First day I got the 2008 Silverwing, crash and dead battery

I felt the same way when I got my Concours 14 and dropped it (with cage), it was embarassing using all my strength to pick it up at a light. Dropped it a few more times trying to get the center stand up in the garage.

I'm not sure if I should buy a donor Silverwing and try to swap the body pieces. I can't find any spare parts on eBay. My location is San Diego, CA 92154. I've ridden everything from a ZX14, ZX10R, ZX6R, Ninja 300, Z125.

And this is my first time messing around with the Honda's combined braking system and it's a little annoying that the scooter unloads the clutch when going downhill when it actually should be downshifting and engine braking during any kind of descent.

The brakes caused the tires to spill out on the gravel and this is my regular commute.

Well that's quite an introduction KawasakiGuy. Welcome aboard the board.

May I suggest you leave your SWing as is until you get more miles under your belt with it and learn it's riding and handling characteristics and nuances.

Yeah, helluva introduction. But welcome to the forum nevertheless.

Regarding clutch disengagement, the best way to deal with that is to drag the rear brake (left grip) a wee bit while keeping the RPMs up. It’s a skill inversely proportional to a right foot braking impulse.

sonuvabug wrote:

Well that's quite an introduction KawasakiGuy. Welcome aboard the board.

May I suggest you leave your SWing as is until you get more miles under your belt with it and learn it's riding and handling characteristics and nuances.

The guy at the dealer pretty much gave up on the parts estimate as he knew I wasn't going to go through with the repairs, pretty sure there's more.

I don't like how the Silverwing handles and I live in very mountainous, unpaved terrain, think San Francisco with bomb craters left from 18 wheeler trucks and busses.

If it has to be another scooter either a Yamaha Majesty or Honda Forza. I think I can't handle anything over 500 lbs. Somehow my ZX14 was easy to handle and I've taken it to 185 MPH with no steering stabilizer.

I have to admit the unfamiliarity with the Combined Braking caused me to crash and I had the bike less than 12 hours mainly lane splitting in rush hour traffic no problem. I just had the "new bike" excitement and wanted to take it out on a little night joyride with no traffic

Well, you've certainly ridden some fast and very responsive motorcycles and the SWing is not in the "Ninja" league ... not many maxi-scooters, if any, are.  

The Yamaha T-Max is regarded as the "sport bike" of the scooter world ... at least from a handling perspective.  Yamaha Majesty and Suzuki Burgman 400's are kinda like the 4 cylinder Camrys of the scooter world and the latest Honda Forza 300 is certainly less powerful, perhaps more forgiving ride but I think they also have linked brakes.  

I believe all of the ones you've mentioned are sub 500 lbs. machines.   Maybe that's the ticket?

sonuvabug wrote:

Well, you've certainly ridden some fast and very responsive motorcycles and the SWing is not in the "Ninja" league ... not many maxi-scooters, if any, are.  

The Yamaha T-Max is regarded as the "sport bike" of the scooter world ... at least from a handling perspective.  Yamaha Majesty and Suzuki Burgman 400's are kinda like the 4 cylinder Camrys of the scooter world and the latest Honda Forza 300 is certainly less powerful, perhaps more forgiving ride but I think they also have linked brakes.  

I believe all of the ones you've mentioned are sub 500 lbs. machines.   Maybe that's the ticket?

I'm on Day 2 / 24 hours ish with the Honda Silverwing and the handling is very floaty.

Supposedly it's an ABS model since it's a US model for 2008 but I can easily make the front or rear scrub out under braking. I don't know if it needs new tires.

The Yamaha Majesty and SMAX didn't handle as bad and I subjected them to the same lane splitting duties.

They're both Shinkos SR567 but I'm wondering if a change to Pirellis or Michelins will improve the handling. Again, I'm in unpaved terrain with lots of sand, gravel, construction spillage and potholes. I would be questioning my riding ability if I was crashing on perfect roads.

(YouTube Link was blocked)

Here's a video of me treating an FZ09 like a dirtbike complete with drifting in the sand. I really want to keep this Silverwing because it's awesome for the freeway. I could cover hours going places, just need to understand the close quarters abilities. It just handles like a Lincoln Town Car.

Some action shots of a small example of the "roads" here. I'm leaning towards improper tire type that contributed to the crash. I ran nothing but Michelin Road 5s and Pirelli Angel GTs. Other than intentional wheelspin in the wet or sand, I haven't lost control. I've been riding 11 years. My last crash was riding a Ninja 300 into the mountains that turned into snow and ice. But I've battled hours and miles of lane splitting no problem since then.

I want to give the Honda ADV150 a go, but my bias still favors Kawasaki... nothing a KLR650 or Versys can't handle.

Welcome aboard fella, and congratulations on such a spectacular intro crash. At least you're unhurt and the damage is just cosmetic, patch it up for now till you get used to it.
Your bike doesn't have ABS so you need to be very careful with the front brake on loose surfaces. The geometry of the bike is different to what you are used to, it has a huge rear weight bias akin to a cruiser, so it can wash out or lock up rather than dig in like a sports bike. Use the rear brake more.
Then expect lots of rear brake / clutch confusion when jumping from scooter to bike, after 4 years with the silverwing I still have my comedy moments - pulling in the clutch and wondering why I'm not slowing down is a favourite

steve_h80 wrote:

Welcome aboard fella, and congratulations on such a spectacular intro crash. At least you're unhurt and the damage is just cosmetic, patch it up for now till you get used to it.
Your bike doesn't have ABS so you need to be very careful with the front brake on loose surfaces. The geometry of the bike is different to what you are used to, it has a huge rear weight bias akin to a cruiser, so it can wash out or lock up rather than dig in like a sports bike. Use the rear brake more.
Then expect lots of rear brake / clutch confusion when jumping from scooter to bike, after 4 years with the silverwing I still have my comedy moments - pulling in the clutch and wondering why I'm not slowing down is a favourite

I don't have much experience with cruisers the only thing would be the Concours 14 with weighed almost 750 lbs with the crash bars, full cases and stuff. It was only suitable for the freeway.

The Silverwing feels very floaty and you have to take corners really slow. I'm going to change both tires to see if it improves the handling because the pace is a lot slower. Though it has a healthy amount of torque and power, it seems that's just for freeway passing and merging, not to power through corners. I will try in a wide area to see if powering out of a corner is safer than relying on the brakes.

Engine braking makes a bulk of my slowing down, I've rarely used the brakes except in slow speed lane splitting.

Having owned four Silver Wings and replaced a few body panels, a quick check shows the parts listed by your dealer @ $1,243 come in under $900 on bikebandit.com. Just plug in your bike and model year > OEM > Body Cover.

It's not an unreasonable estimate if it includes labor. However, it's simple work to replace body panels and the windscreen, and save some bucks. If you want to reduce wind blast, buy a GIVI screen made for the Silver Wing. They're taller (a lot of folks find the OEM screen useless).

It's an exceptional bike once you get used to it. Simple and reliable as the sun rise.

KawasakiGuy wrote:

... snipped ... Supposedly it's an ABS model since it's a US model for 2008 but I can easily make the front or rear scrub out under braking. I don't know if it needs new tires.  

I do not think your SWing has ABS brakes.  I do not see the ABS tone ring on your front wheel unless I'm missing something.  You can tell if your SWing has ABS by observing if a red ABS light comes on (on your dash) when you first start the machine and does not go out until you hit about 5+ mph or thereabouts. If this happens, it has ABS.

If this does not happen, it either does not have ABS or something is disconnected or burned out.

KawasakiGuy wrote:

I don't have much experience with cruisers
...
The Silverwing feels very floaty and you have to take corners really slow.

LOL My one experience of a cruiser ended up under a car. I suspect the same problem as you - sports bike reactions to use the front brake!
The SW should handle pretty well, although expect it to get a bit floaty much over 70mph on a sweeping curve, it isn't a sportsbike.
Get used to dragging the back brake a little into a curve - the same as you do on the track to settle the suspension.
Check the tyres, not just for wear but also pressures. Ex bikers often set them to 36/42 as per a bike, they should be 29/33 or 29/36 if you eat a lot of pies!
Don't ask how I know this 🥴

steve_h80 wrote:

KawasakiGuy wrote:

I don't have much experience with cruisers
...
The Silverwing feels very floaty and you have to take corners really slow.

LOL My one experience of a cruiser ended up under a car. I suspect the same problem as you - sports bike reactions to use the front brake!
The SW should handle pretty well, although expect it to get a bit floaty much over 70mph on a sweeping curve, it isn't a sportsbike.
Get used to dragging the back brake a little into a curve - the same as you do on the track to settle the suspension.
Check the tyres, not just for wear but also pressures. Ex bikers often set them to 36/42 as per a bike, they should be 29/33 or 29/36 if you eat a lot of pies!
Don't ask how I know this 🥴

The Shinkos that are on them look terrible. Tires and battery are one investment on a bike you shouldn't cheap out on. New tires are cheaper than repairs on the bike due to a fall and good batteries are cheaper than a tow service out in the middle of nowhere. Often I would get the Shorai lithium ones too.

I dunno. I want to love the Silverwing but I'm going to ride it as is and get a tricked out XMAX 300 or rare TMAX 560 import model or Kymco AK550.

It's funny, I rode a 125cc Yamaha type in Taiwan balls to the wall with no problems. I was more frustrated and upset with myself than scared of the fall.

I returned to the spot I crashed and did a public service to sweep it all up so other bikers don't eat the curb.

I don't know if you ever had a chance to drive Porsche 911 rear engined, I think that's the best way to approach it along with the floaty suspension. My very first ever bike was Ninja ZX6R and I haven't strayed too far from the Ninja lineup. My favorite was the Ninja 300, it was so connected to the road with minimal torque in that I was able to skim along the highway at 100 in a rainstorm. Stark difference to the ZX14 that wasn't able to go above 3rd gear / 60 MPH because it would spin the rear for millimeters of throttle input. There's no bad bike, other than mechanical/recall issues, each one has its absolute limits and handling characteristics. I ride pretty aggressively because that's just the norm in California. You would be often tailing a California Highway Patrol BMW motorcycle lane splitting at ~85 MPH and that's just average cruising speed in rush hour traffic.

Palm trees and pot holes the best of both worlds.? Crashing sucks. Dark wet road and loose stuff a bad combination. Hang in there SW is a good bike.

Never a fan of cheaper tires but that was many years ago had some Cheng Ching tires on a bike 20 years ago tires slid on dry roads.

I've been lusting a XMAX 300 for awhile a good scoot but for now just upgrading forks and shocks on SW.

Hi KGuy,
I bought a '08 SW a year ago and definitely took me a while to get used to it. At the beginning I felt really insecure without a gas tank between the legs, that you can hold on to. I had to get used to it's pecularities, wheels, brakes, handling, suspension...But soon I got confident, (though it does not rride like my BMW R100). Now I really enjoy riding it
Recently I replaced the belt and clutch weights, cleaning and lubing lightly the axes where they insert in the drive plate, and now the clutch disengages at a lower speed than before (20 km/hr vs 25) increasing engine brake
I think that if you give it a try, you will like it

efinglada wrote:

Hi KGuy,
I bought a '08 SW a year ago and definitely took me a while to get used to it. At the beginning I felt really insecure without a gas tank between the legs, that you can hold on to. I had to get used to it's pecularities, wheels, brakes, handling, suspension...But soon I got confident, (though it does not rride like my BMW R100). Now I really enjoy riding it
Recently I replaced the belt and clutch weights, cleaning and lubing lightly the axes where they insert in the drive plate, and now the clutch disengages at a lower speed than before (20 km/hr vs 25) increasing engine brake
I think that if you give it a try, you will like it

The rear tire has no grip whatsoever. I can make it drift like those TMAX hooning videos over there in France.

I'm going to pickup the most expensive scooter tires there are because it feels like a pickup truck with an empty bed in the rain. Just from 2k to 5k RPMs it spins out. I don't think the Silverwing is a torque monster but it's not set up properly to put the power to the ground. Spinning isn't good at all.


To better describe it, it feels like a giraffe or elephant on ice skates/high heels. You quite can't push it hard in the rain or the curves.

Btw in the "curves" as found on the freeways it shudders and shimmies a bit (snaking side to side shudder), I don't think I'll be pushing it like this with other cars on the road and just stay in the truck lane and pass when needed.

Check parts prices here, https://www.ronayers.com/  Cheapest I found by far, the front fairing was $288 TMD for black color 

zrx212 wrote:

Check parts prices here, httswwwronayerscm/  Cheapest I found by far, the front fairing was $288 TMD for black color 

Unfortunately scooters take a while to sell and people aren't going to pay more than $2400 regardless if I fix it to new condition. I'm going to list it for $1500 and take the best offer I get.

I just bought a 2007 w/o ABS this past August, second time out I dumped it on dry sand. No major damage but I had to get some help to lift up. I’ve really been riding it a lot and the more I ride it the more I like it. I know it’s a drag to dump a new (to you) bike. I wouldn’t trade mine in now for anything. It’s a blast to drive in the mountains. There is some good info on plastic repair on this forum just use your search function. Don’t give up on it yet!

PeteP wrote:

I just bought a 2007 w/o ABS this past August, second time out I dumped it on dry sand. No major damage but I had to get some help to lift up. I’ve really been riding it a lot and the more I ride it the more I like it. I know it’s a drag to dump a new (to you) bike. I wouldn’t trade mine in now for anything. It’s a blast to drive in the mountains. There is some good info on plastic repair on this forum just use your search function. Don’t give up on it yet!

Right now the rear is not gripping at all. I'm going to invest in a good rear to see if it lasts the whole year. The plastics I'm going to leave it to the next owner or if I can find a cheap Silverwing with mechanical problems but perfect body to swap the pieces over. Either way, Silverwings go for cheap online these days along with the Yamaha Majesty. You can get 2 Majestys for the price of the newer XMAX 300s.

I still like the Forza though but I'm betting a test ride on an XMAX would change my mind.

The thing that makes me question where did the $9,000 go in developing the Silverwing? The suspension is a dream for racking up miles on the freeway but on the corners I have to really baby it because it just wants to slide out, I don't even want to touch the brakes anymore.

I'm on my third Silverwing now after being undecided and had a BMW K1100LT, a Silverwing scooter, Suzuki Burgman 650. I'm back on the SW and will stay with it until I hang up my helmet for good. After many years on Goldwings covering most of the US except for Hawaii I decided it was time for a lighter weight machine.
 
All in all the SW serves very well for my later years. I find mine handles well in the mountain roads of SW Oregon both on highways and Forest Service roads in the mountains. It isn't a sport bike, it isn't a trail bike, it's a paved road cruiser. I've ridden mine from Medford, Oregon to visit my sister and her family who live just a bit south of Seattle, approximately 430 miles or so. It was a pleasant ride cruising around 70mph on I-5. Took my previous one from Medford, OR to San Diego a few years ago. Made the trip in one long haul both on the north and southbound legs of the trip. It's well over 600mi. each way. No problem making the trip in one day each way.

I kinda think of my Silverwing as a mini-Goldwing. Cruise all day at 75mph or bit more in the slab, get close to 400miles before I lose my nerve and refuel. Gotta take a can of fuel with me some day so I can see just how far the SW will go on a tank.

One about the linked brakes which are also on the big 'Wing as well is that they don't really make much difference in handling unless you're really pushing the machine which isn't what either one of them were designed for.

One thing for sure is you're not going to get caught in third gear when the light goes green. Fact is the CVT transmission is mucho bueno in city traffic. Nice to have the built in cargo compartments for traveling, none of that sport bike stuff wearing a backpack to carry your stuff.

For what it's intended for the Silverwing is darn hard to beat. For an old rider who just doesn't want to hang up the helmet it's a fine bike for stretching out your riding years.

Muy,
Mt SW has combined brakes and ABS, without grip problems swing Bridgestone, Metzaler ir Pirelli
Maybe your tires are expired and the rubber has crystalized....

Isn't this just another case of bloke buys a Silver Wing maxi scooter with no experience and a motorcycle mindset, thinking it’s a twist n' go motorcycle which a maxi scooter certainly isn't. Then trying to ride it like one on a set of newly fitted Shinko tyres forgetting that new tyres don't give full road adhesion until they've had the mould release agents on the tyre scrubbed off.

I doubt very much if the Honda Combined Brake System had anything to do with the off either, I rode my 2010 Silver Wing with CBS/ABS for eight years and they were just brakes that worked effectively and
never gave any cause for concern.

It's unfortunate that the OP had an off and damaged his Silver Wing on his first outing on it, but patches of dodgy road surfaces are everywhere, and if they're in your local area you should make a mental note of them and use caution.

All this talk of 'pushing it hard', and 'drifting' with almost no experience of riding a Silver Wing or any other similarly sized maxi scooter doesn't help either.

Looks to me throttle should have been used rather than brakes!! skill/experience.

New to the bike, out for a joy ride, at night, and lost it in gravel. Not the bikes fault. Sell the bike, take the loss and chalk it up to experience.

Welcome to swingland...

Watch out for the marbles.


I dropped mine too.
I got stoopid and couldn't wait to ride it in the beginning of Feb. a few days after I got it.
Those tires do not work on snow.

Just ssayin.

Scoot tipped ovar and I snapped my leg in 2 spots trying to hold it up.
Swing is a lot heavier than I thought.

EvilTwin wrote:

New to the bike, out for a joy ride, at night, and lost it in gravel. Not the bikes fault. Sell the bike, take the loss and chalk it up to experience.

You're welcome to see how this bike fishtails with ease. I have extensive experience on a ZX10R and ZX14 (14 hour no restraints road trip from Reno, Nevada to Ensenada, Baja California) with plenty of 185 MPH top outs, and riding the top of 4th gear around 160 MPH.

The ZX10R was fun but too many fuel stops (4 fuel stops on a 3 hour trip). The ZX14 is a better compromise.

The Shinkos that are on the Silverwing has 0 grip, for a bike that makes under 50 ft lbs of torque it's unacceptable. 600cc sportbikes make similar torque. And I never lost control putting in 9/10th of power.

Also other than the massive weight on the Kawasaki Concour 14, I pushed it to 120 weaving in and out of traffic, only reason why I had to back off because of the windscreen and top case causing too much turbulence making the bike (shimmy) like it wants to speed wobble at any point.

Meldrew wrote:

Isn't this just another case of bloke buys a Silver Wing maxi scooter with no experience and a motorcycle mindset, thinking it’s a twist n' go motorcycle which a maxi scooter certainly isn't. Then trying to ride it like one on a set of newly fitted Shinko tyres forgetting that new tyres don't give full road adhesion until they've had the mould release agents on the tyre scrubbed off.

I doubt very much if the Honda Combined Brake System had anything to do with the off either, I rode my 2010 Silver Wing with CBS/ABS for eight years and they were just brakes that worked effectively and
never gave any cause for concern.

It's unfortunate that the OP had an off and damaged his Silver Wing on his first outing on it, but patches of dodgy road surfaces are everywhere, and if they're in your local area you should make a mental note of them and use caution.

All this talk of 'pushing it hard', and 'drifting' with almost no experience of riding a Silver Wing or any other similarly sized maxi scooter doesn't help either.

The tires aren't new. The bike tire has plugs including in the sidewall. I have been able to drift it fine all day long in the dirt. Drifting a bike is a good way to understand how it loses traction. I drifted my Yamaha FZ09 in the dirt for fun. I have a video but can't post it.

The Kawasaki Concours 14 is over 200 lbs more than the Silverwing and it handled excellent for its heft at speed. I only sold it due to its low speed traffic manners, just too heavy. Not meant for daily lane splitting but I see the police do it, but sometimes they get stuck especially the ones on the Harley police bikes.


The rear tire on the Silverwing has no grip at all, even in the dry it can spin out after 4k RPMs, it's unacceptable for a bike with under 50 ft lbs of torque.

I run every machine and bike I have hard. The issue here is jumping from sportbikes to a cruiser type. It cannot be pushed hard in any corner and I'm not willing to risk it again to scrape pegs if the tires give out first.

I have ridden a similar sized Yamaha Majesty 400 with no regards and I don't think I ever encountered its limit except coming to a T turn, it does slide out a bit in a transition to a turn but I don't ever recall the transmission disengaging on a descent. I had a lot of seat time on the Majesty. It was possibly the best all around bike other than its width and its horrible maintenance of the air filters. Completely stripped screws despite using the "JIS" (Japan standard) screwdriver set they talked about on the forums.


I'm not here to talk down on Honda only to question their $9,000 MSRP asking price and where did it go on the Silverwing.

Luckily I got this bike for free so it doesn't matter. Selling it cheap for $1,000 before I hit 30k miles.

Next up would be a CRF450L or the TMAX 530 for practicality. I may consider the XMAX 300 because it's half the cost of a TMAX.

My kind of riding is more suited for the Yamaha MT lineup, all of the Ninjas big to small and any dual sports.

Oh I also forgot, they have the Honda ADV 150, but to my understanding it's just a modified PCX.


Oh and how could I forget the NC750X and Africa Twin, both of which could be had with the DCT transmissions but those are really expensive machines.

john grinsel wrote:

Looks to me throttle should have been used rather than brakes!! skill/experience.

It goes into neutral on descents. I only got onto the brakes when the transmission disengaged going downhill , my corner was closing up already and I could have went into the opposite lane and risk hitting someone and being 100% at fault.

I just went on the brakes just a little bit and the rear gave out instantly. Gravel or not is not the issue, there are no perfect roads here and rear braking is the norm with uneven road surfaces.

I know people here are trying to shift blame to the operator rather than the machine but there are specific design parameters for every bike designed. The large CC numbers aren't meant to imply a sporty chassis, but low cruising RPMs and I was not in a rush or going on a "joyride" as in reckless or fast riding.

I entered the corner quite slow, because there was a coming forecast of rain so there's no point to go fast.

A combination of bad tires and the transmission going into neutral was the problem.

In terms of "automatics" go, I'll give the Honda DCT a go but that's about it. There's a reason why a majority of truck drivers prefer a manual over an automatic, they're easy to control and predict. And also "feel"

My take as rider/purchaser of 3 new Hondas with linked brakes (2 SilverWings, one Reflex) and not really being convinced this is the way to go----I like using the rear brake alone as balancing aid in real slow going----but my experience with Honda linked systems is at least 125,000 miles---rear always comes on first to prevent front wash out---system designed to make scooter more idiot proof. The transmission system/drive system has no Neutral but dis-engages at very low rpm---up to operator to keep rpm up, if engaged is what you want. two wheelers can fall down on surfaces with uneven traction, a little gas can keep things up---rear wheel control. With over 1.5 million 2 wheel miles, bad tires at real slow speeds probably do not matter in my world. My suggestion get some 2 wheel experience!

john grinsel wrote:

My take as rider/purchaser of 3 new Hondas with linked brakes (2 SilverWings, one Reflex) and not really being convinced this is the way to go----I like using the rear brake alone as balancing aid in real slow going----but my experience with Honda linked systems is at least 125,000 miles---rear always comes on first to prevent front wash out---system designed to make scooter more idiot proof. The transmission system/drive system has no Neutral but dis-engages at very low rpm---up to operator to keep rpm up, if engaged is what you want. two wheelers can fall down on surfaces with uneven traction, a little gas can keep things up---rear wheel control. With over 1.5 million 2 wheel miles, bad tires at real slow speeds probably do not matter in my world. My suggestion get some 2 wheel experience!

I have 11 years on Ninjas of varying sizes. I only lost traction on a Ninja 300 going on icy / snow roads that happened out of nowhere. California can be like that. It can be nice warm and sunny at low elevations and in under an hour of going higher it's all ice and snow. I crashed specifically on Robinson Flat Road, which was some kind of logging trail.

The tires are shot on the Silverwing, I'm ordering a new rear first thing Tuesday when CycleGear opens.

Seems like back tire is a rolling death trap. No tire can compete with gravel on corner, esp if any braking applied.

Honda ADV 150 light, great bike, less great on long highway runs. They're selling lots of these.
Yamaha X300 All-around amazing bike for weight, power, MPG, highway. Don't believe me; do the research.
Honda NC750 DCT: Priced a little high, but great MPG and twist and go around the world. Getting harder to find on US east coast.

bikehiker wrote:

Seems like back tire is a rolling death trap. No tire can compete with gravel on corner, esp if any braking applied.

Honda ADV 150 light, great bike, less great on long highway runs. They're selling lots of these.
Yamaha X300 All-around amazing bike for weight, power, MPG, highway. Don't believe me; do the research.
Honda NC750 DCT: Priced a little high, but great MPG and twist and go around the world. Getting harder to find on US east coast.

Honda ADV definitely catches my eye and it's a shame neither Honda nor Yamaha will be bringing over their Euro Forza or TMAX.

I could live with the ADV150 if I have to sacrifice making few freeway trips as around here you have to go on the freeway 15 - 30 minutes just to get anywhere. The nearest Costco is a few miles away.

I'm going to get Michelins for the Swing and let's see how it behaves, it still shudders a bit hitting uneven road on the front end, nothing too scary but at higher speed I could see either tire losing contact. My rear preload is all the way loose for comfort at the moment.

Can you please give me a call when you get a chance about the parts you need 00353868518108

The shimmy you describe is not right. I think you are right, the tires are shot. How old are they? Rubber gets hard and therefore slippery. Also, remember you are riding on much smaller tires than on the big bikes. Handling is very different and MUCH quicker turns can be much sharper.
If the rear is squirrely the tires may have bad/broken belts or not be true. Also, you want to check your bearings and alignment with the front wheel.
Mine ran nicely on Pirellis but I wanted more than 10K on a tire so I put on a car tire in the rear. I think I bent the steel belt with the vices I use to get it on. It had a wobble but it seemed to get fixed after I ran it almost flat for a few hundred feet. Now it works and has great grip on both turns and grass but it has to be at exactly the right pressure - 32.5 lbs. a couple pounds higher or lower and the ride deteriorates. Low pressure makes it squirrely and high pressure makes it want to stand up vertically and doesn't like leaning into turns. Still holds, just feels funny. at 32.5 it is pretty nice even on grass.
Compared to my FJR1300 and Goldwing 1500 the handling is way too quick. I have to re-learn to be conservative with steering input and shifting weight. It's like driving a go cart compared to a large sports car or bus.
The small wheels also make for a harsher ride, if inflated to correct pressure.

To the man who is looking for body parts can you please give me a call 00353868518108 + I am on what sap

Indeed, welcome aboard the forum. I'm not a fan of combined brakes and I find myself using both levers simultaneously most of the time.

As for engine braking on the SW, I find it quite ample when going downhill and only have to dab the brakes if I come up to a slower moving vehicle. Curious....

Hi and welcome. Looking at the roads you travel on makes me squirm. Being on my fourth Swing and no tip overs or slide outs watching for gravel or oil spills and easy throttle use has kept me from going down. As for the linked braking ;practice has me really enjoying the set up. Keep in mind small scooter wheels are not meant for poorly maintained road surfaces.

“Kindly come to terms with your Ass for it bears you”

You do realize that while the Silverwing is a superb maxi-scooter, nevertheless it is just a scooter. It just isn’t designed for fast & furious or baja bashing. Yeah sh*t tires are going to give you sh*tty performance. Moreover, sh*t tires + aggressive riding are going to result in shattered tupperware and “weeping and the gnashing of teeth”.

Along with the other 4100+ members of the forum, why not just relax: feet forward, enjoy the ride.

Just picked up on this bit
"The tires aren't new. The bike tire has plugs including in the sidewall."
Are you serious? Who the hell plugs a tyre sidewall? In fact how can you get a sidewall puncture that's plugable?
As for spinning up the rear on a SW that's not possible on dry road surface, the bike has too little power and too much weight at the back. You been oiling the tyre or something? Rding on wet grass or in deep mud perhaps?
Seriously though, change the tyres.

steve_h80 wrote:

Just picked up on this bit
"The tires aren't new. The bike tire has plugs including in the sidewall."
Are you serious? Who the hell plugs a tyre sidewall? In fact how can you get a sidewall puncture that's plugable?
As for spinning up the rear on a SW that's not possible on dry road surface, the bike has too little power and too much weight at the back. You been oiling the tyre or something? Rding on wet grass or in deep mud perhaps?
Seriously though, change the tyres.

Just dry roads and I can make it scream in 5k RPMs fishtailing left and right. I need to find a willing participant or neighborhood kid to record me.

The new tires are coming in though and yesterday I suffered a complete blowout. The rear rim is dented and the tire fell off the bead. This is a rough start to this bike. The gas station air pump couldn't do it so I had to push it about a mile or two to an actual tire shop.

They said when I get my tire changed, they have to hammer the rim because the next potholes will cause it to blowout again.

Ishkatan wrote:

The shimmy you describe is not right. I think you are right, the tires are shot. How old are they? Rubber gets hard and therefore slippery. Also, remember you are riding on much smaller tires than on the big bikes. Handling is very different and MUCH quicker turns can be much sharper.
If the rear is squirrely the tires may have bad/broken belts or not be true. Also, you want to check your bearings and alignment with the front wheel.
Mine ran nicely on Pirellis but I wanted more than 10K on a tire so I put on a car tire in the rear. I think I bent the steel belt with the vices I use to get it on. It had a wobble but it seemed to get fixed after I ran it almost flat for a few hundred feet. Now it works and has great grip on both turns and grass but it has to be at exactly the right pressure - 32.5 lbs. a couple pounds higher or lower and the ride deteriorates. Low pressure makes it squirrely and high pressure makes it want to stand up vertically and doesn't like leaning into turns. Still holds, just feels funny. at 32.5 it is pretty nice even on grass.
Compared to my FJR1300 and Goldwing 1500 the handling is way too quick. I have to re-learn to be conservative with steering input and shifting weight. It's like driving a go cart compared to a large sports car or bus.
The small wheels also make for a harsher ride, if inflated to correct pressure.

I've got Michelin Power Pure SC coming in. It was about the cheapest I could find.

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

“Kindly come to terms with your Ass for it bears you”

You do realize that while the Silverwing is a superb maxi-scooter, nevertheless it is just a scooter. It just isn’t designed for fast & furious or baja bashing. Yeah sh*t tires are going to give you sh*tty performance. Moreover, sh*t tires + aggressive riding are going to result in shattered tupperware and “weeping and the gnashing of teeth”.

Along with the other 4100+ members of the forum, why not just relax: feet forward, enjoy the ride.

I think I'll go for the CRF450L or CRF300L or the KLX

The roads look like this

Sorry, but I'd get a jeep. LOL!!

MUD tis the rainy season in west.  This is what I'm looking out the window at my place
27 inches 2 weeks ago and several more small storms since.  

New tires will grip well SW rear tire can be ridden to Chicken strips and feel safe. Never touched center stand yet but others have said so.  Jack up shocks at least to 3rd preload for a better ride.

Truly happy you did not hurt yourself. After riding around the world for 54 years on multiple motorcycles and now my second scooter. Basic information, the SW is a great pavement scooter for touring period. To use one on unapproved roads is a very brave endeavor. The suspension was not designed for unapproved roads, the front shocks do not have enough rake to handle slippery stuff, sand and rocks.

I live in FL and deal with a lot of sandy roads and really have to transfer the weight to the rear wheel and float the front.

Murf wrote:

Truly happy you did not hurt yourself.  After riding around the world for 54 years on multiple motorcycles and now my second scooter.  Basic information, the SW is a great pavement scooter for touring period.  To use one on unapproved roads is a very brave endeavor.  The suspension was not designed for unapproved roads, the front shocks do not have enough rake to handle slippery stuff,  sand and rocks.

I live in FL and deal with a lot of sandy roads and really have to transfer the weight to the rear wheel and float the front.

The funny thing is that Yamaha and Honda makes a lot of 125cc stuff for the Southeast Asia market like Indonesia and Thailand, Malaysia they get put through a lot.

And the reality is that, I do have to put the Silverwing through a lot of unpaved truck / bus routes. It's like riding on the moon or WW2 Europe. There's a lot of people with flat tires because they hit a pothole the wrong angle or even destroyed their steering arm.

Murf wrote:

Truly happy you did not hurt yourself.  After riding around the world for 54 years on multiple motorcycles and now my second scooter.  Basic information, the SW is a great pavement scooter for touring period.  To use one on unapproved roads is a very brave endeavor.  The suspension was not designed for unapproved roads, the front shocks do not have enough rake to handle slippery stuff,  sand and rocks.

I live in FL and deal with a lot of sandy roads and really have to transfer the weight to the rear wheel and float the front.

Fresh sticky rubber is being put on as we speak, going to really see how much it can be pushed but the front has the same crappy dry Shinkos so I have to be careful.

The scooter has been sitting outside in the Southern California sun for a while, the black plastics have faded UV sun damage, that maybe the main culprit and the underseat storage and front cubbies had a thick layer of dust on it.

Fork seals aren't leaking from what I can see however.

You may wish to research the Royal Enfield Himalayan. I recently bought one, but living in Iowa, I've not ridden it yet.