I replaced my 2023 Buddy 125 with...

[sc00ter]

A left-over new 2023 Honda PCX. I know it sounds childish and me being a quitter but I've had it with that rear rack. Also, on a side note, I did want a bit of extra space for a passenger, way sturdier top box options and better frontal weather protection. I think the PCX will cover those request. I'll write a full review when I get some more miles on the PCX and do a comparison. If anyone is curious I sold it for $1000 and donated $750 of that to a Veterans Ride foundation. As far as comparing the 2, so far:

The trunk on the PCX is huge but tips everything to the front from a weird slant, and I lost my beloved flat floorboard.

Have to adapt to the slight step-over so I don't scruff it up on the PCX. I miss my flat floor.

The PCX is not much larger overall than the Buddy.

I think the headlight is a bit better on the Buddy. Tail lights are about the same.

Honda is a total nightmare to do certain things that on the Buddy are easy. Got a $300 quote for a valve check at my local Honda dealer IF I let them do it. Ton of panel removal compared to the simple Buddy.

Both scooters feel light and easy to move around when off the scoot. No clear winner on moving in the garage.

Both easy to put on the center stand as well. No clear winner.

I miss my Gen-U-Bin but the PCX has a big glove box that doesn't melt your stuff because the radiator is on the side of the motor.

The PCX just falls shy of too much Star Trek tech. It has ABS. But the traction control I kinda feel isn't required for a small scooter.

More comparisons to come.....

[scootERIK]

I have been looking at the PCX and ADV. Not to replace my Buddy but for long rides. I test rode an ADV 150 and it was about 12 mph fast than my Buddy 125(and the PCX is even faster.) Being able to keep up with traffic on a 55 mph speed limit road would make my long rides a lot less stressful*. The more complicated maintenance is a strike against the PCX/ADV. The bigger strike against them for me is the crazy high used prices in my area.

I will be waiting for your next review.


*I've had my five Buddy 125 engines and they have all went about 52-54 mph GPS verified on flat ground with no with wind while traffic on the local 55 mph roads is usually moving at around 60 mph. If I go into a headwind or up a small hill my speed usually drops to under 50 mph GPS and that isn't good.

[sc00ter]

I'm not gonna lie, I would have loved to keep the Buddy and hot rod it. But space in my garage is at a premium. My wife is tempted to get a new whip. She has been looking at the Hyundai Santa Cruz to replace her Subaru Baja. If she pulls the trigger I want the Baja to slowly restore, hence the tight parking in my 1 and a half car garage. Anyways, back to the PCX comparison:

The PCX has a normal(ish) key. It has a ignition shutter release on the back of the key making the replacement key $100! You can have a regular Honda key cut for around $20 but don't accidentally shut the ignition shutter. The shutter will automatically lock when you lock the bars to the far left! Luckily I know those bar locks are not very secure so I'll never have that happen to me. Oh, and only the key end can lock/unlock, no little lever like on a Yamaha Zuma or Burgman 200 that your friends will activate, only to discover grit and grime has jammed the shutter shut! How do I know this?

The 14" low profile wheels ride no better or worse than the 10" balloon type wheels on a Buddy. Brakes feel he same as well. Disc front/drum rear. No linked brakes either. It takes A LOT to activate the ABS on the PCX. I played in a empty parking lot already.

Suspension feels sprung the same in the front but the twin shocks in the rear handle 2 fat Americans better than the Buddy's single shock. And the PCX has sturdy, properly placed flip down foot rest for the passenger that wont bite your shins should you forget their down when putting the scooter on the center stand.

The seat and fuel cap are released by a switch. My old Liberty had a button release for the seat and I'm used to the PCX already. The fuel door on the PCX has a little holder for your normal metal gas cap while filling.

More to come.....

[sc00ter]

I'm just adding as I think of stuff, so sorry if this gets long winded.

Colors, or lack of in the PCX's case. Brown metallic matte? Is that even a real color? It looks okay if you like boring colors. We all know how many killer color choices Genuine provides! And I thought I escaped matte blah colors when I replaced the Liberty.

I like the low down seat on the Buddy. The OEM/original seat has always felt weird to me on the Buddy but that low down seat is awesome. I like sitting more "in" the scoot versus "on" if that makes sense. The PCX seat is super comfy and it fits 2 adults without any adjusting sacrifices from either pilot or passenger. Downfall of the PCX seat is it prevents you from sliding back and you sit more "on" the scoot.

The handlebars on the PCX clear my knees no matter what I do. I don't worry about catching a knee in a tight turn. The handlebars are also in a nice neutral position in relation to the seat height/position. I've hit my knees on the back of the fairing and the key on the Buddy before but its rare and I never held it against the Buddy.

Feet position on the deck. Everyone knows the foot position on a Buddy. Your'e kinda stuck and stretching the legs isn't the easiest thing to do. The PCX offers a bit more foot position but the forward most position makes the toe of your shoes point out. Once I go play some pinball on the PCX I'll get a real world 60 mile each way reality check but as it is I like the foot position a bit more than the Buddy.

I ordered a PUIG V-Tech windshield and my SHAD top box parts today. The stock shorty dash visor is actually okay so I'll probably swap back and forth in the summer and winter. No buffeting from the dash visor. I'm 5'10". That brings me to another observation, wind control.

The Buddy always allows air onto the top of my legs. I bought the kilt for that issue and will still use it with the PCX because it lets air blow all over the SIDE of your legs and hips! I can't tuck in behind the fairing enough because the hump between my feet. Luckily my feet stayed pretty free of the wayward wind blast.

The turn signals are dead silent on the PCX. That being said the turn signal indicators are huge and hard to miss on the PCX dash when flashing. Also there are no signal pods on the PCX. The front signals kind of blend in above the headlights. I have yet to look at the rear signals. Oh, and NO HAZARDS on the PCX. That's one thing I always liked from Genuine, the hazards switch.

Finally, for now, the PCX takes regular 87 octane cheap gas. Also, the engine oil is supposed to be changed every 4000 miles. I also have the factory service manual coming for the PCX, and I kept the Buddy service manual since I translated every torque value into newton meters.

More to come....

[Neil82]

Thanks for the info about your PCX. Looks like a nice machine. I did read about removing panels or other disassembly required for doing maintenance. Hopefully, it's not too much of a task for DIY maintenance. It's like vehicles are being built in such a way that you'd think the manufacturers are intentionally making it difficult for DIY.

Congrats on your new ride! Hope you enjoy and stay safe out there.

[sc00ter]

Thanks Neil82 for the kind words! Ever since I took delivery of the PCX its been raining. And as I type this I'm looking at the PUIG V-Tech windscreen and the SHAD 34 top box. Oh, and a few more observations....

The PCX horn is the worst! A meep meep sound like watching a Road Runner cartoon on a old tube TV with a mono speaker. Genuine seems to be the only manufacturer that believes a loud horn is a good thing.

It's hard to press the seat release and gas cap release with gloves on. Not a big deal but something to note.

The seat opens very well on the PCX. The Buddy seat opens just as good. Easy access to your stashed stuff without hitting your head on the seat. Also no under seat light.

There are a ton of how-to videos on removing panels and such on YT. I have the windscreen how-to downloaded and the top box how-to downloaded as well. Everyone take comfort in knowing I'm going to pound the panels off this PCX once it gets broken in. I will do followups on things that fail from blasting over railroad tracks and thru my least favorite washboard intersections. If my wife rides with me we might even hit the roller coaster path behind my local Wal Mart! A few friends hate the coaster path because you'll catch air if going fast enough. And we'll ride the nature path behind the church that made me almost drop my Zuma in a lake with my wife on the back! Quick story: My wife and I were blasting thru a back road one night and caught the attention of a cop on patrol. He pulled out and hit the lights but I escaped thru a little narrow trail behind a school yard. Cop gets out of the car and starts to run behind us but once in the open I punched it. It just got done raining and we go ripping across this muddy field and guess what happened? We slid out! The Burgman 200 is sliding on its side in one direction and we're sliding in another direction. The cop just busted out laughing! He asked if we were okay and when we both got up and said "Yeah..." he said we got what we deserved and just walked back to his car. The wipeout tripped the tip sensor and gummed up the handlebar controls with mud. We both hurt a bit the next morning but nothing was broken.

The PCX has a primitive parking brake for the rear brake lever that I really like. Not the prettiest looking system but I forgot how much I missed a parking brake.

The PCX gets extra dirty when riding thru grubby stuff. I keep my scoots looking new but this scooter is gonna test my cleaning skills! The Buddy was easy to keep clean. Oh, and Wal Mart no longer sells the DuPont matte polish anymore.

Does anyone remember when Honda had the feature when you pressed the start button on the old Elites and a little green light would shine on the key hole, so you could find the key hole in the dark to start it? My Elite 150 Deluxe and my Elite 250 had this cool little feature. The PCX could benefit from this feature because finding the key hole isn't hard but getting the key lined up for the slot is a bit tricky because its recessed. Bring back the little green light shining on the key hole when you press the start button Honda, please!

Thailand has a bunch of crazy RGB lighting options for the PCX! I'm like a parrot in a disco around PGB lights! I MUST RESIST until the warranty is up!

More notes to come....

[az_slynch]

Does anyone remember when Honda had the feature when you pressed the start button on the old Elites and a little green light would shine on the key hole, so you could find the key hole in the dark to start it? My Elite 150 Deluxe and my Elite 250 had this cool little feature. The PCX could benefit from this feature because finding the key hole isn't hard but getting the key lined up for the slot is a bit tricky because its recessed. Bring back the little green light shining on the key hole when you press the start button Honda, please!

I think that was an '80s thing. My '83 Yamaha Riva 180 had a similar feature. With the bike off, if you hit the Start button, the ring around the keyswitch would illuminate. Very cool feature. I think they used a phosphorescent paint ring around the keyhole on my '08 Majesty, but the paint's mostly worn off.

[sc00ter]

In all of my scootering days I've never even SEEN a Riva 180 up close. I had the slow 80cc 2-stroke Baluga and a friend had a beat-up 125 that I think was a Riva. I just recall it being gold colored.

[sc00ter]

Yikes! I installed my PUIG V-Tech windscreen and my SHAD rack and SH34 top box. You need a panel pry bar set. I found a nice 3 piece pry bar set from Wal Mart in the automotive audio section. I also discovered the once mighty Soundstream is selling thru Wal Mart now. An proper ending to a once great car audio company. Anyways, back to the PCX.

You don't just remove a panel on the PCX, you pry them off in sections and hope you don't break anything. I will say that during the time of using colorful words and shining a flashlight into dark crevices you'll eventually remove the panels. The panel plastic is top quality and can really take a bending, twisting and pounding without cracking. I've yet to see if the PUIG blocks the wind and if the trunk catches the wind because of rain so I'll update afetr some miles.

If you want a peek at what to expect for PCX just go on You Tube. I watched a bunch of how-to videos before tackling this project and it still took me the whole Depech Mode Violator album and Steely Dan greatest hits played twice to get the windscreen and top box on. The rear rack is rock solid and I have no worries about it ever giving me a issue. All this being said I still miss the Buddy a little bit.

[sc00ter]

I'm at 300 miles on the PCX so time for a quick update. The PUIG V-Tech is okay. I get clipped on the top of my Schuberth with wind chop really bad. I purchased the crazy priced little PUIG wind control clip-on thingy and will post a update when I get it installed. Will also try to post some pics. On the old Buddy I could just duck down a bit on the Buddy with the Cuppini Windscreen. Actually the Cuppini was a all around better windscreen. I think PUIG needs to update their virtual wind tunnel software to at least Windows 6 for better results.

I got crazy and ordered a slightly larger top box for the PCX rear rack. I went from a SHAD SH29 to a SH34. I don't want or need anything bigger but I know the SHAD rack will handle it no problem. Installing the rear rack on the PCX was actually easier than replacing that rack brace that cracks under the panels on the Buddy, but I hope I only have to mess with the rear rack on the PCX once. Time will tell though....

Few other quick observations:

The low gas tank will allow the gas pump to drip on your panels after filling up. You need to adjust your filling technique from the Buddy's easier to fill higher up tank set-up.

Checking the oil level and topping up the oil is a bit fussier on the PCX. The dipstick is silly long and its hard to wipe the fill hole before or after removing the dipstick because the base is hidden behind the exhaust. Buddy was much easier to check and fill.

Checking anti-freeze is weird as you have to kneel down to foot rest level and look thru a little opening. Not hard to do, just have to do yoga moves.

I finally figure out what the PCX reminds me of, my wife's old Honda Silverwing. Everything on the PCX feels like a slightly shrunken down Silverwing.

I still miss the Buddy so that tells you the impact of a being a Buddy owner.

Oh, another quick note. The ignition key was snug on the PCX from new. I figured it'd get better after some miles. One day the key got stuck in the ignition! Luckily my work parking lot is 100% secure and I U-lock my scoot in the garage at home so it wasn't a total stress event. I rode the PCX to my local Honda dealer to have them look at it, figuring if needed I'll leave it and walk home. The lead mechanic found the slightest burr on the tip of the key. The spare key was totally fine (I took both with me). After a bit of cleanup on the sticking key and a tumbler reset the ignition is smooth now. In and out in about 30 minutes, covered for free (Did buy the mechanic lunch though).

Still miss the Buddy though.....

[sc00ter]

At just under 1000 miles now and finally had 2 things happen.

First: Got caught in crazy rain with wind. The PUIG did pretty good on overall rain protection. But the PUIG revealed another trait after some miles, it creaks and squeaks. No overly obnoxious but it's there.

Second: Have ridden to work on the freeway a few times. Around 10 miles at a indicated 70mph. The PCX did pretty good on the speed front but crosswinds like to push it around. So it can easily do freeway jumps when needed but be mindful of windy days.

Final notes for now: Averaging 90 mpg's at worse no matter how stupid I ride. Suspension softened up a bit but it's still okay. Seat also softened up and my booty is questioning it now. Might try a Corbin or just deal with the still acceptable stock seat since I really just use it for around town runs. Cycling thru the dash menu is overly complicated and you need the owners manual as a reference. Wife has still to take a notable ride as a passenger. I don't see us really using it for that though.

I still miss my Buddy so keep that in mind if you're thinking of a PCX. The PCX us a great scoot but it falls short of the Buddy's charm and simplicity.

[Point37]

Seat also softened up and my booty is questioning it now. Might try a Corbin or just deal with the still acceptable stock seat since I really just use it for around town runs.

maybe an in between solution...
https://airhawk.net/
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Airhawk/p ... ndLogo_sto

[scootERIK]

I have a question for you-

If you had to do a 200-300+ mile ride, mostly 55 mph boring roads but at least a few fun backroads, and you had a PCX, Liberty, and a Buddy in your garage which one would you take?

[sc00ter]

The Buddy is a tad tight on longer trips. I've done a few 300 mile days on a Buddy and survived but was extra tired at the end of the day.

The PCX is pretty roomy to move around but it just does its job. Not to flashy, or fun. I like my PCX but still miss my Buddy.

I've done 300 plus mile rides on the Liberty a few times. Aside from the one foot placement seating position I actually had fun. I loved the larger wheels and with the right windscreen its just a great ride. I never regretted taking the Liberty on any rides.

Speed wise the Buddy was always nearing stress level top end, not that it ever complained.

The PCX would easily do those speeds but be it on the bland side.

The Liberty was a tad faster than the Buddy and it never complained about being held almost WOT for endless miles.

The Liberty was the best overall mid-sized scooter I've ever owned. Great power, pretty comfy and easy to service. Only the lack of reliable servicing prevented me from staying in Piaggio land. But they (Piaggio) do make a great scooter.

Off topic, the best large scooter I've ever owned was a SYM CityCom 300. Fast, fun and reliable. I've done crazy long rides on that scooter and enjoyed every one. Just make sure you have support for mechanical, computer access and parts. The CityCom is like a Liberty on steroids!

[scootERIK]

Thanks for the info. I have been seeing some fairly new and cheap Liberties come up for sale so I might have to try test riding one one of these days.