Mountain touring two-up?

Hi all,

I could use your advice/opinion. I've recently joined your forum and have taken ownership of a 2009 Silverwing that was going to be for my wife. I love the thing, that's for sure.

I recently completed a big trip in Colorado on my Vulcan 900 classic, riding solo. I went up some steep grades (6-7%) and over various passes with tight switchbacks going up and coming down. I know my Vulcan would go two-up in these situations just fine, but it's not very smooth at interstate speeds (70+).

My question to you is do you know if the Silverwing can take two of us up and over those kinds of roads? With my wife and I along with gear, we would be close to 400 lbs. Will this bike engine brake sufficiently going down steep terrain? I'd hate to ride the brakes.

I'm thinking of adding the J Costa and Power Commander, too, for some extra umph, if you think it's worthwhile. I think I would sell the Vulcan if this one can meet my two-up touring needs, too.

Thanks everyone!

If you are going to make the variator/PC mods to your bike, there are a couple more you should add. Leo Vince 4 road exhaust will free up some extra hp and its not to loud at all. Also the hyperpro front fork springs will reduce dip in stopping and make you feel more in control of the bike on the decline.

I believe that the bike is rated to 361lbs of rider/passenger/luggage.

That said, I remember couples in excess of 450 lbs with gear having no problems with two-up touring in the mountains.
For legal reasons I won't make any claims. I can just tell you I've been around Silverwings since 2003/4 and I'm just passing along another rider's story.

As to engine braking, I don't thing you are going to be going slow enough on that type of terrain to disengage the engine braking, because if you did you'd probably fall over anyway. However you will find that under normal conditions, if your brakes are in good condition you will have no problems keeping the bike under control.

Meangreen88 wrote:

I recently completed a big trip in Colorado on my Vulcan 900 classic, riding solo. I went up some steep grades (6-7%) and over various passes with tight switchbacks going up and coming down. I know my Vulcan would go two-up in these situations just fine, but it's not very smooth at interstate speeds (70+).

The Silverwing was very smooth at 90 MPH actual and still accelerating.

Meangreen88 wrote:

Will this bike engine brake sufficiently going down steep terrain? I'd hate to ride the brakes.

If you crest the hill at less than 15 MPH the engine braking may be not be engaged or if you decelerate down the hill below 15 MPH the engine braking can disengage. To re-engage the engine braking just lightly apply the throttle for a second which will re-engage the engine braking. The engine braking will handle the steep terrain.

Meangreen88 wrote:

I'm thinking of adding the J Costa and Power Commander, too, for some extra umph,

Another possibility could be the lighter Dr Pulley slider weights ... 26 gram weights are available at http://www.buggypartsnw.com/home?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=386&category_id=32 .

I do have the Power Commander which added some horsepower.

I read in a M/c magazine last year of a chap who organised and led motorcycle tours in Europe.
He rode a big BM and took his wife and one or two weeks' luggage with him.
He had a bad accident, seriously damaging his knee, and had to have major surgery on it.
In order to conduct his season's first trip whilst still recovering, he bought a used Silverwing, realising he'd be able to manage the weight more safely than the BM.
He was a little anxious, naturally, that the Silverwing wouldn't cope so well with the mountains, speed of the other bikes and so on.
None of his worries came to pass and his wife actually preferred riding on the scooter as she had a better view, able to see the instruments over his shoulder to keep a check for him and so on.
I saw no follow-up - I expect he went back to the BM but he was very pleased and impressed with the performance.
As you know, many of the passes in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps are equal to any in the World for height, steepness and windiness.
I'm sure you'll have no problems.

Thanks for getting back to me on this, guys! Just the news i was hoping for. I'd rather use the SW as a do-all bike than relegate it to commuting/errands. I'll add some goodies to the bike and maybe try to get some of my heftiness off

Meangreen:
I live in Littleton Colorado and regularly venture into the mountains on my Silverwing, with and without a passenger. I would agree with what Dan Spevak recommended above. Before I installed the J Costa, the Swing was a bit anemic going up the higher passes (>10,000 feet), but with the J Costa, the Leo Vince, and the K&N air filter, I have no problems at all - even up to Mt. Evans at >14,000 feet. (this is a great ride if you can find the time) I do not have a power commander yet, but plan to install one this fall. I don't really need any more power, but I am hoping to boost my miles per gallon of gasoline a little and a little more power would just be a side benefit.
dcc

Scootist,

I did get to go up Mt Evans. What a blast! And that road in particular is what made me ask. Those were the tightest switchbacks I faced on the whole trip.

First, my opinion, leave it stock---something breaks on trip, stock, you have chance Honda dealer/customer service can help. They used to come get you free under HRC.

It is 600, no midget, plenty of power----I am sure two up could/can slow on upgrades---so what.

Carrying capacity---both books I have say 366 lbs for US models. Look wheels/frame aren't going to break----but overloaded tires can as well as braking systems under extreme conditions become overloaded.

Engine braking I find fine----except at the 15 or so mph when the engine is released from connection to drive train. Can get really hairy in mountains, downhill in snow.

Too bad bikes do not have better carry capacity---legal issues but always safety issue, too. Years ago, not so long ago, two stroke Vespas used to have some of the largest rated carrying capacitie

John Grinsel

John:
I agree that if you only use your Swing at sea level, then they have adequate power. However, if you have ever ridden at 10,000 feet you would have a different opinion. The stock variator will not allow the bike to get into the power band and you will have a hard time going more than 50 mph. You really need the J Costa for the extra boost.

I think we all know by now that John is a bit of a pure-ist when it comes to bikes...
very utiitarian..always planning against the worst to insure reliability and safety.
Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

However some people place a greater value on convenience when things
do work than ease of replacement when they don't.
Nothing wrong with that either.

I don't know if there are special recommendations about increasing or decreasing
tire pressure based upon altitude, but changing a few PSI to be safe isn't likely to
hurt anything. And if your tires are in good condition, unless you're leaning like
a sport bike racer a blowout isn't a likely occurence.

Yes I have ridden at 10,000 feet----even 5,000 feet makes difference---Ford had "Denver Heads" for their flathead engines to make up somewhat for power loss.

Once again----modify drive train----where is your warranty? Deal on trips if bike stops/breaks have it so any Honda Dealer can fix quick---laying over waiting for parts, etc is expensive. I've tried it.


Mods to Scooter performance are usually felt only by the guy who spent the money.

Much cheaper to buy something different with the power you think you need. Look how much money the HD people waste on performance and noise mods---Good SilverWing or TMAX can run with them...sometimes faster. I like to putt putt on scooter. Stock Silverwing is already faster than its suspension/brakes.

John Grinsel

John:
Tell you what. Bring your stock Swing to Denver and I'll do a run with you to Mt Evans. Then you tell me if the mods on my bike improved the performance.

john grinsel wrote:

Mods to Scooter performance are usually felt only by the guy who spent the money.

I think what you don't get John,
is that its perfectly acceptable for the above to be true.
In fact, its all that counts. (See my sig john)

The passenger doesn't use the bike enough to know the difference.

However, my performance mods are also also seen,
as I pass you on the highway.

john grinsel wrote:

...Once again----modify drive train----where is your warranty?

After the first year there may not be one to worry about

john grinsel wrote:

...Deal on trips if bike stops/breaks have it so any Honda Dealer can fix quick...

If they have the parts in stock...

john grinsel wrote:

Mods to Scooter performance are usually felt only by the guy who spent the money.

Well, that's the person who counts

Meangreen88 wrote:

Thanks for getting back to me on this, guys! Just the news i was hoping for. I'd rather use the SW as a do-all bike than relegate it to commuting/errands. I'll add some goodies to the bike and maybe try to get some of my heftiness off

Regarding the goodies you want to add, you might want to take a look at some of the things DennisB has designed,built, and tested. He gets good reviews from others. They should be listed in the for sale section.