The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

Hi, I'm looking at entering the scooter world after deciding my current motorcycle is too much for me. Usage would be riding around town and back roads (55 mph).

I've been looking around at different dealers and used sites and it seems the Honda PCX 150 and Yamaha SMax are easiest to find here. There's a few other brands used, but they aren't near by. This pretty much leaves me with the PCX vs SMax. There was a Forza, but I'm not really interested in freeway travel and it's more than I want to spend.

I was able to test out the SMax and thought it was a good ride. A little tall for me, but easy to maneuver. Unfortunately the shop with the 2018 PCX doesn't do test rides... However, I'm really interested in the 2019 coming out.

Any opinions? I've read some main differences people discuss are speed vs fuel efficiency, open floor vs floor panels, the braking system (disk vs drum and CBS), and how it controls (low vs high center of gravity).

I have ridden both, Own the PCX, and I think the overall value has the nod to the Yamaha, due to the increased top and speed and the rear disc with great pricing.

However with that being said, I really like the way the PCX looks a lot better. Not a hard decision for me.

I’ve rode MCs for 50 years and bought a PCX for the same reason and type of riding that you describe. I’m shocked by how well the PCX does and ride it far more than I do my remaining MC. 35-55 mph is its sweet spot and it’s a joy to ride. The one thing I did to change from how it left the factory was to rotate the handlebars front to change the seating position a bit ( had to rotate the levers back the other direction to regain their position of course). Other than that I just ride, 100 mile rides are no problem for me. It’s unreal that a 150cc machine perform as it does. Your height & reach may be a factor, I’m just under 5’8” - so at least sit on one to see how it fits. Aftermarket seats are available to allow the rider to move back on the seat and get more room if necessary.

Hi jcl and welcome

What to recommend for your scooter shortlist depends on where on the globe you are, not all models are available in all markets.
From your use of language I'm guessing USA...?
For a city runabout the current PCX with ABS is fairly hard to beat, but if budget is a consideration, look at Kymco, the Like150i ABS is a full $1000 cheaper.
The Kymco is also significantly easier to maintain, much simpler access to engine and air cooled.



Or if you fancy some Italian cool, Piaggio Liberty

The Smax feels like it performs better in general, has better instrumentation too. The Smax stock seems to have better storage since it has the grocery hook and the grab handles are easy to bungie cord things onto. Without a top case or luggage rack, I often have to hunt for an okay spot to tie things down on my PCX.

I was actually going to buy one before I bought my PCX. The Smax didn't feel comfortable or look as good, was $500 more expensive where I bought it, and it didn't quite have the fuel economy. Also, despite being faster the Smax handling and spool up time on the CVT made it feel less sporting than the PCX. Looks and price is what it came down to with me.

If I had to do it all again, tbh I would probably just go buy a Kymco X-town 300i, which just seems more capable than either bike.

I've had a Honda Dio, other names in other places, essentially a 110cc Honda. Great little city bike but no good over 80Km'h or on a hill. The PCX 150's I have ridden in Thailand are great little scooters. More getup and go, nice ride and handling, a bit more storage as well. Looks great. Last one I rented had a hook on the handlebars to carry shopping which was a great idea. I own a Forza now and it is much better all round, but I think the PCX 150 is softer in the rear suspension. But for freeway work, the Forza is brilliant.

gn2 wrote:Hi jcl and welcome
What to recommend for your scooter shortlist depends on where on the globe you are, not all models are available in all markets.
From your use of language I'm guessing USA...?
For a city runabout the current PCX with ABS is fairly hard to beat, but if budget is a consideration, look at Kymco, the Like150i ABS is a full $1000 cheaper.
The Kymco is also significantly easier to maintain, much simpler access to engine and air cooled.

Or if you fancy some Italian cool, Piaggio Liberty

Hi gn2,

Yes I'm from the US. I tried looking at other brands, but they are hard to find. The Yamaha and Honda were easier to find near me. The bigger scooters aren't as popular over here compared to the 50cc ones which are popular near campuses.

hikari2763 wrote:The Smax feels like it performs better in general, has better instrumentation too. The Smax stock seems to have better storage since it has the grocery hook and the grab handles are easy to bungie cord things onto. Without a top case or luggage rack, I often have to hunt for an okay spot to tie things down on my PCX.

I was actually going to buy one before I bought my PCX. The Smax didn't feel comfortable or look as good, was $500 more expensive where I bought it, and it didn't quite have the fuel economy. Also, despite being faster the Smax handling and spool up time on the CVT made it feel less sporting than the PCX. Looks and price is what it came down to with me.

If I had to do it all again, tbh I would probably just go buy a Kymco X-town 300i, which just seems more capable than either bike.

I hear the new PCX will be close in speed and have a new instrument panel. I also think it looks better. As far as comfort, the PCX better fits my height, but I have only been able to sit on one, not actually ride it.

Hard to find kymco around here.

CamboForza wrote:I've had a Honda Dio, other names in other places, essentially a 110cc Honda. Great little city bike but no good over 80Km'h or on a hill. The PCX 150's I have ridden in Thailand are great little scooters. More getup and go, nice ride and handling, a bit more storage as well. Looks great. Last one I rented had a hook on the handlebars to carry shopping which was a great idea. I own a Forza now and it is much better all round, but I think the PCX 150 is softer in the rear suspension. But for freeway work, the Forza is brilliant.

I considered Forza for the speed, but it's more expensive, heavier, and older. Since I don't really plan to use the freeway, I was looking at smaller, cheaper scooters.

gn2 wrote:Hi jcl and welcome

What to recommend for your scooter shortlist depends on where on the globe you are, not all models are available in all markets.
From your use of language I'm guessing USA...?
For a city runabout the current PCX with ABS is fairly hard to beat, but if budget is a consideration, look at Kymco, the Like150i ABS is a full $1000 cheaper.
The Kymco is also significantly easier to maintain, much simpler access to engine and air cooled.



Or if you fancy some Italian cool, Piaggio Liberty

+1 ~!

jcl, if you have only Honda and Yamaha dealers nearby, go for a new PCX with ABS, its a safe bet.

Hi jcl! Welcome!
Good that you're doing your homework both on and off this forum. Smart. I'm from NY and can locate several brands of scooters, Vespa, Piaggio, Kymco, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, etc.
During the picking process consider a Shop's distance from your home. It's a plus to be close for service or parts (even for a recall).

Hmm, wait...So where in the U.S. are you? How about adding your location to your profile? Then we can answer your questions as accurately as possible. I have simple instructions Below this post to get that done

Now, back to shopping. YES!!
$$$? What cc scoot do you want/need? 125, 150, 200 maybe 300? Want Speed? Enough of it to ride the highway/parkways? Then Larger cc required for speed, safety, comfort.

Or..do you just want to jump on and off the highway (say for an exit or 2)?
A PCX 150 will suit that and to/from School Campus and lotsa Fun Rides. Yep, it would do nicely.

Fuel economy matter? Are you handy with tools...mechanically inclined? Always a plus. Willing to learn works Service Manuals can be had online. Here's one website that I and others have dealt with:
http://www.helminc.com/helm/homepage.asp?r=

I think I should stop. Others have input I'm sure.
Psst...add location please

WhiteNoise wrote: Hi jcl! Welcome!
Good that you're doing your homework both on and off this forum. Smart. I'm from NY and can locate several brands of scooters, Vespa, Piaggio, Kymco, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, etc.
During the picking process consider a Shop's distance from your home. It's a plus to be close for service or parts (even for a recall).

Hmm, wait...So where in the U.S. are you? How about adding your location to your profile? Then we can answer your questions as accurately as possible. I have simple instructions Below this post to get that done

Now, back to shopping. YES!!
$$$? What cc scoot do you want/need? 125, 150, 200 maybe 300? Want Speed? Enough of it to ride the highway/parkways? Then Larger cc required for speed, safety, comfort.

Or..do you just want to jump on and off the highway (say for an exit or 2)?
A PCX 150 will suit that and to/from School Campus and lotsa Fun Rides. Yep, it would do nicely.

Fuel economy matter? Are you handy with tools...mechanically inclined? Always a plus. Willing to learn works Service Manuals can be had online. Here's one website that I and others have dealt with:
http://www.helminc.com/helm/homepage.asp?r=

I think I should stop. Others have input I'm sure.
Psst...add location please

Hi WhiteNoise,

I'm in mid Michigan, so you'll see that there's not much stock around me. I was looking at 150s because they have enough speed for back roads at 55-60 mph (will be avoiding freeways) and light enough for easy handling.

So really I want enough speed to do back roads, good fuel efficiency, comfort, and easy to control/stability. The PCX sounds like it has all this, although I haven't been able to test ride one. The SMax can also do this and from my quick test ride it was easy and stable, but the PCX looks nicer and the 2019 looks like it has some nice new features.

I'm definitely not a mechanic and don't have tools yet, but I plan to learn some things. I also have friends with bikes to help.

The biggest concern of many members is comfortably being able to put your feet on the ground at a stop, without getting off of the seat. You definitely need to sit on one before making any decisions. Remember that scooters are wider than motorcycles because they have the plastics on them to give them beauty and aerodynamics.

Depending on what you will end up doing with your PCX, you can purchase aftermarket parts and accessories for older models (2013 - 2017). Some accessories will fit the new ones as well but there were some updates done to the newest ones which may mean the aftermarket has to play catch up.

Yamaha has better brakes, but I think Honda has the better styling.

Sounds like it is down to the Yamaha and the Honda.
Might stop in or phone the two service desks and check prices for: the 600 mile service, oil changes, tire changes, belt changes, and valve adjustments.

Not a mechanic....so you will likely be doing only oil changes ..and maybe CVT servicing....as valve adjustments on the PCX are NOT undertaken by most owners.

Study ease of DIY servicing of both scoots - dealer serv. costs and parts costs to spare yourself any nasty after-sale surprises.
If you sit/fit the scoots - likely little difference in the ride.
Get ABS.
Do go just a bit beyond appearances to avoid later disappointment.
.BUT it must make you smile when you walk up to it each day!!
Wait for the color you desire, if necessary

Can't go wrong if these are your only choices.
Fish

jcl wrote:Hi, I'm looking at entering the scooter world after deciding my current motorcycle is too much for me. Usage would be riding around town and back roads (55 mph).

I've been looking around at different dealers and used sites and it seems the Honda PCX 150 and Yamaha SMax are easiest to find here. There's a few other brands used, but they aren't near by. This pretty much leaves me with the PCX vs SMax. There was a Forza, but I'm not really interested in freeway travel and it's more than I want to spend.

I was able to test out the SMax and thought it was a good ride. A little tall for me, but easy to maneuver. Unfortunately the shop with the 2018 PCX doesn't do test rides... However, I'm really interested in the 2019 coming out.

Any opinions? I've read some main differences people discuss are speed vs fuel efficiency, open floor vs floor panels, the braking system (disk vs drum and CBS), and how it controls (low vs high center of gravity).

I am in a similar situation and yet to buy mine. At first for nostaligic and the look I wanted a Vespa. But a couple of things that concerned me:
1. 50CC?
2. One deaier left in my state

Much like my Ducati which is from the same dealer I was afraid of them closing; well for the Ducati we have 2 dealers.

So I did search on Vespa brands and looked at them all; the only thing besides a Vespa that caught my interest is the PCX150 for two reasons:
1. 150CC
2. Look

I don't want to go higher than 150cc for I am not interested in long adventure highway rides on the scooter itself, and if I were to ever desire to go past 150CC I might as well get a motorcycle. Also I love in a perfect situation do 200 miles on a 2 gallons of gas. Another selling point about the PCX is the amount of Honda dealers that are available in my state.

As for the technical stuff, BAH! I am not a mechanic, I don't care to get into all that. I want it simple, reliable, and fit me well. For that reason I am anxiously waiting to get my PCX 150 with ABS.

Planning to get mine in 2019 and hopefully get a 2020 model for I would like to think they will have something different/special being it's a new decade.

Hope this helps.

Vespas are also available with 125, 150 and 300cc engines.

gn2 wrote:Vespas are also available with 125, 150 and 300cc engines.

Awesome, but still the issue of only one dealer and I have to say the Honda has a bad a$$ look to it.

Then again I really like the look of the Vespa. Damn you!

Well I have plent of time to decide.

Well I finally had a chance to test a 2018 PCX and I can say it was just as easy to ride as the SMax. First thing I noticed is the PCX seemed to have a little better acceleration. Handling and comfort seem pretty similar from my short rides, but I feel like the PCX has a little edge in slow speed turns. It's also a little shorter making it easier to move with my feet.

Can anyone comment on how they compare with wind? It was windy and I noticed I was blown around a bit. It wasn't windy when I was on the SMax, so I can't compare, but I know the PCX is lighter, so...

I kind of feel like the PCX has an edge. They have 2019s on order, so I'm interested to see the difference between them.

Fear not, the price of them Vespas might serve as enough of a deterrent...

One dealer is all you need if its a good one

There is simply no scooter that's as stylish or cool as a Vespa.

On the subject of wind, its just a matter of learning to relax and let the scooter sort itsself out.
The more tense you are the worse the effects of the wind will be.
I've ridden a PCX in strong gusting crosswinds of 50-60mph without incident.

I dont know if you rode a pcx with a windshield or not, but it does make a difference. (I don't count that dash cover as a windshield.)
When it comes to riding scooters there seem to be two types, and the preference in riding positions is yours. There is the flat-feet-in-front-of-you type, and the straddle-the-tank type (like on a motorcycle), leg on each side. Vespa riders seem to prefer the feet-in-front-of-you type. Each has a different feel when it comes to steering. You need to try both ways before choosing your scooter.