DIY Shoes, Socks and Blood

[Wingscribe]

First off, I want to give a HUGE "thank you" to the write-ups in the "how-to" section - could not have done it without you...

[Begin the long part]

I hit 5K miles last week, which just happened to coincide with the arrival of my YSS shocks from Bikerbits and a set of City Grips from Revzilla. Ready for the service, something I was more than willing to pay the pros to take care of for me. I called the dealer I bought the bike from back in October, told them what I wanted.

"You want to drop it off," they asked, "We'll get to it when we can?"

"No sir," I replied, "I haven't driven my car to work in a month, I'll wait for an appointment to limit down time."

"I have one on the 30th..." (That's not so bad) "...of July."

Crap.

I could easily have another thousand or more miles on by then...not the end of the world, but I am pretty hard on my PCX...WoT all the time, most of my riding is in 55 mph zones...oil was looking pretty nasty. I did not want to wait that long...but what was the alternative?

In the words of the immortal Clarkson "How hard can it be?"

My, with my limited wrench-turning abilities, set out to replace all of these things on my own...(with some help from this site).

Took me a big chunk of the weekend, which was a scorcher here in Ohio, but by Sunday night I had the shocks on, the wheels off, and the oil drained. Honestly, the worst part was getting the pet carrier assembly out to get to the top shock bolts - but that was more like removing interior auto trim than bodu work...something I am pretty good at.

Somewhere in time, I'd lost my funnel...so I had the bottle of 10W30 poised over the dip stick hole (sounds dirty for some reason) and almost tipped it in beofre coming to my senses...

I had to get some pro help on the tires, so I headed over to another local place after work on Monday with the stock tired and wheels, and the Michelins.

I also picked up a new funnel.

Yesterday, tires were done. I put them back on, filled up with my nifty newe funnel, and I was off to the proverbial races.

Initial impressions are good. Grip is way up, ride quality is unchanged - but I have yet to adjust the YSSs(ssss).

Just wanted to (again) thank those who wrote the guides (I have a 2016, but the concepts are 94% exactly the same) and show that even a moron with a spanner can service these great machines.

Here's some pics:

[Mel46]

Maddiedog is the creator of the How-to section for the PCX, and many of us have enjoyed following his instructions. Because there are quite a few of us who have used the How-to sections, many of us have been proud to add to it as well. With a little luck you can learn to do your own maintenance and will save a lot of money, which you could then put into more upgrades. That is the joy of scootering. :-)

[fish]

Hello,
Nice write-up and good pix.
Please report back on the ride quality with the new shocks.
(a youtuber, whom I trust, flatly states that there is no ride difference between expensive after-market shocks and the stock parts fitted by the factory. He states, "it is a scooter, with the engine banging up and down with the rear wheel, and there is very little room for suspension travel. Spending lots of $$ makes the ride feel better in one's head, only." He builds and races scooters.)
Fish

[Ishkabibble]

Well done you!

Maintenance is the key to having a long and enjoyable tenure aboard our two-wheeled magical machines. Performing said maintenance one's self is just the icing on the cake...

[you you]

If you are stuck for a funnel cut the top off a plastic lemonade or juice bottle

[flyingzonker]

if those shocks feel half as good as they look, you are a happy man.

[JonW]

I recently put on a set of YSS Z series shocks. I was initially disappointed with how jarring they were, but as they are breaking in and the miles are adding up they are getting more and more comfortable.

[you you]

if those shocks feel half as good as they look, you are a happy man.

Feel them in private obviously?

[Wingscribe]

Quick update.

I went home over some dips in the road that used to bottom out the stock suspension and transmit the impact directly to my spine.

Great news! I could certainly feel the imprefection in the road, but the suspension sucked it all in, which is great.

you you - You are my Scooter MacGuyver.

fish - I would never argue with someone on the YouTube...I fully acknoledge to buying presents for my bike...not much more was expected.

Can't say enough about the City Grips (For those South Park fans, I pronounce them the way you might think). Grip is absolutely wonderful. I have not yet had the chance to try them out in the rain, and might not for a while given the forecast - oh well...

Thanks for the props everyone, I think I am heading back to Deal's Gap soon, I will be sure to report how the new setup works on the Dragon.

Mike

[Mel46]

As far as the argument that the shocks that come on the PCX are just as good as the upgrade replacements, everyone has an opinion, but I know from experience that some replacements are much better. I have had 6 back surgeries. Prior to replacing the shocks on my PCX I could not ride very long before feeling pain start to climb up my back, to the point where I would have to head for home and bed. Then, with the help of Maddiedog, I changed out the shocks on both my wife's bike and mine. Because she needed to lower her bike and she and I swap bikes ever so often, I purchased the Takegawa Lowering Shocks, which are adjustable, and I set them to my comfort level. The ride difference is noticeable and I can ride much, much longer. The bumps that use to jar me now just feel like what I would feel in a car. The PCX is a small scooter, which means it is closer to the ground, so it will hit the pot holes much harder than bigger bike.s. Anything that can absorb some of this shock is good.

[chicaboo]

Since this is the most recent thread pertaining to PCX rear shocks, I thought I might share some feedback.
When I first installed my G-Euros some 6 weeks ago without any adjustment, I thought they were a disappointment.
They wouldn't bottom out like the stock units, but they would crash over bumps similar to how the front forks do...
Today I upped the pre-load to what appears to be about 30% or some 20~21mm of thread under the spring perches.
A good 1.5 hour ride afterward confirmed an improvement in ride quality compared to the unadjusted factory setting.
I don't know how much pre-load is ideal for my hefty 260lbs, but this was a marked improvement at any rate.

Gav.