Pcx Yamaha Nouvo Elegance 135 Shoot Out

[jackcorbett]

I finally got the chance to put a PCX through its paces beyond just a 20 minute spin in Pattaya traffic when my friend Per just got back from Norway. So here's the results. We filled up at the same gas station on the same side of the pump so the lean angle was identical and then we left for Rayon at 12:30 and got back at 3:30 p.m. and and then we immediately went to the same gas station and filled up at the same pump with the same lean angle, etc. Also due to my weighing around 77 kilos and Per weighing around 100 kilos Per drove my Nouvo Elegance to Rayong while I drove his PCX, then on the way back we switched bikes to make everything 100 percent equal. We had stopped in Rayong for a coca cola at a restaurant and also spent a little time watching the boats come in so our total time gone was 3 hours round trip. Total distance traveled was 124 kilometers. It took 2.94 liters to refuel my Nouvo Elegance and 3 liters to refill the PCX but Per said he had overfilled the tank of his PCX a trifle in trying to get it all the way full so he felt the two bikes used the EXACT same amount of fuel. This works out to 42 kilometers to the liter for both bikes or 96 miles to the gallon.

We took the expressway (route 36 from Pattaya to Rayong) so much of our driving was at a very fast clip for scooters. We took the bikes up to 105 kilometers per hour several times and often were going between 90 and 100 kilometers per hour. Needless to say had we kept our bikes down to an average speed of 70 kilometers per hour or so our mileage would have been a lot better--well in excess of 100 miles per gallon. There was nothing to choose between the two bikes in absolute performance terms. The Honda PCX seemed just as fast as the Nouvo Elegance and vice versa. Nothing to choose between them on this score. And as already proven gas mileage is identical. The feel of the bikes is different however. THe PCX is carrying 40 pounds more weight. Its tires are substantially wider and the driver's seating position is farther back than it is on the Nouvo where he's almost sitting over the front wheel. This means rearward visibility is far superior on the PCX with its excellent mirrors because the driver has a wider field of view of the road behind him and part of the reason for this is he's sitting much farther behind the mirrors. The PCX rides much better and feels more secure at high speed. The Nouvo Elegance turns more swiftly and its going to be able to snake through city traffic substantially better than the PCX can and part of the reason for this is the mirrors are spread much wider on the PCX also. There is more engine vibration with the Nouvo Elegance than there is with the PCX which has practically no discernible vibration at any speed.

If I were to pick the PCX over the Nouvo Elegance the most decisive reason would be range. Its got a 6.2 liter fuel tank to the Elegance's 4.8 liters so this means my friend Per can easily make two round trips to Rayong on his PCX on a single tank of fuel. One could easily cruise all over thailand on each bike but here the PCX has a big edge because one is not having to worry about looking for gas stations as often and the bike is more comfortable over the long haul while also being able to handle rough road conditions better due to its greater weight larger tires etc. And I do mean you can cruise all over Thailand with these bikes. They have enough power to get the job done because you won't be wanting to run at American interstate highway speeds here. Per just told me one of his friends bought a Harley for 1,000,000 baht but he has problems parking it so he winds up renting much smaller bikes anyway. I'd say not counting our stops in Rayong we got there in about one hour which is about the same amount of time a taxi would have taken.

Edited April 1, 2011 by jackcorbett

[CMX]

Thanks, Jack

I rented the PCX soon after it came out in order to do nothing but road tests and owned the Elegance for some months, and I agree with everything you've reported - for what that's worth. Have to admit I was surprised to get 43km/l on the Elegance sometimes in mixed driving, what with 135 and the carb. 'Course, in city driving alone the PCX might have a small advantage, weight and tires notwithstanding - not very important, however, since both can drink gasahol 91.

Purchase price is a difference, of course, but only 10 - 15K, depending how much Honda dealers are gouging. (At least up here in the north.) And who knows about re-sale value as a percentage of purchase price, probably an edge to Honda in this country?

Edited April 1, 2011 by CMX

[HDRIDER]

Thx for that, now i know what my new city bike is gonna be

[Lancelot]

Good report Jack

I have a Honda CZi 110 with 20,500 km and I've recorded every drop of fuel on a spread sheet. My lifetime total fuel efficiency is 57 kilometers to the liter. So the PCX and Elegance are doing OK at 42/liter (Automatic, heaver bikes..)

[Phatcharanan]

Good report. I agree with everything that has been said.

I just sold my Nouvo and was quite sad to see it go. Great for nipping in and out of Bangkok traffic.

Have to say though...after a few trips on my PCX, when I rode my Nouvo to get an oil change it just felt so........small. And I felt 'hunched up' on it as well. Never ever thought I would say that about the Nouvo.

I have a custom seat on my PCX so I am sat back another 2-3 inches than on the standard seat. It sometimes feels like I am sitting in an armchair.

[jackcorbett]

I want to stress we were going very fast considering both machines are only good for around 110 kmh or so. We were getting close to top end often and working the engines more so I think it's fair to say about both bikes that normal highway driving will be significantly better than 42 km per liter. Not one Thai passed us. We were leaving them all for road kill. The PCX in particular is very stable at high speeds (for a scooter) and those little Waves, Mios, etc most Thais used simply are not in the same league. Per often goes to Rayong on his bike, normally with a Norwegian pal who rents an Air Blade which will not handle these speeds nearly as well so Per tells me normally he keeps his speeds down to around 80 km per hour or less.

I do not think and Per agrees with me that the fuel injection gives the PCX any advantage in fuel economy. With the 135 c.c. Elegance Yamaha changed its carbureator setup from the 115 cc model and I believe it's more efficient. So...the way I read it...Advantage to Pcx fuel economy wise.....125 cc's to 135 so 10 less cc's to feed. Advantage to Yamaha Nouvo....40 pounds less weight for the engine to haul around. I'd say the one outweighs the other so we end up in a draw. Then there's the top start feature on the PCX. Per scoffed at that saying, when you first start an engine it uses more fuel just to start so even though you won't waste fuel at a stoplight when you suddenly turn on the engine that advantage is lost. He said it, I didn't and he's the proud owner of a new PCX.

Edited April 1, 2011 by jackcorbett

[Phatcharanan]

Then there's the top start feature on the PCX. Per scoffed at that saying, when you first start an engine it uses more fuel just to start so even though you won't waste fuel at a stoplight when you suddenly turn on the engine that advantage is lost. He said it, I didn't and he's the proud owner of a new PCX.

I believe that used to be true of the non-injection engines but (I may be wrong of course) the fuel pump still keeps the fuel in the lines even when the engine is stood (on the idle stop feature). There is still power to the bike don't forget.

In this regard, I believe the 'idle-stop' feature is indeed worthwhile.

[guzzi850m2]

Well done jackcorbett, very interesting post.

So if I change our fine little Fino which is only used for city transport, will the PXC be OK or should we buy something smaller/cheaper? Now and again I go 100 on Sukhumvit on it, but it fells very "light" at that speed. The Fino's food board is very handy for shopping that might be a problem on the PCX?

Your friend is right about the Harley, I never go to say Carrfour on mine as I can't risk parking there without getting the side boxes scratched. It is also not very suitable for Pattaya traffic as you are stuck most of the time so any Thai bike will beat it easily. However on the highway I go between 120-140 and keep that speed easily over the mountains and fell like a king in the process lol

[jackcorbett]

Well done jackcorbett, very interesting post.

So if I change our fine little Fino which is only used for city transport, will the PXC be OK or should we buy something smaller/cheaper? Now and again I go 100 on Sukhumvit on it, but it fells very "light" at that speed. The Fino's food board is very handy for shopping that might be a problem on the PCX?

Your friend is right about the Harley, I never go to say Carrfour on mine as I can't risk parking there without getting the side boxes scratched. It is also not very suitable for Pattaya traffic as you are stuck most of the time so any Thai bike will beat it easily. However on the highway I go between 120-140 and keep that speed easily over the mountains and fell like a king in the process lol

Several years ago I bought a (now ex) girlfriend a Fino which I drove a fair amount. I thought it was a gorgeous bike and a lot of fun to be driving around here to the bars but it did not measure up to my old Yamaha Nouvo 115 c.c. MX power wise even though both had the same basic engine. And those smaller wheels made it less stable at speed. The new 135 c.c. Elegance is roughly 20 5o 25 % more powerful than my old MX and it is improved handling wise as well. So, the 135 c.c Elegance is much more competent at higher speed driving (on Sukamvit Road for instance) than the Fino and it has a lot more power. The PCX with its fat tires and forty more pounds of weight over the Elegance in my opinion give it significant stability edge at speed over my Nouvo Elegance plus its rear view mirrors are superior. This alone can mean the difference between life and death so right now I'd have to rank the PCX as the new king. However the Elegance is going to be handier in city traffic, notably so, it is more utilitarian in several respects...example....you can use bungee cords to hang some pretty big objects behind you on the Elegance. (Per scratched his PCX trying to use bungee cords to tie a suitcase on the back of his bike just two or three days ago he was returning to his buddy from my condo). Also Per mentioned the Nouvo has a stiffer suspension than the PCX so he has to worry about bottoming out if he has a girl on his bike with him. There is also the cost difference.....around 52000 baht for the Elegance versus the PCX at around 70,000 or a tad higher.

So...no matter what certain irrational people here have to say about the Nouvo Elegance it is still an excellent all around bike for these parts and it does have some notable advantages over the PCX. Still......I'd rather have the PCX because of the key advantages it has over the Elegance. Personally I don't think spending either 52,000 baht or 70,000 baht is a lot of money for what either bike offers and this amount won't make a huge dent out of most of our wallets. So, if I were you and I want a more stable bike than a Fino I wouldn't hesitate on either the Nouvo Elegance or the PCX depending on what suits you the most.

[ignis]

Appears there are now a lot of PCX's on the road, Not counting the PCX motorbike taxi at the end of my Village, I drove to Immigration yesterday 15km, 6 PCX on the trip, 4 ridden by Thais, 1x Silver/Brown, 1x White/Black the others all Red/Black. in the next Village there are 3x Red/Black, 2 are Thai owners, the next Village the other way is a Gold/Brown and a White/Black, last week in my Village a Thai old guy bought a White/Black one.

The 2 new colour's added this year = loads more on the road., must be hurting Yamaha sales, wonder what they will come out with next?

[jackcorbett]

Appears there are now a lot of PCX's on the road, Not counting the PCX motorbike taxi at the end of my Village, I drove to Immigration yesterday 15km, 6 PCX on the trip, 4 ridden by Thais, 1x Silver/Brown, 1x White/Black the others all Red/Black. in the next Village there are 3x Red/Black, 2 are Thai owners, the next Village the other way is a Gold/Brown and a White/Black, last week in my Village a Thai old guy bought a White/Black one.

The 2 new colour's added this year = loads more on the road., must be hurting Yamaha sales, wonder what they will come out with next?

I'd say that Honda's PCX is hurting Yamaha's sales a lot in this end of the market occupied by the top 125 c.c. category of scooters. The Yamaha Nouvo 115 c.c. air cooled MX was top dog for several years before Honda finally woke up and realized it was way behind. It introduced the Air Blade which was water cooled, had better brakes, and had better handling so it became the new top dog. Yamaha then introduced the Elegance 135 with water cooling, quicker steering (without sacrificing its ride due to its keeping the same long wheel base) and absolutely smoked the Air Blade with its commanding lead in power. In doing so I think Yamaha improved several other important aspects of its Nouvo flagship such as brakes and handling. So now Honda jumps once again into the top position with its considerably refined PCX which offers in my opinion a far superior ride much better looks, much better road manners, especially at higher speeds due to substantially greater weight and tire size.

I'd trade my Elegance in for a bright red PCX tomorrow even though I love my Elegance except for the fact that I know Yamaha is now forced to offer something to this market segment that is pretty exciting. I think my little shootout yesterday between my Elegance and Per's Nouvo Elegance has exploded a few myths, starting with even here in Thailand one has to have fuel injection to have a bike that is competitive performance wise and in fuel economy, that somehow through space age plus technological wizardry Honda has jumped way ahead of Yamaha (and others) to produce in the PCX a ground breaking bike that is going to be nearly impossible to match, that the PCX is slow (in the matter of subjective feel and real world limits it is equal to the Elegance) and that one must have at least 250 cc's to have something that you can tour the countryside with. Be sure that both Yamaha and Honda already have bikes in other markets that are pretty compelling. For instance Yamaha makes no secret that its Elegance has 11.2 horsepower. It is much more difficult to get figures for the PCX just as it had been for the Air Blade but I believe its horsepower is the same. I think Yamaha's X Max 125 has something like 14 horsepower. And I'm pretty sure its got fuel injection FOR THOSE WHO REALLY HAVE TO HAVE IT.

[Gary A]

What I don't like about the PCX is the seat and the add on automatic start/stop. I'm also not keen with the dual brakes. I want total control of the front brake. The local village roads are not kept clean. Concrete roads covered with sand and gravel are treacherous.

What I do like about the PCX is the larger fuel tank and the looks of the scooter. I think it is the best looking scooter available. The ride and handling are very good. The sleek looks are impressive but I am sure I would miss not having attachment points for bungy cords.

If the scooters were priced a little closer, I'd be riding a PCX. I resent paying for features that I DON'T like or want.

When I bought my Elegance, the locals said it "eats too much oil". I have checked the fuel usage and was surprised that I seem to be averaging about 43 kilometers per liter on E10. That is better than what my wife gets on her 125 Suzuki Best using regular 91. I admire her Suzuki because it has a great engine. First kick starts (no electric starter)and not cold blooded in the least. Her previous Honda Wave was VERY cold blooded and was a royal pain until it warmed up. The Suzuki needs no playing with the choke to get it going.

I'm quite happy with the Elegance and once in a while I end up riding the Suzuki for one reason or another. Now that is an uncomfortable ride. I never realized how uncomfortable the old Suzuki was until I rode a PCX and the Elegance.

[ignis]

What I don't like about the PCX is the seat

Most i have seen have a different seat, even the Thai's appear to change the seat to take off that silly hump..

No idea did/have not asked but the sponsor for Honda bike on here have a picture of the PCX with a different seat, maybe they sell them ?

[mic6ard]

Yep got rid of that uly seat. Still not happy with the aftermarket PCX seat, trying to find a place to do a custom in CM.

The other drawing point on the pcx is the leg room. Having tried the Click, Elegance and Blade, I just couldn't get comfortable on them. To make a point, I couldn't squeezed my feet into the Elegance's 'footwell'.

I have to agree with most that going 80 on the pcx is really smooth and stable but above that I still feel a little wobble, or it could be just me imagination!!!

I only wish it has a bigger engine, 125 is a tad small for the size of the machine.

[Gary A]

There are four farangs in this area who often ride motorbikes. One has an old Yamaha 2 stroke semi dirt bike. He has the most power of our group. I have an Elegance, another has a PCX and the last has a Scoopy. We have a watering hole (beer) near the top of a mountain. The two stroke can do about 70 KPH going up. I manage 65, the PCX about 60 and the Scoopy has a hard time doing 50. The guy riding the Scoopy is the heaviest of us although the guy with the 2 stroke is also a big guy. The PCX rider and myself are about the same size. I rarely get above 60 KPH on the road but usually go up the mountain 65 KPH just because I can. Keeps the soot blown out.

The PCX has fatter tires but the Elegance has the bigger diameter rims. If I ever replace the tires on the Elegance, I'll see if I can find some fatter ones.

[JonnyF]

Some good points. Interesting how all the high tech fuel efficiency of the Honda seems to be countered by the Elegance being lighter. Sometimes the simple things are the most effective.

I still use my 4-5 year old air-cooled Nouvo MX for short shopping trips. I wouldn't replace it as it does the job and it's still fine mechanically and cosmetically but if I was looking at a replacement I'd go with the Elegance. These scooters are just convenient tools - so for me the cheaper and simpler option is better. As people have said, any local can fix a carb. If you're doing high mileage or touring then I'd look at a totally different type of bike anyway. For short trips the simpler, lighter, cheaper Elegance is adequate IMO.

[ttakata]

Cool report., I'm still glad I have my NE135.

The PCX definitely looks more refined and classier than a NE135 but I like the nimbler posture of my NE which lets me zip through stopped traffic.

Ideally Honda would make a stripped down scooter like their Ruckus with this drivetrain.

It may seem odd, but I've made my NE purposefully practical and ugly with a topbin, bolted on storage bags, and never washing it.

Now I enjoy knowing no one will want to steal it.

I never use additional locks and it's parked out in the open at night.

Thieves don't seem to want to steal an ugly Yamaha, but they'd love any shiny Honda.

If I had a nice PCX, I'd worry about it being stolen.

I agree, these scooters can get you around most of Thailand.

I rode my NE from BKK to Ayutthaya and to Pattaya and it kept ahead of most traffic.

110Kmh is very easy and very stable.

I got it up to 120+kmh but it feels scarier that last few kmh.

I'm sure it won't be long until someone brings a 150cc scooter to the Thai market.

I saw some Honda SH150 scoots in Vietnam, strange it's not here as Thailand seems to be a much richer country.

You can't go wrong with any of the Japanese scooters for practical transportation.

Newguy70 even rode his Click 110cc roundtrip from BKK to Surin, crazy bastard.

[ignis]

I'm sure it won't be long until someone brings a 150cc scooter to the Thai market.

They already have, the newest being SYM, for pictures look at post about SYM and 2011 Bangkok motor show.. They also on the website in Thailand had the 150 Fighter [no longer on Sym website so no idea if still for sale in Thailand]

The Joyride and Joymax, bigger is size then the PCX

[KKay]

Then there's the top start feature on the PCX. Per scoffed at that saying, when you first start an engine it uses more fuel just to start so even though you won't waste fuel at a stoplight when you suddenly turn on the engine that advantage is lost. He said it, I didn't and he's the proud owner of a new PCX.

Not true. The combination generator/starter motor "thingie" (it's new .. what do you call it?) uses power from the battery to start the engine up. Any extra fuel used in restarting would be minuscule. Per has to remember it hasn't got a carby. Fuel Injection.

I'm sure our fine Oriental Engineers at Honda wouldn't let something as embarrassing as that slip through the net. After all .. the Idle Stop function is a major selling point.

Now if he was talking about switching light bulbs on and off .. that's another story.

Edited May 1, 2011 by KKay