Hello from Devon, England

I bought an almost immaculate low mileage 2014 Silverwing a couple of months ago.  
I love the comfort, the power, the quality, the sheer ease of riding it. I am more a cruiser than a racer, but the cornering ability has taken me by surprise.  It has stock everything, and I don't have a problem with buffeting or protection from the stock screen. The handbrake is genuinely useful here in hilly Devon, and as a bonus twelve bottles of wine fit nicely under the seat.  Before I bought it I was slightly worried about the weight, but due to the very low C of G it's not an issue.
Only a couple of downsides, the bike feels quite grabby on white lines and road seams, but that could be the tyres. I have tried playing with the pressures.  I can't see that it would be bearing or bush related as the bike has only covered 7000 miles and has been scupulously maintained.
The battery - it came with a Yuasa YTZ 12 which was going flat in about a week.  I took out the underseat bulb, which made no difference.  A couple of weeks ago I replaced it with a YTZ 14. Slightly mores Amp hours and CCAs for just a few quid more, identical size, and it now holds charge perfectly.
Batteries have been quite a big thread on the forum. Their life seems quite short on the Silverwing, and I think it may be due to the side mounting position. While I was researching I looked at the Bosch AGM. Pretty much the same spec as the Yuasa but when I tracked down the tech info, Bosch only recommend a fitting angle of up to 45 degrees. Bosch are a quality battery producer using exactly the same technology as Yuasa so I can't help feeling that mounting the battery at 90 degrees is pushing the technology just too far.

Hi and welcome.

I like the beer carrying capacity under the seat.

My original screen was too degraded to see through when the sun was on it and after it was knocked over in the yard, I replaced the screen with an adjustable givi. I need earplugs with it on faster runs but the up and down lets me see the road surface better around town and twisty roads.

They do like their tires to be right. I find just a little extra air in the front is nice. Something like 30psi. Mine was a dog when I got it and a set of tires largely transformed it and the extra couple of psi in the front did the rest. Sadly, those Metzeler "Feelfree" tires weren't available last change and the Michelins I have on it now aren't quite as nice.
It's still the nicest bike I've ever ridden on a motorway.

I don't especially like it when it's mucky, leafy, greasy, cold and wet.

Thanks for that Smellybeard - when the tyres have worn a bit more I will probably try Michelin citygrips, they transformed the feel of ny old Daelim 300

Welcome to the Forum Zendog from Bristol.

Good to see you have already found the search bar, for all things Swing and a bit more.
As you have already found, batteries have been well discussed. Here's my penny's worth on the subject.
I found that if the bike was not ridden for a week or two in winter(with frosts)the battery died, normal or AGM because starting the lump realy sucks the juice out of them if it didn't fire first try.
I ended up buying a LFPs-X9 lithium YTx9 battery, expensive but well worth it, the increased crank
power allowed the Swing to start first time every time even with snow and ice on the ground because
your starting with a true 12v with no drop, unlike a lead or AGM tail off.
Yes it still goes flat if left for a couple of weeks of bad weather, but recharge time is a lot quicker with the lithium. Another plus is you save 5 Kgs in weight compared to normal batteries.
Tyres have also been well discussed, personally I can not praise Michelin City Grip 2s enough as a matched pair. I have a local group of deliver O riders I keep maintained, they now run Michelins too.

Hope this helps.

Be safe, be seen!

99 Suzuki AN400 with a few mods
09 Honda Silverwing FJS600A with a lot more mods

Welcome Zendog! We are glad you found us. As for batteries, I too use the YTZ 14 but the cheapest I can find as I live in the Arizona desert and with the heat 2-3 years is about the max life I get so I am not going to pay 300 dollars for a battery that won't last much longer. This is my 2 cents, use what you want!

Cao

Thanks for your input guys, this is whar forums are for.
Allegedly solid state Li batteries are just around the corner - yeah right. If it happens that's when I will look at a Li battery. At the moment the price and Amphours just don't add up for me. I will of course keep the forum updated with the life of my AGM. Whenit comes to it the fix in real life is to get out and ride it whatever the weather, and isn't that one of the strengths of the Silverwing?

Hello mate. When I owned a Silver Wing I changed the OE Yuasa battery after six years for a Motobatt, even though it wasn't knackered.  Then the Yuasa sat around in my garage for a couple of years until I took it to a Recycling Centre and responsibly disposed of it. I occasionally would put a battery tester on it and it held a decent charge for months, until I lost interest in doing it.

I also think it says more about the strengths of the owner to get out and ride whatever the weather suitably attired, rather than the type of maxi scooter or bike he owns.

Of course most maxi scooter are far better for this time of year than any bike. Although like almost everyone on this side of the Pond, I'm fed up with the amount of rain we've had over the last few weeks.

Welcome Zendog. You seem to be getting accustomed the Silverwing. In my opinion, it handles remarkably well for a scoot. I've been using Bridgestone Hoops since forever but I'm on the verge of trying the Michelin City Grip 2.

My hoops are need of change due to the rear one being on the limit, however, the front one is worn much more on the right side than the left????? Never came across that before!......I considered the idea of going around roundabouts in the opposite direction to even things up before I have to change it.

As for the battery?...I fitted a Gel battery (can't remember the name ) 9 years ago and its done its job without hesitation ever since; I do use a battery tender. I can only imagine that Gel is not so badly affected by lying on its side.

I use a CTEK MXS 5. Brilliant charger, plugs into the lighter socket and has settings for AGM and bike use. Also has enough clout to charge my VW camper when needed. So far the new Yuasa is holding charge perfectly at 12.7v. Starting is now very snappy - I'd got used to the asthmatic wheeze from the old battery, which was often down to 12.4v. A couple of outings in the recent weather have confirmed the excellent weather protection. Even through a balmy British Winter wearing an open face lid and unlined leather gloves is not a problem. The Oxford heated grips are almost redundant.

Hello mate, I'm surprised you're happy riding behind that awful OE Honda screen. There's pages of Topics on here about owners binning it to install the much better height adjustable Givi AF 214 Airflow screen.

Maybe it's my short body and gorilla arms! I definitely wouldn't want a taller screen. It does flex a bit, but I can't say that's a problem.

Loosemarbles wrote:

the front one is worn much more on the right side than the left????? Never came across that before!......I considered the idea of going around roundabouts in the opposite direction to even things up before I have to change it.

Roundabouts. I think we need to set up a secondhand tire business selling right-hand half worn out bike tires to left-handers.
The only thing I have with evenly worn tires is my sidecar outfit.

If only our friends across the Atlantic had roundabouts we could work out an exchange system.

I run the Heidenau K66 tires on my swing.. they have a more aggressive tread pattern that is useful when you leave smooth asphalt (construction zones and roadsides) and have good wear characteristics because of a harder rubber compound. I have read that some people don't like the harder compound in the rain, but in Phoenix that isn't a big problem, and I've never experienced slippage in rain when touring in other states.