2025 · Scooter · Buyer's Guide
City Traffic's Easiest Ride
The PCX125 DX is Honda doing what Honda does best: taking a simple idea and thinking it all the way through. The heart is a liquid-cooled 125 cc single making 9 lb-ft, driving the rear wheel through a belt. On paper that's modest. In the city it's exactly enough. The DX trim adds useful equipment for daily life: a TFT display with smartphone connectivity and navigation, keyless operation, a USB charging port and LED lighting. ABS and traction control come standard, and so does a center stand. Among urban 125s, this is the one that gets the small things right.
On the road, the PCX feels light and friendly. At 295 lb (134 kg) wet with a 30.1 in (764 mm) seat, it's easy to handle for short riders, new riders and anyone threading through dense traffic. It's cheap to run too, at 112 mpg with a 2.1 gal (8.1 L) tank, and it has a strong reputation for simply working day after day. The caveat is plain. This is a city tool and not a highway scooter. The suspension has no adjustment at either end, and a few owners report battery drain or dash glitches, although no clear pattern has been confirmed. If your riding happens below freeway speeds, it makes a lot of sense.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 13 hp (9 kW) @ 8,750 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 9 lb-ft (12 Nm) |
| Displacement | 125 cc |
| Engine | Single-cylinder |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 220 mm |
| Front tire | 110/70-14 |
| Rear tire | 130/70-13 |
| Seat height | 30.1 in (764 mm) |
| Wet weight | 295 lb (134 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 2.1 gal (8.1 L) |
| Fuel economy | 112 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Comfort
Connectivity
Lighting
Safety
Over the years I've listened to a lot of PCX125 owners. Some of it was paddock talk and club-night chatter, some came from chats with owners at the curb, and a lot arrived as emails and messages riders sent me directly. On this generation the pattern is clear: owners praise how well it fits into daily life, and the complaints begin where the city ends.
Owners bring up the storage again and again. They say the space under the seat holds a full-face helmet or a weekend's shopping, and that kind of convenience comes up constantly. The 5-inch TFT gets similar praise. Owners like running navigation, calls and music through Honda RoadSync without a phone clamped to the bars. On the long-term side, riders point to their own satisfaction and the wide dealer network as reasons they expect years of uneventful commuting.
The most common complaint is open-road pace. Owners say the engine struggles to hold highway speeds, which makes longer trips slow and tiring. A smaller group finds the styling plain next to sharper-looking rivals and calls it functional rather than fashionable.
Occasional battery or electrical gremlins
Some owners have reported mysterious battery drains or dashboard glitches, though no widespread pattern has been confirmed.
Where this Honda PCX125 DX pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the PCX125 DX is actually built for.
This is your bike. It's light, parks almost anywhere, returns 112 mpg and starts every morning. For short hops through dense traffic, I can't think of a more sensible way to get around town.
Made for Austin · Los Angeles · Miami Beach / Miami
For getting around San Francisco it's a smart, connected tool with keyless start and a TFT with navigation. With 125 cc, though, the ridge roads call for a second, bigger bike.
Made for Bay Area Ridge Roads · San Francisco / Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard / Alice's Restaurant
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
