across the US and back on the PCX125... my experiences

[pozo]

Hello, back in April 2012, I rode my Honda PCX125 across the US, as part of the Scooter Cannonball Run (Savannah, GA to San Diego, CA) then rode back home to the east coast (Washington DC). Altogether I rode over 7,000 miles, crossing 21 states in 21 days, averaging about 300 miles per day.

I am happy to share my experiences with you, and describe the trips and tricks I used to turn this scooter into a serious long-distance touring machine.

Although still in the process of writing up this trip (yeah, I know..) I just wanted to say the PCX125 performed FLAWLESSLY! That's including crossing the Continental Divide (twice), 100+ degree deserts, rain, and even patches of snow. Other than regular maintenance (changing the oil, and slapping on a new rear tire halfway through) this bike had ZERO issues, and continues to perform reliably every day. (Current odometer reads 17,234 miles.)

Cruising around 50-55mph when possible (climbing the Rocky Mountains dropped my mph to 25 in places) I managed to average a little less 90mpg for the entire trip. I carried a spare gallon of fuel under the seat, but never once had to use it. I also carried all my cargo for the entire trip (fuel, water, rain gear, tools, food, maps, clothes, GPS, laptop, cameras, books) and somehow made it all fit in a GIvi topcase and the Kuryakyn 4141 tour bag.

There are various little mods I made to bike, which I will document and write up shortly.

[dasshreddar]

Cool, did you take pics from each day?
Would love to see a write up with pics in the gallery.
thanks, for sharing

[Taz]

Impressive, looking fwd to hearing more.

[kramnala58]

Great first post on the trip. I am looking forward to seeing more and will be marking this for notifications when replies are posted. It must have been a great trip, but across the US and back in 21 days is quite a feat on a 125cc scooter. Did it leave much time for sightseeing ... beyond gas stops.

[Yoda]

Congratulations! I've been strongly considering an entry into the 2014 Scooter Cannonball Run from Hyder, Alaska to New Orleans, Louisiana on my 2013 PCX150. I was not aware that any PCX had run the SCR from start to finish, though. Now I'm stoked about the idea! Looking forward to hearing about your mods to accomplish the trip. Wow. Very impressive!

[CaptnJim]

I'll be looking forward to this ride report!! I've done coast to coast in the past, but it was on a Goldwing... OK, a pair of Goldwings, since my wife rides, too. And we were loaded - I'm impressed you did this on your PCX. Details!

Captain Jim

[dustin91]

Jealous! And if you have time, please share the gear you had as well... I can't imagine how many changes of clothes that may have taken!

[skuuter]

Looking forward to a lot more Pics and Details of Your Trip.....this is definitely my kind of Ride and Mileage....THANKS.....

[Scottish]

Looking forward to more on this....if I lived in the US this is exactly what I'd want to do.

[Brian]

Sounds like you had a great trip. Let's have all the details so we can use your ideas and experiences for our trips too. I'm planning an end to end trip in the UK (only about a 1000 miles though)

[pozo]

Thanks, folks. There are a number of photos I took, a few are included below. It was a truly an awesome adventure which I'll write more about soon. There were just so many states, beautiful landscapes, wonderful places, and people I met that I can't contain them to a single post, but I'm in the process of writing this down...

[pozo]

Great first post on the trip. I am looking forward to seeing more and will be marking this for notifications when replies are posted. It must have been a great trip, but across the US and back in 21 days is quite a feat on a 125cc scooter. Did it leave much time for sightseeing ... beyond gas stops.

Thanks, and you're right: my only regret on this trip was that the endurance-rally part (Scooter Cannonball) left practically no time to stop and take pictures on the road. There were countless times I would yell inside my helmet, "Oh man, what a great shot this would make!" (Being a part-time photographer, this was specially painful...) But, overall, I had a great time, and did manage to take it easier on the way back...

[pozo]

Below are some of the most important mods I made to the bike for long-distance touring. The big three mods to make this (or any bike) ridable for 12+ hours at a time are the seat, windshield, and throttle control.

Let's start with the biggie: the seat. While the original setup on the PCX works fine for around-town commuting, it will not work for long-distance riding. I have tried numerous pads (gel, beads, foam) and keep coming back to the Airhawk 2 seat pad as the most practical and economical. The big advantages are that it is adjustable, can be removed easily, and adds practically no weight. And also, get rid of that seat bump! (There are two screws underneath the seat and can be removed in seconds.) This is practically a necessity, as you will need to use as much of the seat as possible to reduce pressure points on long trips. You can put some duct tape over the wholes left in the seat cover, as I did (mainly to keep moisture out) and with the Airhawk on top, no one will notice it. This seat mod is by far the single most important mod for riding comfortably on the bike for hours on end.

The second is the windshield. You are going to need more wind protection for epic rides. Again, for riding around town, the stock windshield is fine. I have both Givi windshields (the medium and tall one) and use the tall one in the winter for maximum protection, but it does create a significant drop in mpg and the bike works much harder to maintain 55+ mph speeds. For this trip, I opted to use the medium sized Givi, as it offered a good compromise to good aerodynamics and wind protection. Also, on hot days, a little breeze is welcomed!

The third item is throttle control. This may sound like a trivial luxury, but trust me, your wrists are going to be sore if you don't have some help here. Two excellent products are the well-known Crampbuster throttle paddles ($10), and the Go-Cruise throttle control ($20). I have both installed, as they are used in separate scenarios. The Crampbuster can be used all the time --even in city traffic. For long, straight roads, the Go-Cruise provides cheap, hands-free throttle operation. However, you really can't use it on mountain roads and situations when you need fine control.

Here is a list of this and other mods which I will describe more in updates:

*) Airhawk 2 seat
*) Givi medium-size windshield
*) crampbuster
*) 12V power ports (2) for electronics
*) Go-cruise Throttle Control
*) Performance gel-padded handlebar wrap around grips
*) Bell digital clock
*) electrical tape over high-beam light indicator
*) Scooter Logic hand covers
*) Givi topcase
*) Kuryakyn 4141 seat bag
*) RAM mounts for GPS
*) Bell handlebar water bottle holder

[skuuter]

THANKS for More Info and Pics.....

[Warlock]

This is beyond Awesome it's Epic!
Enjoy and be safe..

[you you]

This is beyond Awesome it's Epic!
Enjoy and be safe..

There's something more awesome than awesome and it's epic? Sorry Epic

That's awesome



Dude

[ben]

I bet that bag was comfortable to lean back on! Last summer i was supposed to do a trip round Norway, Sweden and Finland but had to cancel, really feeling the need for a PCX adventure now.

PCX is a very capable tourer!

[ScooterKim]

Pozo has the best topic on the forum, doesn't he??!! you guys are all chomping at the bit for his next post! I'm right there with you all... this is Really Interesting!

[WhiteNoise]

^^^ditto that! Really interesting read and with photo's! Yes, totally awesome!! Appreciate you sharing with us pozo

[OriginalRocket]

More more! Ordered an air hawk. Needed it for my hour+. Cruises I take.