Now that it’s 2023, which means 1998 was 25 years in the past and the Honda PC800, in its final 12 months of manufacturing, is thus truthful sport for this week’s sacred Church of MO. The extra all these years pile up, the extra a few of us dig sensible units like scooters. So why not an enormous scooter like this one? Alas, the PC might have simply been forward of its time in 1998. Whereas we have been busy salivating over new Yamaha R1s and Ducati 998s, calling the Pacific Coast the world’s most sensible bike might have been essentially the most backhanded of compliments. Then once more, the PC did get pleasure from a strong, decade-long run starting in 1989, and there are many properly preserved ones nonetheless on the highway.
Born To Be Delicate
Mar. 05, 1998
Images by Billy Bartels
Honda’s Pacific Coast 800 is the station wagon of bikes, which isn’t essentially a nasty factor, it’s simply not trendy at the moment. Our adrenaline-junkie, Mountain Dew head-rush tradition has changed smart and sensible with quick and aggressive as objects of need.
Simply as greater, extra highly effective sport utility automobiles have changed the household wagon because the household and cargo hauler-of-choice, quicker, extra highly effective mounts like Honda’s ST1100 in addition to new aggressive race-bred sport tourers like Ducati’s ST2 and Honda’s new VFR Interceptor have despatched bikes just like the Concours and the Enterprise into digital retirement. Though quick and sporty doesn’t at all times imply success in America (observe the shocking demise of Kawasaki’s GPZ 1100 and Yamaha’s GTS 1000), throughout
practicality isn’t what most Individuals search for in bikes.
The Pacific Coast could be the world’s best bike, falling on Honda’s evolutionary chain between the Helix and the ST1100. Comfy ergonomics. Wonderful climate safety. Actual-world, virtually automobile-like energy supply. An enormous, seen car-like rear tail-light. And, after all, the trunk. The trunk guidelines. It might probably comfortably carry 4 plastic luggage stuffed with groceries, together with a small bag of pet food. It might probably match two full-sized helmets and two medium-sized fitness center luggage. It’s watertight. We rode the PC 800 via two pre-El Nino Southern California monsoons with none water leaking into the trunk. And in contrast to aspect luggage, stuff doesn’t wish to fall out if you open it.
The PC 800 could be too smart. When the PC debuted, it was thought of a radical bike — the world’s first bike utterly hermetically sealed inside an envelope of plastic. In actual fact, the PC 800 appears ashamed of its bike lineage. What this bike actually needs to be is a automotive, all the best way right down to the automobile-like instrument panel and the textured PVC that covers the handlebars. Shhhhh: Pay attention carefully and you may hear it whisper “I want I have been an Accord. I want I have been an Accord.”
It didn’t promote properly at first, however through the years it has developed a following. The aesthetics are maybe essentially the most controversial factor on this in any other case pleasant, although Milquetoast bike. Our personal unscientific survey revealed that individuals who don’t like bikes just like the seems of this bike. My mother, as an illustration. Your mother most likely, too.
A yuppie wanna-be stockbroker good friend, who’s spouse wouldn’t invite us to a cotillion of ageing, preppy, former sorority-girls if we confirmed up on bikes, completely cherished the Pacific Coast. They each did.
“That is the nicest bike you’ve ever had,” stated Wifey. “However you continue to can’t come to the cotillion.”
Exhausting core bikers had a unique take.
“It’s seems like a port-o-pottie on wheels,” sniffed one staffer.
“It seems like a scooter on steroids,” stated one other. “And this cotillion sucks. Lets go over to the rubbish dump and break issues.” Cool.
The PC 800 is comfy and the climate and wind safety are superb. Nevertheless it’s a porky bike, weighing in at 640 kilos moist. Nonetheless, it handles properly in gradual corners with a great turning radius and at straightaway speeds the gentle suspension soaks up the bumps; quicker corners really feel mushy.
The rear suspension presents four-way spring preload, however the 41mm entrance fork is non-adjustable. We did discover it to be comparatively flickable, however due to its lengthy wheelbase it most popular to face up. Like a Weeble, it wobbled nevertheless it didn’t fall down.
The brakes, two twin-piston entrance discs and a drum on the rear, are very common. Fade was non-existent, however then there isn’t an overabundance of stopping energy, so there’s not a lot there to fade. The entrance rotors are designed in such a method so that the majority disc locks won’t match. The engine is a 45-degree V-Twin, and aside from displacement it’s basically the identical engine as discovered on the Shadow ACE and the ACE 750. As with Gold Wings, the PC 800 comes with hydraulic valve adjusters for simple upkeep. The engine just isn’t notably robust, and it has a really slender powerband — from roughly 4500 to 6500 rpms.
Whereas the engine feels as if it needs to discover the higher limits of the rpm vary, the rev limiter kicks in at simply after 7000. With an absence of each excessive finish and low vary energy, shifts are frequent, up and down. Prime pace as indicated was near 105 mph. We wished to place it on the dyno, however we couldn’t determine easy methods to get to the plugs with out disassembling the bodywork.
The Pacific Coast 800 fills a market area of interest presently unoccupied within the U.S. — the smart city commuter. It could be an choice for an older entry degree rider or the occasional weekend tourer unable or unwilling to fork over $12,000 USD for an ST1100. Exhausting-core bikers, like everybody else on MO’s employees, will nonetheless sniff and make jokes, and the PC 800 actually ain’t a intercourse magnet, you’re simply not going to look bad-assed and funky on a Pacific Coast.
However when this reviewer was given the selection of driving cross city to the fitness center on a sizzling new sportbike or the PC 800, he at all times selected the Pacific Coast. It’s comfy, has good climate safety and it has a trunk. Should you’re in search of a real-world commuter and also you anticipate to be hauling greater than can slot in a tank bag, then give the PC 800 a thought.
Specs:
Producer: Honda
Mannequin: 1998 Pacific Coast 800
Value: $8699 USD
Engine: liquid cooled 45 diploma V-twin
Bore x stroke: 79.5mm x 80.6mm
Displacement: 800cc
Carburetion: Two 46mm diaphragm-type CV
Transmission: 5 pace, shaft drive
Wheelbase: 61.2 inches (1554.5mm)
Seat peak: 30.1 inches (764.5mm)
Gas capability: 4.2 gallons (15.9L)
Claimed dry weight: 584.2 lbs (218.0kg)
Measured moist weight: 640.0 lbs (238.8kg)
The submit Church of MO: Honda Pacific Coast 800 First Impression appeared first on Motorbike.com.
