Noob in Need of the expert advice!!

[MrN303]

Hi all,

Thanks for taking the time to open this thread...

To keep things short, I bought a Chinese bike (Sinnis harrier) brand new & within a WEEK!! It had problems. Since then I have received a full refund, my choice now is a Honda PCX.

budget Is £2000 so obviously second hand bike
I will be using the bike to do “the knowledge” so approx 3-9 hours of daily use 3-4 days a week for 6 months - 1 year

Questions:
Is my budget insufficient and if not..?
What should I look out for to avoid buying a bike with potential issues
Is many owners low mileage a red flag?
Plus anything you feel I should know as a potential owner

I would kindly appreciate any help and if there is anybody in the forum selling a Honda PCX within my budget that would be great also

Opinion on these would be great

Bike A: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224201999517
Bike B: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 0134939730
Bike C: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 0205237468

[Conelite]

I dont know what "The Knowledge" is but if you plan to ride it 3-9hours a day for 3-4 days a week, I would save an extra 1k and buy one with under 5k miles.

[gn2]

Bike A has been crashed. Avoid like plague.
Bike B is an original and the absence of a centrestand means it almost certainly has broken crankcases.
The stand mounts break off and in worst case can tear holes letting oil out. Avoid like plague.
Bike C has too many miles clearly hasn't been looked after and is badly corroded. Avoid like plague.

From what I can see, used PCXs in that area are quite expensive, you're not going to get a good one for £2000 or under.
Widen the search, instead of confining yourself to the PCX, look at other models.
If it was me, for used scooters I would be looking at either a Suzuki Address 110, a Honda Vision 110 or a Yamaha Delight 110.
These are all aircooled and much simpler to service.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-detai ... 9254193298
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-detai ... 8192681536
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-detai ... 7141235722

Or if you can stretch the budget a bit, a new Piaggio Liberty 125 ABS is a real bargain at £2499
https://www.piaggio.com/gb_EN/models/li ... y-125-abs/

[Coasting]

I dont know what "The Knowledge" is

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/t-ma ... ledge.html

[gn2]

I dont know what "The Knowledge" is

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/t-ma ... ledge.html

Fabulous article, really enjoyed reading that.

[Coasting]

I think it's fair to say that the PCX has a reputation for being an exceptionally solid and reliable bike. I got mine new (2014 model in 2015) and it's currently at 69,000km and hasn't ever really missed a beat (apart from an occasional "own goals ..."). I'd buy another in the blink of an eye (and probably will ... if I ever succeed in wearing this one out, which is looking increasingly unlikely).

But like anything mechanical, it's not maintenance free. Rear tyres last somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000km - front tyres about twice that. For me front brake & clutch pads are good for about 30,000 - 40,000km - drive belt around 30,000km, drive faces about 65,000km - air filters about 15,000km. The good news is that replacement parts can be bought really cheaply - and many are pretty easy to fit onself; so that keeps maintenance costs right down - and I think it's also true to say it can instill a sense of pride. On the flip-side getting all the maintence done by a dealer at the recommended intervals would add up to more than the cost of a new bike after a few years of high-milage usage. That's probably also true for any vehicle though (if nothing else give it regular oil changes).

I think gn2 has given you excellent advice; pre-2014 models had a nasty "gotcha" with the side stand causing engine cracks. My 2014 model has been fine - and the later series (2018?) had an 8l fuel tank (up from the 6l in my model) (in addition to other improvements like parking brake) which are nice.

The point I'm trying to get to is that if you're a little mechanically minded - aren't afraid to get your hands dirty - and can get a model that's been well maintained (that's the key) then I don't think you'd go wrong with anything under 20,000km for what you're trying to achieve. Do such bikes exist for a 2000 pound budget? ... I have no idea - but I'm guessing that even a new one would only be around 3K (doing the conversion from my currency); if so might be worth putting in the extra effort to get a bit more in the budget.

Assuming an average speed of 40km/hr the average of all your other parameters would mean that you'd cover around 33,000km during your The Knowledge project - that's of no particular consequence for a PCX - mine is over twice that and apart from oil consumption having crept up over the years (and worn out parts replaced as needed) it performs as well today as it did the day I bought it. One member here has one that's done 195,000km (not a typo). So it's very much capable of doing the job (and would probably be my "weapon of choice" for a project like that).

In terms of "problems to watch out for" - the engine case cracks from the pre-2014 model centre stand is the one that stands out for me; personally I wouldn't go near one of those models. Other than that anything that's been well maintained and hasn't been crashed would be fair game IMO. There is a known issue with a bearing in my model - it makes a sound (unsurprisingly like a really rough bearing) even when the bike is beeing wheeled without the engine going. It sounds worse than it is - and is easily fixed by replacing the driven face assy (2 hour job first time you do it - and probably 1/4 that time if you ever had to do it again) (all stuff we could help with if necessary).

Not sure if all this is helpful or not so I'll leave it at that for now and get some feedback from you if there's anything else you'd like me to comment on.

[Coasting]

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/t-ma ... ledge.html

Fabulous article, really enjoyed reading that.

For sure.

I can kinda relate to it in a small way - we often get stop/start traffic flows around peak times - I usually just avoid them, but sometime's I have no choice. Usually the quickest way is to venture "over the hills" which is territory that I used to live in ... it's always great when I get on to back roads that I know better than I know the back of my hand. Must be awsome to know an entire major city in that kind of detail.

[Mel46]

Two words of advice:

1. If you don't know that much about a bike, have someone who does have knowledge look with you. It would be safer and keep you from being ripped off.

2. If you find that bikes in your area are ridden hard and not maintained well, look outside of your area, and if you do find a good deal, ask the knowledgeable person to go with you to check it out. If you decide to purchase it you could pay someone to trailer it to your home. It might be the best extra money you have ever spent.

[properperson]

There's a reason why Hondas cost what they do !

[Coasting]

There's a reason why Hondas cost what they do !

Out of interest, before I had even heard of the Honda PCX I went looking online primarily searching for Vespas (being the only name I knew).

I had a budget - but the only models that would fit were only 50cc - and I'd read that 50cc was something to be avoided.

Since I drive a Honda car (which has served me well) it eventually occurred to me to search for Honda scooters ... and the rest as they say is history.

I think they're pretty well priced - and far better value for money than Vespas.

[gn2]

Prices vary from one market to another.
In the UK a Vespa 300 is listed at £5099, the Honda SH300 is £4940 so at the 300cc level there's almost nothing in it.

[riding@100mpg]

had a 2015 first and then a 2013. the 2013 is a little faster and just as nice. i purchased the 2013 with less than 3000 miles for 1500.00. they're out there and very reliable. If the service was done, you're going to have a great bike. both got around 100mpg with normal riding. I put a tall windshield and top box on both, carry most anything and you can ride when it's cold. great rides, both of them

[MrN303]

Bike A has been crashed. Avoid like plague.
Bike B is an original and the absence of a centrestand means it almost certainly has broken crankcases.
The stand mounts break off and in worst case can tear holes letting oil out. Avoid like plague.
Bike C has too many miles clearly hasn't been looked after and is badly corroded. Avoid like plague.

From what I can see, used PCXs in that area are quite expensive, you're not going to get a good one for £2000 or under.
Widen the search, instead of confining yourself to the PCX, look at other models.
If it was me, for used scooters I would be looking at either a Suzuki Address 110, a Honda Vision 110 or a Yamaha Delight 110.
These are all aircooled and much simpler to service.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-detai ... 9254193298
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-detai ... 8192681536
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-detai ... 7141235722

Or if you can stretch the budget a bit, a new Piaggio Liberty 125 ABS is a real bargain at £2499
https://www.piaggio.com/gb_EN/models/li ... y-125-abs/

I have Taken your advice and went with the Piaggio Liberty ABS 125, I've had it since early December and its been absolutely brilliant. its just had its first service at 1000km and I could swear the performance has improved. Also, I've been able to really push on with what I intended to use it for, I must say your advice has really been life saving in more way than you may ever know. The journey to becoming a London Cabbie is difficult but you certainly have helped in making my experience that little bit easier.

Also thanks to everyone else that commented and gave their input it has been appreciated.

[gn2]

Great stuff, glad the Liberty is working out for you, all the best doing the knowledge, wishing you success.
Shiny side up!

p.s. what colour did you get?
Need pictures

[MrN303]

Great stuff, glad the Liberty is working out for you, all the best doing the knowledge, wishing you success.
Shiny side up!

p.s. what colour did you get?
Need pictures

They only had white in stock, however initially I did want the Navy Blue variant.

I’ve already clocked 5000+km since the day of purchaseAlso I’ll add I have been doing frequent oil and filter changes myself in that time

I’m thinking weather to run it till I have passed(probably in a year and a half which will add 15,000-20,000km of mileage) or upgrade to another scooter ie Piaggio Medley or PCX/nmax so when I pass I have a sufficent deposit for a brand new cab when I do sell.

Nonetheless what a great scooter it’s been

[Mel46]

I would suggest that you not consider selling or trading it until you have to. If it runs good, keep doing what you are doing. The Liberty has a good reputation for reliability.

[MrN303]

I would suggest that you not consider selling or trading it until you have to. If it runs good, keep doing what you are doing. The Liberty has a good reputation for reliability.

You're correct a few people have said the same to me now. I'll keep it till the wheels fall off

What would we do without the internet lol thanks folks

[gn2]

Every time you buy a new scooter in the UK you lose a minimum of 20% and up to 50% of the price immediately you collect it from the dealer.
Best thing to do in financial terms is to keep it till you've done the knowledge and if you can put money away for a deposit on a cab, do that.