What did you do to your SW today.

First topic message reminder :

I went for a nice ride. 120 miles or so. Despite the weather forecast it was nice.

Try to keep this post active and it will be interesting for all.

I installed my new set of mirror extenders from Amazon. Got tired of looking at my shoulders, I'm 6'5" and this mod is a great one for me. Just wish my ride home from work wasn't in the middle of a massive thunderstorm, my first time in serious rain. I was properly soaked without rain gear. My jean jacket, Mechanix gloves and boots were still wet this morning!

Under the shade tree this HOT August afternoon, I managed to service the air filter on my Swing. Thanks to JeffR's pictorial it was the only breeze about. I was a little concerned with how much trimming the K&N filter took to get it nestled in. It appears that K&N over molds their offering for our Swings, at least mine was. Glad I didn't break any plastic, but found someone else had before me, honestly.

SWingSteve wrote:

If you are not already familiar with Plast-Aid (it’s the best product available for tupperware repair IMO), then use black ABS plumbing cement* along with some fiberglass drywall tape. Whichever you choose be sure to adequately clean and sand the offending items.

https://www.plast-aid.com/



*ABS plumbing cement. NOT ABS/PVC or PVC plumbing cement.

I did not ride my bike to Kenora this summer, but maybe another year. It is currently waiting on a new OEM seat on back order (who knows when it will get here). Would really like to cruise the Great lakes up to Lake of the Woods one of these days.

Plast-aid is good stuff bonds plastic stronger than new. Stuff has a strong odor use it outdoors and let it set up. I have some in closet in double freezer bags don't like the odor.

KN is missing 1 screw hole in outer filter case really doesn't matter much as long as you have a good seal to inner panel.

Hi! I have never heard of Plast-aid, the stuff sounds legit, smell and all. I was in a hurry to get it all buttoned up as the neighbor started cutting the grass halfway through the job! So, I grabbed some 5min, two-part, plastic epoxy that I had on hand and set it up while I dealt with the swapping the filter. I did notice the screw stud was missing, and as I've read somewhere, I just omitted it...hope that's okay. Should I go back and plug that hole?

I took the belt and clutch off this evening. It was slipping a little. I was more inclined to blame the clutch than the belt as it seemed to hook up once I gathered a bit of speed. When I got the bike I really disliked the clutch action - far too abrupt. When the bit of slip came into it I preferred it.

The belt is near the service limit.
The clutch is something else.
There's no friction material left. There's barely any shoe material left. Each shoe is worn to a knife edge and the drum is quite badly chewed up.

…and it still worked passably well.

smellybeard wrote:

I took the belt and clutch off this evening. It was slipping a little. I was more inclined to blame the clutch than the belt as it seemed to hook up once I gathered a bit of speed. When I got the bike I really disliked the clutch action - far too abrupt. When the bit of slip came into it I preferred it.

The belt is near the service limit.
The clutch is something else.
There's no friction material left. There's barely any shoe material left. Each shoe is worn to a knife edge and the drum is quite badly chewed up.

…and it still worked passably well.

Here’s a link to DIY Clutch Bell removal. Hope these help:

https://www.silverwing600.com/t10987-clutch-bell-how-to-remove-replace?highlight=Remove+clutch+bell

https://www.silverwing600.com/t12369-tool-to-remove-clutch-bell?highlight=Clutch+bell

Leaving for a two hour ride down to my RV park in Coleman Alberta Canada. First longer trip on the SW. love the bike so far.

I'm always proud when my SW gets through another year's MOT. Today, it passed without any advisories so I went for a 60 mile ride just for the hell of it.

Filled up with non-ethanol fuel and put her to bed for a few days because the coming weather is not favourable. Happy days

Splendid!

Loosemarbles wrote:

Filled up with non-ethanol fuel and put her to bed for a few days because the coming weather is not favourable. Happy days  

Where are you buying Ethanol free fuel ? Because E10 fuel with 10% ethanol replaced 95 octane Unleaded as the standard fuel in the UK in September last year.

I've noticed since the introduction of E10 that quite a few petrol stations still haven't replaced the Unleaded labels on pump handles or the pumps themselves. There's usually a small E10 sticker somewhere on the pump.  

I really don’t understand the reluctance to use E10, it's here to stay. I was out on the Forza last week and I reluctantly stretched the 11 litre tank to 211 miles before I found the nearest petrol station to fill up.

I'd been on reserve for about 10 miles by then if the remaining range display waa accurate I could have pushed it for another 20 miles.

There are a few places nearby selling E0 but the petrol police are hot on their tails! For me it's a simple matter of principle and the freedom to choose.

I don't recall anybody asking me if I wanted s**t added to my
extortionately-priced petrol.

."I'm kinda gettin' tired a'beein' pushed around"  

That's a bit vague, every time I've filled up whether it's at a Shell, Texaco, BP etc, or a supermarket like Tesco, Asda, or Sainsbury's, all the pumps have hoses for E10, E5, and Diesel.  

There's Esso Synergy +99 which so far contains no ethanol, but has a legal requirement to be labelled as E5. It's not available nationwide either, only in certain parts of the country.

Anyway I'm sure I'm not the only one on here who's curious and would like to know the name of the petroleum company that has E0 pumps on it's forecourts.

added vintage bags

Wow, this site is still hard to navigate. Too many “topics” . Anyway, not today, but 4 weeks ago I rode up to the blue ridge parkway for a long day trip. 595 miles that day. Then last weekend did 1300 miles over 4 days. 800 of that was the ride to Georgia and back. The other 500 were all in the mountains.

Installed a Givi Airflow. Wow! What a difference. Great addition to my comfort.

I just bought my third Silverwing, Red 03 with 7,660. miles with new tires. Soo Im back, retired, traveled in motorhome for 2 years, left FL and Built a house by Helen GA.

Welcome back Murf. "It's nice to be home".

Thanks for the welcome. Just going over the SW for any worn axles or damage but with 7,600. miles on it not worried.

I rode it! It's been four weeks since my last ride and I was getting withdrawal symptoms. That pesky winter sun almost got me pranged.

Me, waiting in the middle of the road to turn right, (facing the sun), waited for the last of the oncoming traffic to clear, went to move and there appeared a black car, in the shadow. He had no lights on. I stopped just before hitting his driver's door. It would have been a low speed 'bump' but with front fork damage likely.

Had a great ride though.

I went out to the garage today and patted her on the seat and told her how much I miss riding her. That's not as sexy as it sounded either.

The Kuryakin Switch Blade cruiser pegs allow for better control in the twisty mountains and stretch out the legs

Murf wrote:

The Kuryakin Switch Blade cruiser pegs allow for better control in the twisty mountains and stretch out the legs  

How’d ya do that Mr Murph?

I sure others here would like know too.

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

Murf wrote:

The Kuryakin Switch Blade cruiser pegs allow for better control in the twisty mountains and stretch out the legs  

How’d ya do that Mr Murph?

I sure others here would like know too.

I used thread rod attached to front frame used kuryakin mounts to go around the frame, where the pegs would normally mount ran thread rod thru hole securing clamp, used double nuts on each side of clamp for tightness

I drilled opening thru the top side faring with thread rod to go thru the hole. Attached the switch blades to the thread rod end. Ps threads of rod need to match thread inside the pegs then tighten.

I now have extra leg room, more comfortable cruising leg spread and dont need to remove or raise the butt pad

Wife does not ride anymore so took off grab bare rack, luggage plate and back rest. Reduce weight and streamline.

Took cover off and gave her a good clean.Now checking SW for any problems as MOT next Monday should pass But as many know its not always the case.Get the pass and tax the SW and go for a long ride out and get used to being on a scoot and not a Trike be good to be back on two wheels.[ Note to self don't forget to put feet down when you stop]
Ride Safe all

Quick tip for murf.

You could save another 3 Kgs by replacing the battery with a LI-ion version, and at least 10Kgs by replacing the exhaust silencer with a Delkevic or similar make.

More power!
Be safe, be seen!

Braking News! I decided to check my brake calipers because of riding on salty roads last week. I did clean the bike after the ride but couldn't resist checking the brakes.

I took the calipers off and removed the non-fluid parts. What a revelation. Apart from the usual crud there was still lots of crystallized salt in there. The rear caliper sliders were a bit sticky. Both calipers had the beginnings of what could lead to corrosion on the exposed parts of the pistons. It's also a chance to check the movement of everything and give it all a cleanup.

Anyhow, it's always a worthwhile and satisfying job for me.

Following my bike clean-up above, today I gave it her coat of silver tinted wax and some black plastic wax. Checked the tyres, oil and water, and stopped an annoying rattle coming from my top box. I slipped on her cover and let her kip for a while.

We're all ready to go but not until we've had some rain to wash the dry salt from the roads.

Hey Murf... what size and type of thread rod did you use...?   Don't think I've ever seen any standard size stuff that I'd trust in that peg position... seems as though it would bend or break pretty easy...  just curious...

JohnyC’s stainess steel brake cylinder pistons conversation has been moved to it’s own topic. See “Brake cylinder overhaul”.

DickO wrote:

Hey Murf... what size and type of thread rod did you use...?   Don't think I've ever seen any standard size stuff that I'd trust in that peg position... seems as though it would bend or break pretty easy...  just curious...

As the example shows on a highway peg instead of a bolt going into the peg I used thread rod so I could tighten the clamp and extend the rod to the foot rest.  I placed a bolt against the foot rest to give a good snug fit to the peg.  

I went to Fastenal to get hardened thread rod. I used the bolt to get the right thread rod.  As far as bending the peg is only about 2" beyond when it would originally mount to the clamp.  Unlike foot pegs there is very little force on the peg just my stretched out leg.  LOL

Ran up Blood Mountain in the twisties and no issues.

In retrospect I should have just used a longer hardened bolt with additional nuts to tighten against the outer side of clamp and bolt against the peg.

Its also a cool place to put additional headlamps.

JohnyC wrote:

Quick tip for murf.

You could save another 3 Kgs by replacing the battery with a LI-ion version, and at least 10Kgs by replacing the exhaust silencer with a Delkevic or similar make.

More power!
Be safe, be seen!

I would love to have a Delkevic but having a hard time spending that much money on a 2,300 scooter lol. In a way I wonder if the
Exhaust weight is to counter balance the left side clutch assembily weight?

Thanks for the info, Murf...!

Had new belt and tires installed today! She’s ready for warmer weather and I’m going ready!

Great job

Getting ready for summer a little maintenace Oil change, rear diff. drain and fill, spark plugs and coolant change.

Coolant change is the most time consuming trying to get system free of air. I always had issues with bleeding all the air out.4-5 times opening cap and adding coolant just a pain. Recheck it tomorrow cold it will be fine.

Ride On.

changed my coolant as well - filled the system up, let the engine run without the filling port cap until the engine was hot an kept filling to the top.

Expansion tank is on max.

If I open the cap now I cannot see coolant to the top, shoud I add more?

System should be bled according to the manual .

Changed my spark plugs as well today to Iridium - the old ones were incorrectly gapped (both different) and rather dirty. I don't know how long they have been in use. Old ones were NGK but with different coloured lettering, so I guess one was newer than the other. Old plugs didn't screw out smoothly.

New Plugs - NGK CR8-EHIX9 - fitted with ceramic grease on the threads (same as on the glow plugs in my Mercedes Diesel)



Oil is already new, I used Shell Advance Ultra 10W40 (real synthetic, natural gas base oil) with a Mann MW64/1 oil filter.

Waterless washed the Silver Wing with Optimum No Rinse in Detailer Dilution Ratio.

Found the source of my rattling noise - its the glove box on the right hand side and the water cooler plastic shroud. Both will be treated with Variotex Alubutyl evo as well as closed cell foam and felt tape.

To clean the fuel system I added Liqui Moly Petrol Cleaner with PEA. Cleans Fuel lines, injectors, piston tops, valves. Still have a slightly shaky idle. Will check the intake manifold for leaks as well.


Next stop: HiFlo HFA1617 air filter
brake fluid change (Motul)
Grease the clutch bearings with Molykote BR2 Plus and while I have the variator open install Techpulley 28g weights.
Check the fuel pressure regulator, first by inspecting the vacuum lines for gas and then use a vacuum pump to see if it holds the vacuum.
Sync the throttle body.

alex_at wrote:

changed my coolant as well - filled the system up, let the engine run without the filling port cap until the engine was hot an kept filling to the top.

Expansion tank is on max.

If I open the cap now I cannot see coolant to the top, shoud I add more?

System should be bled according to the manual .

The cooling system is designed to stay full with little to no air at the radiator cap. As the engine heats the coolant expands, and once the designed pressure is exceeded at the radiator cap, the excess escapes to the reservoir. When the the engine cools after use, the coolant contracts and fluid will be sucked back from the reservoir. If there was a small amount of air in the radiator then over time this should be purged through the reservoir, and coolant sucked back to replace it.

If the coolant is reaching the reservoir when hot but not returning when the engine cools, then you may have a very small leak in the connecting hose that is allowing air to be sucked in, or a faulty radiator cap.

My own experience with the SW was that it took quite a bit of effort to purge air from the system after I refilled it. You can definitely add more coolant to the radiator if the level is low. The reservoir should not be near max; it should have enough space to allow the expanding coolant to be held without overflowing.

thanks @Terry Smith!

Another thing I noticed: When I drained the coolant the reservoir stayed filled, the reservour didn't drain. Shouldn't the reservour drain when I release the coolant from the system?

In the systems I've worked in in the past, the reservour flow into the cooler and drained when the coolant system was drained. But: Those were all pressurised reservour tanks.

Serviced my Swing's air filter today.



It was pretty straightforward; removed right fairing and rear garnish + the 8-9 screws holding the air filter box. I find the 9 screws to be overkill on Honda's part.



Very happy to report that my Swing is now breathing clean air!

alex_at wrote:

thanks @Terry Smith!

Another thing I noticed: When I drained the coolant the reservoir stayed filled, the reservour didn't drain. Shouldn't the reservour drain when I release the coolant from the system?

In the systems I've worked in in the past, the reservour flow into the cooler and drained when the coolant system was drained. But: Those were all pressurised reservour tanks.

This system is not pressurized so (as I did) you will need to use a syringe and plastic line to suction the fluid out of the reservoir, then refill with the new coolant

Wow, that's one well-used filter. I find that a clean air filter and good spark plugs make an improvement to my SW's performance.

I cleaned my SW yesterday but I have the tasks of coolant change and oil and filter change coming up! I suppose the air filter might as well be added to the list