1998 Honda Pacific Coast PC800

[Spectre]

$500 netted me this '98 Pacific Coast with 55K on the clock. One of about 510 made in 1998, and the last year for the model.







It does need a little work, though all the parts are included (the mirrors are in the trunk with the motorcycle cover).








Still, I think I got a pretty good deal. I am contemplating painting it the same dark blue as used on my Nighthawk.

I pick it up next weekend once all the paperwork is done.

[hansvonaxion]

I've never seen one before. Does it share engine/chassis etc with any other bike(s)?

[Spectre]

The 800cc watercooled engine is actually a modified version of the Shadow ACE 750's 45-degree V-twin. It is known for electric-like smoothness and quietness. The chassis is unique to the Pac Coast and isn't shared with anything else that I'm aware of. Much of the rest of it is (not suprisingly) Honda Corporate Parts Bin.

More info:
http://race-the-sunset.blogspot.com/...fic-coast.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Pacific_Coast
http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/r...acific8_98.htm
http://www.motorcycle.com/manufactur...-800-1577.html

The real party piece is the 40L trunk in the back:

[BlaRo]

Have fun cleaning the Moët bottles and nail polish from the trunk.

But that looks like a good find, especially for the price. Is it going to be hard to find replacement panels/plastic weld them yourself? I doubt all the scrapyards in TX are going to turn up many PCs.

[prizrak]

That is not something I expected from you at all... I take it this will be mostly short distance commuter/quick trips to the store kind of vehicle?

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by BlaRo

Have fun cleaning the Moët bottles and nail polish from the trunk.

But that looks like a good find, especially for the price. Is it going to be hard to find replacement panels/plastic weld them yourself? I doubt all the scrapyards in TX are going to turn up many PCs.

At least they made more of these than they did of the Nighthawk 700S, and the production run was far more recent. The plastic panels are apparently still available from Honda at semi-reasonable prices and there's plenty of them on eBay.

As for plastic welding - I used to be pretty good at it, so we'll see how that goes. At least I won't be attempting to plasticweld an irreplaceable panel.

Originally Posted by prizrak

That is not something I expected from you at all... I take it this will be mostly short distance commuter/quick trips to the store kind of vehicle?

Basically this thing is going to get used as a two-wheeled pickup truck, plus longer trips. The Nighthawk is a great bike and great fun to ride, but even with bags it isn't really suited to hauling some of the stuff I need on the job as an IT consultant. For example, carrying a laptop on the 700 means strapping the laptop bag down to the top of the rear seat and the side bag straps. With the PacCoast, you just pop the trunk and chuck it in.

This will fill the bill for a working bike until the local PD starts auctioning off their new ST1300s in a couple of years.

[Shawnw]

Nice bike, I've always liked the PC's, can't go wrong with a motorcycle with a trunk.

[hansvonaxion]

Originally Posted by Spectre

The 800cc watercooled engine is actually a modified version of the Shadow ACE 750's 45-degree V-twin. It is known for electric-like smoothness and quietness. The chassis is unique to the Pac Coast and isn't shared with anything else that I'm aware of. Much of the rest of it is (not suprisingly) Honda Corporate Parts Bin.

I checked the Wiki page but it wasn't that helpful really. I grew up in Oz and being such a small market (especially my hometown), we get just a tiny fraction of bikes available.

So it's somewhat like a Shadow but without the feet forward position and whole lot of plastic.

Shaft drive is great for these kind of bikes, I wonder why we haven't seen more shaft drive bicycles. You could run the drive through the frame. Especially for the new electrically assisted bikes it would be great.

Not much power, does it go alright?

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by hansvonaxion

I checked the Wiki page but it wasn't that helpful really. I grew up in Oz and being such a small market (especially my hometown), we get just a tiny fraction of bikes available.

So it's somewhat like a Shadow but without the feet forward position and whole lot of plastic.

Shaft drive is great for these kind of bikes, I wonder why we haven't seen more shaft drive bicycles. You could run the drive through the frame. Especially for the new electrically assisted bikes it would be great.

Not much power, does it go alright?

Consider it a cross between a Helix scooter, a Shadow cruiser, an ST1100 sport tourer with a little bit of Honda Accord thrown in and you more or less have the idea. The engine's state of tune as compared to the cruiser is radically different - it's all concentrated in a relatively narrow band about midrange. Definitely not a screamer like my Nighthawk. It's docile without being slow and definitely cut out to be a commuter bike with some long range touring thrown in. Have to shift gears quite a bit, but that's normal when commuting anyway.

Closest counterpart that I can think of would be the old Kawasaki Concours, and that's not really a good comparison.

[GRtak]

Good find, I have been looking for a PC for some time. I have looked at several that were nice, but out of my price range. Or have seen them with some work needed, but were priced like they were near mint. I did agree to buy one from a guy, but his wife stopped him because she wanted it. I may just get a Goldwing, but I would really like a PC.

[Crazyjeeper]

Went in without much drama. I don't think the 2x12 board we used could have held any more weight though.

[Spectre]

No, we really did stress that plank to the limits. Thanks for the help in transporting it. It was good to meet you, hope you enjoyed lunch.

[Crazyjeeper]

Originally Posted by Spectre

No, we really did stress that plank to the limits.

Eh, wood can flex for a reason

Originally Posted by Spectre

It was good to meet you, hope you enjoyed lunch.

Likewise and thanks for the food.

[Spectre]

No problem.

For those that are wondering why I didn't just stuff the thing on my hitch-mount motorcycle carrier - the PacCoast is 638lbs, my carrier is only rated to 500lbd and my truck's hitch has a maximum tongue load of 500lbs.

Obvioulsy, I didn't have the PacCoast or similarly large bike in mind when I bought the carrier. Guess I'll be shopping for a collapsible single rail bike trailer now.

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Basically this thing is going to get used as a two-wheeled pickup truck, plus longer trips. The Nighthawk is a great bike and great fun to ride, but even with bags it isn't really suited to hauling some of the stuff I need on the job as an IT consultant. For example, carrying a laptop on the 700 means strapping the laptop bag down to the top of the rear seat and the side bag straps. With the PacCoast, you just pop the trunk and chuck it in.

This will fill the bill for a working bike until the local PD starts auctioning off their new ST1300s in a couple of years.

Dude backpacks are your friends

Oh I love the police bikes they are AWESOME its like a car cept its not a car.

[Spectre]

That's in addition to the backpack. Any more weight up top and it'll totally screw cornering.

[Spectre]

Some PC800 videos here.

PC800s turn up in some surprising places - like Romania. This should also answer the question of whether a PC800 is too big to be used in traffic... Also, check out the helmetcam placement.

+ YouTube Video

Apparently PC800s also make good sidecar rigs.

+ YouTube Video

Here's a somewhat boring video that shows off the PC800's lean angles. The camera bike is a VFR800, for comparison.

+ YouTube Video

[Scott]

Wow, I would ride a bike like that in a second... *heads off to see if any are for sale around here*

[Scott]

I failed to mention that you got a SMOKIN' deal on that bike! I hope you enjoy the heck out of it (and dibs when you decide to sell).

[KaJuN]

Nice find! I've been in love with the Pacific Coasts since I saw one parked up outside my old university a few years ago.