PCX 150 at freeway speed.

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LeewardCoast
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PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by LeewardCoast »

Do you folks feel comfortable on the PCX at freeway speeds 60+ mph? I took mine on the freeway 3 times in two days. Bike feels a little small to me for freeway speeds. Lots of wind buffeting, really squirrley on grooved pavement. It probably just me. I don’t even take my big bikes on the freeway.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by Gil »

Even Though it's a light bike, it does very good with cross winds. The only thing that it lacks in my opinion is more power. One third my commute is on the freeway.

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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by lolofigo »

LeewardCoast wrote:Do you folks feel comfortable on the PCX at freeway speeds 60+ mph? I took mine on the freeway 3 times in two days. Bike feels a little small to me for freeway speeds. Lots of wind buffeting, really squirrley on grooved pavement. It probably just me. I don’t even take my big bikes on the freeway.
My pcx has yuminashi 164 kit and does 80 mph flat out. Everything above 60mph is just dreadfull. Little bike is all over the place.

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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by you you »

Mine maxes out at 68 mph. Its absolutely fine at these speeds
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by you you »

lolofigo wrote:
LeewardCoast wrote:Do you folks feel comfortable on the PCX at freeway speeds 60+ mph? I took mine on the freeway 3 times in two days. Bike feels a little small to me for freeway speeds. Lots of wind buffeting, really squirrley on grooved pavement. It probably just me. I don’t even take my big bikes on the freeway.
My pcx has yuminashi 164 kit and does 80 mph flat out. Everything above 60mph is just dreadfull. Little bike is all over the place.

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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by PCX150Rider »

Even Though it's a light bike, it does very good with cross winds. The only thing that it lacks in my opinion is more power. One third my commute is on the freeway.
I agree. . .the PCX is rather good in cross winds. It actually surprised me when I first discovered that earlier this year.

That being said I never (nor will) take it on limited access highways (Interstates or Turnpikes) where the speed limit is 65 MPH. People are generally pushing 80 MPH and my biggest fear would be getting hit from behind by someone passing a truck or tall SUV and pulling into what they think is an open space and accidentally pushing me off the road (especially if they are on the phone). Years ago when people had "station wagons" at least you could see through the back window through the windshield and know what was up ahead. Since the SUV craze (taller profile vehicles) now your vision is somewhat blocked and you may not know what's ahead of the vehicle in front of you (especially if they are two-wheelers) until you get there.

When the speed limit used to be 55 MPH here (during the Nixon years) I could take my old Suzuki TC90 dirt bike on the Interstates and keep up with traffic no problem (could get over 60 MPH out of that thing). Not anymore. . .everyone is in a rush and short on time. Sad to say but it's like the old adage "Might is Right". :geek:
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by Mel46 »

We have stopped taking ours on the freeway, though they can do it. My wife's has the full NCY variator changeover which makes it easier for her to top out above 70 mph and still have some reserve. Though the pcx CAN go on the freeway doesn't mean that it should. It is very light, so any trucks that pass it just about lift it off of the pavement. We stay in the far outside lane and only go on the freeway for a couple of exits. It is fine for that.
Still, it is not meant for high speed riding, especially on the freeways here in the United States. Drivers around here just are in too much of a hurry, and they will run over you without thinking about it. The PCX is a great intown bike. That is what it was built for... and nice leisurely country rides. :-)
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by Eiron »

Mel46 wrote:We have stopped taking ours on the freeway, though they can do it. My wife's has the full NCY variator changeover which makes it easier for her to top out above 70 mph and still have some reserve. Though the pcx CAN go on the freeway doesn't mean that it should. It is very light, so any trucks that pass it just about lift it off of the pavement. We stay in the far outside lane and only go on the freeway for a couple of exits. It is fine for that.
Still, it is not meant for high speed riding, especially on the freeways here in the United States. Drivers around here just are in too much of a hurry, and they will run over you without thinking about it. The PCX is a great intown bike. That is what it was built for... and nice leisurely country rides. :-)
Completely agree with this. :) I have the Yuminashi variator upgrade and have had my 2015 up to 73 mph (which is good for being at 5000' elevation!), but I won't take it on the freeways out here. And yes, I, too, get a lot of squirm on grooved pavement. There are a couple of sections between me and neighboring towns. Relaxing my grip on the bars seems to help, but I still don't enjoy those sections and look for routes to avoid them.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by easyrider »

Mel46 wrote:We have stopped taking ours on the freeway, though they can do it. My wife's has the full NCY variator changeover which makes it easier for her to top out above 70 mph and still have some reserve. Though the pcx CAN go on the freeway doesn't mean that it should. It is very light, so any trucks that pass it just about lift it off of the pavement. We stay in the far outside lane and only go on the freeway for a couple of exits. It is fine for that.
Still, it is not meant for high speed riding, especially on the freeways here in the United States. Drivers around here just are in too much of a hurry, and they will run over you without thinking about it. The PCX is a great intown bike. That is what it was built for... and nice leisurely country rides. :-)
I agree.not heavy enough for leisurely riding on a high speed interstate highway.Too viby ..
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by you you »

easyrider wrote:
Mel46 wrote:We have stopped taking ours on the freeway, though they can do it. My wife's has the full NCY variator changeover which makes it easier for her to top out above 70 mph and still have some reserve. Though the pcx CAN go on the freeway doesn't mean that it should. It is very light, so any trucks that pass it just about lift it off of the pavement. We stay in the far outside lane and only go on the freeway for a couple of exits. It is fine for that.
Still, it is not meant for high speed riding, especially on the freeways here in the United States. Drivers around here just are in too much of a hurry, and they will run over you without thinking about it. The PCX is a great intown bike. That is what it was built for... and nice leisurely country rides. :-)
I agree.not heavy enough for leisurely riding on a high speed interstate highway.Too viby ..

Viby?
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by GeorgeSK »

Perhaps a 70's term...:)

But of course we know what he meant.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by WhiteNoise »

A few exits at speed and that's enough of that! Next exit I'm off and welcoming 35-50 again. This scoot's a 153cc scoot after all. I'll cruise on smile and enjoy...every moment. Weeeeeeeeee
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by Jge64 »

WhiteNoise wrote:A few exits at speed and that's enough of that! Next exit I'm off and welcoming 35-50 again. This scoot's a 153cc scoot after all. I'll cruise on smile and enjoy...every moment. Weeeeeeeeee
The pcx is a GREAT 40mph bike. I actually like it more than my mid sized 700 CTX. I have much more situational awareness on the PCX, and maneuverability is better, quicker.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by springer1 »

WhiteNoise wrote:A few exits at speed and that's enough of that! Next exit I'm off and welcoming 35-50 again. This scoot's a 153cc scoot after all. I'll cruise on smile and enjoy...every moment. Weeeeeeeeee
My rides are basically 35-55 out in the countryside, and I'm always impressed with how this bike performs.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by WI_Hedgehog »

LeewardCoast wrote:Do you folks feel comfortable on the PCX at freeway speeds 60+ mph? I took mine on the freeway 3 times in two days. Bike feels a little small to me for freeway speeds. Lots of wind buffeting, really squirrley on grooved pavement. It probably just me. I don’t even take my big bikes on the freeway.
There are a lot of threads on this, maybe try "Search"....and/or reading older threads in the General section--they're quite useful, I'm up to page 54 and find an average of 1-2 useful threads per page.

It's light, but after three months you'll probably get used to the buffeting and react without thinking about it. It's a combination of slowing down, loosening your grip, body position, weight distribution, relaxing, etc. If you drive it every day you can make small changes over time that result in making 2 wheels fun and comfortable in most non-rain/snow conditions. If it's a really strong wind you probably need city streets instead of the freeway, the PCX has a lot of power for a 50cc size scooter body, but not quite enough for strong gusts on the freeway.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by hookedonit »

Took it 1 exit on my local freeway, got a good taste for its handling. It's pretty good, but I won't be using it for that. The scooter from 0-55 is absolutely amazing stock. This thing is perfect for your townie bike for you and your better half to get some dinner, see a movie, take a ride to your local scenic spot.

I think if I need to get on the freeway and my z650 isn't cutting it, I'd trade my pcx150 in for a Forza with more power. I do have upgrades on the way but really for squeezing out a little more acceleration... but top-end I'm good.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by you you »

GeorgeSK wrote:Perhaps a 70's term...:)

But of course we know what he meant.

Vibey if you are being picky.

But not on a tweety scoot.

No vibration. Bit of a buzz if you are a sensitive tuppence?
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by Mel46 »

If I lived in a place where scooters were more plentiful this would be my choice for in town and countryside travel. It handles very nicely, is comfortable now that I have changed out the seat, and is nimble. I have a tall windshield on it to keep the wind chill down, and I have more than enough storage. There isn't much more you could ask of an in town scooter.
However, I still would NOT use it for expressway travel. Though it could do it, grudgingly, it was not built for that purpose. To me it would be the same as taking a Smart Car on a long trip. It could do it, but it probably would get very uncomfortable very quickly.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by you you »

hookedonit wrote:Took it 1 exit on my local freeway, got a good taste for its handling. It's pretty good, but I won't be using it for that. The scooter from 0-55 is absolutely amazing stock. This thing is perfect for your townie bike for you and your better half to get some dinner, see a movie, take a ride to your local scenic spot.

I think if I need to get on the freeway and my z650 isn't cutting it, I'd trade my pcx150 in for a Forza with more power. I do have upgrades on the way but really for squeezing out a little more acceleration... but top-end I'm good.
Problem is you probably have the god awful North American version of the z650. The European version was excellent at the time. Couldn't half wheelie although the rear mudguard was always a worry :lol:

I'd have one now if I could. In green.
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Re: PCX 150 at freeway speed.

Post by superandyp »

I ride with rollerskates for extra stability :D
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