Freeway riding

[GvD]

New to the forum and am all but certain I’m getting a new 2018 PCX but my only hesitation is that I’d like to ride it on the freeway for my commute. The hours I drive are highly congested and I just sit in 2-to-4 lane bumper to bumper gridlock traffic on 101 most days, jealouly watching motorcycles and scooters whiz by, lane-splitting (legally -I’m in CA) literally cutting the commute time in half.

Then, once I’m in San Francisco, the parking options appear to be less expensive and a bit easier than for my car with surface street parking.

So my question is, am I crazy for considering the PCX-150 for a commute on 101 with a 65mph speed limit, even though I rarely am able to hit that in my car on my commute? Before finding this forum I posted on Reddit scooters and riders with higher powered scoots told me it was too dangerous to ride it because the top speed is limited to 62-63mph. This would only seem to be an issue with light traffic but even then, there are significant numbers of people using the slower lanes for 55-60 mph speeds (gas savers, cruise controllers etc) that I would seem to ride comfortably (yet alertly) among.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[GvD]

And just as an addendum to be clear, since I’m a newbie here, I searched the previous posts on the topic but couldn’t find one specifically talking about riding on 101 into SF (and across the Golden Gate btw) which is hairy but speeds are slower (45mph enforced limit) and it would seem pretty safe for a scooter in slow lane aside from westerly winds.

[Mister Paul]

It will be ok on the freeway, but not as responsive around its top speed as a bigger bike. I've ridden a 110 Vision over here on the motorway and there's a knack to it -I found that if you tuck behind a truck when the traffic is flowing freely it's ok.

Have you thought about an SH300i. Much more capable on the fast roads. Great accceleration and will sit at 80mph all day quite easily.

By the way, filtering is one of the most fulfilling activities in scooter ownership. I have been known to take the most congested route just to fill up my smug tanks.

[WhiteNoise]

It will be ok on the freeway,....I've ridden a 110 Vision over here on the motorway...

Where is this motorway you speak of Mister Paul?
Would you Please enter your location in your profile so you can help others (and vice versa)

[Mel46]

Ok, time for a reality check.

On the Golden Gate bridge there are crosswinds. The PCX 150 is a light bike with a maximum speed of 64 mph. The crosswords are bad when you are behind and beside a semi truck. Imagine that combined with the winds that blow on the bridge. Good luck holding it in your lane. It is a great little scooter for normal roads and streets, mostly at between 45 and 55 mph. If you need more speed, say to pass a truck at those speeds, you have a reserve. At max throttle you have no reserve.

San Francisco has some really steep hills. When you start up the hills you will be lucky if it makes it to the top. You will also have to be careful of the trolley tracks, which could end your ride quickly. Having a reserve means that you have more power for climbing the hills when needed. However, if the hills are steep you can run out of power quickly.

I love my PCX, but I don't live in San Francisco. My daughter does, and I did once upon a time. Back then I had a VW Beetle. It couldn't get up many of the hills there, and it felt the cross winds when we crossed the GGB.

My suggestion would be to consider a larger bike, say like a Forza or even a 200cc bike like a Burgman 200, which has a low center of gravity. I bumped up the top end on our PCX to 75 mph, but I still think it is too light for riding for any length of time on our freeways. A couple of exits would be about it.

[Mister Paul]

It will be ok on the freeway,....I've ridden a 110 Vision over here on the motorway...

Where is this motorway you speak of Mister Paul?
Would you Please enter your location in your profile so you can help others (and vice versa)

It doesn't matter when one lives. Those fast roads are called motorways. Because you motor on them. They're not free, neither in cost nor unrestraint.

[Mister Paul]

Ok, time for a reality check.

On the Golden Gate bridge there are crosswinds. The PCX 150 is a light bike with a maximum speed of 64 mph. The crosswords are bad when you are behind and beside a semi truck. Imagine that combined with the winds that blow on the bridge. Good luck holding it in your lane. It is a great little scooter for normal roads and streets, mostly at between 45 and 55 mph. If you need more speed, say to pass a truck at those speeds, you have a reserve. At max throttle you have no reserve.

San Francisco has some really steep hills. When you start up the hills you will be lucky if it makes it to the top. You will also have to be careful of the trolley tracks, which could end your ride quickly. Having a reserve means that you have more power for climbing the hills when needed. However, if the hills are steep you can run out of power quickly.

I love my PCX, but I don't live in San Francisco. My daughter does, and I did once upon a time. Back then I had a VW Beetle. It couldn't get up many of the hills there, and it felt the cross winds when we crossed the GGB.

My suggestion would be to consider a larger bike, say like a Forza or even a 200cc bike like a Burgman 200, which has a low center of gravity. I bumped up the top end on our PCX to 75 mph, but I still think it is too light for riding for any length of time on our freeways. A couple of exits would be about it.

The man speaks sense.

Though, having owned a 300 Forza I wouldn't recommend one for areas with regular sidewinds. It's like a sail. It's the only bike I've ever pulled onto the hard shoulder (or whatever you Americans call that lane on the edge where you can stop in an emergency) because it was blowing sideways too much to be safe. It'll get you up any hill though.

[jpanem]

I'm from the Bay Area. I had my PCX and rode it on hwy 880, 237, 101, 680, etc. You'll be good especially when it comes to commute hours as we can lane split but be careful about it. I've had some close calls with drivers not watch when they would change lanes.

Get a variator/drive face, taller rear tire and lighter sliders as I was able to do like 72mph while tucking.

[Mel46]

Taller windshield, NCY variator and drive face, and 13 gram rollers. After your bike gets broken in at around 1,000 miles you will find that you can get 75 mph out of your bike. Just be aware that it is a light bike.

[Gil]

Get a variator/drive face, taller rear tire and lighter sliders as I was able to do like 72mph while tucking.

I also recommend a variator/drive kit, 13g Dr. Pulley sliders and some sort of windshield. When riding on the highway I stick to the slow lane and I'm generally fine. When riding on 101 or any other 4+ lane freeway, a wind tunnel effect is created by all the cars going in the same direction. On some occasions I have cruised at 74 mph for a few miles. As for side winds, I find the PCX very stable. I think it must be the shave of the scoot, Honda did a good job there.

When splitting lanes don't goo too much faster than the traffic and have three fingers on each brake lever. Only time that I have had people cut me off, when splitting lanes, was on city streets. Someone was cutting through a gap in traffic to cross over to a shopping center. Be careful.


Gil

[GvD]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone, I appreciate all the feedback, pro and con.

[dkazzed]

The PCX is excellent for lane splitting in California. I think you'll be able to ride it without upgrading it. If you have to go home during the day when the traffic is lighter, just stick in the right lane but you won't be holding up traffic.

I'd consider a Grom as well which has a bit of a lower top speed but slightly better acceleration and loads of fun to ride, plus has available ABS brakes.

[springer1]

My suggestion would be to consider a larger bike, say like a Forza or even a 200cc bike like a Burgman 200, which has a low center of gravity. I bumped up the top end on our PCX to 75 mph, but I still think it is too light for riding for any length of time on our freeways. A couple of exits would be about it.

Yep.

[WhiteNoise]

Howdy GvD glad others could help.

Is it Me? I can't help but wonder, have you considered buying a bigger scooter for your commute, an "as is" scoot to handle the speed limits of the highway you travel? Why bother modifying a PCX when you could be ready to roll the highway on a higher CC scooter? Of course, $$ could be the factoring reason, but then mods add up too
Remember there's parts and your time needed to get the job(s) done. Or you call a friend, or pay another to do installs.

I don't believe Honda built our PCX's for lengthy highway travel. As a matter of fact, highway/expressway/freeway/parkway/autobahn and motorway's are beyond our PCX limit(er).

I did read that you're in highway traffic most of the time, so I get why the PCX might seem worthy for the job. Well, I'm not a fan of lane splitting although I Understand why it's done. I would have to be "in-a-helluva-hurry" (i.e. emergency) to lane split to my destination. Crazy, but I would chance it.

I'm about Safety. You too?
We see what drivers are doing behind the wheel, right? Yep, they're texting, talking on cellphones, eating, reading, shaving, putting on makeup and even rolling joints (saw that myself recently).

Now we Add you to the mix. In traffic, Alongside you come, but wait - are they checking their mirrors? Are they looking for you? No. They're ready to switch lanes, or jump out their door yelling, "Move It" to those ahead. You might meet his kind.

Let's try to Be Seen. Bigger bike, bigger you (sit up straight). Bigger bike moves faster. If you yourself are aware of possible upcoming danger, you have a better chance of getting out of harms way. Attire? White or bright FF helmet. Clothes matter. Black looks cool but not when it matches the tarmac (no, Not going there now).

"Oh No, I've Said Too Much
I Haven't Said Enough..."

[flyingzonker]

PCX is happiest, seems to me, doing about 45 miles per. The upper fourth of its possible range is for temporary emergency and semi emergency use. Or so my experience tells me. I don't do freeways with it. I don't even like to do secondary highways (roads with 55 mph limit) because, let's face it, who does 55 mph on one of those? It's 65 and 70 most of the time. PCX can do 65 unmodified but it is giving everything it's got at 65 and that ain't good...not for long at any rate. I have never ridden in the Bay Area. Don't know what it's like but if it's anything like the Midwest then a little bigger is going to be much better for 55-75 traffic. Maybe get something like a Forza or a Burgman 400. You might look around for a used Reflex or even, if you are greatly lucky, for a Helix in good condition. They are 250cc machines that handle 55-60 without getting winded. The Helix is a kind of heirloom bike. Every time I see one I salute.

All the above being said, you may be one of those people with a talent for getting the most out of a small bike without either dragging traffic or burning out your engine. In which case, Get the small bike and exercise your gift.

[GvD]

Flyingzonker amd Whitenoise - I definitely have thought about a bigger scoot, even more so after reading many of the thoughtful comments from yourselves and others. My hesitation is that once I get into SF, I’ll be hitting many destinations throughout the city, making housecalls to clients. So, parking and nimble handling are gigh on my list - I really need two scoots:-).

What’s another wrinkle is that half the freeway trip has 65mph limit, while the latter half into the city drops down to 55mph and then a 45mph limit. And like I said, most of the 65mph is gridlocked at my commute time anyway. I’d probably only need that extra 50 to 100cc about 25-30% of the time, after which, that extra weight and less agile handling at slower speeds / parking will be a bit of a hindrance.

Although a variator seems like the holy grail for me on paper, I just don’t envision myself tinkering with the it regardless - my extensive experience with Honda automotive products over the years is to go bone stock, perform meticulous maintenance and then reap the rewards of extended reliability and the commensurate good nights of sleep.

Appreciate all the feedback - couldn’t get this braintrust anywhere else. You all are a wonderful community.

[Mister Paul]

Flyingzonker amd Whitenoise - I definitely have thought about a bigger scoot, even more so after reading many of the thoughtful comments from yourselves and others. My hesitation is that once I get into SF, I’ll be hitting many destinations throughout the city, making housecalls to clients. So, parking and nimble handling are gigh on my list - I really need two scoots:-).

What’s another wrinkle is that half the freeway trip has 65mph limit, while the latter half into the city drops down to 55mph and then a 45mph limit. And like I said, most of the 65mph is gridlocked at my commute time anyway. I’d probably only need that extra 50 to 100cc about 25-30% of the time, after which, that extra weight and less agile handling at slower speeds / parking will be a bit of a hindrance.

Although a variator seems like the holy grail for me on paper, I just don’t envision myself tinkering with the it regardless - my extensive experience with Honda automotive products over the years is to go bone stock, perform meticulous maintenance and then reap the rewards of extended reliability and the commensurate good nights of sleep.

Appreciate all the feedback - couldn’t get this braintrust anywhere else. You all are a wonderful community.

An SH300i will give you motorway grunt without compromising city nimbleness. It's comfortable on the motorway yet narrow, light and small enough for you to throw around in congested areas. The SH is the best selling scooter in Italy.

[Mel46]

I am not even sure that they sell the SH300i in the United States.

[Mister Paul]

That would be a shame.

[gn2]

I am not even sure that they sell the SH300i in the United States.

I think the only SH ever sold in the USA was a 150.