A "Somewhat New" User

[mjoa68]

Just took ownership of a new 2015 PCX 150 today. Snapped this pic while waiting for a small ferry on my way home from the dealership. I'm not exactly new to these forums though as I just traded in a Forza for this unit.

IMAG0079.jpg (829.98 KiB) Viewed 1126 times

I really liked the Forza, but after putting 180km on this today I have to say I *love* the PCX. This is going to be the perfect commuter and all around transport for the city. Anyway, just thought I'd say "hi". I've already found lots of useful info here and plan to add/upgrade a few thing down the road.

Cheers,
Mike

[chicaboo]

Hi Mike, I like the grey. How do you find the PCX coming from the Forza, speed and ride comfort wise?

[mjoa68]

...How do you find the PCX coming from the Forza, speed and ride comfort wise?

Well of course it took a bit to adjust to the drop in power and speed, but I didn't find it took long before I started to enjoy riding it better. Because I wanted something to augment my car for commuting and in city travel, that could also do highways, I thought the Forza would be the right displacement for me. Mind you my only other experience riding was a 50cc Yamaha C3 which was pathetically under-powered for my 6 foot tall, 220lb bulk.

But I found the Forza just too heavy and cumbersome for in town traffic in the small city I live in, especially for commuting in heavy traffic. Another major issue I was having is the seating position was really aggravating my arthritic knee, to the point where I couldn't really ride it. I took the seat hump off the Forza but even that was not working for me. I also realized that the weight of the Forza was not helping my knee either. I had actually debated between the PCX and the Forza and was starting to regret my decision to go with the bigger one. The dealership let me test ride the one PCX they had and after the first few minutes I loved the lighter weight, the better maneuverability, and the feeling of riding a scooter, as opposed to something that felt so heavy and more like a motorcycle.

I find the leg room is the same, but I have a flat seat on order that I learned about in these forums. When riding yesterday I sat on the pillion for much of the time and this alleviated the knee pain for me. I'm pretty sure once I have that seat and can position my butt wherever I want to I will be able to ride a lot more. I found the stock seat nice and comfy, and possibly a bit cushier than the Forza's but the ridge separating the pillion also forces me to sit where my knee is bent too sharply. I'm confident that the flat seat will solve this issue for me though, and this will make the PCX much more comfortable for me. I think for anyone where knee pain is not a concern I'd rate the PCX and Forza as equally comfortable though. Of course I've only ridden the PCX for 180KM so far, but that was all in one day, and I had put 1400KM on the Forza.

So I guess the answer to how I like it re: speed and comfort is, as always, subjective and dependent no what your needs and wants are. For my purposes I find the PCX ideal and only regret I didn't buy it in the first place. Of course the PCX doesn't accelerate as well as the Forza but for in town I was surprised at how peppy it felt, and how often I cold still leave cars at the light. And even though filtering/lane splitting is not legal here, the size and maneuverability of the PCX still give a much better advantage when dealing with congested traffic. (It's like my 50cc was in this regard while also having ample power to get me up our big hills, and actually move me *quickly*.) And I was surprised at how well I can use the PCX on highways. While I wouldn't use it for touring or regular long distance travel, I have no qualms about riding it to a neighbouring town one in a while.

I'm also not really interested in riding a motorcycle, and for me riding a scooter is also about fun. From that perspective I actually find the PCX to give more of that fun sensation of riding something small and nimble. I will miss the Forza's highway capabilities but that's not really what I want a scooter for, and seeing as I also own a car for carrying more stuff, or going on the little road trips me and the GF like to do (she also rides a scooter) I'm happy trading off the extra power of the Forza for the nimble and fun feeling of riding the PCX.

[gn2]

The Forza 300 riding position is really odd, relative to the footboards the seat is very low which puts your leg and hip joints at tighter angles.

As illustrated in these comparison images from cycle-ergo.com

[mjoa68]

Unfortunately cycle ergo doesn't seem to allow linking to their image, but yes, now that you mention it I noticed that the seat felt a bit higher on the PCX as compared to the Forza. That low seat combined with the very forced seating position of the Forza was doing a real number on my bum knee. Even on the stock seat of the PCX there is a bit more wiggle room to get your butt scooted back a bit more. Once I get my "seat 7" from bikerzbits.com I think I'll be good to go. I think both bikes would be ideal if you were quite a few inches shorter than 6', but for someone my height I find most scooters to feel cramped in some way. At least with the custom seat options available for the PCX, a taller person can make it work without having to spend a lot more money.

I had not given it any thought but I think the greater distance from the floorboards to the seat also contributed to the more natural handling feel I found on the PCX. I mostly attributed it to being much lighter, and having fairly tall wheels for it's size, but I think that ergonomic helps as well. Whatever it is (and it could just be my lack of experience with heavier bikes), I found I could sense and feel the road much better on the PCX.

[chicaboo]

Thanks for the feedback, Mike.

I've often wondered if I shoud've gone with the Forza, but from all I read on here it seems the PCX has better leg positioning.
I have a Type1 seat on order from PowerbyPCX, and I hope this lets me sit back a little more for when I want to stretch my legs.
I find that cycle-ergo website doesn't always put the stickman's backside right back to the seat hump, which makes it hard to judge.

My only gripe with the PCX (apart from power) is I tend to get buffeted around side to side at 95kph+ depending on the wind(?).
I don't see other people mentioning this other than saying they feel scooter is more ideal for 50mph and they'd rather not do 60+.
This is my first bike, so I don't know if this is due to wheel balance, wind, turbulence due to my size compared to the bike or what.
But when I first got the scooter it was flat out doing 95kph, so I never noticed it until I put the sliders in and was able to do 115kph.

Gav.