The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

I’m back after almost a year away. I sold my Forza as it was too heavy for me, and contributed to a serious leg injury. I really miss riding and am very seriously thinking about a PCX.

Is it more manageable than the Forza? I was unable to roll the Forza around easily and couldn’t get it up on its centre stand without help. Do you find it better balanced? I loved the Forza, and appreciated her weight in windy conditions, but it was a big bike for a newbie.

Thanks,

Sandy

If you found the forza too big probably a PCX 150 would be a good alternative. Much lighter , maneuverable, however best speed zone is 45-55 and city riding is its forte..Note that wind and hills will have an effect especially if you are a light rider and have a windshield.Good luck with your decision.

i have 3 bikes a x max a pcx and a zuma 125 out of the 3 the zuma is the lightist plus you can step through it since it has a floor

Sandymay wrote:I’m back after almost a year away. I sold my Forza as it was too heavy for me, and contributed to a serious leg injury. I really miss riding and am very seriously thinking about a PCX.

Is it more manageable than the Forza? I was unable to roll the Forza around easily and couldn’t get it up on its centre stand without help. Do you find it better balanced? I loved the Forza, and appreciated her weight in windy conditions, but it was a big bike for a newbie.

Thanks,

Sandy

Can you update regarding how your Forza contributed to a serious injury?!
Fish

My wife is only 5 ft tall but can move her PCX around, though she needs help putting it on the center stand. The lighter the bike, the easier it is to put on its center stand, but the lighter bikes do have problems with very windy days. That being said, I would still prefer my PCX to those lighter scooters. It is comfortable, easy to maneuver and sturdy enough to withstand the occasional windy day. I do have a tall windshield on mine, but rather than hinder it the windshield diverts the majority of the wind.
I found the Forza to be bulky and cumbersome when I tried rolling it around, but that may be just me. If you are considering a PCX go to the dealer and see if you can maneuver it in the showroom. Have the sales person show you the proper way to put it on its center stand. Then try it yourself.

The PCX is a world easier to deal with in every respect, so long as your needs do not include going faster than 62 or so MPH. Driveway maneuverability, putting it on a center stand, even dancing around road imperfections is WAY easier on the PCX compared to the Forza. Forza is 422 pounds - PCX 289 pounds. From the PCX point of view, the Forza is 46% heavier. No surprise it is easier to handle.

fish wrote: Can you update regarding how your Forza contributed to a serious injury?!
Fish

As some of you may recall, I was a fairly new rider. Last year, while I was parking my Forza, it starting leaning to the left. As it was a brand new bike, I was determined not to let it drop, and held it in place. I sounded the horn, until a neighbour, who was cutting his grass, noticed my dilemma and came to my rescue and righted the bike. When I tried to dismount the bike on the left side, I discovered that I couldn’t support myself with my left leg. After considerable diagnostic testing, it was discovered that I broke my tibia plateau, which is a major weight bearing part of the human anatomy. Nine weeks into healing, I was at a friend’s house, who has a 70 lb. dog that jumped up on the knee joint and broke it again, right through the original break. This new injury really complicated my healing, and I am still walking with a limp.

I really missed riding but faced the fact that the Forza was too heavy for me, and even though I’m tall, I found the bike to be a bit too tall for me, maybe it was the width of the seat?).

I had originally wanted a PCX, but Honda put the Forza on for a great deal, and I thought (mistakenly) that I would grow into it.

So, now I’m seriously considering a PCX. Any tips on purchasing would be greatly appreciated.

The PCX is the lightest Japanese 150cc scooter out there. There is the Yamaha Smax, heavier and without question has a more top heavy feel in pushing it around and riding it.
I have never ridden a scooter as easy to ride and manage than the PCX 125/150.
I guess you could try Kymco/Lance/Sym. They all have really light 125-150cc scooters but for me I rather go Japanese brand than Korean any day for resale value.

Vespa GTS300 around 150kg, much lighter than the Forza and only around 20kg more than a PCX, Yamaha Nmax 155 is marginally lighter than a PCX.

Is it more manageable than the Forza? I was unable to roll the Forza around easily and couldn’t get it up on its centre stand without help. Do you find it better balanced?

It’s lighter and has low center of gravity so yes. It’s easy to roll around and get on centerstand.

Perhaps riding scooters is not for you. What is your weight? I can't imagine a dog jumping on a knee breaking the knee. If you have serious underweight conditions, can not support a leaning bike or put one on center stand, perhaps that is not something that is safe for you with either scooter.

Safely operating a two weeled vehicle requires certain amount of physical fitness. Noone would consider a 4'9, 89 lbs female to be expected to safely hand a loaded BMW 1200GS for example.

.... but you can always goto a dealer first and check it out in person.

Inoplanetyanin wrote:Perhaps riding scooters is not for you. What is your weight? I can't imagine a dog jumping on a knee breaking the knee. If you have serious underweight conditions, can not support a leaning bike or put one on center stand, perhaps that is not something that is safe for you with either scooter.

Safely operating a two weeled vehicle requires certain amount of physical fitness. Noone would consider a 4'9, 89 lbs female to be expected to safely hand a loaded BMW 1200GS for example.

Thanks for your comments. I appreciate them. Just for clarification, the bike was more than leaning it was dropping and nearly did. But that made me realize that perhaps it was too heavy for me.

I’m a very physically fit 5’ 10” 165 lb lady. The knee snapped because it was still compromised from the earlier injury. A 70 lb. dog can exert a lot of force, so I found out. It’s called a tibial plateau fracture, not really the knee but part of the joint, and it’s a nasty, be it rare, break.

A seventy pound dog jumping, pouncing, or generally crashing into your knee would suck without a previous injury. I visibly winced as I read your first description.

Once the Forza, or any motorcycle really, gets too far over, leverage is on its side and you have a big problem if you are underneath. I'm sorry to hear that you were out of commission for so long, and still have issues with the injury. Bravo to you for giving the scooter idea another shot.

Find a PCX to sit on and wheel around - I think you will be quite amazed at how much easier it is to horse around than a Forza.

GeorgeSK wrote:A seventy pound dog jumping, pouncing, or generally crashing into your knee would suck without a previous injury. I visibly winced as I read your first description.

Once the Forza, or any motorcycle really, gets too far over, leverage is on its side and you have a big problem if you are underneath. I'm sorry to hear that you were out of commission for so long, and still have issues with the injury. Bravo to you for giving the scooter idea another shot.

Find a PCX to sit on and wheel around - I think you will be quite amazed at how much easier it is to horse around than a Forza.

Thanks George,
There is a used one at the Honda dealer in the next town, so I’m going to see if I find it more manageable than the Forza. Hoping to get there tomorrow.

It's painful to think what you've gone through with your leg injury. God speed a rapid recovery!

When I had my 2017 PCX I found it to be a very easy machine to get around with. Very reliable, economical, and had plenty of under seat storage.

I'd still have it today if the seat was a better fit for me (call me a bit plump ). I also had some issues dealing with the location of the horn button. After years of riding machines with the horn button down low and the turn signal switch in the middle and the high/low beam headlight switch up high on the left handlebar I found it hard to adjust. My muscle memory always went for the switches in the traditional locations. So if I wanted to make a turn sometimes I'd hit the horn or if I wanted to hit the horn I'd trigger the turn signal switch.

But all that aside the PCX performed quite well and just plain looked good too!

I never felt it needed better brakes. The front disc complimented by the rear drum brake was adequate for me.

The PCX is most comfortable at 35 MPH to 55 MPH. It will do more but if you are going to be primarily riding it in urban or lay back country road environments what's the point? That said it's definitely not for limited access or Interstate highways IMHO.

The panel removal process to do valve adjustments or some other tasks is labor intensive. Even to the talented it requires some finesse. So other than oil changes or topping off the coolant you may want to have the dealer mechanic do the valve adjustments. You can get an idea how many times that will be needed by figuring out roughly how many miles per year you think you'll put on it and then over a number of years contrast that with the maintenance schedule and you may find that for your needs it will only be a few times if you are just a casual rider. Also, the CVT maintenance will have to be taken into consideration. Some choose to do it themselves but it requires special tools. Again, you may choose to have a dealer mechanic do it. Being an experienced rider to some degree yourself you will be able to assess the situation and make better informed decisions.

All in all others will vouch for the remarkable characteristics of the PCX both here and abroad.

When you go to the dealer to examine what the PCX has to offer you in manageability keep in mind that a "step through" type scooter is also an alternative if you think it would be more comfortable to "live with".

Keep us posted or let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Most of the forum participants have had several machines over the years and as you've seen already can help you with an array of knowledge based on experience. Good luck!

Old Grinner wrote:
Keep us posted or let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Most of the forum participants have had several machines over the years and as you've seen already can help you with an array of knowledge based on experience. Good luck!

Thanks Old Grinner for your comments. Much appreciated.

I just brought home a Forza, and I can confidently say the PCX is much more flickable and easy to handle. I love my bigger bikes, but the PCX's ability to maneuver seemingly by thought never gets old.

I wish you were close to Georgia because I would gladly let you try my PCX to see if you can maneuver it, and maybe even take it around the block. I am pretty confident that you would find it to be quite a bit easier to maneuver both while riding and when parking it...and I would be glad to show you the correct way to put it on its center stand. Isn't there any PCX member around your area? PCXs really are easy to handle and I am sure that once you actually rode one you would be more confident about buying one.

Mel46 wrote:I wish you were close to Georgia because I would gladly let you try my PCX to see if you can maneuver it, and maybe even take it around the block. I am pretty confident that you would find it to be quite a bit easier to maneuver both while riding and when parking it...and I would be glad to show you the correct way to put it on its center stand. Isn't there any PCX member around your area? PCXs really are easy to handle and I am sure that once you actually rode one you would be more confident about buying one.

Thanks Mel,

I was lucky yesterday at the dealership as they let me roll it back and forth, and taught me how to put it up on the center stand, something I was never able to do with the Forza. I’m more confident that I will be better able to handle the PCX over the Forza now.

They gave me a good deal, 2200 CDN, new tires, new fluids an oil change and delivery. I’m a happy camper.