Hi Trevor,
Trevor wrote:I'm 5'7 340lbs, how well will this Scooter move me along?
Short answer: "just fine". By my calculations your weight is about 155kg - more than mine, but not by a huge margin. Add that to the weight of the bike (both weights need to be accelerated and braked) and there wouldn't be a lot of difference percentage wise. I've also done over 5,000km with my daughter on the back - she's not a small girl either - so we're definitely right up against the 180kg weight limit for the bike (wink, wink) and even that's absolutely fine. There's really 2 parts to carrying a pillion - the all-up weight and the overall balance; weight wise - yes - the scooter knows it's there and it works the engine, transmission, and brakes a little harder when she's on the back, but so what - it's a work-horse - and it handles it just fine. With pillions it's all about balance - my daughter has spent so much time on the back that for me it's like having an automatic pilot in that she leans just the right amount to steer the bike that I only ever have to make tiny corrections - sometimes I even forget she's there. Reason I mention all that is that even with just the rider, it's still all about balance - once you've mastered the counter-steering, balancing, and power co-ordination necessary to balance turns you just don't feel the weight - no matter how heavy the bike and rider is. I don't give it a moment's thought these days.
My area in Phoenix is mostly miles and miles of flat land and the speed limit is 40mph strictly enforced. Would my weight seriously hinder the acceleration from 0-20mph, basically if you wanted to get out of the way of impending danger etc.
Not really. I'm usually first away at the lights by a huge margin. If some car WANTS to take you on in a drag race they'll win, but so what? Had that happen to me just yesterday - I pulled into the left lane, some lightweight car in the right - both of us going through. Lights went green and I did my usual speedy get-away, but couldn't see him in my mirror at the merge, but could still hear his engine revving it's little heart out behind me - so I knew what was about to happen - and sure enough he goes flying by me about 15 km/hr over the limit as I leveled off at the limit. Anyone would think the lead of the world driver's championship was at stake. But to answer your question, at your weight, you'll still pull away first most of the time - if you want to.
-The highways are 55mph and 65mph mostly. I'm NOT looking to travel long distances on the highway, but can this Scooter get me up to 65-75mph? I don't want people honking at me because I'm slowing traffic etc. The rep at the dealership said and I quote "oh no, you cannot take this on the highway, it's not allowed, you need a bigger engine". ?? True?
The rev limiter on mine kicks in at 112 km/hr on the clock - and the clock over-reads by exactly 10% - so my true max speed is about 101km/hr (about 63MPH) in wind neutral conditions. If you're punching into a head wind then that WILL knock your speed back (sometimes quite significantly), and your weight will possibly knock another tiny amount off the top speed due to increased wind and rolling resistance). Our motorway has two lanes and a 100km/hr limit. Usually I'm going about the same speed as traffic likes to travel in the slower of the two lanes, but am at wide open throttle to do it - and on a 5km run, usually 2 or 3 cars will pass me in the other lane - and more often than not I pass them back at the end because the bike is generally more maneuverable plus I can get more aggressive on the brakes. How all that translates to your situation, sorry, I have no idea. Fuel economy drops to around 1/2 at wide-open throttle by the way. 2 things worth mentioning; (1) even if you are slightly slower, you're also narrow - and it's generally not difficult to flick on an indicator and get out of other peoples way if they want to get past, and (2) there are mods that can be done to increase the top speed. I've chosen not to do the latter because (a) I'm happy enough with my bike's top speed as it is and (b) I'm of the opinion that we never get anything for nothing and I'm concerned that working that small engine even harder than they designed it to be worked will probably have a disproportionate effect on engine life. No evidence to support that -- just my opinion, so take it as you'd like.
For what it's worth, Honda also have some very nice automatic bikes such as the NC750X DCT - only operating difference compared to the PCX is that the rear brake is on your right foot rather than left handlebar.
-Is there a gas gauge anywhere? I didn't start it up, but I noticed there was no gas gauge unless I missed it somehow. This was a 2017 model in White. I want white because it's easier to spot for other drivers plus it's a bit less hot to the touch in the Arizona heat.
It's on the instrument panel. Mine stays on 9 bars (ie "full") for about the first 80km and then drops to 1 bar flashing at around 220km if I'm only running city speeds. Having said that, mine is a 2014 model with only a 6l tank - your will probably have an 8l tank and possibly slightly better economy. I understand that the tank on the newer models is in a different position, so the gauge behaviour may well be different. I sometimes carry an extra 5l under the seat (in an approved container) if doing long runs at full speed where there's no gas stations.
So that's really it, I can't wait to get this, super excited! I don't want a regular motorcycle, because honestly I don't want to shift I'd rather the automatic transmission. It will be used for leisure and going to local stores, local trips etc. Arizona has some of the best streets, no pot holes pretty much.
Thank you folks, cheers!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
Hope it works out well for you. I find driving a car sooooo boring compared to the PCX. Please make a personal commitment to your safety though - stats show that motorcycle riders are some 28 to 32 TIMES (not percent) more likely to be injured compared to a cager - that's a staggering statistic. I believe that the list of people who have come a cropper here is quite a long one too - so it's serious stuff. The course you're doing is a great first step, but please don't stop there. A couple of resources I like to mention to new members is Kevin Morris's MC Rider channel on YouTube (Kevin is a professional motorcycle instructor) and has done great instructional videos on a lot of important topics (a lot of which just isn't obvious to motorcycles riders until it's been explained -- like why cars don't see you and pull out in front of you at intersections - and how to avoid getting hit from behind). You can find Kevin's channel at
https://www.youtube.com/user/kevinmorris22. Last and least, I also run a pathetic little Facebook page under the name of "Motorcycle Tips and Tricks to Stay Alive":
https://www.facebook.com/MotorcycleTips ... StayAlive/
Hope some of this helps.