Michelin tire installed, bench & review

[homie]

Michelin City Grip front 120/70-14 - rear 140/70-14

2015 PCX 150
Initial observations and considerations;

The front tire installs with no issue
Center stand does not lift rear tire completely off the ground
Breather box will need to be slightly spaced off
Rear hugger fender must be raised
Speedometer will read an incorrect speed, use GPS to calculate

I will compare my stock IRC bench performance numbers and give my take on how these feel on the road later today. Thanks to all those members who have done this... it does look good so far.

[ScooterMan]

Interested in hearing the performance numbers relative to the benchmark.

[homie]

2015 PCX150 benchmarks under exact same conditions
Note; my speedometer is exactly 2mph slower than GPS reports with the new Michelin tire upgrade.

Stock benchmark; 0-60 in 18 seconds and topped out at 65mph in 26 seconds < speedometer and GPS sink perfectly
After Michelins; 0-60 in 21 seconds and topped out at 64mph in 34 seconds < GPS speed report, not the speedo

What I've lost; 3 seconds slower 0-60 and 8 seconds slower to maximum velocity.

before


after


This bench run is always on a grade so I expect to get close to maximum velocity eventually, but on a flat I notice the top speed has lost a good 4-5mph.
To reach 60mph normal driving with these tires is... difficult. As for handling I need more road time to report exactly what I think. The looks of the oversized tire is impressive that's for sure but only with wheel tape. Without trim on the rims to separate tire from rim... wheels look too big and dark for the scooter.

[homie]

much better with wheel stripes... so Scooterman about getting me back up to speed

[WhiteNoise]

Sooo...would you have chosen the City Grip stock size tires had you known all this homie? I was tempted to step up in size, but I kept thinking that Honda knows better. Maybe they didn't choose the right tire but the right sizes

[ScooterMan]

much better with wheel stripes... so Scooterman about getting me back up to speed

Can't help you there Homie. You will also notice a drop in MPG. You'll have to remember to adjust for tire size diff in your calculations there too.

You added approx 3lbs to the rear tire. Will take longer to spin that up. Front tire is surprisingly showing a similar weight on the internet...can't be right, but whatever...should be 2lbs heavier than stock.

You should just be able to go with some lighter rollers to compensate. I would say 1g to comp for the RPM loss and another 1g to cover for the loss of accel from the added rotating mass. So go 2g lighter. If you're still running stock rollers, I would prob start with 12g's now (down from stock 16g).

[homie]

You should just be able to go with some lighter rollers to compensate. I would say 1g to comp for the RPM loss and another 1g to cover for the loss of accel from the added rotating mass. So go 2g lighter. If you're still running stock rollers, I would prob start with 12g's now (down from stock 16g).

I will order the parts and look forward to the process

Sooo...would you have chosen the City Grip stock size tires had you known all this homie? I was tempted to step up in size, but I kept thinking that Honda knows better. Maybe they didn't choose the right tire but the right sizes

I did know about the clearances from reading here. It's hard not to like the rear 140 but I may watch for a 90/90 front from superstore, I don't think pushing around a 120 front is worth the weight if you can get the smaller Michelin.

[sendler2112]

I would have thought top speed would go up a little with the larger circumference tires giving longer gearing. Everyone that puts on a bigger variator gets additional top speed. Must be you are not hitting the rev limiter and your top speed is limited by air resistance. Which even if this is the case should go up slightly with longer gearing because the top speed will then occur at a lower rpm which is closer to the end of the power peak at 8,400 rpm. The power curve falls off again quite a bit from 9,000 to the rev limit at 9,600 so any longer gearing that gets the top speed away from 9,600 should increase top speed.
.
Unless the rolling resistance of the Michelins is really that much higher than the stock IRC tires. Maybe because their performance is being made worse by being mounted on the totally wrong size wheel for those tires?
.
Changing weights won't affect top speed unless you are also changing to a slider which again makes the gearing slightly longer. But lighter weights should improve acceleration slightly if you can set the pulling rpm before lock up to about 8,000 rpm.
.
You should install the $50 Koso tach so you know what you are getting from any future tuning.

[homie]

You should install the $50 Koso tach so you know what you are getting from any future tuning.

Ok boys, the tachometer was on amazon, great price btw and I took order for both 12 & 13 gram Honda rollers
Also placed order for;
2010+ Honda PCX 125 NCY Variator Set Special Gold Teflon Pulley &
2010+ Honda PCX 125 NCY Aluminum Drive Face.
Even though these are not updated by description yet at CorSport for 2015 and say 125cc will they work? I don't see anything for 150's

Lets at least claw back original performance if possible, I have faith in you's two

[ScooterMan]

You should install the $50 Koso tach so you know what you are getting from any future tuning.

Ok boys, the tachometer was on amazon, great price btw and I took order for both 12 & 13 gram Honda rollers
Also placed order for;
2010+ Honda PCX 125 NCY Variator Set Special Gold Teflon Pulley &
2010+ Honda PCX 125 NCY Aluminum Drive Face.
Even though these are not updated by description yet at CorSport for 2015 and say 125cc will they work? I don't see anything for 150's

Lets at least claw back original performance if possible, I have faith in you's two

Yes, those are the right parts. =)

[homie]

Yes, those are the right parts. =)

Tai over at sales@corsportusa.com says this set is only for PCX125.. DOH!
Guess he doesn't have time for reading forums or updating their website's 2015 compatible Honda parts

[ScooterMan]

Yes, those are the right parts. =)

Tai over at sales@corsportusa.com says this set is only for PCX125.. DOH!
Guess he doesn't have time for reading forums or updating their website's 2015 compatible Honda parts

Yeah, I have these exact parts on my 2015...don't sweat it! =)

[ScooterMan]

HOMIE!!!

Just timed a 0-60 run here at sea level, 68 degree temp.

0-60 in 13.25 sec
0-50 in 8.25 secs

Vitals: 155lb rider, 7/8 full tank (89 octane) and 5lb cargo under seat, slight tail wind.

video coming...stay tuned!

[ScooterMan]

VIDEO!!! 0-60 starts @ exactly 20 seconds, and ends a bit after 33 seconds.

13.25 secs 0-60 =)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUYADMWggzU

I'm hearing a bit of a dip in the RPM, thinking a switch to 12g rollers could be the sweet spot, bus as Sendler said, without a tach, no way of knowing for sure.

[homie]

Beautiful 63 degrees today, I've been on the new rubber for hours noting the ride and handling with no complaints so far.

I actually sparked the center stand feeling too confident so I stopped trying to rough up the outer edges of the Michelins

There is a lot of rubber you will never use on these tires because of the C-stand

[ScooterMan]

Forgot to mention I have a Takegawa Power Silent Oval Exhaust and a pod filter directly on the Throttle Body.

Homie, remove that centerstand! It's a liability in the corners and is an extra 2.75lbs dead weight!

[homie]

macmurphy.jpg

VIDEO!!!
13.25 secs 0-60 =)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUYADMWggzU

now take it off the center stand

Just kidding, YOU SUCK! can mine go that fast or do I have to get a new battery and loose 50 lbs?

[ScooterMan]

Oh yeah, saving 5lbs off the battery doesn't hurt. Losing a few lbs DEFINITELY will help up any sort of incline.

Also, u are still running the stock rollers. When you get your new lighter ones in, that will make a nice difference.

[homie]

Oh yeah, saving 5lbs off the battery doesn't hurt. Losing a few lbs DEFINITELY will help up any sort of incline.

Also, u are still running the stock rollers. When you get your new lighter ones in, that will make a nice difference.

Next weekend I bench again with upgraded CVT parts... not swapping battery or exhaust until I see where I'm at and learn to use the tachometer (which I have no clue how to use this device to tune anything LOL) But I will try... I will do that

[homie]

Homie, remove that centerstand! It's a liability in the corners and is an extra 2.75lbs dead weight!

But I like the C-stand and the battery ... and the piston