.
The first thing I noticed was how rough the engine felt when I first started it. Compared to the tiny and smooth metropolitan engine, the PCX's 125 thumper shook very noticeably and even made me wonder if it had some problem and the engine was out of balance or had a misfire.

Once it warmed up and after nearly 40 minutes of riding, I came to realize that that was its normal sound and feel.

I've taken the scooter on the city residential streets, major city street, and even hwy to its top speed. So I can say that I've tried it in different riding conditions.

The acceleration was obviously not like on a 650 motorcycle, but it was definitely brisk and much quicker than my 16K metropolitan. With the PCX, I had no problem accelerating out of the traffic from red lights.
It also had a pretty quick pick up from 30 mph cruising, so to pass a car while in city traffic was very easy.

I did notice that the seat is higher and it's overall heavier than the Metro, so the maneuverability was significantly more difficulty. Simply put, I would be afraid to go off road into sand and gravel mountain road with the PCX compared to the Metro because I just wouldn't be able to keep it upright. The metro is like a toy between your legs that you just can't let go. Lol.

The brakes were excellent and I felt like it could stop on a dime. At one portion of the ride, it started raining, so I didn't want to apply the brakes too strongly, fearing the tiny front wheel road patch to give in and start sliding. The front wheel is really narrow compared to even metropolitan tires. The bike reached 65 mph and I slowed down fearing getting a speeding ticket as I was not sure what the speed limit was on that portion of the highway.

The bike was very smooth at speed and felt stable, just like a motorcycle.
I liked the side stand's convenience, even when I found out that it cut the engine off right before the light turned green and there were cars waiting patiently behind me.

Considering the limited storage under the sear and a lack of a flat floor, AND a lack of the trunk, the PCX loses significantly in practicality and as a scooter for loaded touring which I do at least once a month. Therefore, the Elite wins in that category.

I liked the instrument panel and the work of the suspension. It seemed to have absorbed all the pot holes and road bumps i rode over with ease and stability. Those kinds of bumps would leave me swearing at the city road repair crews if I hit them on the Metro.

All in all, it's a great scooter for someone who appreciates the highway capability (I don't mean the faster freeways/Interstate highways here in US), and definitely for someone who appreciates its style and appearance. It surely looks very well.

I did realize that it is a bit too much of a motorcycle for me and that I can't sacrifice maneuverability, light weight, and compact size of a Metropolitan for the benefits of the PCX.

This leaves me to test ride an Elite 110 if I will ever upgrade to a larger scooter. I now wonder how the Yamaha Vino 125 rides given that it has the small wheels similar to the Metro, and a gutsier 125 cc engine.

That's my review. I would urge anyone riding or considering a PCX to give something small like Honda Metropolitan a try first, because its benefits might just be what you are looking for.

For those who appreciate the PCX's strengths, you definitely have an amazingly well designed, modern machine.

[haildamage]

nice review. for me it is about the smallest motorcycle i would ride and i dont feel it is heavy at all. 50cc scoots scare me to death with their lack of power to pull into traffic, etc. it is a streetbike. if you want/need to ride gravel and sand, you should be looking at something different, IMO.

good luck in your quest to find the perfect scoot for your needs and preferences.

[Inoplanetyanin]

Thank you. To me it's more scary to be in traffic and going fast than going slowly. If I am hit from behind, I might as well be going slowly, that way my body does not have to decelerate and lose as much energy as if I was going faster.

Just because I am flowing with some of the traffic, there will always be drivers who will try to pass me no matter how fast im going, and I don't want to play a race game with those.

When I am slow, I take a lane and they pass me on the left in the available lane. If there is a safe shoulder, I ride close to it and watch the cars in the rear view mirror. Most give me enough room and move to the left lane anyway. I don't ride on two lane road often at all.

Lime green vest helps also.

What's the reason you feel scared on a 50 cc scooter?

[Rhodgie]

Thank you. To me it's more scary to be in traffic and going fast than going slowly.

Just because I am flowing with some of the traffic, there will always be drivers who will try to pass me no matter how fast im going, and I don't want to play a race game with those.

What's the reason you feel scared on a 50 cc scooter?

If your in traffic going too fast and scared then shut the throttle and slow down... but if your going too slow and traffic is having to pass you you cant speed up to get out of the way then your in danger with no way out!!!!

Yes you will always get someone trying to pass you and No you dont have to play a race game with them but I bet thats a very rare occurance.... however on a 50cc struggling to reach and maintain 30mph almost every other vehicle on the road will be trying to pass you.... and the more trying to pass then the more chance of someone hitting you!

Any vehicle on the road that cant maintain the speed limits of the roads its on shouldn't be there.

[Mitch Detailed]

Thank you. To me it's more scary to be in traffic and going fast than going slowly.

Just because I am flowing with some of the traffic, there will always be drivers who will try to pass me no matter how fast im going, and I don't want to play a race game with those.

What's the reason you feel scared on a 50 cc scooter?

If your in traffic going too fast and scared then shut the throttle and slow down... but if your going too slow and traffic is having to pass you you cant speed up to get out of the way then your in danger with no way out!!!!

Yes you will always get someone trying to pass you and No you dont have to play a race game with them but I bet thats a very rare occurance.... however on a 50cc struggling to reach and maintain 30mph almost every other vehicle on the road will be trying to pass you.... and the more trying to pass then the more chance of someone hitting you!

Any vehicle on the road that cant maintain the speed limits of the roads its on shouldn't be there.

In america, you have soccer moms driving minivans and SUV's not paying attention to the road, on the phone, texting while driving, etc.

Physics law: force = mass x acceleration. In other words, if you get hit by a 7000lb car going 10 mph faster than you, its going to hurt more than you hitting a car going 10mph slower than you.

Id rather have the upper hand and brake when necessary. Being able to accelerate out of dangerous or pre cautious situations is a driving tactic I use liberally

[you you]

Put the stick down and step away from the jellyfish...

[haildamage]

What's the reason you feel scared on a 50 cc scooter?

i feel much safer being able to move with the flow of traffic rather than being viewed as a slow moving obstacle that other drivers need to get around sometimes aggressively.

it also sucks to not have decent acceleration to pull out into traffic and get up to the speed of traffic and that really scares me.

i live in japan and these are big issues here, but i know from experience that the same issues would apply in the US.

[JetFalcon]

So you said you taken on the highway, but then it's not good for interstate? Well, this is my main concern for the bike because I need to use interstate freeways like I-5 or I-405 if I want to go to the next city. The bike was comfortable to straddle at the dealership and I would consider buying the bike for that.

But I also considered a Honda Reflex because it's a 250cc scooter which I was told can handle interstate freeways well. However it seems longer and less compact than the Honda PCX150. So not sure which one will be best in the long run as I never rode either one yet. Need to get my license or permit first.

[haildamage]

it is possible to run a marathon in flip flops, but that doesnt make it a good idea...

if you want to go on the interstates in the US, get a 250cc at least! you might be able to ride a PCX on the interstate, but it would be a lot more dangerous than something with a bit more power, IMO. the PCX 125 and even the 150 are for local roads type riding.

[you you]

Hoax or Alan Carr?

[Cooley_PCX_Rider]

My first impression was a smile as big as it gets.

I typically ride big bore motorcycles. My other two wheeled frenzy is the Victory High Ball with a hopped up engine.
I find the PCX smooth, quiet, refreshing and crazy fun.
Any speeds up to 60mph I love on this bike. I can't get it to go faster then 60 unless I have a strong tail wind.

The Victory is amazing and gets an amazing amount of looks, stares and photo taking from other men but the PCX
makes me smile.