Another new Swing rider (In Colorado)

I just picked up a VERY well taken care of 03 Swing ABS w/ 12k miles from a great couple in Denver. It has a Utopia backrest, and J&M dealer installed CB.
I have only ridden it ~ 50 miles but I REALLY liked it. This is the 4th scooter I have had in a year, started on a Zuma 50cc (weak), Honda Reflex ABS (slow) Yamaha Morphous (slow but VERY comfortable). I can tell that I am going to hang on to the Swing for a while. Unfortunately it was getting dark on my ride home, and the headlights are not very bright so I was not able to really see what it could do. I plan to take up up Pikes Peak before it snows!
I also currently have a 01 Wing, and 04 Rune all about the same color as the Swing, so I have a matching set!
Looking forward to learning more on the forum.

Falcon Wing,

Welcome to the Forum. You certainly have come to the right place for all sorts of information on your Swing, and tips and suggestions for customizing it to suit your individual needs and tastes.

Beautiful Scoot!

Another familiar name from the GL1800Riders board, Welcome to the easy going wing site.

trouble1100 wrote:

Another familiar name from the GL1800Riders board, Welcome to the easy going wing site.

Well hey there! Who are you on the 1800 forum?


Also, for clarification from my critique of the other scooters I have owned I want to point out that I am NOT bashing them!
They all had very good points, but I do quite of bit of mountain riding, and I have to have something that would be able to accellerate UP hills. Eventhough the Reflex was not very good at hills, it was faster up hills than the 08 Ninja 250 I had. I thought that was pretty funny.

Same handle on Hal’s board, 500 posts in six years doesn’t make for a memorable name.

I know where you are coming from with riding anemic vehicles on anything but flat terrain. My wife test-drove a Morphus, 250cc MP3 and Reflex prior to buying the Burgman.

Falcon Wing wrote:

I plan to take up up Pikes Peak before it snows!

Beware the handling of the Swing on gravel. The smaller wheels and feet forward don't help a whole lot off road (like the final few miles on Pikes.

joncallihan wrote:

Falcon Wing wrote:

I plan to take up up Pikes Peak before it snows!

Beware the handling of the Swing on gravel. The smaller wheels and feet forward don't help a whole lot off road (like the final few miles on Pikes.

Jon, thanks for the heads up, Ill definitely consider that. Never taken one of my bigger bikes up there before.

Changed the oil today to Mobil 1 synthetic...previous owner had installed the screen incorrectly. Would cause any problems?

I ICED it up and took it for a nice ride. Seems I am getting right @ 50mpg for my first tank, and I had it over 100mph several times.
Seems always when you polish a bike, you ride through a swarm of bugs though!

Welcome to the forum. I hope that you enjoy the Swing.

If your headlight does not seem bright enough, try aiming it. Turn the handlebars to the right, then lay on the floor on the left side of the bike and look up just in front of the fork clamp. There is a bolt head with a fitting with many splines right in front of the clamp. It will aim the headlight up/down. There is another one higher up and to the right that will adjust left/right, but it is harder to reach (turn the bars the other way and lay on the right of the bike).

I aimed mine after one or two night rides. It made a massive difference in illumination for me. The light pattern has a fairly distinct cut-off at the top. Turn the headlight on, point the bike at a wall and put a piece of tape where the beam cuts off. Then raise it higher. It is possible to raise it too much, and it won't illuminate the road as well.

After getting it to where I am happy with the light pattern on the road, I have never gotten flashed by oncoming drivers, so I am guessing that it is not blinding anyone. (I have even ridden with the high beam on at night, and still not gotten flashed, but I don't ride that way as a habit.)

I agree with Buddy's comments on aiming the headlight. It was one of the first things I did after riding a short distance after dark. Once you know where the adjustment knob(s) are, you can just reach under and give it a tweek without laying on the floor.

Thanks for the suggestion on the adjuster knobs. I will definitely have a look at that.