New Owner, possibly some problems

[OldGuywhoTinkers]

I found a almost brand new 2013 Honda PCX150 in my state with 19 actual miles, had it looked at briefly by Honda of Florence, SC and purchased it. It started easily, but had been garaged since 2013. While driving it home (80 miles away) the gas gauge indicated 80% full, but I ran out of gas on the interstate 3 minutes later. So after my wife rescued me, I had a full tank but half way home the led gas gauge readouts were slowly going down, ALL the LED readouts just flashed on and off, in unison. Being cautious, I topped the tank off again (since I no longer trusted the fuel gauge). Also, after fueling up, I ran it up to 60 mph and the temperature light came on intermittently. Back at the Honda dealership the person who had checked it out had insisted that coolant levels rarely budged. I have had cars all my life, worked on them and owned two or three motorcycles all my life, so I gambled that it might be the sudden load I had placed on the bike, I reduced speed to 40 mph, and the temperature light went out, and then stayed out as I increased my speed again to 60 mph

The bike starts and rides ok, otherwise. Off hand I am suspecting that because of the non use the level sensor or measuring device might be bad from the storage. And my in town driving is likely to be less strenous than traveling 60 mph on the interstate. (By the way a state trooper pulled me over for not having a tag, and asked "how fast can that thing go" ? , I noticed you were keeping up with the traffic pretty good !

I know I can always have it looked at at any Honda dealership for whatever they charge. I am considerring using alternate motorcycle shops that I have used in the past to save money on any repairs.

One other thing. I can turn a wrench, but without a You-Tube video (and they are out there) it's threatening to try to one, diagnose, and two, repair something you have never taken apart before.

Other factors, brand new tires, and brand new battery, (because they had to replace it) otherwise, seems to run good, can kit 62 mph.

Any comments ?

[easyrider]

Old and crotchety sensors .. Run the hell out of it and hopefully things will loosen up. Put some fuel cleaner in the tank and only use Chevron (techron) for the next few fills.Hopefully things will loosen up..Good luck..

[gn2]

The coolant should be changed every two years whether the engine is run or not, plus its essential to use the correct coolant.
Oil should be changed every year, again whether the engine is run or not.
Brake fluid and final drive case oil should also be changed every two years.
If the fuel used had been left in since 2013 it should have been drained and discarded.
The fuel gauge sender might be stuck after five years of sitting in the same position?
I'm sure that once you get all the old fluids swapped for fresh and the levels checked it'll run just fine.

[GeorgeSK]

GN2's got it. Just change ALL the fluids - sitting for maybe four years cannot have done anything any good. It may take a few tanks of top-tier gas to clear the crap out of the injector nozzle from running the gas that was in it while it sat around. I would even be tempted to try some fuel injector cleaner. Battery is also probably suspect. I have a 13 PCX, and the gas gauge has always been more for decoration than information. I use the trip odo and just fill up sometime after 100 miles. Search you-tube for how-to's on the fluid changes - I don't believe that you have to go very far into the plastics to do most of the work yourself (although I might leave the brake fluid change for the man). Look through the archives - you will likely find a reference to a manual pdf, or search online to purchase your own copy (or don't bother searching...
https://www.helminc.com/helm/product2.a ... itemtype=N)


Once your new scoot is humming, you will be a very happy camper, so long as you don't need to break 65 MPH, or spend lots of time above 60. It shines in a twisty doing 40-45, and it will surprise pretty much everyone off a light when you peg it. Welcome aboard.

[Oyabun]

Check battery terminals also. Buggery efi problems are about to happen when they are loose or corroded.

[fish]

Check battery terminals also. Buggery efi problems are about to happen when they are loose or corroded.

Yep, I have seen loose battery and loose ground connections cause all dash lights to intermittent blinking.
Fish

[Mel46]

When I purchase any used vehicle I immediately take it to a shop and have ALL of the fluids replaced. I bought a Burgman 400 once that had sat in a barn for 6 years before I purchased it. I trailers it to the dealer and had it gone over completely, including changing all of the fluids. When the took the panels off they found lots of evidence that something had once made it their home. They also found that the fuel was bad, so they flushed out the old and added new fuel as well as some fuel "cleaner".

It ran fine from then on. I traded it for my PCX and as far as I know the guy who purchased it is still quite happy with it. (The dealer had a buyer even before I finished the paperwork on my new PCX.)

[WhiteNoise]

Hi OldGuywhoTinkers Welcome Aboard!
Are you getting "anywhere" ( ) with your problem? Any of the tips above helping? Please keep us posted. We're here to help learn and enjoy the same interest(s) with one another so we hope to accomplish that. "This is How We Do It..."

By the way, when you add your location to your profile that helps us to help you (now and in the future). We can easily forget that we come from all over the globe and that our PCX's can and do differ. Once your Location is added, it will appear under your forum name. Then with a quick glance we're able to get that extra info we need to move forward. (See my easy directions below my post to get that done).

~ Good luck! Thank ya and "Happy" Trails ~

[Mel46]

If we ever hear from you again Old guy, I just wanted to let you know that even brand new bikes that haven't been ridden for quite some time develop problems. When I purchased my 2013 brand new, straight out of the box PCX it had a mouse nest in it, and the mouse had chewed up some of the wiring harness. It happens. Let a mechanic go over the bike, and change out all the fluids, and it should straighten itself out soon enough.

[you you]

If we ever hear from you again Old guy, I just wanted to let you know that even brand new bikes that haven't been ridden for quite some time develop problems. When I purchased my 2013 brand new, straight out of the box PCX it had a mouse nest in it, and the mouse had chewed up some of the wiring harness. It happens. Let a mechanic go over the bike, and change out all the fluids, and it should straighten itself out soon enough.

I've got the emphasis on the "change all the fluids immediately" thing. Is it because mice are drinking them?

[Mel46]

Well I hope not, but you never know. Those mice are a bit strange as it is, but let them get near a bike and they really get strange. Don't be surprised if you see them hanging around biker bars after they make their home in a bike. Can you get drunk on any fluids in a bike?

[OldGuywhoTinkers]

Latest Update: Last month I gave my local private motorcycle repair shop the "go ahead" to rebuild my 2013 Honda PCX150 motor and install a Givi top rack. Diagnosis ? I must have run the scooter with very low or with diminished oil level. Embarrassing for me because I have changed oil and filters in at least six cars and two previous motorcycles over the past twenty years. Don"t let it happen to you! They did most of the work while my wife and I took a 5 week vacation north to Canada and back south via Cape Cod. Because of lack of oil, the engine was mostly trashed. We began with new Honda parts. The transmission was fine. In terms of notes, the needle bearing connecting rod was clearly overheated. So the newly rebuilt engine now runs just like the original. It has all new parts. It was very tricky evaluating "used motors" BECAUSE there apparently are differences between years. On example is changes between years where the fuel tank capacity changes. (The part numbers didn't always match up between years) Some notes about adding the Givi top rack, the mechanic had problems removing the rear fiberglass panel and slightly cracked it. So it pays to have the work done be someone who is experienced. I initially tried removing key rear body panel and gave up. They did not come apart easily! I have ordered a I-Phone holder and will try it out when it arrives. I also wired up and installed a trucker's cigarette lighter in the bottom cargo compartment that I can use to power a Garmin Nuvi or my I-phone. I wired this one with an extra on off switch because it has a light (which is an electrical drain) This more modern model has two USB outlets in addition to the standard female cigarette outlet. The Givi top rack is nice. With it I can carry a jacket, and do 95% of my daily errands or shopping. One last observation. Scooters are fun, but unless you have the patience of a watch maker, they can be a PAIN to take apart when you need to do repairs or mods.

[Mel46]

I have taken both of our 2013 PCX 150s apart so many times now that I can strip it down to the frame in an hour. It really is a fun bike. I put the tall Givi windshield on them because we wanted to enjoy riding them without worrying about the wind knocking us off of them.

Just FYI, the 2013 model is the fastest PCX they produced. After that they changed the gearing. That being said, with a NCY variator, drive face, and 13 gram weights it will top out in the mid 70s. That is as fast as anyone should go on that light of a bike. That being said, the extra speed really helps when climbing hills, though you won't be doing 70 mph going up a steep hill because it can not do it. It will just help you keep up with traffic.

We use ours on back country roads. There is so much to be seen when you take your time and enjoy the ride.

[OldGuywhoTinkers]

I have taken both of our 2013 PCX 150s apart so many times now that I can strip it down to the frame in an hour. It really is a fun bike. I put the tall Givi windshield on them because we wanted to enjoy riding them without worrying about the wind knocking us off of them.

Just FYI, the 2013 model is the fastest PCX they produced. After that they changed the gearing. That being said, with a NCY variator, drive face, and 13 gram weights it will top out in the mid 70s. That is as fast as anyone should go on that light of a bike. That being said, the extra speed really helps when climbing hills, though you won't be doing 70 mph going up a steep hill because it can not do it. It will just help you keep up with traffic.

We use ours on back country roads. There is so much to be seen when you take your time and enjoy the ride.

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If you are familiar with them, I would pay you the next time I want to service it, just to learn, like, when it is time to redo the variator and belts and what not. I could probably haul it up in my smaller 96 Tacoma pickup, cinched down correctly, and bring tools Am I correct, that you are in Georgia ? I live in Lexington, SC.

[Mel46]

Why would you need to bring tools? All you would need is the parts.

Yes, I live in a suburb of Atlanta.

I no expert by far but I learned directly from the best, Maddiedog. He runs this site. He has been really busy with family lately, but I am sure that if I ran into a problem I could call him. Dave, (maddiedog), could do this stuff in his sleep. Hopefully I won't need to wake him.

I have no problem working on your bike. I would love to do it.

However, that is quite a distance to drive. I would not be surprised if there were other members here who are much closer to you.

[easyrider]

If you want to learn I am sure there are lots of videos on this bike on you tube.Look around a bit.

[Mel46]

There is also a "How-to" section on this forum with pictures showing how to dismantle a PCX, provided by our founder, Maddiedog. You can follow it and learn a lot about taking the plastics off.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2630

...and there are also "How-to" threads for tuning, replacing variator, and all sorts of other things.