Greetings from Ireland

Biker for years but an '04 600 is my first scooter.
It's a bit run down but the noises it makes are all the right ones.
Fast, aero that suits me but steers a bit like an insane cow at low speed. Best motorway bike I've ever ridden.
Very fond of fuel.

Welcome Smellybeard. I like your description of the low speed steering, some of that may be down to worn tyres. I just replaced the squared off rubber on my 01 and also put longer spacers on top of the springs to lift the front, and it is a lot more neutral steering now, although the steering still wants to fall in to the turn at very low speeds.

The low speed handling is its really weak area and it's not helped by unpleasant clutch action and overly strong engine braking just before the clutch opens. It reminds me of an old BMW I bought donkey's years ago with baked magneto and rusty steering head bearings. As I'd turn out from a stop sign it wouldn't pick up then it would go then the steering would tighten up and I'd back off. I looked like I was drunk.

I could see fork spring extenders exacerbating that pull into the corner. It seems to me that the rake was compromised to compensate for the spindle offset, in turn necessitated by the fork sliders having to extend below the spindle to get the desired travel.

When it comes to forks though, one really good feature of the Silver Wing is how many sets of them you can fit under the seat. I recently carried a set each of Commando, BSA and Ducati legs in there at once.

Welcome.  Steering at low speed is not the best compared to a bike with larger wheels and shorter rake.
Fork is stiff on sharp edges due to it's simple design but springs and right oil will help.

New tires and a few more PSI in the front will help 32 not 29.  It's a scooter pushed hard enough you will find it's limits frame flexes a bit and bias tires are not the best.  Heavy is the throttle hand and it will burn some gas. Dr Pulley Sliders will lower RPM a little 500 at speed and give better acceleration to boot.

Brakes it stops but....OK for what it is.

Since acquiring the SW I've had the opportunity to try the other big scooters and they all have much better low speed behaviour though all had other things that I didn't like so much. The Yamaha is the best of the bunch but the seat is a bit high, the storage poor and the aero really awful above about 80km/h. The Piaggio is fantastic over bumps and steers by thought control with no physical input required but it's heavy, expensive and hard on steering bearings. I think the steering bearing trouble is related to the extra steep 'fork' angle and the excellent steering as the pounding they get is always in the one place.
The Big Burgy is nice - better aero than the Yam but still with the higher seat and less storage than the SW.

None of them have the SW's warp drive mid-range whoosh.

I've pumped up the front tire - the pull into the turn certainly is the same kind of force that a soft front generates.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Silver Bus but I love my C90 too and I love the way I can ride it like a lunatic in polite company.

Mech 1 twa wrote:

New tires and a few more PSI in the front will help 32 not 29.

Done and tested. A geansaí load better.

smellybeard wrote:

A geansaí load better.

What is this geansaí of which you speak?

The wooly kind that you may gather apples in the front of at this time of the year, the collected bounty being referred to as a geansaí load.
A jumper/pullover/sweater.

Hello smellybeard,

Greetings, and welcome to the site, from a fellow paddy.

Naturally I'm no stranger to the 'geansai load'.

I'm in the north east extremity of the wee county.

I have to agree with Mr. Beard and Mech 1.handling is not the SW's strong-suit. The engine, throttle response, legroom and storage..ARE.  

The BMW GT would still be in my driveway were it not for the engine. Strong as heck, no problem there....but cold-blooded, w/vibe and shudder like the scooter was built by Harley. Truly, it was taxing to ride.

The Tmax handling and suspension are unmatched, and my 1st gen 500 is nearly as strong as the SW or GT, albeit at higher RPM.  Storage, as you know...snux. Still my fave.

The Majesty has me duly impressed. Handling and brakes right on the edge of it's big-brother. Can still fly down the freeway. ONLY lacking in that right-off-the-line grunt that let's you embarrass most cars.

I haven't yet had the pleasure to taste either the single, nor double-(cheese) Burger.

Welcome smellybeard to the BEST SWing site on the net. Lots of info here with people ready and willing to help.
I've learned a lot just by being a member here.

Welcome smellybeard from the hills of o-HI-o and the geansaí load of info here