Pcx any good for long distance travelling 200+ miles

[Navynoob]

I joined the navy over about a year ago and have become sick of blagging lifts or taking trains home, I’m thinking of financing a pcx to travel home with on the weekend the journey is around 200 miles taking A roads and about 5 hour journey or so according to my maps, I’ve had peds before so I’m not new to them but always used them for small journeys but would it be a good idea to buy a pcx for such big journeys or should I just suck it up and go back to using the trains forever

[StillThumps]

Welcome Navynoob.. Your post didn’t mention where you are from, but references to ‘A’ roads may indicate you may be in the U.K.
There are many members here on the forum who have traveled long distances on their PCX. Some have done rides MUCH longer than 200 miles. Mine is new this year and no 200+ mile rides yet (pending). The scooter is surely up to the task. Have you any scooter experience? I’m sure other members with long distance experience will chime in.

They’re Great scooters..good luck mate. Cheers

[Jge64]

I bought my first PCX in 2015, and a really good friend of mine about six months later moved in across the state. It is 210 miles from his house to my house and I was planning on riding over once a month to see him and stay with him while his wife traveled. I did it a couple times and decided that I didn’t want a 150 for such highway duty. Even if I was taking back roads. So I traded it for a 300 yam X max Yamaha and could not be happier, I feel much safer on it because it’s a little heavier, and it has more roll-on capacity for getting out of jams where I might need extra power. The 150 is about 300 pounds, the X max is 400 pounds, and the extra hundred pounds makes a world of difference when a truck blast of wind hits you on an interstate.

Then again there are scooter zealots here that take a 150 across the country and think it’s wonderful, so I would say it’s really up to you and see if you can get a few rides on both bikes.

[Navynoob]

Welcome Navynoob.. Your post didn’t mention where you are from, but references to ‘A’ roads may indicate you may be in the U.K.
There are many members here on the forum who have traveled long distances on their PCX. Some have done rides MUCH longer than 200 miles. Mine is new this year and no 200+ mile rides yet (pending). The scooter is surely up to the task. Have you any scooter experience? I’m sure other members with long distance experience will chime in.

They’re Great scooters..good luck mate. Cheers

Yes I’m UK and I’ve a lot of experience with scooters, I used to have a gilera st 125 but only used it for short distances but my worry is that I’ll be literally doing this trip every weekend as that’s when I’ll be able to get off base as I’d like to see my girlfriend and friends regularly as I live on the opposite end of the country I’m just hoping that I won’t run it into the ground quickly as that’s a worry as I’ll be having a lot of use out of it

[StillThumps]

Navynoob, It’s great having options and having reliable train transport for bad weather weekends is a real plus! I lived several years in the U.K. so I know how rain and dense fog are definitely ongoing realities there. Things may have changed, but I was always impressed with the British rail system and used it a fair amount. The U.K. gets the 125 PCX, here in the States it’s the 160. The 160 cruises easily at 55-60 mph (tops out 65-67). Not sure what your needs are but the 125 would probably be close to that. Between riding the scoot and riding the train as backup it sounds like it would be a doable plan. Cheers

[Conelite]

You can cruise 50+mph thru multiple tanks of gas with zero issues. You should be fine. Probably a tank and a half to do 200miles.

[Mel46]

I am not sure how the main roads are over there, but over here in the United States the speed limit it is 70 mph. I have a 2013 PCX 150 that can do 75 mph tops (it has been modified little), and yet it is so light that trucks that pass it at that speed almost lift it off of the road. That is why I take the back/side roads most of the time. I have taken it on several 400 + mile rides that way with little effort. It can cruise at 55 mph all day.

Back to your situation. I am sure that others over there have used the 125cc version for long rides, but for comfort I am betting that they would suggest something a little bigger. The question then becomes, not will it do the job but will it do the job comfortably. Remember that you can't predict the weather, and if you are halfway home when it starts to rain, you can't just park your bike at the nearest train station and take the train (unless you trust that it will still be there when you return).

[StuAff]

If you've got a full licence, go for a bigger bike. But if you've riding on CBT, you're obviously stuck with a 125. Did up to 130-odd miles in one hit on my PCX. I was still on L-plates at the time, but if public transport just doesn't work for a trip, you use what you've got. I did a lot of trips where there were no trains at all, or they stopped too early, or turned into a bus in the middle…

It's doable, the bike will do 50-60 all day, but…bear in mind on dual carriageways you'll be full throttle nearly all the time. This will hurt, a few times I had to ease off just to give the wrist a break. You will be mostly sitting in the inside lane, and overtakes- you will do some, honest!- will need to be carefully planned. If you can stretch to a Forza 125 or Xmax 125, go for one of those. The extra power (all three bhp!) will make a significant distance, both will also give you a longer range and a bit more comfort. Also more storage. You'll need a rucksack or top box or both on the PCX, an Xmax has 43 litres under the seat alone.

Would strongly suggest doing full licence training when circumstances allow. A 240 mile day on my Xmax 400 was easy. The Xmax 300 (got one of each, auto licence and two bikes are always handy) is barely less capable, considerably lighter, and considerably more economical- getting 106 mpg on my mostly 50 limit commute.

[Coasting]

As someone who's done quite a lot of long-distance riding on my PCX I'm in agreement with most of what's been written above. In short:

Will it do it? Yep.

Is it the best tool for the job? Nope.

If you already owned one and wanted to make that kind of journey occasionally then I'd say "go for it" - but if you're thinking of buying one and planning on that kind of trip regularly then I'd strongly advise getting something bigger. And if the underlying issue is your licence then the "A" answer is of course "stop mucking about and just get a full licence"; then the world's your oyster.