The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

Hello

As talked about on the other thread, I have exchanged my 125 for a new 300 forza.

I picked it up yesterday, it is matt metallic grey.

Very happy with it so far, running in of course, Honda say to be gentle for 300 miles (the dealer says 200) but I guess it doesnt matter much save for tyres and brakes and not be really silly until the first oil change at 600 miles.

Done 120 miles and am enjoying it, nice and quick to 50 ish and top end is plenty for what I need, only been to 65mph which is very easy

Bike reckons it is doing approx 85 mpg (UK) which is good, I reckon I will average 80mpg (UK) plus, and it is probably good for 100mpg (UK) max if driving at optimum and 60mpg (UK) worse if driven like a loon or for short journeys etc.

Screen is ace, it could do with being a little bit higher at its highest, but it is still nice to be able to change on the move, rather than having to stop and wrestle the screen in a layby (ala 125)

I have the Honda heated grips which are nice (looking). Not the hottest but enough for what I need, proper gloves are the only real solution in very cold weather. It does integrate into the dash which is nice.

Came with top box (Manual key) which I have removed anyway and will only use for trips away as under seat is big. Keyless box is mega money £850 or something completely daft, even the salesman said it was silly and they havent sold any.

Keyless ignition, I would rather it wasnt but it is okay. When I had my xmax 300 I just left the key in the glove box all the time, even when parked. I probably should be more careful.

Pirelli tyres seem very good in dry, dont know for wet yet, but progressive lean and no problems there. Wet is the real test though.

Suspension is typically scooter, but I dont mind scooter suspension. I have a 'proper' (haha) bike which is better of course, but this is great for country lanes and most places. A little bumpy over rough surfaces, but I dont mind that.

Plenty quick enough for road use, zips to 50mph easily and climbs well from there.

Doesnt hestitate from a stand still too much (something I didnt like on the xmax 300) so good off the line and will get you ahead of most wallys on the road.

Looks smart in matt grey I have to admit, it is functional , but smart with it.

Only complaints so far:

Came dirty from new, seems to be the theme, my motorbike was the same, and I need to clean it properly and protect it up.

Matt paintwork cant be polished and shows greasey marks easily (fingers etc) will get it pucker at the weekend and take some photos.

Display is a bit small, but like the analogue sections. I dont care much for the info anyway.

Button layout is a bit confused, but who cares, you set for what you need and leave it.

There is a plastic, sheild for exhaust link pipe that goes rusty (to cover it up)

What else,

Lights are ace, very good

Wing mirrors better than old model

Indicators remain lit when riding and flash when indicating.

No one knows it is a 300 and you can blitz twits from the lights. (to a point)

Is it better than my motorbike?

Yes it is, it is fantastic and much better than my motorbike save for only one thing and that is the thing that might get me killed or in jail

All the best

Pictures to follow once I deem it clean enough to photograph.

Even straight out of the dealer it wasnt to this standard

ADDITIONAL

The roads are mega quiet for some reason at the mo (?!)

Get out there and have some fun

I think 125cc for a Forza that weighs so much is just a bit underpowered, enjoy the real deal, going to 300cc must be fun, though in UK need to watch those cameras, here in Thailand we just need to watch the loonies...! -:)

I did enjoy the 125, but the 300 is so much nicer and you dont need to thrash it everywhere.

The 300 is a little heavier (20kgs) but I havent noticed the extra weight except for it seems a bit more planted on the motorway/dual carriage way

Speed cameras indeed, there was no danger on the 125 due to the power and over optimistic speedo.

300 speedo seems a bit more realistic so far and you do have to watch in 30 zones as it will creep to 40 very easily

Seen some videos from Thailand and it does look dangerous for two wheels, what with the loonies, but also loose uneven road surfaces!

Take it easy

Hi I very happily purchased the same colour, was second hand and have been using it to commute from Hertfordshire to London whilst in lockdown( yes I’m still working ).
Bike is fantastic, will happily sit at 80mph on the A1M.
No heated grips sadly but did have back box and higher Givi screen which is a must !
Have purchased some BarkBuster Wind deflectors for the grips as I suffer with cold hands.
Really really pleased and it’s a great looking scooter !
Only downside I have to keep filling it up every 2-3 days !

Hello Chaps,

Finally got around to taking some pictures of the Forza 300

Still pleased with the purchase, havent ridden it as much as I wanted because of the situation, but have been using to work, but had to stop using it for a while as the mileage was getting high and it needs it first service which I have now booked in.

Pictures attached.

My initial impressions are pretty accurate still,

I do now think the screen is a bit of a problem, it is too short and could do with being a bit wider, I am going to look into a solution for this. But i do like the electric side

The button cluster on the left side handlebar is a bit bulky and I do catch it on u turns etc so have to reposition my legs when doing such turns.

I am 6' 2" so it might not affect shorter riders, but the switch cluster makes for slightly less room.

Havent had a chance to take it on an away trip, but to show how good it is, I would take the Forza over my 'sport tourer' motorbike as it is more comfortable, roomier, carries more gear, better weather protection, the forza wins on everything for touring. If I can get a better screen it will be perfect for touring.

See pictures.

Easy to keep clean once I have now protected it.

The bike came new with three marks that wont come off, nothing major, but new doesnt mean perfect. Not sure they are particularly well looked after and treated more like washing machines by the dealers.

Not going to make a fuss, the marks are very small and it will pick up the odd blemish over time, just try to minimise as much as possible.

ForzaPete wrote:Hi I very happily purchased the same colour, was second hand and have been using it to commute from Hertfordshire to London whilst in lockdown( yes I’m still working ).
Bike is fantastic, will happily sit at 80mph on the A1M.
No heated grips sadly but did have back box and higher Givi screen which is a must !
Have purchased some BarkBuster Wind deflectors for the grips as I suffer with cold hands.
Really really pleased and it’s a great looking scooter !
Only downside I have to keep filling it up every 2-3 days !

Thanks for your post,

How you getting on with the Givi screen?

Does it work okay with the electric mechanism?

Wondering what is like on the lowest setting as well as the highest for summer use around town etc?

Please re-size the pics to 720 by 540 or less. Too big for my 22 inch screen.

davenowherejones wrote:Please re-size the pics to 720 by 540 or less. Too big for my 22 inch screen.

Hi

Was having some fun getting them on and they are quite big,

Not sure if I can edit the old pictures now, but have attached better size ones hopefully.

Maybe someone can let me know how to remove the old big pictures and I can sort them out?

Regards

Went out for a long ride yesterday to do some higher speeds and finish the run in process, now north of 500 miles with the first service booked in.

On a dualcarriage way about 70mph, notice temperature rising and then coolent red light flashing,

Back right off and temperature comes down to normal, but then rapidly rises to red zone again.

Slowing to 50mph and sort of positive throttle resulting in temperature gauge shooting back up, so slowing down I ride for approx 1 -2 miles to find safe space to stop as am on fast country road and come across garage forecourt to bail into.

Eventually got recovered as bike has breakdown cover and I didnt fancy riding it with coolent coming out of it.

Recovery man, couldnt fix as he didnt know how to get panels off safely to inspect what had gone wrong. but header tank was completely full and the coolent had been coming out of the header tank pressure release part? and was visible coolent dripping from under tray and on the exhaust.

So not sure if somehow a stone has popped something or a hose wasnt tight enough, but bike is back at dealers for review.

Will update when i know, but guess it is something simple.

Wise to call recovery, that's very unusual for Forza, my old model never passes the half bar on temperature gauge in any condition , even in hot weather..., unless I stop from a long fast ride, then to 3/4...

I guess you did, but should also check engine oil when this happens...

I did think that yesterday, ambient temperature was 17 degrees C so not exactly hot and when moving at 70mph it is getting good airflow so the temperature shouldnt be moving at all.

Did check oil as well by side of road and that was okay so hopefully nothing serious although breakdown guy said it is either something simple or head gasket!

ALways a bit freaky getting a vehicle recovered, especially a new one, but recovery man was very careful with bike and really took his time to look after it which was good

"Went out for a long ride yesterday to do some higher speeds and finish the run in process,"

There's your problem right there.

Also... Forza coolant pump mechanical seals are known to fail.

Hope they sort out the coolant issue . . ..

The Forza 300 has gotten a lot of great reviews.

I noticed how "busy" your left handlebar switch layout is. I can understand your comments about making tight left turns and having to move your leg to avoid switch contact. It looks like quite a "control center".

That said a feature on my X-Max that I like is they incorporated the "Info A" and "Info B", if you will . . ., into one levered switch on the right handle bar. You can either depress or pry the switch towards you depending upon your needs.

Zontes 310 got a button for everything.

gn2 wrote:"Went out for a long ride yesterday to do some higher speeds and finish the run in process,"

There's your problem right there.

Also... Forza coolant pump mechanical seals are known to fail.

Hopefully it is all covered under warranty whatever the outcome, will update here when I get some news.

I have always given the new bikes I have had a long harder ride prior to the first service to show up any weak points as you tend to go very easy on them at first because of the newness and the learning of a new machine.

This is the first new bike that has revealed something!

Old Grinner wrote:Hope they sort out the coolant issue . . ..

The Forza 300 has gotten a lot of great reviews.

I noticed how "busy" your left handlebar switch layout is. I can understand your comments about making tight left turns and having to move your leg to avoid switch contact. It looks like quite a "control center".

That said a feature on my X-Max that I like is they incorporated the "Info A" and "Info B", if you will . . ., into one levered switch on the right handle bar. You can either depress or pry the switch towards you depending upon your needs.

That is a lot of buttons on the Zonte!

I did have an Xmax 300 at one point and the layout and information is better than the Forza, and as you say the switch was a good idea.

The Forza one is a bit fiddly and not that intuitive, but you dont need to use it that much. In the dark I can imagine it being very difficult!

On one of the older Honda Gold Wings I counted over 100 (?) buttons and switches. Touch screens have simplified things now.

Minor update:

Bike is still at the garage,

Good news is they can recreate the problem,

Bad news is they dont know what is causing it, they think it might be an airlock so have drained the coolent and refilled and are going to retest it.

Bit weird if it is an airlock in the system, but will have to see

At least they can see it has an issue

Bit disappointing for a new Honda to suffer, maybe they arent quite the reliable things I thought they were these days and how does a new bike end up with an airlock anyway?

The only other thing I can think, is there is a known problem with those bikes, that they are going to fix and fob it off on an airlock issue

My 2014 was a rebuilt fall in the parking lot wreck.

I took it for a ride up the 4000 foot Coquihalla Pass when it was new to me.

It was over heating until I filled the radiator to the TOP using a paper cup out of the garbage can.

It still has that mountain water in it after 135,000 km. (83,000 miles) No over heats.