Greetings from Bangkok, Thailand

[Optimal Performance]

I'm the proud owner of a 34,000km 2012 PCX150 and a long time lurker on the PCX Forum. I bought my bike from a friend at 12,000km. Recently I was thinking of selling her but decided that the Honda reliability combined with extra performance from simple mods makes her a keeper. Her name is Miss Melling (in memory of my friend who was the original owner and who passed away last year.)

I live in Bangkok, Thailand where the first run of PCX's was made (they are now made in Indonesia). Parts and accessories are very inexpensive and I enjoy making mods to the bike. After a one day, 500 mile run a few weeks ago, I'm so impressed with the PCX I've decided to give her the attention she deserves.

Here she is at 6.30am at fuel stop No.2 on that long ride. I needed a strong, hot coffee after a 3.15am departure.

Honda_PCX_6.30am_break_800px.jpg (235.67 KiB) Viewed 829 times

Last week I had a complete set of new steering bearings fitted by Honda mechanics. While the front end was apart I fitted YSS fork valves. In Thailand, the mechanics are quite happy to have you work alongside on the bike while it's stripped down. Which is just as well since I have tools for most jobs but not a work space.

Now the steering feels lighter and much better damped. The bruise on my right palm has healed. (The road surface in Bangkok is very poor in places. Rough, high transitions from one section to another are commonplace, as are metal road fittings which jut above the road surface.) The YSS fork valves give better control and attenuate violent jolts successfully.

The most significant performance modification has been the YSS rear shocks. Previously the longest journey I would attempt was about 200km. Cruising speed would be 90 to 95kmh. Any faster and the bike felt uncomfortable and unstable.

The new YSS Gazi shocks have raised the comfortable cruising speed of the bike to 115kmh. For overtaking, 120kmh is possible. Top speed (downhill) has been 125kmh on the clock.

Having ridden quite a number of motorcycles in the past, my goal with the PCX is to make cruising at 120kmh comfortable. This would make the bike suitable for most journeys in Thailand. Traffic on the larger roads around Bangkok is 90-110kmh. The PCX loses out above 100kmh to faster accelerating cars. But I have to say it performs much better than I would anticipate.

Upgrades and mods underway:
- OCB2 engine management diagnostics; Bluetooth not connecting (!#%$@&r!)
- Braided steel brake lines
- Third party rear brake gear cable adjuster for more leverage

To do:
- Valve clearance check (urgent!)
- Raise, flat seat mod
- Add red LED's to rear for greater conspicuity
- Quick action throttle tube

Things I like the idea of but not sure if it's worth it: 164cc or 175cc engine kit, change final drive gear, conversion to Indonesian PCX rear hub with disc brake.

It is a pleasure to join the forum at last and introduce myself. I have learned a great deal from member postings. I hope I can maintain the same high standard.

Mods Done:
2012 Red PCX150 with humpedectomy
Gazi style front windshield
Li-PO battery
Underseat USB charger & volt meter
EBC HH sintered brake pads
Generic adjustable brake levers
YSS Gazi Rear Shocks, very little preload
YSS Fork Valves, 15W oil & 8mm damper rod holes
Generic white LED running lights on front fairing
Pirelli Diablo Scooter tyres

[Old Grinner]

Wow and Welcome!

Thanks for sharing all the spec info on your upgrades. Always great to hear another success story on performance and riding comfort.

Good luck with the seat mod too!

[alx123]

Glad to see youre enjoying your PCX. Mine's currently at 51,000 kms. Perfect for BKK's traffic and a few stretch of open roads sometimes. I just wish it has ABS otherwise all else is good with this little scooter.

[Optimal Performance]

Glad to see youre enjoying your PCX. Mine's currently at 51,000 kms. Perfect for BKK's traffic and a few stretch of open roads sometimes. I just wish it has ABS otherwise all else is good with this little scooter.

ABS would be nice. Compared to a motorcycle with 16" or 17" wheels it's very easy to tuck a scooter's small front wheel when braking hard. The solution is to practise hard braking in a progressive setting. Take a long stretch of empty road and hit the brakes, first from 20kmh, then 25kmh, 30kmh, 35kmh, 37.5kmh, 39kmh, 40kmh.... et cetera. (Wear full gear. Prepare for a crash. ) Don't worry about the speed. Get really comfortable making a controlled stop at, say, 35kmh, going up to the next level. It's all about building a feel for the point at which the front wheel will lock up.

Here's the hard bit. The braking point needs to be programmed into one's brain so that it becomes part of instinctive reaction. Which takes a lot of repetitions. If you can do a practise session, then another after an hour, another after three hours, another after six hours, one can build the skill through "timed repetition." The technique is based on neuroscience and it works. One can master the basic skill in about ten days. It's a lot of work to ensure you can brake safely on a highway. Hence, most engineers recommend ABS.

Strictly speaking, on a flat, dry surface maximum braking force hasn't been applied until the rear wheel is lifting off the ground (see how the MotoGP riders brake from 300kmh to 80kmh in a few hundred metres). It follows that the condition of the front tyre is of critical importance. Tyres don't last long in hot conditions. They go through heat cycles of getting very hot (the road surface temperature in Thailand is often 60C) and then cooling after a ride. Do that repeatedly and the tyre will harden over time. As a rule of thumb, if your tyre is more than two years old the rubber compound has probably hardened to the point where a new tyre is advisable. In other words, you want a soft, "grippy" tyre for effective braking.

I'm going to change the brake lines on the PCX this weekend. It's tempting to remove the Combi Brake connection and plumb a second line from the handlebar master cylinder to the "Combi piston" in the front brake caliper. But the goal isn't to increase the braking force, it is to increase the "feel" through the brake lever. What one wants is a progressive action that is easy to control. The diameter & length of the master cylinder needs to be matched with the volume of hydraulic fluid that has to be moved. Without changing the caliper, the Honda master cylinder should be sufficient. Adding another piston may reduce the feel rather than improve it, and might require a different master cylinder. I suspect that's why the PCX street racers in Thailand use a Brembo master cylinder and lever (and everyone else copies them for fashion reasons.)

[alx123]

I'm quite aware of how to do emergency braking/progressive braking, been riding 20 years and it's already embedded in my brain (or so i thought), but sometimes there's this human factor that is unavoidable in surprising fight or flight situations that learning emergency braking deliberately can't simulate. Never appreciate this tech (ABS) before too, not until I own a bike that has it. I think learning how to brake properly during emergencies is a skill needed by everyone riding a motorcycle, couple that with ABS and your'e twice as good.

I think the CBS is a good marketing idea by Honda ,but with current ABS scooters from other brands, this doesn't make sense anymore.

Of course, I'm sure they dont want to compete with their new ADV 150, reason why the 2020 PCX will not be equipped with ABS again.

I agree that the brakes doesn't feel right, I'm just not sure it is because of CBS. I would experiment removing that too if only I have enough know-how and tools. LOL

Let us know of your results please.

Ride safe

[Optimal Performance]

There's no excuse for Honda not to equip the 2020 PCX150 with ABS. It's mandatory in Europe. If you look at the price of the new PCX150 and the ADV150, there's sufficient margin to include ABS. Honda, are you listening or would you prefer to sacrifice some of your customers for additional profit?

With that out of the way...

Events have nearly overtaken planning with my PCX. There's a thread on PCX How-To with what I have discovered changing the brake lines. And since it's holiday time, after opening the engine for a valve check signs of oil blow-past were obvious. The piston needs replacing. Rather than rehone the bore I decided to get the Yuminashi 164cc kit. More on that, probably also in "PCX How-To", once I have cleaned the head and lapped the valves. Festive fun!

[Brice]

Thanks for posting. It must be the wanderlust in me; I truly enjoy the posts from far flung locals. Thinking about riding in tropical weather sure sounds nice as I watch the rain/snow mix from my window.