REVIEW: Honda Super Cub vs Honda PCX150 - Part 3 (Acceleration tests)

Описание: This is Part #3 of my Honda Super Cub vs Honda PCX150 series. Today we have a direct comparison of the acceleration of both bikes in a side-by-side match-up. Skip to the bottom of this description for clickable time indexes.

Keep in mind that the Cub really isn't in the same performance class as the 150cc scooters. The Cub's 125cc air-cooled motor runs lower compression (9.3:1 for the Cub vs 10.6:1 for the PCX) and produces much less power (8.1 hp) than the PCX150 (13.5 hp). There is a 60% difference in power, so this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison by any stretch of the imagination. A closer comparison would be the Super Cub vs Honda Grom (basically the same motor) or vs the Kawasaki Z125 Pro... they have similar displacement, engine construction (air-cooled), and power output. I only made this comparison because I happen to own both bikes, and they are both in the lower end of Honda's street bike lineup. I think that they will both attract similar buyers/riders, so I wanted to show the differences between them for general usability and commute-ability.

It's Saturday morning, and my son and I are running a few errands today. We took the 2019 Honda Super Cub C125 and the 2016 Honda PCX150 out for a comparison ride today. The results of the acceleration and top speed runs weren't any surprises, and my original opinions were accurate. My son and I are within about 10 pounds of each other, so our riding weights are similar and shouldn't affect the bikes' performance differently.

The PCX150 easily out accelerates the Cub. The top speeds for both bikes are very close to each other (about 63-64 mph). We didn't take them up onto the highway to compare top speeds head-to-head, but I have those clips in previous videos already. The Cub is drag-limited by wind resistance, where the PCX150 is rev-limited (could probably pull low 72-75 mph without the rev-limiter).

Our next (and probably final) video in this series will be a road trip where we can compare the efficiency and overall mileage for both bikes over the same roads and trip distance. We hope to make that trip next weekend if the weather permits.

Time indexes:
0:00 : Heading out for a morning ride on the Super Cub C125 and the PCX150
1:45 : Full-throttle acceleration on the Super Cub from 0-55 mph (against a minor headwind) took ~30 seconds
2:33 : Shifting the Cub smoothly and things that I've learned... throttle blips (rev-matching) on downshifts really help, don't wait to shift all the way from 4th to 1st at a stop, and wait for 1st gear downshift until you're almost completely stopped
3:46 : Killing the Cub's motor at lights to save fuel... you CAN start it while in gear, contrary to my first attempts on the Taco Bell run, so I'm not sure what happened that night that prevented the in-gear restart
4:15 : Getting buzzed by a miniature sportbike... what kind of bike is that?
4:42 : A closer look at the mini sportbike
5:15 : Side-by-side run roll-on from 45-55 mph
5:50 : Drag race from a dead stop... the PCX150 walks away and hits max speed (~65 mph) before the Cub gets to 55 mph
6:30 : A roll-on from 50 mph... the PCX150 still has some power left, but the Cub is almost out of steam
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