Honda PCX125 - Owner's Manual > Protective Apparel

For your safety, we strongly recommend that you always wear an approved motorcycle helmet, eye protection, boots, gloves, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt or jacket whenever you ride.

Although complete protection is not possible, wearing proper gear can reduce the chance of injury when you ride.

Following are suggestions to help you choose the proper gear.

Helmet and Eye Protection

Your helmet is your most important piece of riding gear because it offers the best protection against head injuries. A helmet should fit your head comfortably and securely. A bright-colored helmet and reflective strips can make you more noticeable in traffic.

An open-face helmet offers some protection, but a full-face helmet offers more. Regardless of the style, look for a DOT (Department of Transportation) sticker on any helmet you buy. Always wear a face shield or goggles to protect your eyes and help your vision.

Not wearing a helmet increases the chance of serious injury or death in a crash.

Be sure you and your passenger always wear a helmet, eye protection, and other protective apparel when you ride.

Additional Riding Gear

In addition to a helmet and eye protection, we also recommend:

• Sturdy boots with non-slip soles to help protect your feet and ankles.
• Leather gloves to help protect your hands.
• A motorcycle riding suit or jacket for comfort as well as protection.

  Bright-colored and reflective clothing can help make you more noticeable in traffic. Avoid loose clothes that could get caught on any part of your scooter.

Rider Training

Developing your riding skills is an ongoing process. Even if you have ridden other scooters, take time to become familiar with how this scooter works and handles. Practice riding the scooter in a safe area to build your skills. Do not ride in traffic until you get accustomed to the scooter's controls, and feel comfortable with its size and weight.

We urge all riders to take a motorcycle operator course approved by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF).

New riders should start with the basic course, and even experienced riders will find the advanced course beneficial. For information about the MSF training course nearest you, call the national toll-free number: (800) 446-9227.

Other riding tips can be found in the Riding Tips booklet that came with your scooter.

Is Your Scooter Ready to Ride?

Before each ride, it's important to inspect your scooter and make sure any problem you find is corrected. A pre-ride inspection is a must, not only for safety, but because having a breakdown, or even a flat tire, can be a major inconvenience.

Improperly maintaining this scooter or failing to correct a problem before riding can cause a crash in which you can be seriously hurt or killed.

Always perform a pre-ride inspection before every ride and correct any problems.

Pre-ride Inspection

Check the following items before you get on the scooter:

Tires & Wheels  Look at the tires. If a tire appears low, use an air pressure gauge to check its pressure. Also look for signs of excessive wear or damage to the tires and wheels.

Leaks, Loose Parts  Walk around your scooter and look for anything that appears unusual, such as a leak or loose cable.

Lights  Make sure the headlight, brakelight, taillight, license light, and turn signals are working properly.

If you are carrying a passenger or cargo, also check the following:

Load Limits  Make sure you do not exceed the load limits.

Cargo  Check that all cargo is secure.

Check these items after you get on the scooter:

Throttle  Rotate the throttle to check it moves smoothly without binding.

Brakes  Pull the front and rear brake levers to check that they operate normally.

Indicators  Turn the ignition on and check for normal operation of the gauges and indicators.

If you haven't ridden the scooter in over a week, you should also check other items, such as the oil level and other fluids.

Periodic maintenance should also be done at least once a month, no matter how often you ride.

Remember, be sure to take care of any problem you find, or have your Honda dealer correct it before you ride.

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