Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Drivetrain upgrades, engine upgrades, or any other mods to gain speed or acceleration.

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Eiron
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Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Eiron »

Here's the original post that convinced me to buy this product.
Here's the link to the 2015 Variator Kit.
And here's the link to the belt they recommend.

I installed this kit about two weeks ago, & finally got around to trying out a max speed run yesterday. I can pretty much echo what the owner of the original post said:
1) Acceleration's about the same; maybe a touch quicker.
2) Top speed is definitely higher (details to follow).
3) Fuel efficiency looks to be slightly less, but I won't really know until the next tank.

Regarding the top speed, I was testing during my lunch break, so I had to find some relatively close roads. That means I was riding with traffic. Previously, the scoot would bump up against the rev limiter at 63 mph. Yesterday I was able to get up to 70 mph before I had to slow for traffic, & still hadn't hit the limiter. Yay! It took me quite a while to reach 70, but I have some limitations:
1) It's almost always breezy around here, & yesterday was no exception. I had to wait for a protected stretch of road that was also clear of traffic before I had enough runway.
2) My windscreen is the Honda OEM "Tall" screen, which appears to be about the same height as most aftermarket "short" screens. So I'm not quite as aerodynamic as I could be.
3) I live a 5,000 ft altitude, & all the roads go up. I will never generate the same amount of power as someone living closer to sea level.

Other things that may affect my results:
1) It's only been about 150 miles since I installed the kit. If there's a 'run-in' period for the new parts, I may see some improvement.
2a) Same issue on fuel economy, but even worse since I've run it at WOT for the max speed tests & my normal travel speed is probably closer to 45 mph.
2b) I'll have the Shad SH39 installed in another week or so, & I expect that to also negatively impact my MPG.

I'll post more results after a longer time with the kit! 8)
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Hugh_Jaz »

Congrats - OP author here...

Just added a new post about the drive belt snapping on my upgrade you just pulled the trigger on :(

But - just make sure you get in there about every couple thousand miles or so and take a look at the belt and rollers, and I think you will be very happy as I was.

This literally happened yesterday and I fixed this morning and as I said in my other post I think the variator piece looks unscathed, the clutch is fine, and it's just the wearing items that I arguably should have replaced anyway should I have followed the directions on the site that I think need replacing.

So no worries - enjoy your upgrade - but make sure you get in there before too long. As a reference it was running perfectly with no hint of problem until yesterday and I put 3,500 mile on the upgrade, 4,600 on the scooter. So I figure if you should pretty much plan to replace tat belt between 2K - 3K miles to avoid the belt snapping. Considering how long shipping took I would order another belt soon and just have it on hand.

Enjoy!!
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Eiron
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Eiron »

Thanks for the heads-up Huge!

We're using our scoots in drastically different ways, so I'm not too worried at the moment. However, if maintenance requirements are dramatically increased, or reliability is dramatically decreased, due to this variator swap, I'll go back to the stock setup & live with the reduced top speed. :|
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Eiron »

So, here's my update to my Yuminashi variator upgrade. If you go over this post, you'll read about a belt failure & the aftermarket manufacturer's comments. Based on those comments, I've modified my PCX's variator covers.

Starting with the plastic intake, where the air enters the belt chamber:
Original, interior
Original, interior
PA016547.JPG (139.2 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
I added an extra intake "window" at the top where it's protected by the body panel, and a slot at the lowest point where any water intrusion could drain before being pulled into the belt chamber:
Modified, interior
Modified, interior
PA236579.JPG (140.72 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
How it looks from the outside:
Modified, exterior
Modified, exterior
PA236577.JPG (161.9 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
How much it's covered by the body panel:
Installed, exterior
Installed, exterior
PA236594.JPG (135.56 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
Next, I looked at the aluminum housing, and decided to modify only the cover:
Original
Original
P9246530.JPG (123.48 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
The red wire traces the air path as it exits the belt housing (same sized opening mirrored on the bike's casting):
Original, interior
Original, interior
P9246536.JPG (127.32 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
For this first pass, I decided to keep the new exit window small enough to be protected:
Modified, interior
Modified, interior
PA236580.JPG (134.85 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
From the outside, you can see how little is exposed to the elements:
Modified, exterior
Modified, exterior
PA236591.JPG (93.11 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
Assuming I have no problems over the Winter, I'll examine both the new intake and exit windows for telltale water intrusion residue next Spring/Summer. If I don't see any issues, I'll probably enlarge the exit window at that point. I don't plan on adding any more intake openings.
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Eiron »

I added another airflow window to the drive belt housing. In reality, this is probably the exit window I should've done the first time!
Not only is it larger and better protected from water splash, but it's a lot easier to make!
Since I haven't had any water intrusion problems with the smaller/lower window, I won't cover it over just yet.
P6047876.JPG
P6047876.JPG (455.32 KiB) Viewed 2269 times
P6047877.JPG
P6047877.JPG (448.98 KiB) Viewed 2269 times
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Eiron »

Update on performance:
I've had this mod for a little over a year now. I think I installed it around 5,200 mi, and I've now got 7,500 mi on the bike. When I posted my last update (June, 2017) I think I had about 6,700 mi on the bike and the Gates belt looked fine (as would be expected). I'd estimate about 75% of my riding is below 55 mph. I live/ride at 5000 ft elevation (not as much power up here), and have Mobil 1 15W-50 in both the engine and final drive. I have the Honda "tall" windscreen. I'm about 5'-9" and 185 lbs.

Top speed: I've been able to get the bike up to 73 mph before running out of open space in front of me. The rev limiter never kicked in.
Fuel economy: This past summer I saw my best tank, at 120.4 mpg (US miles). I installed my Shad SH39 top box right after the mod, and I never remove the box.

I did the mod mostly for commutes between neighboring towns. The road speeds are posted at 65 mph and most drivers go at least 70 mph. I felt being limited to 63 mph was a safety hazard for my intended use. Since I never go on freeways, my times spent above 65 mph tend to be no more than about 15 minutes before I have to slow down for traffic.

So far, I can't complain! :)
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Eiron »

Update, splash pattern:
I took the scoot out between snow storms to run some errands (we had one day in the mid-60s). Since I normally avoid riding in the wet (I'm still on the original IRC tires, and I don't trust them on wet pavement), the snowmelt gave me some good visuals on splash patterns. I was happy to see that all of my added drive belt vents were splash-free.
Attachments
Most of the splash was on the exhaust-side
Most of the splash was on the exhaust-side
Var_03.JPG (402.63 KiB) Viewed 1780 times
Less splash on the drive-side
Less splash on the drive-side
Var_04.JPG (279.69 KiB) Viewed 1780 times
No splash around the exit vent I made
No splash around the exit vent I made
Var_05.JPG (296.11 KiB) Viewed 1780 times
No splash around the intake vent I made
No splash around the intake vent I made
Var_06.JPG (257.12 KiB) Viewed 1780 times
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by PCX150Rider »

Good pics. We can clearly see the area around the penetrations is clean.

Sounds like you are getting about 10 MPH more and the fuel economy hasn't suffered under usual riding conditions.

Nice to have the extra speed on tap. It's not stellar acceleration from 55 to 70 right? More that once you are up to speed you can keep up with the flow of traffic on the highway?

Watch out for the crazys doing 80 in the 65 zones though! 8)
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Re: Yuminashi Variator Upgrade to 2015 PCX150

Post by Eiron »

Thanks! Yeah, with that kind of splash pattern, I'm now thinking of adding another intake window to the plastic cover. It's not a concern right now (mid-winter), but summers keep getting hotter, and more airflow can only be a good thing.

Correct, no more limiter kicking in! Now I can go up to the point where there's simply not enough power. :lol:

I was actually surprised by the MPG. I felt certain that having the top box on all of the time would've created more drag and lower MPG. And maybe it is? But it's so darn useful that I can't see ever removing it.

Acceleration is a non-issue for me. The roads I ride are all limited to 65 mph max (most of them only up to 55 mph), so traffic tends to accelerate normally up to around 60 mph, then 'creeps' up to about 70 mph. With that kind of pattern, I'm staying with traffic the entire time. You're right about faster drivers! When that starts to happen I just pull over into the right lane and let them go by. 8)
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