UPDATE: I ended up buying this bike and absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Today I went for a quick test drive on a 1989 Honda PC800 Pacific Coast. It is a full-fairing bike with integrated rear trunk. Wikipedia has a good photo of the same model year and paint scheme as the one I rode (white). My buddy Ryan S is trying to sell his and I’m in the market for a motorcycle — hence the test ride.
The first thing people notice about this bike is its looks. The white PC800 looks like something a Stormtrooper should ride. In fact I was humming the StarWars Imperial March while I was riding it. The plastic front fairing gives me a little concern as it comes very close to my boots when my feet are on the pegs. I have size 15 shoes which makes fitting into anything difficult. Twice while riding I had a moment of trying to search for the right brake petal. The plastic wasn’t getting in the way but it was annoying bumping into it. Compared to my old Honda Shadow, this bike has a much lower brake petal. Adjustable of course but it was already pretty high up.
Riding the bike was really fun. It was responsive but not twitchy. I did feel moments of land-yachtiness but all in all it was responsive and fairly nimble. The full fairing made wind buffeting almost nonexistent although I did get a fair amount of wind rushing by my head where my helmet poked up above the slipstream of the windshield. One thing I did find was the ability to easily induce speed wobbles. Twitching the handlebars and shifting weight at the same time at around 30 or 35 mph got the bars to go back and forth and bike to lurch from side to side. It wasn’t real bad and it would damp out with just a little effort but it was rather interesting.
The PC800 has a very quite exhaust system. It was difficult for me to tell when I needed to shift by sound alone. Also the 800cc engine seems to have a very wide power band starting around 3000 rpm and topping out around 5500 or 6000 rpm. I often found myself running the bike at around 4000 rpm. Giving it low lugging rpms (around 2500 or lower) would make the bike hesitate when it was time to get up and go.
Unlike my old shadow, this bike only has five gears. Compared to some of the other Honda cruisers and tourers from a few years later, five is a lot of gears. However it still was a little odd how I kept feeling for the 6th gear. Also the lack of an overdrive light made me keep wanting to go higher. When I really romped on the throttle I got high rpms but I didn’t have the same getup and go feeling as on my Shadow. This could be because of the windscreen. Not having the wind push back is an interesting experience. I’m not sure if I like it or not just for around town driving but I could see the advantage for long distance trips.
Speaking of long distance trips I have no doubt that this bike could easily go across the country and back without a problem. Being encased in plastic as it is, the engine doesn’t get much attention and it doesn’t need it. It’s a low-maintenance Honda engine. The ample cargo space and big, plush rear seat are real dreams for passengers and for gear stowage.
The two real issues I have with the bike are 1) the looks and 2) foot room. I think each on their own I could deal with but combined it’s a little ifffy. One idea I had for the looks is to paint a rainbow on the front and call it Sparklelord. Another idea is to turn it into a Imperial Speeder and wear all-white riding gear.
After testing out another motorcycle or two I’ll revisit the Pacific Coast and see what I think.