Honda Pcx Vs Yamaha Novou Excellence

[properperson]

I'm looking to buy a bike/scooter to get round Pattaya in the near future and read with interest people's opinions between the Yamaha and Honda, which seem to be amongst the best available, so yesterday took an extended test drive on both...

Have had bikes for over 30 years, starting from Fantic 50 in the 70's up to 1,000cc (and above) superbikes.

The PCX wins by a country mile !

The Yamaha is like a "Chicken Chaser" by comparison, with it's skinny wheels and tyres.

The Honda feels much sturdier on the road, far far better on the highway, but still small and manoverable enough to nip in and out of the traffic..

You'd be bonkers to consider the Yamaha over the Honda, which is bang up to date with its dual brake, fuel injection (yamaha is carb) and of course, the engine stop when in traffic.

Yes the Honda is 25,000b more than the Yamaha - but it feels like it ought to be 75,000 b more, its that good....

Managed to get a 900b discount (69,000 down from 69,900), plus 500b off a pair of decent helmets....

Will be of to get "Hondered up" next week....

[Richard-BKK]

Yamaha is a good scooter ... but years old, on technology, you can compare the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance 135 to the Honda PCX by a propeller plane chasing a Jet fighter. Fuel injection for small motorcycles was introduced 2 years ago and only Yamaha has not scooters with fuel-injection... (Yamaha's scooter line-up is aging and the technology is not updated for the last 2-years... - yes the Fino, Nouvo's and Elegance had a face-lift paint job for 2009)

[Jonathanpattaya]

Just about to replace a three year old Nouvo with the new model equivalent or the Honda PCX.

Thanks for the insight

[tropo]

Just about to replace a three year old Nouvo with the new model equivalent or the Honda PCX.

Thanks for the insight

No matter what the engine is like, you still have to live with the design and there aren't many scooters around uglier than the new Honda PCX.

[jackcorbett]

Yamaha is a good scooter ... but years old, on technology, you can compare the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance 135 to the Honda PCX by a propeller plane chasing a Jet fighter. Fuel injection for small motorcycles was introduced 2 years ago and only Yamaha has not scooters with fuel-injection... (Yamaha's scooter line-up is aging and the technology is not updated for the last 2-years... - yes the Fino, Nouvo's and Elegance had a face-lift paint job for 2009)

Yamaha has had fuel injection for some time now on its Spark, and as I said before it had the 135 c.c. water cooled engine out in the Spark for possibly up to a year before it put it into the Nouvo. Also.....do an extensive internet search on both Yamahas and Hondas. You will find that depending on what country Honda's exporting its bikes to both Yamaha and Honda have bikes that have not been seen in either the U.S. or Thailand. Yamaha's got fuel injection already on a model that is producing around 13.8 horsepower and that has something like a 10 liter fuel tank. Honda has a brilliant 300 cc. scooter but even the dealerships here in Thailand don't even know it exists.

[b19bry]

Yamaha is a good scooter ... but years old, on technology, you can compare the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance 135 to the Honda PCX by a propeller plane chasing a Jet fighter. Fuel injection for small motorcycles was introduced 2 years ago and only Yamaha has not scooters with fuel-injection... (Yamaha's scooter line-up is aging and the technology is not updated for the last 2-years... - yes the Fino, Nouvo's and Elegance had a face-lift paint job for 2009)

Yamaha has had fuel injection for some time now on its Spark, and as I said before it had the 135 c.c. water cooled engine out in the Spark for possibly up to a year before it put it into the Nouvo. Also.....do an extensive internet search on both Yamahas and Hondas. You will find that depending on what country Honda's exporting its bikes to both Yamaha and Honda have bikes that have not been seen in either the U.S. or Thailand. Yamaha's got fuel injection already on a model that is producing around 13.8 horsepower and that has something like a 10 liter fuel tank. Honda has a brilliant 300 cc. scooter but even the dealerships here in Thailand don't even know it exists.

Of the small automatics on the market here in Thailand, the PCX has to be a clear winner, though it must be said at a price, c.70k as against c.55-59k ?

[b19bry]

Just about to replace a three year old Nouvo with the new model equivalent or the Honda PCX.

Thanks for the insight

No matter what the engine is like, you still have to live with the design and there aren't many scooters around uglier than the new Honda PCX.

You're right that the PCX's looks stir the emotions in that you either love, or as in you're case hate the it. To me that's better than being just plain bland.

[johninbkk]

Yamaha is a good scooter ... but years old, on technology, you can compare the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance 135 to the Honda PCX by a propeller plane chasing a Jet fighter. Fuel injection for small motorcycles was introduced 2 years ago and only Yamaha has not scooters with fuel-injection... (Yamaha's scooter line-up is aging and the technology is not updated for the last 2-years... - yes the Fino, Nouvo's and Elegance had a face-lift paint job for 2009)

Yamaha has had fuel injection for some time now on its Spark, and as I said before it had the 135 c.c. water cooled engine out in the Spark for possibly up to a year before it put it into the Nouvo. Also.....do an extensive internet search on both Yamahas and Hondas. You will find that depending on what country Honda's exporting its bikes to both Yamaha and Honda have bikes that have not been seen in either the U.S. or Thailand. Yamaha's got fuel injection already on a model that is producing around 13.8 horsepower and that has something like a 10 liter fuel tank. Honda has a brilliant 300 cc. scooter but even the dealerships here in Thailand don't even know it exists.

Of the small automatics on the market here in Thailand, the PCX has to be a clear winner, though it must be said at a price, c.70k as against c.55-59k ?

I am considering buying a second hand Honda air blade, jan 2008 model with around 10,000 km's on it, for 35K. any advice on price or other bike options?

Thx to all who reply

[rfukata]

Honda is the flagship bike of Japan. Good choice.

Having said that, all Japanese bikes are good with strong reputation... remember the Honda Super Cub 55cc, Suzuki Hustler X6, Yamaha YDS5, Kawasaki W1.. all from the 60's

[tropo]

Just about to replace a three year old Nouvo with the new model equivalent or the Honda PCX.

Thanks for the insight

No matter what the engine is like, you still have to live with the design and there aren't many scooters around uglier than the new Honda PCX.

You're right that the PCX's looks stir the emotions in that you either love, or as in you're case hate the it. To me that's better than being just plain bland.

It's funny you should say that, because the main problem with the PCX is that it is too bland.

[personchester]

So you regard "nipping in and out of traffic" as a positive motorbilke driving technic, which you think must be considered when deciding on the purchase of a new M/bike.

Are you not aware of the fact that this particular motorbike driving style causes the tremendous numbers of accidents here in Thailand, with many of them being fatal.

As every car driver knows M/bike drivers cause serious traffic problems here, and the cause of this is precisely as you appear to recommend that is to say "nipping in and out of traffic" which results in having them around one's car in every traffic lane on major town roads, that is to say front, back, left, and right, and sometimes even coming from the opposite direction.

Responsible M/bike drivers will not "nip in and out of traffic" as you will do, they will enter and then stay within the normal traffic flow, this is responsible M/bike driving and the result reflects to the advantage of general road safety for all.

[jackcorbett]

So you regard "nipping in and out of traffic" as a positive motorbilke driving technic, which you think must be considered when deciding on the purchase of a new M/bike.

Are you not aware of the fact that this particular motorbike driving style causes the tremendous numbers of accidents here in Thailand, with many of them being fatal.

As every car driver knows M/bike drivers cause serious traffic problems here, and the cause of this is precisely as you appear to recommend that is to say "nipping in and out of traffic" which results in having them around one's car in every traffic lane on major town roads, that is to say front, back, left, and right, and sometimes even coming from the opposite direction.

Responsible M/bike drivers will not "nip in and out of traffic" as you will do, they will enter and then stay within the normal traffic flow, this is responsible M/bike driving and the result reflects to the advantage of general road safety for all.

I both agree and disagree with you. Truth is most people driving cars here in Pattaya don't need them IF and this is a big IF, the police enforced the traffic rules. If for example, there were a 500 baht fine for everyone who drove recklessly, or drove against the flow of traffic or ran a light and if the person was unwilling to pay it there would be some mandatory monkey house time, you would have a huge decline in the number of traffic fatalities and injuries. They could even combine this with mandatory driving safety classes. If such were the case, a lot of people wouldn't be buying cars simply because they were safer.

I have a fire breathing sports machine that can get from point A to point B here much faster than cars much of the time here in Pattaya. It weighs 19.5 pounds. That's my Specialized Road bike. I don't drive it recklessly. It's faster than cars because it can get into a lot of small narrow places and therefore wiggle through and around traffic congestion while all the motorists just sit there getting nowhere. Same thing is true for a motorbike, but here the larger and/or more powerful the bike the less able it is to slither through such traffic pileups. On my Nouvo Elegance I'm often picking my way through an endless procession of practically stranded motorists at 2 miles an hour. Then when I'm clear of the log jam I am free to drive normally (not recklessly). In fact I can imagine a few instances where my bicycle might get through traffic even faster than my Nouvo Elegance can because I can always dismount, pick the bicycle up and carry it around the traffic whereas I wouldn't even have room to squeeze my Yamaha Elegance through. A Harley weighing say 750 pounds with its wide handle bars and much wider frame won't squeeze through traffic nearly as easily as my Yamaha and neither will a Yamaha Tri Max.

So it's really up to the individual. If one wants a status symbol or a vehicle to put his golf clubs in, he can get a car and wind up with a vehicle that's slower than doggie poo poo while watching all the Honda Waves outperform his 500,000 baht small car. In the meantime while recognizing that we non Thais cannot change anything here, let's get at the root of the problem. The problem is lack of enforcement of the existing rules, not nipping in and out of traffic. Many automobile drivers do not respect the pedestrian walking down the street or the motorbikes around him and they are for the most part driving in straight lines.

Edited January 13, 2010 by jackcorbett

[moo9]

Frankly I don't like the look of these big sized scooters, although they offer better storage etc.

In the city, it makes no difference to me, whether I drive a Fino, Scoopy, Wave, Airblade, Nouvo or whatever.

So I would not pay more than 70,000 Bht for that, why?

[moo9]

Yamaha is a good scooter ... but years old, on technology, you can compare the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance 135 to the Honda PCX by a propeller plane chasing a Jet fighter. Fuel injection for small motorcycles was introduced 2 years ago and only Yamaha has not scooters with fuel-injection... (Yamaha's scooter line-up is aging and the technology is not updated for the last 2-years... - yes the Fino, Nouvo's and Elegance had a face-lift paint job for 2009)

Yamaha has had fuel injection for some time now on its Spark, and as I said before it had the 135 c.c. water cooled engine out in the Spark for possibly up to a year before it put it into the Nouvo. Also.....do an extensive internet search on both Yamahas and Hondas. You will find that depending on what country Honda's exporting its bikes to both Yamaha and Honda have bikes that have not been seen in either the U.S. or Thailand. Yamaha's got fuel injection already on a model that is producing around 13.8 horsepower and that has something like a 10 liter fuel tank. Honda has a brilliant 300 cc. scooter but even the dealerships here in Thailand don't even know it exists.

Of the small automatics on the market here in Thailand, the PCX has to be a clear winner, though it must be said at a price, c.70k as against c.55-59k ?

I am considering buying a second hand Honda air blade, jan 2008 model with around 10,000 km's on it, for 35K. any advice on price or other bike options?

Thx to all who reply

I think the price is quite ok, maybe you can negotiate it down by another 1 - 2 k Bht.

Is a private sale or is it coming from a dealer?

Cheers

[davethailand]

Just about to replace a three year old Nouvo with the new model equivalent or the Honda PCX.

Thanks for the insight

No matter what the engine is like, you still have to live with the design and there aren't many scooters around uglier than the new Honda PCX.

You're right that the PCX's looks stir the emotions in that you either love, or as in you're case hate the it. To me that's better than being just plain bland.

It's funny you should say that, because the main problem with the PCX is that it is too bland.

My thoughts exactly and its a major reason why I haven't swapped my PGM i Air Blade for one, Its like a mini version of the T Max but more OAP looking, also don't like the handlebars,'

Engine wise I like it, a Walking Street motorbike taxi driver has one and he let me have a go, apart from the bolster cushion bit on the seat which I hated it was very good but the looks aren't there for me.

As said it looks like an OAP's bike.

Edited January 13, 2010 by davethailand

[Jonathanpattaya]

Quoting the OP: "Yes the Honda is 25,000b more than the Yamaha - but it feels like it ought to be 75,000 b more, its that good...."

"Managed to get a 900b discount (69,000 down from 69,900), plus 500b off a pair of decent helmets...."

So that would be 15,000 Baht more or else the Nouvo is selling for a snip at 44,000 Baht.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Jonathanpattaya

[properperson]

Mess 11 - the reason why most folk have a scooter is to "nip in and out of the traffic" because of the huge traffic jams - if you resent this style of driving, may i respectfully suggest you move back to rural Norfolk....

As regards the look of the PCX - who honestly buys a scooter for its looks ??\

A scooter in Pattaya is the most practical mode of transport and the PCX is quite simply the best and most practical scooter and if you should have to go 20 or 30 miles down the highway on your scooter, i know which one i would rather be on (clue PCX....)

[davethailand]

Mess 11 - the reason why most folk have a scooter is to "nip in and out of the traffic" because of the huge traffic jams - if you resent this style of driving, may i respectfully suggest you move back to rural Norfolk....

As regards the look of the PCX - who honestly buys a scooter for its looks ??\

A scooter in Pattaya is the most practical mode of transport and the PCX is quite simply the best and most practical scooter and if you should have to go 20 or 30 miles down the highway on your scooter, i know which one i would rather be on (clue PCX....)

Me thats why I haven't got one.

[jackcorbett]

Mess 11 - the reason why most folk have a scooter is to "nip in and out of the traffic" because of the huge traffic jams - if you resent this style of driving, may i respectfully suggest you move back to rural Norfolk....

As regards the look of the PCX - who honestly buys a scooter for its looks ??\

A scooter in Pattaya is the most practical mode of transport and the PCX is quite simply the best and most practical scooter and if you should have to go 20 or 30 miles down the highway on your scooter, i know which one i would rather be on (clue PCX....)

And that's why I prefer my Yamaha Elegance over Honda Clicks, Mios, Finos and Honda Waves. If I have to go 20 or 30miles down the highway, I've got a much better highway machine. I might say the same for the Honda Wave with its narrow seat, skinny tires, and low weight. Such machines simply are not as comfortable or stable. Haven't driven the PCX yet but it's about forty pounds heavier yet than my Elegance and it looks like it's going to be even more stable and comfortable. But there's always a trade off and I do think the Elegance will be 1. Easier to park and 2. easier to handle in tight places.

As far as looks, that's subjective. I think my Elegance is a good looker and I think the PCX is as well. I think the best looker of them all is the Fino if it's in the right colors. But it's not the all arounder my Nouvo is...eg.....riding with a heavy guy on the back. driving 25 miles down the highway, taking out on Sukamvit Road where the traffic is much faster and good acceleration is needed particularly if you want to suddenly get in the far right lane to make a turn off the road. Now, the PCX might be the most stable machine out there in the 125 c.c. class, but my Nouvo Elegance will do everything I can ask of it with aplomb. Back to the looks, at least the PCX has good colors. My condo parking lot has lots of ugly bikes....Honda Waves, Yamaha Freshes and whatevers from all the major Japanese companies. You guys know how racing cars have all sorts of advertisements all over them for Firestone tires, Mobil oil and so on. That's what I'm getting at. The PCX does not look like a bastardized clusterscrewup such as you will find over at Daytona or the Indy 500. For that matter neither does the Elegance.

Edited January 13, 2010 by jackcorbett

[personchester]

Mess 11 - the reason why most folk have a scooter is to "nip in and out of the traffic" because of the huge traffic jams - if you resent this style of driving, may i respectfully suggest you move back to rural Norfolk....

As regards the look of the PCX - who honestly buys a scooter for its looks ??\

A scooter in Pattaya is the most practical mode of transport and the PCX is quite simply the best and most practical scooter and if you should have to go 20 or 30 miles down the highway on your scooter, i know which one i would rather be on (clue PCX....)

Me thats why I haven't got one.

The first paragraph of your above reply appears to be indicative of your intelligence, as a result I have ceased to be surprised at the contents of your initial posting.

[davethailand]

Mess 11 - the reason why most folk have a scooter is to "nip in and out of the traffic" because of the huge traffic jams - if you resent this style of driving, may i respectfully suggest you move back to rural Norfolk....

As regards the look of the PCX - who honestly buys a scooter for its looks ??\

A scooter in Pattaya is the most practical mode of transport and the PCX is quite simply the best and most practical scooter and if you should have to go 20 or 30 miles down the highway on your scooter, i know which one i would rather be on (clue PCX....)

Me thats why I haven't got one.

The first paragraph of your above reply appears to be indicative of your intelligence, as a result I have ceased to be surprised at the contents of your initial posting.

Good for you.

Would you by a pink pair of trousers just because they were practical and comfy?

[tropo]

So you regard "nipping in and out of traffic" as a positive motorbilke driving technic, which you think must be considered when deciding on the purchase of a new M/bike.

Are you not aware of the fact that this particular motorbike driving style causes the tremendous numbers of accidents here in Thailand, with many of them being fatal.

As every car driver knows M/bike drivers cause serious traffic problems here, and the cause of this is precisely as you appear to recommend that is to say "nipping in and out of traffic" which results in having them around one's car in every traffic lane on major town roads, that is to say front, back, left, and right, and sometimes even coming from the opposite direction.

Responsible M/bike drivers will not "nip in and out of traffic" as you will do, they will enter and then stay within the normal traffic flow, this is responsible M/bike driving and the result reflects to the advantage of general road safety for all.

I regard "nipping in and out of traffic" as the most important function of a scooter bar none. It's the primary reason why I cannot drive cars and must have a scooter in Pattaya. It's also one of the many reasons why I would never choose to own the PCX because it is too bulky and not as easy to "nip in and out of traffic" on compared with other small scooters on the market.

Where can I find one of these mythical motorbike drivers you speak of. Ones who don't "nip in and out of traffic" and "stay within the normal traffic flow"?

Edited January 13, 2010 by tropo

[Richard-BKK]

Yes... Yamaha has has a Underbone 135cc motorcycle fuel-injection for a few years. But is it a scooter, no it's not and even to today standards the fuel injection of the 135cc Spark is using about 35% more fuel then the Honda PCX at top performance...

[tropo]

Mess 11 - the reason why most folk have a scooter is to "nip in and out of the traffic" because of the huge traffic jams - if you resent this style of driving, may i respectfully suggest you move back to rural Norfolk....

As regards the look of the PCX - who honestly buys a scooter for its looks ??\

Most people do. All girls do. Have you ever wondered why scooters come in so many different styles and colours.

Would you honestly buy a scooter if you hated the way it looked?

Edited January 13, 2010 by tropo

[b19bry]

It's also one of the many reasons why I would never choose to own the PCX because it is too bulky and not as easy to "nip in and out of traffic" on compared with other small scooters on the market.

Are you basing this statement on first hand experience from riding the PCX in traffic or is it just an observation ? In my experience of small, medium and big bikes over the years, I have been riding the PCX for 6 weeks now and it's really no less agile than a Click/Wave/Airblade in traffic.

[tropo]

It's also one of the many reasons why I would never choose to own the PCX because it is too bulky and not as easy to "nip in and out of traffic" on compared with other small scooters on the market.

Are you basing this statement on first hand experience from riding the PCX in traffic or is it just an observation ? In my experience of small, medium and big bikes over the years, I have been riding the PCX for 6 weeks now and it's really no less agile than a Click/Wave/Airblade in traffic.

I'm basing this statement on size and weight. Heavier makes it less agile and bigger makes it harder to squeeze between cars. No riding is necessary to prove that.

It's just too bulky for it's small engine capacity. A bike that size should be packing 200cc's at least. At 200cc's and a nicer look I would be interested because then it would be useful for out of town cruising. As it is it's just a bulkier little bike for around town with extra bulk which serves no purpose other than making it harder to park and squeeze around the (Pattaya) traffic. I was looking for a beefier Airblade, not a pretend mid sized scooter.

Edited January 13, 2010 by tropo

[b19bry]

I'm basing this statement on size and weight. Heavier makes it less agile and bigger makes it harder to squeeze between cars. No riding is necessary to prove that.

Enough said !

[soundman]

All posts on Honda Pcx in this thread please. Here.

Closed.