Back on a motor bike

Greetings from Santa Rosa, California ... 100km north of San Francisco
I recently took a job in Alameda requiring a 220km round trip commute
which goes past the traffic bummer of the Bay Bridge
The bike sure makes the trip much more fun.
This is perhaps my 20th motor bike but most of the others were off road
and that was 20 years ago ...
I found a low mileage, decent condition 02 Swing on craigs list for an affordable price thinking it best to buy used and see how comfortable I feel on a bike in bad traffic conditions before getting in to deep.

Just took the covers off the drive belt to inspect the belt.
Found a significant engineering boo boo ....
Major black streaks on the inside of the case from the drive belt rubbing indicating not enough room to allow for the centrifugal expansion of the belt when in high speed. This has also created grooves in the pulleys in the high speed condition.
I thought it felt like the motor was bogging and the drive slipping when motoring over 100mph
Suddenly the magic of this bike has vanished.
Does anyone in this group know if this is a problem unique to an early 02 or if these things are all this way?
Also not pleased with the suspension.
Who are the hot rodders, where do the performance parts come from?

Thanks in advance


(I am a experienced welder, machinist who has won over 100 races with gokarts, motorcycles and bicycles)

Speedy,
Welcome to the forum. You will enjoy the forum and your Silver Wing. First, install a J. Costa variator and perhaps a Kelvar belt. You will be amazed at the difference. Second, crank up the shocks to 4 or even 5 to put more weight on the front. Third, replace the front springs. It will be an entirely different bike and you will go all day at 100 mph until you run out of petro.

Hey Speedy,

Welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy it. I am also going to include a link to our Bay Area Maxi Riders Group (BAMR) site for monthly rides. We have a ride coming up probably the 21st of March. We have a member on here that lives in Santa Rosa too, his name is David.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/BayAreaMaxiRiders/

As for the Silver Wing, some do have a belt slap but it isn't a problem really. How many miles do you have on your bike/belt? As Dennis said, install the J. Costa and a Kevlar belt, and the Hyperpro front springs. I have done this with my SWing and it really changes the ability of the bike. The front springs make it more motorcycle like in terms of the front suspension. The J. Costa just puts you in the right power band to really accelerate. There are topics in the "Mods" section for all this.

If you want to join us on ride throughout the Bay area please join the above site. I started this when the owner of www.maxi-scoots.com decided to go from his Majesty to a motorcycle. We need a forum just for us Bay Area folks to set up rides and such. Again, thanks for joining and post some pics of you and your SWing in the Album section when you get a chance.

Hi Speedy,

Welcome to the forum... I've sent a similar email on a different forum! If you check out the "mods" section here, you'll find some useful info!

Happy Riding!

Welcome Speedy, you will enjoy this site.

thanks for the tips ...
the hyperpro fork springs & suspension look like a good start for improving the ride
bike had 11,000 miles when purchased in mid November ... by the end of this week it will be 18,000. 7,000 miles in 14 weeks
researching information on the belt it seems the stock Honda part # is kevlar.
for me, the belt dragging on the case is something to be concerned. this causes increased belt and pulley wear which in turn could turn into a safety issue. that part of the system needs to be resolved before changing to a different brand variator. no sense in subjecting upgrade parts to a bad environment.
the March ride date won't work for me, perhaps there will be a ride later in the year ... Napa, Pope, Alexander, or Dry Creek Valleys are all pleasant places to run about.
cheers
Speedy