Silver Wing or Forza?

I own both of the above: a 2012 Silver Wing and a 2015 (1st Gen) Forza so I thought I would share a few thoughts...

Both scooters are awesome, but made for different purposes.

Honda marketed the Silver Wing as a "touring" scooter. And for that purpose it is exceptional. Many tours done on this bike, usually between 1-3K miles. I am a fairly large person (6'0" and nearly 250 lbs) and my wife is not a petite little thing either and has arthritis bad so 2 up is NOT for us. For solo touring this is the bomb. I can grab a week's worth of clothes and off I go!

Around town the Silver Wing and its 550 pounds is not so nimble, but far better than my Goldwing 1800 was. Cornering on mountain roads is just OK. Braking with ABS is also just OK. But on back roads and 2 lane highways it excels. With an Airhawk and the back rest moved it is a very comfortable bike for me. I have done several 400 mile days with no problems, not a Goldwing but does very nice.  The power is quite adequate, I ride with people that have big twins; H-D's etc. and have no problem keeping up with them. It never lugs down going uphill and it has taken me from sea level to over 11000 feet with nary a burp. Love the fuel injection. Fuel economy? Generally between 52-58 MPG (US) and I have hit 62 a few times! That said I am not a Hayabusa rider, speed is not as important as when I was younger!

As to the Forza, I love this little scooter! It is VERY nimble around town 422 pounds wet, and with 300cc it is capable of short trips with no problems. The handling is better than the Wing and the brakes (even w/o ABS) are much more responsive. The shorty windshield had to GO. Yuck. Givi solved that problem. One nice thing is its size, I leave it over the winter in a shed with snow outside and it fits! Sta-bil and a battery maintainer and it is ready to go in the spring. No way my SWing would fit. LOL

On the road the Forza is tougher in the wind and does lug down seriously on upgrades. But on the straight it is quiet and smooth and cruises beautifully. I have done a 250 mile day and that will probably be the outside limit, but that is fine by me. I didn't buy it to head to Daytona. I have the big scoot for that purpose! The Forza gets usually between 70-75 MPG.

Both scooters are bulletproof and easy to work on. Hope this helps.

But neither on US market new. I think in US Forza was one year affair---sad. I did test ride one, only comment=hard riding.

john grinsel wrote:

But neither on US market new.   I think in US Forza was one year affair---sad. I did test ride one, only comment=hard riding.

Gen 1 was from 2014-2016 if memory serves but sadly didn't hit the sweet spot in the US. They are VERY hard to find here used. There were only 3 listed in the US when I found mine online in Las Vegas in 2020. And of the three one was already sold. Also surprisingly my scoot would be worth quite a bit more than I paid... But then the used car market is still crazy.

I'd have to pick my 2018 Forza 300 over the 2010 Silver Wing I used to have. The Silver Wing is now just memories and a few bits and pieces left over from eight years of ownership.

Not that I'd want to have the two maxi scooters side by side in my garage. The Forza does everything the Silver Wing does and then some. I ride it just as I did the larger Silver Wing and performance wise it's the same. I've taken it on the same roads, motorways, and steep hills that I used to ride on the larger Honda and it handles them all with ease.

The only thing I don't do on the Forza is try and ride feet forward, feet flat works fine.The seat is comfortable, and with the electric height adjustable screen I can fine tune the screen height on the move.

Which brings me on to another of the Forza's advantages, it's great in wet weather.

I've been out a few times in really heavy prolonged rain where I've been unable to stop and pull on rain gear and stayed surprisingly dry in rain heavy enough to pool up on the instrument display. I've had the taller Givi screen and hand wind deflectors fitted since early 2019 and now if I'm out and ride into rain, I'll just carry on riding even though my rain gear is there under the seat.

I like the Pirelli Scorpion tyres the Forza is shod with, and the rear shock absorber settings I've never changed or adjusted since I rode it away from the dealers, as whatever they're set on works for me.

I've read forum posts elsewhere from owners of the same Forza complaining about the 300's shocks, which both surprises and amuses me.

All the other stuff like the Forza's Smartkey, traction control, multi mode info, full LED lights, and weighing a lot less than the 550lb Silver Wing have been mentioned before.

I, too, have adopted the 'flat-footed' position since there isn't enough room for more than half-feet-forward on the 350.
I remarked on it at the begining of May on my return from my first longish trip and would recommend it to everyone who buys a Forza.

Yes me too, the Forza is that bit shorter.

The weight saving is a great bonus.

The Swing is well built and its weight can be a positive when your on the motorway and have sidewinds to contend with. Its bulk is also a asset that helps you get seen , in fact I have never had so many few incidents with a 2 wheeler considering the miles I have travelled.

I have tried a Forza and they are great bikes but not in the same league as the Swing IMO.

I would say that the Tmax is probably the best of both worlds if your looking for less weight more nimble handling and superior performance but I would take the Swing if I was doing major miles , its better made has a more roomy seating arrangement and better weather protection and storage. Its just a better all round package but it would be great if they updated it properly with a larger rear wheel and more power , better brakes and forks IMO.

Enjoy your 2 wheeler whatever you ride and stay safe brothers and sisters ..........do we have any females Swingers out there I wonder ?????