PCX ?

[Taz]

I was told by my dealer that the service interval in Australia is 5000 miles/8000km and to ignore the manual for that part as Honda Australia had revised the maintenance period. I think the manual says oil change every 5000 miles in any case but am out of town, away from my beloved PCX. I hired a CB250 on the weekend which handled horribly in comparison, stearing felt so heavy and what a pain changing gears all the time!

[Spy]

Thanks for the info

[you you]

I was told by my dealer that the service interval in Australia is 5000 miles/8000km and to ignore the manual for that part as Honda Australia had revised the maintenance period. I think the manual says oil change every 5000 miles in any case but am out of town, away from my beloved PCX. I hired a CB250 on the weekend which handled horribly in comparison, stearing felt so heavy and what a pain changing gears all the time!

Yes the workshop manual says to change the oil at 5k most the rest of the stuff is check and adjust, if necessary

[maddiedog]

Official Honda maintenance intervals from this thread: http://hondapcx.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=323

[Potoroo]

Hi everyone, just joined the forum today as I have visited as a guest before now and enjoyed reading all the comments.
I would defenitely buy another PCX. I have had mine for about 16 months now and my riding ability has improved as a result. I can now corner better and faster, especially on roundabouts, mainly due to the good handling.

[maddiedog]

Hey Potoroo! Glad you registered, welcome to the forums!

[sophie008]

Hi everyone, just joined the forum today as I have visited as a guest before now and enjoyed reading all the comments.
I would defenitely buy another PCX. I have had mine for about 16 months now and my riding ability has improved as a result. I can now corner better and faster, especially on roundabouts, mainly due to the good handling.

Me too. I love having my PCX, it's been with me since we move in here in Chicago. Anyway, we're both novice, which is a good thing since I'm not the only new member who posted here in this thread. By the way, you can also check out this site here: Howdy Honda.

[Theboybilly]

A hypothetical question for you chaps - supposing 'my mate' decided to skip the 2500 mile service and take the PCX in for a service say, at 4000 miles (and 12 months). This in the UK would obviously invalidate the warranty BUT...it's a Honda. For the most part all the non-engine parts should last the full 24 month period without fault...I say should. So, with that in mind, say that a little after that 4000 mile service something goes wrong engine-wise and serious damage is caused. A new engine perhaps...a likely scenario? If it's valve-related would a repair be more likely? What I suppose I'm asking is whether it's a risk worth 'my mate' taking. I have always doubted the real-world worth of a fully-stamped service book, especially on a budget scooter. Even my dealer, seemingly recognising that the service intervals are wrong (he says that word on the Honda Dealer grapevine shows no valve clearance problems at 2500 miles) and that he suggests, to save a bit of money that going over by a couple of hundred miles wouldn't present too much of a problem- whether he would put that in writing is, to me, another matter)
I'm just wondering what your take is on this. I'm very sure I could do my own valve check anyway.

Bill

[you you]

A hypothetical question for you chaps - supposing 'my mate' decided to skip the 2500 mile service and take the PCX in for a service say, at 4000 miles (and 12 months). This in the UK would obviously invalidate the warranty BUT...it's a Honda. For the most part all the non-engine parts should last the full 24 month period without fault...I say should. So, with that in mind, say that a little after that 4000 mile service something goes wrong engine-wise and serious damage is caused. A new engine perhaps...a likely scenario? If it's valve-related would a repair be more likely? What I suppose I'm asking is whether it's a risk worth 'my mate' taking. I have always doubted the real-world worth of a fully-stamped service book, especially on a budget scooter. Even my dealer, seemingly recognising that the service intervals are wrong (he says that word on the Honda Dealer grapevine shows no valve clearance problems at 2500 miles) and that he suggests, to save a bit of money that going over by a couple of hundred miles wouldn't present too much of a problem- whether he would put that in writing is, to me, another matter)
I'm just wondering what your take is on this. I'm very sure I could do my own valve check anyway.

Bill

I'm not relying on the Honda warranty at all. My bike hasnt seen a dealer since it left the showroom - no huge risk really. And a bit of a no brainer for me personally when you look at the servicing costs vs the price of the bike.


Que GN2s factpinions.....

[gn2]

Que?

Here's an opinion:
I agree with your risk assessment.

Now that my warranty has expired I have no intention of checking the valves any more often than once every 5000 miles.

Here's some fact:
My last service was at 10,000 miles, I will not be be checking the valves till at least 15,000 miles.

[Urbanian]

At 600 miles my mechanic said the valves were right on; no adjustment needed. Does anyone have experience with valves going out of adjustment? At how many miles do we normally see maladjustment? Would anecdotal evidence suggest how often valves should be tended? Has your mechanic told you what adjustments were made?

We all know how and where we ride will affect the performance of the engine, but in our aggregate experience we should be able to predict service needs (warranty issues aside).

[you you]

Que?

Here's an opinion:
I agree with your risk assessment.

Now that my warranty has expired I have no intention of checking the valves any more often than once every 5000 miles.

Here's some fact:
My last service was at 10,000 miles, I will not be be checking the valves till at least 15,000 miles.

Cue and qué?

[maddiedog]

At 600 miles my mechanic said the valves were right on; no adjustment needed. Does anyone have experience with valves going out of adjustment? At how many miles do we normally see maladjustment? Would anecdotal evidence suggest how often valves should be tended? Has your mechanic told you what adjustments were made?

We all know how and where we ride will affect the performance of the engine, but in our aggregate experience we should be able to predict service needs (warranty issues aside).

My valves were out of spec at the first service.

Lots of shops will stamp that they've done the valve service and just not do it. Most of the time with a scooter like the PCX, you can just run it until the valves are so out of whack that you won't get compression, adjust, then you'll be good again. I don't recommend doing that since you could burn a valve or have an over-tight valve ruin a valve seat, but honestly, the PCX is a 1-cylinder economy vehicle. Most people worry way too much about it.

If you keep good fluids in it, you probably don't have to worry about much. It's the same way with the Yamaha Vino, Buddy 125, and other small scooters. I sure as hell am not worried about adjusting valves on my wife's scooter (Buddy 125) -- I just change the gear oil and engine oil yearly and don't even touch the valves unless it stops getting power (which hasn't happened yet). I pamper my PCX though, and still will do regular checks. If my valves look good next time I check them, I'll probably skip an interval.

[Urbanian]

My valves were out of spec at the first service.

How did they look at the second service? Is it possible they were out from the factory? Do they go out of adjustment easily?

The emphasis Honda puts on valve checks would suggest it is important. I don't want to sound alarmist, but I am curious how diligent I should be (although you already said it was no biggy).

[maddiedog]

They had to replace my engine block because I broke my centerstand off, when they did that, the valves were spot-on still.

^ Unrelated, the above is a testament to Honda. The centerstand mounts are integrated into the engine block. Somehow, mine failed, probably because a car backed into my scooter, but I wasn't there to see it. I bungeed the centerstand in place, rode to the shop, and they replaced the engine block free of charge so that I could use my centerstand again. Honda's support is awesome. I was expecting them to remove the centerstand and tell me to deal with it (which would have been a sane response).

[ericpcx]

The service intervals are far too short,it is just a way of making mega bucks and it then becomes an expensive form of transport.If your valve clearances where to go out of adjustment,surely you will notice a significant drop in fuel consumption.
I service my bike myself,oil only cost a tenner and a spark plug a few quid as well,why pay Honda £100.00+ for that?

[janwer]

4000 km for oil change is probably because there is no real oil filter in PCX. So instead replacing filter you just replace oil more often. I would recommend service by yourself but changing oil every 4000 km or 2000 km if you're riding on dusty roads.

[you you]

Why would you half the oil change distance for dusty roads?

[janwer]

I read this recomendation sometimes in manuals. I don't know exactly why. I assume it's because air filter is not perfect and some dust particles come to engine and mix with oil.
Here is example of such recomendation for suzuki http://gsx1400.pl/instrukcje/suzuki_gsx1400k1.pdf
On page 36 "when motorcycle is used in difficult conditions, dust or with extreme use of capabilites service should be done mor often".

[Urbanian]

Service manuals in many cars suggest shorter service intervals if the car is driven under severe or adverse conditions: dusty roads, frequent short trips, heavy loads, extreme temperatures, pulling trailers, excessive idling, etc… Any prolonged use that wears the engine more than the odometer reflects indicates more frequent servicing.