seat lift arm

I also had a lift arm for the seat on my 06 that was worn out. I was able to source for $22.49 a Strong Arm brand part number f4036 from Advanced Auto Parts. This support is rated at 40 lbs. force. I tried their 20lb force f4671 that was a little to weak to hold up the seat. The f4036 works great. I bored out the eye holes to 1/2 inch and was able to install the nylon bushings from the stock shocks. Dave is now a happy camper. I also want to thank the forum for the trunk light bulb removal suggestion as a way to prevent battery drain, the previous owner had to replace the battery before sale to me just because the seat was not completely closed.

Im easily irked i guess, so it irks me when someone suggests removing the underseat bulb in case the seat dont get closed! Does it not come natural to give a bike a quick scan after riding to make sure everything is ok? How can someone forget to close the seat? Its that big black thing thats going up on that precarious angle if its left open! If closing the seat is required put a hand on it and push it ALL the way down, careful dont stop now, til you hear a click from the rear of the seat, thats it, just that easy, be proud, you've conquered this difficult task!  Removing the bulb is like removing a refrigerator bulb incase the door dont close! Or maybe removing the interior car lights incase the door dont latch! I dont get it......I think ive ranted here somewhere before on this. Rant over . Peace to all brothas and sistas

rant away hotwings, but I will keep mine out.

The under seat light is a source of irritation on a lot of scooters, I've had a couple of Burgmans where there's an on/off switch for the light and I've talked to and read of owners accidentally leaving it on and flattening the battery overnight.

If you've got a lot of gear under the seat of a Silver Wing it tends to block the light and it's not much use. So removing the bulb and carrying a small LED light is a more practical alternative if you have to ferret around under the seat in the dark. If you don't want to do that simply give the seat a firm thump with your hand to ensure it's closed.

I'm also a bit amazed that some owners replace the seat light with a switched light from a Honda car, who spends enough time with the seat open in the dark to justify it.

It's just another case of old men farkling for the sake of it, and it's the same replacing these seat lift arms or struts, I've never heard of any problems with them apart from on here.

I'm inclined to agree; I removed the bulb and bought an LED torch almost identical to this one. It has a magnetic back so can be placed on the underside of the seat when necessary:

http://www.campingworld.com.au/?q=node/341

hotwings wrote:

Im easily irked i guess, so it irks me when someone suggests removing the underseat bulb in case the seat dont get closed! Removing the bulb is like removing a refrigerator bulb incase the door dont close!

The switch to turn off the light on the fridge doesn't require it to be completely closed (i.e. the door seal is sealed).
Cool air escapes and your electricity bill is higher but rarely do you have the financial consequences of food spoilage.
While the refrigerator is designed to auto-close, the wing seat is not.
The wing does require complete closure and that takes far more effort and attention. Failure can be very expensive.

Meldrew wrote:

I'm also a bit amazed that some owners replace the seat light with a switched light from a Honda car, who spends enough time with the seat open in the dark to justify it.

A syntactically parallel statement (complete with bad punctuation) might be:
"I'm also a bit amazed that car companies add airbags to cars, who spends enough time in an accident to justify it."

Life is full of technology designed to compensate for human shortcomings.
We hope we never have to use the tech, but we are glad its there.
That is exactly what a switched light fixture does in this situation.

Honda put the auto-off switch in the seat closure mechanism for this exact reason.
However they outsmarted themselves, because seat not closing properly is a bigger problem than forgetting to shut off the manual light.

I'm amazed that people just accept the seat light situation like accepting a useful but buggy windows app,
or would rather go without the function instead of purchasing an inexpensive and valuable replacement.

We are all human and sometimes we make mistakes, or simply don't pay attention the way we should.
So I put in a safeguard to compensate for my own absentmindedness.

Why disable a feature that doesn't work right when you can fix it (get the switched fixture)?
It only hurts the wallet for a moment and gives you a lifetime of use.  A very cost-effective upgrade.

Meldrew wrote:

It's just another case of old men farkling for the sake of it, and it's the same replacing these seat lift arms or struts, I've never heard of any problems with them apart from on here.

The original poster did say it was worn out.  That usually means that it does not hold the seat in the up position.
------------------------

If someone decides to find an alternative method of lighting the underseat space, so be it. Copy it or don't, as you wish.
Dicuss it, by all means. But please don't suggest that they are in some way an inferior being, or equate their choice with with an inability to ride.

It amazes me how many people get "bent out of shape" about anything that is not OEM. The under seat light is an example. Remove the bulb? This is like admitting that you can't remember to close the seat. I bought the Honda/Acura fixture (20 bucks or so); a very simple install and looks stock and is usable. AND is even made by Honda... But it is not stock

Why do people complain when one chooses to use Iridium plugs or a K&N air filter or any brand of filter not OEM? Not sure but it happens, here and on other forums as well. Want to start a flame war? Just mention motor oil!!! Great fun.

The point is we all chose to purchase a Silver Wing; that said we should be able to change things or not as we desire w/o someone saying it must be OEM!!!

In other words, CHILL out!   

There are purists and there are tinkerers, and as long as both respect each other, there is peace.

In other words, CHILL out!

This highlights a serious problem on this forum: that far to many posters seem to think they must have the last word.

In fact 'Least said, soonest mended' should be the order of the day.
If a member seems to be falling into the 'last word' category his/her posts will be removed.
There is no argument on this matter.

Yes sir, the original shock was completely worn out. No resistance at all and oil film was leaking out each time it was pushed and pulled after removal. I like the idea of the shock holding the seat up. We shall see how long this replacement lasts. It is made in the USA and was an inexpensive fix. I do not wish to have the last word, I am learning every time I read the Forum (61 years young), so thank you all very much.

LOL!
It does seem strange how the Honda strut seems to be subject to failure whereas I have yet to read it of other makes of maxiscooter.
Thanks for bringing the thread back on track.  

I ordered a new seat strut from these dudes, haven't got it yet:

www.sourcingmap.com

The reason I bought it was because one of my riding buddies bought one, and I was very impressed with its self-opening power.

Regarding the unseat light, I had also replaced mine with the Honda car switched version, including an LED bulb which I installed. To be perfectly honest, I haven't used it once since installing it 2 years ago. As others said, the lamp's placement and shape of the storage area make it almost useless anyway. I have gone the "torch" route as well (love that word as an English version of flashlight). I keep a small lED torch under the rubber band that holds the tools and owner's manual in place. And on the 7th day, God created the LED torch  :lol!: 

I like to leave my seat unlatched when I park my swing in my garage overnight so I don't have to walk around to the other side of the scooter and unlock it with the key to drop my computer bag into the compartment the following morning.

The $1 LED flashlight I attached to my key chain works better than the under seat light anyhow, that one was too dim and nearly always blocked by something or other.

I also removed the strut so the seat opens farther, although I do have to lift it manually. I have a complicated tool to keep it open when I need it, called a stick.

dspevack wrote:

There are purists and there are tinkerers, and as long as both respect each other, there is peace.

Would it be OK if I was a purist who tinkered??
(Just trying to add a little humour!!  )

I must be something like that.lol

I installed a new stock Honda part at $33US. If I was doing it over, i'd make an aluminum prop stick from some tubing and add rubber tips like for a cane.

I did something similar using aluminium tubing - two sizes with one fitting exactly inside the other to make a sleeve - and a length of shock cord.
Thus the prop was able to be pulled apart and folded in half for storage, the shock cord threaded through both halves and knotted at each end. Obviously the knots held the whole thing together but also acted as 'rubber tips'. I did put washers between knots and tubing.

GHM-PM wrote:

It amazes me how many people get "bent out of shape" about anything that is not OEM.  The under seat light is an example.  Remove the bulb?  This is like admitting that you can't remember to close the seat.  I bought the Honda/Acura fixture (20 bucks or so); a very simple install and looks stock and is usable.  AND is even made by Honda...  But it is not stock  

Why do people complain when one chooses to use Iridium plugs or a K&N air filter or any brand of filter not OEM?  Not sure but it happens, here and on other forums as well.  Want to start a flame war?  Just mention motor oil!!!  Great fun.

The point is we all chose to purchase a Silver Wing; that said we should be able to change things or not as we desire w/o someone saying it must be OEM!!!

In other words, CHILL out!     

Exactly. It's your vehicle, do what you will. There are a lot of parts on my truck that are not stock, but guess what? It's MY truck, dangit. I happen to like the red LEDs that I have for my interior lights, I like the Snugtop cap on the bed (damn useful, too) I like the brushguard protecting the front end. I also happen to LOVE the Kenwood stereo that I put in and satellite radio. Keeps us sane on long trips, lol.

That's one thing Honda could adopt. Both the Burgman and BMW scooters seats unlock by pushing in on the ignition key and turning it to the right. It's handy since you don't have to remove the key from the ignition lock. BMW's under seat light is an LED and times out so you can't leave it on and it doesn't draw much power while it's on. In common with the Silverwing the BMW light is located where it really doesn't do a lot of good anyway.

exavid wrote:

That's one thing Honda could adopt. Both the Burgman and BMW scooters seats unlock by pushing in on the ignition key and turning it to the right. It's handy since you don't have to remove the key from the ignition lock.

It looks like Honda have on the SW-T Silver Wing as there's no keyhole in the usual place. Having said that it's a lot easier to accidentally lock your keys under the seat with ignition key opening, and it's a topic currently being discussed on a UK forum.

Just goes to prove there's no free lunch. Both locations have their advantages.

My X9500 had a remote seat-opener - press the button on the key-fob and up it went. :-)

....the seat, that is.  

MikeO wrote:

My X9500 had a remote seat-opener - press the button on the key-fob and up it went. :-)

....the seat, that is.  

Hmmm that could function like an ejector seat from a James Bond movie?   

 

MikeO wrote:

My X9500 had a remote seat-opener - press the button on the key-fob and up it went. :-)

....the seat, that is.  

If they have a remote, then maybe the locking mechanism could sense the key-fob in the under-seat compartment, and pop open the seat. My wife's Genesis Coupe does that. It even knows if a key-fob is inside the car when trying to lock it remotely with the other fob. That way you cannot lock your fob under the seat. LOL. Just wishful thinking.

This strongly smacks of a conspiracy among Honda engineers to generate controversy among members of forums such as this one. We have all fallen victim; and the Honda engineers are laughing to piss themselves.

MikeO wrote:

press the button on the key-fob and up it went. :-)

....the seat, that is.  

Really glad you clarified that one, Mike!