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Post by bobpt on Aug 3, 2010 20:46:41 GMT -5
I was cruising craigslist and came across an ad for a Honda Pacific Coast 800 scooter. Looked like a small Goldwing. I did some more checking and find that these were called scooters, or scooter like because of all the body plastic. Looks like it is an 800cc 5-speed motorcycle with a trunk in the rear. Made from 1989 - 1998. They intrigued me and I found one for sale, a 1990 with 7,500 miles on it in a small town about 45 minutes from here. The guy emailed me back and said he would get back to me after Sturgis. Anybody have any good information to share about these?
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Post by bob on Aug 3, 2010 22:48:54 GMT -5
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Post by ♣Luke♣ on Aug 3, 2010 23:52:08 GMT -5
IF it's not twist and go...it's NOT a scooter. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) thanks for posting the picture bob! (of oregon)
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Post by kz1000st on Aug 4, 2010 7:06:41 GMT -5
These days they have a cult following and usually you see them in packs or pairs. They were practical, but didn't seem to attract large sales. Too much plastic coating over a V-Twin maybe.
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Post by earlwb on Aug 4, 2010 7:56:50 GMT -5
Well there is no real guide for what is a scooter and what is not a scooter. A CVT drive is a recent innovation, they didn't have them years ago. Honda had sold a couple of motorcycles with a automatic tranny clutch system years ago. Vespa scooters, since their very first scooter use gears and a clutch. Many scooters in the same time frame of the first Vespas had trannies with a clutch too. Some of the Cushmans had a tranny too. More recently we have computer controlled trannies, clutches and shifting even on motorcycles that seem to be more scooter than motorcycle.
A step through floor area might make for a scooter, but in more recent times the Japanese came out with the "maxi-scooters" too. The maxi-scooters have basically made the step through part smaller and smaller. Cushman had the Mustang Scooters ages ago, which did not have a step through also. There were a number of smaller name brand scooters that looked like motorcycles and not scooters. Back in the early 1900's there were several motorcycles with step through frames too. Even Vespa had some models that had a fuel tank and oil tank in the middle blocking the step through in a vain attempt to make them more like a motorcycle.
For a while small wheels and tires tended to mean it is a scooter. Larger wheels and tires meant it was a motorcycle. But the maxi-scooters are getting ever larger wheels and tires too.
Big Harley riders have called their big Twins scooters going way back to the first V-twins produced in the early 1900's.
Now when it comes to what is a "moped" or not, it is the bicycle pedals for getting it to start and run. Without the pedals it isn't a moped. But there are some so called mopeds where they did remove the pedals though. Plus all the Chinese importers tend to call all their scooters mopeds too, which obfuscates the issue. It seems nowadays, that state laws define what a moped is, and that is basically a two wheel vehicle with a engine smaller than 50cc that cannot go faster than 25mph (although this varies from state to state).
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Post by kz1000st on Aug 4, 2010 8:08:00 GMT -5
Yes, a Flyscooter Scout has leg shields but a four speed foot shift. What would you call that? Along with the SYM Symba and that Honda? What was it? Oh yes, the Cub.
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Post by WarrenS on Aug 4, 2010 8:45:12 GMT -5
I owned one. It is not a scooter. It is designed to hide all screws and bolts. Even the axles are not visible. It is rather heavy which is why I traded mine on a Burgman 400. It has hydraulic valve lifters and shaft drive. The bodywork shields you from engine heat. The early models even had self cancelling turn signals. ![](http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n153/warsteindawg/pc2.jpg) ![](http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n153/warsteindawg/pc1.jpg)
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Post by earlwb on Aug 4, 2010 15:25:15 GMT -5
Actually the PC800 isn't all that revolutionary. Vincent made a couple of models in the late 1940's and 1950's that were fully enclosed. a powerful 1000cc V twin engine powered these beasties. Vincent Black knight: ![](http://www.thevincent.com/Black-Knight-LS.jpg) Vincent Black Prince: ![](http://www.khulsey.com/motorcycles/vintagebike-images/vincent_black-prince.jpeg)
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Post by kz1000st on Aug 4, 2010 16:34:03 GMT -5
Yes Earl and the Black Knight and Black Prince were just as popular as the Pacific Coast for the same reason. Too much covering. Remember, even Triumph tried covering the back of their bikes for one year and nobody would touch them.
I won't even mention Boat Tail Sportsters.
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Post by WarrenS on Aug 5, 2010 10:20:56 GMT -5
The body work on the Vincents came at the end of their life. It was a try at making them more attractive but they were known for their now hidden motors. The Pacific Coast was designed to appeal to the Yuppie type riders who viewed motorcycles as fashion accessories. Those riders tended to go for Harleys for some reason. I purchased the 1990 Pacific Coast brand new in 1992 for a great price. I was split between the PC and the 750 Nighthawk. I loved the Nighthawk motor but the PC had shaft drive, built in saddle bags, and built in fairing and windshield. I liked the style of the PC as it reminded me of the horses that the knights rode. It was a beautiful candy red with silver bottom. I only wished it had the Nighthawk engine. I am not a V-twin fan. Honda has always tried different things such as the Helix and a lot of different motorcycles. They seem willing to make a lot of different motors, more than any other manufacturer. If they don't sell well they just move onto the next thing.
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Post by bobpt on Aug 6, 2010 7:08:08 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for sharing. I am really anxious to have a look at this. The guy said that it was in great shape, only some areas on the mirrors and trunk where there are some paint scuffs from the bike cover.
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Post by jim150 on Aug 6, 2010 14:28:08 GMT -5
Almost bought one. great bike with lots of storage. Not a scooter, it is a motorcycle and very capable one at that. Very smooth engine and transmission. The power is good but nothing huge. Kind of what you would expect from a Hondaized V-twin. The PC could stand for politically correct. The bike can't piss anyone off. It's quiet, doesn't vibrate, isn't crazy fast.
I had the chance to flog one for about an hour one day. Its the kind of bike where you dump the clutch and crack the throttle all the way to redline and it just pulls the same the whole way. No glitches or flat spots just seemless till needle is all the way around the dial.
My .02, If you can pick ip up for a decent price, do it. It would be a great progression from a 150-250cc scooter. It will do much better on the highway and my guess is that the suspension will provide a much more comfortable ride. My bike is shaft drive and I won't go any other way. No valve adjustments is a great thing as well. I would expect at least 800-100,000 miles out of the motor with reg oil changes and a little care.
Keep us posted.
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Post by goofaroo on Aug 14, 2010 13:39:13 GMT -5
I worked at a Honda dealership back in the late eighties and this was one of those bikes that we just couldn't give away at the time but have since been rediscovered and have a cult following. Other bikes of the same era that were not understood but later became popular were the Transalp, GB500, Reflex, and even the CBR1000. They are great bikes that can be had for a reasonable sum and should last forever with reasonable care. The styling was a bit odd for the time and we fashioned a rope "tail" for our white one that sat on the showroom for over a year and joked that it looked like a sheep from behind.
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Post by leadsled on Aug 19, 2010 10:48:13 GMT -5
My father has one of these that he bought new in the late nineties. He loves it. When they come up for sale they are expensive. At the time they could not give them away. Ton's of storage. He does not work on his bikes but keeps them all in like new condition. The only downside he has encountered is the same as his gold wing. Repairs like carb rebuilds costs more hours and $ to remove and reinstall the plastics to get to the problems than the actual repair itself.
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Post by bobpt on Aug 19, 2010 12:30:57 GMT -5
Unfortuntely (my wife says fortunately), the guy never did call me back and has not returned my phone calls. Would have really liked to take a look at this thing.
Bob
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