Briefly Considered a Motorcycle

[PCX150Rider]

Me too. BSA lightning & both Victors are gone, so is the Norton. But Roxanne, my 1970 Triumph stays - she's a wonderful bike.

The only thing I have left from my 1970 Triumph 250 Trophy is the Service Manual. Back then Metric hadn't overtaken the use of Whitworth yet. But Whitworth tooling as migrated into the new world. . .it gets complicated.



The valve springs were weak and the low end was crap. It wasn't the old 200 Cub.

After putting a valve through the piston, my pant leg catching on fire from an exhaust leak between the header and silencer, battery shifting and the terminal shorting out on the side cover (cigarette pack foil would come to the aid wrapped around a fuse in a pinch to get home), and finally the main bearing showing signs of ceasing up after I had the original replaced a year earlier, I decided without hesitation to sell to a locally well known motorcycle scrap yard. The owner's comment was. . .after he took it for a ride around his building. . ."I'll give you beer money for it. . .". Need I say more?

My friends in a club I rode with at the time mostly had Bonny's (miss the scent of chain case oil), and in order to move on I bought a used '73 TX650A Yamaha. Actually put some Bonneville silencers on it and it sounded great. Just had to be careful on cornering as the pipes hung a little closer to the ground than the stock ones. I think I put over 60K miles on it before I sold it. Took it cross country with the club (who eventually were migrating to Honda Fours and Wings) to Colorado and did Black Hawk - Central City region, Pikes Peak, Aspen, Vail, and Mesa Verde. The valves were easy to get to and the CV Carbs were great.

Time for another coffee. . .and I more than briefly considered more motorcycles since. . .never gave it up. . .but have to say the PCX is one awesome "go to" machine. . .just wish the stock seat was flat and more cushioned. Not selling that one!

[Mel46]

Well I think it is great to ride either a scooter or a motorcycle. However, I have found my PCX to be far more practical in town, and far less likely to get the attention of the police. ...and if you think that it is only good for intown use, put a good seat on it or a gel pad, replace the shocks with adjustable ones, buy a mesh motorcycle jacket such as a Tourmaster Sonora, and go for a long ride in the country. Your little PCX will do almost 65 mph without mods, which should be fine off of the freeways. You can get more out of it than that but riding between 45 and 55 mph is ideal for not only the bike but also for actually seeing the sites. :-)
If you feel that a mesh jacket would not give you enough protection just know that I had an accident while wearing mine and it did a spectacular job. I actually walked away with minor bruises. Also know that the Sonora comes with both a removable rain jacket liner and a removable quilted vest for warmth when needed. I take those out of the jacket and ride with them under the seat when I think they may be needed.
Decide what you will use your bike for most of the time. Then you can decide if the PCX is enough for you.

[PaCoX]

Well I think it is great to ride either a scooter or a motorcycle. However, I have found my PCX to be far more practical in town, and far less likely to get the attention of the police. ...and if you think that it is only good for intown use, put a good seat on it or a gel pad, replace the shocks with adjustable ones, buy a mesh motorcycle jacket such as a Tourmaster Sonora, and go for a long ride in the country. Your little PCX will do almost 65 mph without mods, which should be fine off of the freeways. You can get more out of it than that but riding between 45 and 55 mph is ideal for not only the bike but also for actually seeing the sites. :-)
If you feel that a mesh jacket would not give you enough protection just know that I had an accident while wearing mine and it did a spectacular job. I actually walked away with minor bruises. Also know that the Sonora comes with both a removable rain jacket liner and a removable quilted vest for warmth when needed. I take those out of the jacket and ride with them under the seat when I think they may be needed.
Decide what you will use your bike for most of the time. Then you can decide if the PCX is enough for you.

When I bought the PCX I also bought some Icon riding jeans, a Cortech GX Sport Air 4.0 jacket (removable quilted vest and rain liner), motorcycle sneakers, and gloves. My Bell Qualifier DLX helmet lets in excessive wind noise, but I wear ear plugs nonetheless. When I got back on the PCX to go home after the Motorcycle course, it was so nice to just twist-n-go. Even though I bought the PCX to primarily use as a commuter, I really should take advantage of my area because there are ample mountain roads, long stretches of coastline, and paved backroads through agricultural farms all within a 50-mile radius of me. And you're right, that even with everything still stock on the PCX (still breaking it in), it's more than capable to handle any hill climb or road that doesn't have to exceed 55 mph.