Nope that ain’t a Pan European, very few PC800’s were sold in the UK and the ones I see around are genrally grey imports, you can tell 'caues the registration plate does not match the V.I.N plate.
The PC800 is a v-twin, somewhere under all that plastic, the Pan European ST1100 is an across the frame v-four.
Actually Turbo Dogs’s machine looks like the PC800 has be refined a little over the years, they used to have a lift up panel behind the seat almost like a trunk.
I have to say that if your previous machine was a silverwing, which was a 650cc variant of the CX500 then no wonder you reckon the PC handles well!
Personally they just ain’t for me, they look like they came out of a bathroom fittings catalogue, that’s pretty much the UK view too and Honda were wise enough to not bother pushing them over here, we in the UK like our plastic fantastics missiles, except me.
Turbo, the first time I saw that model I laughed. Where’s the engine? I was so different from what I was used to. But I understand the SUV crowd reaction, it’s not a bad looker, now that I’ve seen one or two.
No the Pan Euro is the ST1100. The pictures may lie, but the ST1100 is much bigger. Taller by a couple of inches and much longer. That and the hard bags come off the ST and I don’t think they do off of the PC.
I understand that a lot more women like the PC because of the height and weight than other Sport Tourers. There was an MFS instructor in the area that had one and she liked it. I think Honda made a mistake in dropping it.
One more nugget for you, Superdude. You’ll find numerous screws holding this thing together. They look like phillips screws. They aren’t.
The screws are JIS - Japanese Industry Standard. The heads strip pretty easily if you try to use a phillips on them. JIS screwdrivers are shallower and slightly broader. They work like a dream, and even work better on regular phillips screws. Jensen tools has a nice set for around $25, IIRC.
Buying a 27 year old motorcycle, plus parts bike, means you are going to have to learn to wrench on it. You will never regret having quality tools.
Johnny I love Seca II, Heritage Special and the 650 Special II. Yamaha made some awfully pretty bikes in the 80’s.
casdave All PC’s have the trunk. There were very few changes ever made to them between years, pretty much light cosmetic changes and paint color. The biggest change was removing the front wheel fairing with just a fender in 98, I think it was. The trunk is the greatest thing in the world.
Edward Actually the ST1100 and PC are nearly exact in dimensions and weight, and the ST1300 is about 50 pounds lighter and the wheelbase is about 2 inches shorter.
I wanted an ST1100 but this was the closest I could get without my wallet screaming murder. Besides, I always liked them and was lucky enough to come across one. There aren’t many of them around which makes it rather unique. Of the black ones, there were only about 1200 ever made, but it doesn’t stop me from being laughed out of the biker bars. Accessories are a mother to come by though.
Whatever you do: Start SMALL. Head off some place with very low traffic and wide open spaces (country roads are nice, or fairly quiet neighborhoods) get used to driving around and watching for road hazzards.
It’s a lot better to screw up somewhere with 2 miles of visibility on the road than in the middle of rush hour traffic doing 60.
A friend of mine knows a friend who build custom bikes.
If any of you have played Final Fantasy 7 (the motercycle chase minigame) and remember what the bike looks like… That’s what he had made for him.
Accessories are a mother to come by though.