The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

There's a lengthy thread on this forum called something like "Tuning the Forza CVT" or similar... I decided based on a perception that the rpm is artificially low up to about 50mph to give this a try.

Verdict:
If you don't spend much time going over 65mph, DO IT, it's a serious performance boost you can feel immediately. If you run mostly 65mph+ or less than 30 mph (residential and freeway), don't do it it's not worth it. The RPM and mileage hit suck on the freeway for negligible results over 65mph, and under 30 mph you've barely had time to run WOT anyway and why didn't you get a PCX?!?

Details:
I use my Forza as a commuter, over 90% freeway in the CA Bay Area: read strong winds and 70mph traffic, and occasionally a comfy 75% speed play bike through the hills when I don't feel like shifting on my motorcycle.

I almost always run a tall Honda screen, and I also have a couple Givi topcases, a B47 blade and a B29. I weigh about 230lbs.

I started tracking on Fuelly right after I did the mod. So here's the measurable stat - and I'll try to remember to post a comparison to stock over the coming six months: 58.4 mpg.

Here's some other fairly concrete observations:
- Acceleration RPM at WOT: 6500
- RPM at MPH approximate:
6500 @ 60 mph
7500 @ 70 mph
8500 @ 80 mph
top speed at 9000 redline (achievable under most conditions): 85 mph

Observations here down are "real world", with traffic on freeways during my commute, on close to flat roads usually with some wind:

Seat of the pants upsides: definitely accelerates *much* faster from about 35-65 mph, the most improvement is there. Noticeably quicker off the line, but not as awesome as the "midrange" where the stock variator is holding the rpm around 5.8K or making the transition to the final locked gear... over 65mph I'm not sure it helps at all to be honest.

Seat of the pants downsides: I would guess I've lost something like a solid 500+ rpm in the "locked" final gear, where I recollect I was running closer to 7K rpm at 70, 8K at 90, etc. Top speed remained about 85 (at about 8.5K rpm) but I could never get to redline... This means much more frenetic and strained freeway "cruising" if you could call the SF Bay Area commute that. Which you can't.

So why am I going back to stock? Because I really live on the freeway with this thing and 500+ rpm when redline is that close is not worth the acceleration to lose. Frankly you can really feel the acceleration. But I've got real bikes for that. Also, I would guess I'm losing 2mpg but we'll see. I also think the B47 costs me 1-2 mpg at 70 mph as well, but I don't need it for work so I usually run the smaller topcase and I don't think that costs me anything in mpg, and lets me store my lunch box, laptop and ... err man-purse a little easier.

The left front pocket is big enough for a man purse. I have weapons in mine. A little tiny leatherman that the USA thinks can make a 747 crash and a pen. I can kill you with my aluminum pen but then I have to get rid of a body so I stay out of the USA.

I also keep my hearing aids in the man purse when riding. I tried wearing them one day and I could not get my helmet off except with extreme difficulty and a little pain. Next to the hearing aids is a wallet with a really dangerous credit card. Damn you eBay and Amazon.

I carry some real Canadian plastic money also. The toonies and loonies are too heavy for the pockets. We got rid of our useless pennies so no need to carry those. I have coupons for McDonalds, some of them are not expired.

I carry drugs, ibuprofen, tooth pics and a dog poop bag. A safety whistle and ear plugs are handy. A breath mint and sweet candy are getting old.

I keep my rollers or sliders stock because the Forza is a low powered SCOOTER and nothing you do to it is going to make it Hayabusa fast. NOTHING!!!

A man purse? What has the world come to?

you you wrote:A man purse? What has the world come to?

Actually mine is a leather fanny pack which also has hearing aid batteries.

Riding naked would make the Forza go faster. Less drag.

davenowherejones: call it what you want. Mine has shoulder straps... The girl at the register said it was a nice bag, but I suspect she noticed the look of shame and resignation in my lowered gaze.

You see... I had a messenger bag which fit my padded laptop bag, but it was too bulky to go under the seat. Then I started noticing the drag effect of the B47 topcase in high-wind freeway use, and thus took the laptop bag out which DID fit under the seat. And then I didn't have anywhere to put my phones, chargers, and various other trinkets that might otherwise have gone in other pockets of the messenger bag.

THAT is what the world came to. I thought I was over it, but here I am posting in scooter forum about it. I think I should start a support group.

Oh, and "I keep my rollers or sliders stock because the Forza is a low powered SCOOTER and nothing you do to it is going to make it Hayabusa fast. NOTHING!!!"

It doesn't have to be Hayabusa fast, just faster than YOUR Forza. Trust me: it was.

And there is some irony to a Canadian two-wheeled enthusiast lecturing a Californian about the pursuit of fun at the expense of a little time and efficiency.

And that entire educational adventure cost me $78 with shipping, I used tools I already had, and unlike the PCX you don't even have to take any bodywork off the Forza to pop open the CVT.

davenowherejones wrote:

you you wrote:A man purse? What has the world come to?

Actually mine is a leather fanny pack which also has hearing aid batteries.

Riding naked would make the Forza go faster. Less drag.

Fanny means something else this side of the pond. Still appropriate though.

I wear Olympia mesh pants and jacket. The co-efficent of friction and air drag is probably higher than my hairy skin. I guess I could also shave to make the Forza go faster.

I am going to empty my Forza and weigh all of the crap I carry. I might leave some of it at home.

you you wrote:

davenowherejones wrote:

you you wrote:A man purse? What has the world come to?

Actually mine is a leather fanny pack which also has hearing aid batteries.

Riding naked would make the Forza go faster. Less drag.

Fanny means something else this side of the pond. Still appropriate though.

I know, there are some really crude jokes about this.

The experimentation with the CVT has been going on forever. All of the improvements have been marginal at best and fantasies at worst. Lots of fun though.

I think for low powered scooters, under 400cc, the biggest gains are from weight loss (you, not the scooter) and aerodynamics. The difference in performance upwind and downwind is huge. It would be fun to put a few adjustable flaps on the scooter to see what improvements could be made.