Rear View Mirror Visibility

[PCX150Rider]

How are the mirrors on the PCX? On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate them (being able to see over or around your shoulders, elbows, and arms).

I had a bit of a surprise today. . .I was out for a ride on my 49cc scooter just trying to enjoy the warmth and sunshine of the pre-season weather and someone had to muck up my day.

I generally check my mirrors every so often to see if anything has come into view or if there is suddenly someone behind me. People today are either on a space ride or in a hurry so one never knows what to expect and situation awareness is paramount.

The mirrors on my Roughhouse are not the widest. . .well made but not exactly wide.

In colder weather I wear a bulky winter jacket and it almost totally blocks my view of what's behind me when I'm riding. I literally have to lift up my arm to look through onto the mirror or turn around to take a look and see if anyone is following.

Today I was riding along in a low speed area along the shore (35 MPH tops) WOT at around 40ish and I was randomly checking to see if there was anyone behind me. Being a Holiday sometimes the traffic in my area ramps up and it's not just local traffic. Anyhow there was a bunch of people (tourists) walking along the shoulder of the "oncoming lane" near a golf course and a large truck was coming up behind them. So I moved a bit over to my right to give the truck more room to get by them (still going at least 35 MPH +) and then started to move to the left so I would get back to just being right of the "yellow center line". A no passing zone for that matter. My scooter is de-restricted so I can do close to 45 MPH with it which is more than most of the speed limits where I use it. I live in a resort area. . .

Anyhow, after resuming my travel path I took a look to see if any car/truck was coming up in the distance and much to my amazement there was this White Mercedes SUV following way too close. I mean right on top of me. . .it seemed to come out of nowhere. In fact I think the stupid child of a dog was going to continue their momentum and try to pass me (no passing zone). . .but I didn't move to the right for him/her. . .I moved to the right to give the oncoming truck more room. I have good situation awareness and the only thing I can figure is they were going really fast to get that close to me since the last time I checked. So I turned around to let them know I was well aware that they were dangerously close and getting a really good look at their license plate. I did not gesture them or flip them off. That being said they took a while to cut me some slack and were well over the yellow double line. . .which makes me wonder if they were buzzed. They just sort of hung for a bit over the yellow line like it seemed they were trying to force their way around me (or as if to say get the hell out of my way MOPED). They may have been flipping me off for all I know. . I wasn't interested in looking at them. . .just wanted to ID the vehicle. They eventually turned off and I continued my ride and things returned to normal. That being said I wish I was on a PCX today and had better mirrors.

So back to the original topic. . .are the mirrors effective on the PCX?

[chicaboo]

I'm about 2' across the shoulders. So my arms take up 3/4 of the mirrors.
With 2" extenders its the other way around and I can see about 3/4 view.
So, for me the mirrors on the PCX and CB125E at least, are both useless.

[you you]

How are the mirrors on the PCX? On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate them (being able to see over or around your shoulders, elbows, and arms).

I had a bit of a surprise today. . .I was out for a ride on my 49cc scooter just trying to enjoy the warmth and sunshine of the pre-season weather and someone had to muck up my day.

I generally check my mirrors every so often to see if anything has come into view or if there is suddenly someone behind me. People today are either on a space ride or in a hurry so one never knows what to expect and situation awareness is paramount.

The mirrors on my Roughhouse are not the widest. . .well made but not exactly wide.

In colder weather I wear a bulky winter jacket and it almost totally blocks my view of what's behind me when I'm riding. I literally have to lift up my arm to look through onto the mirror or turn around to take a look and see if anyone is following.

Today I was riding along in a low speed area along the shore (35 MPH tops) WOT at around 40ish and I was randomly checking to see if there was anyone behind me. Being a Holiday sometimes the traffic in my area ramps up and it's not just local traffic. Anyhow there was a bunch of people (tourists) walking along the shoulder of the "oncoming lane" near a golf course and a large truck was coming up behind them. So I moved a bit over to my right to give the truck more room to get by them (still going at least 35 MPH +) and then started to move to the left so I would get back to just being right of the "yellow center line". A no passing zone for that matter. My scooter is de-restricted so I can do close to 45 MPH with it which is more than most of the speed limits where I use it. I live in a resort area. . .

Anyhow, after resuming my travel path I took a look to see if any car/truck was coming up in the distance and much to my amazement there was this White Mercedes SUV following way too close. I mean right on top of me. . .it seemed to come out of nowhere. In fact I think the stupid child of a dog was going to continue their momentum and try to pass me (no passing zone). . .but I didn't move to the right for him/her. . .I moved to the right to give the oncoming truck more room. I have good situation awareness and the only thing I can figure is they were going really fast to get that close to me since the last time I checked. So I turned around to let them know I was well aware that they were dangerously close and getting a really good look at their license plate. I did not gesture them or flip them off. That being said they took a while to cut me some slack and were well over the yellow double line. . .which makes me wonder if they were buzzed. They just sort of hung for a bit over the yellow line like it seemed they were trying to force their way around me (or as if to say get the hell out of my way MOPED). They may have been flipping me off for all I know. . I wasn't interested in looking at them. . .just wanted to ID the vehicle. They eventually turned off and I continued my ride and things returned to normal. That being said I wish I was on a PCX today and had better mirrors.

So back to the original topic. . .are the mirrors effective on the PCX?

Not especially, no.

[mowzertron]

Not very good without mirror extenders. But on the flipside, the extenders make it more likely to clip a wing mirror when i'm filtering. So I have choice between better visibility or better filtering through traffic.

[honkerman]

I would rate the mirrors at about a 5 out of ten. They are short stalk mirrors so you see nothing but your shoulders and a tiny bit of what's behind you. I replaced mine with a pair off a 2006 Yamaha V-Star 650. The only reason I give them a 5 is that they stay steady and don't shake a whole lot at idle. If not for that, I'd give them a big ol 0.

[fish]

Don't know if the mounting is the same size as the Forza....but mirrors from the HONDA CB500X are longer stemmed and a perfect fit on the Forza. A set of the CB500X mirrors solved my issues with the poor Forza mirrors. Also, they look like Forza clones...but for the extra stem length.
Fish

[iceman]

Query was about a PCX - and for anyone of normal build they are fairly useless for rear visibility as you get a great view of your shoulders. The mirrors, much like underseat helmet storage, seem mostly geared towards smaller build people and not larger ones - I'm 6ft and 76KG's so not huge.

[PCX150Rider]

I would rate the mirrors at about a 5 out of ten. They are short stalk mirrors so you see nothing but your shoulders and a tiny bit of what's behind you. I replaced mine with a pair off a 2006 Yamaha V-Star 650. The only reason I give them a 5 is that they stay steady and don't shake a whole lot at idle. If not for that, I'd give them a big ol 0.

Honkerman - Great Vlog BTW. . .nice to be in PA today right?

About the mirrors. The general consensus is the stock mirrors are less than perfect. You mentioned you installed some Yamaha mirrors. . .the same ones shown in your video?

They look like the ones from the 2006 V Star 650 Custom or Midnight Custom. . .about $100 each roughly as OEM.

The ones on the 650 Classic or Silverado Custom look different. . .about half the size and half the price.

Were yours the ones from either the Custom or Midnight Custom?

If so how would you rate those? Is it just a remove and replace thing or did you need adapters? If they are a little wider than the stock ones and you can really see a lot better with them then that's great. They didn't seem too wide in the video. I rarely filter through congested traffic. . .just try to keep ample space between me and the other bulls running in the street.

Anything that gives me an edge in situation awareness works for me .

[honkerman]

I'm not sure of the specific bike they came from honestly, I just know it was an 06 vstar. They have a longish stem on them, so probably the custom. I like them and they provide excellent rear visibility. They also look fantastic on the PCX. And yes, those are the same mirrors you see in my vids.

Thanks for the kind words.

[RedBaron]

Phew. I though it was me not setting them up correctly

Pretty useless, unkess you like looking at your shoulders

Do those blind spot mirrors help

[alx123]

Stock mirrors works fine for smaller Asian guys like me. I also added a blind spot mirror for more visible range.

[iceman]

Stock mirrors works fine for smaller Asian guys like me. I also added a blind spot mirror for more visible range.

Yep, seems to be the pcx is designed for the asian market and sold elsewhere - mirrors not wide enough for larger taller people and the underseat storage generally not good enough for western large shell helmets (yes, I know, some fit but many don't).

[Rickjds]

Wow, I have no problem with the mirrors. I bought extenders but have not used them. I'm 5' 11" and adjust my mirrors to see outside of my body and never had any problems

[Eiron]

I'm with Rickjds. I'm 5' 9-1/2" & 180 lbs. I never had any trouble seeing behind/beside with the stock mirrors. I only ride down to about 32°F on the scoot & I prefer several thin layers in cold weather, so my jackets aren't particularly bulky.

When I installed the OEM Honda tall windscreen it came with new mounting brackets for the mirrors that moved them a bit outward to avoid hitting the bigger windscreen on tight turns.

[PCX150Rider]

When I installed the OEM Honda tall windscreen it came with new mounting brackets for the mirrors that moved them a bit outward to avoid hitting the bigger windscreen on tight turns.

Now that you mention it I remember the National Cycle Tall Windscreen replacement comes with mirror brackets that would move them more "outboard" to compensate for the larger windscreen as well. http://www.nationalcycle.com/vehicles/s ... 50003.html

It's not OEM but the price isn't bad in comparison either. . .the taller windscreens for the 2015 and 2016 PCX are different and have unique part numbers compared to the 2013 and 2014. The 2013/2014 versions don't come with the mirror brackets. You have to click on the "installation instructions" to see what I mean.

The reviews aren't bad and were posted in 2016 for the most part. . .

[Brent]

I bought mirror extenders on eBay to solve that problem. Before the extenders, 1/2 of my mirror was my shoulders, and the other 1/2 was the road behind me. With the extenders, 1/4 of the mirror is my shoulders, and 3/4 is what is behind me.

[Mel46]

I put the mirror extenders on bot of my PCX 150s, but I also added 1 inch blind spot mirrors on the outside area on both sides. Those work great for looking further behind and even beside me where I might not be able to turn my head to see for myself. Prior to installing the extenders (Givi dt323 Kit) the view through the mirrors was somewhere around half. The rest was of my body.

[PJDawgs]

Mel just curious- you said you put your blind spot mirrors on the outside area of your mirrors - doesn't that block some of the prime real estate of your viewing area??? I don't have them but typically see people put them in. I have considered adding them but haven't as of yet. Wondering if maybe your idea might be worth being a little different (not dogging you out)
These are the extenders I have and I love them. Have made a huge difference especially when wearing armor - http://www.luckybike.com/motorcycle-mir ... -extenders

[Mel46]

My mistake PJDawgs. I put them on the outside on my cars and inside on the bikes. However,we just bought a used Volvo that has somewhat smaller mirrors than my previous vehicle ( a SUV), so I just installed some on the inside on those mirrors. They help when I am backing down my driveway so that I can see how close I am to the edges.
Those are nice extenders. I like the fact that they come in different colors. Mine are just flat black.

[fish]

Query was about a PCX - and for anyone of normal build they are fairly useless for rear visibility as you get a great view of your shoulders. The mirrors, much like underseat helmet storage, seem mostly geared towards smaller build people and not larger ones - I'm 6ft and 76KG's so not huge.

I know that....but both scoots are made by Honda...
so if standing on dealer floor take a look at the mount points of Forza and the pcx. Same? Then mirrors from a 500X will fit.
Fish