Add me to the list of happy HyperPro customers

I decided to get a little work done on the Swing at a small local bike shop. Had him install the HyperPro fork springs. What a difference! This is what Honda should spec at the factory.

I always used to get a big clunk when I hit the curb coming into the driveway. No more. I think the old springs spent half their time bottomed out. Turns also seem easier to handle - I can hold the turn easier than before. While I only put about 15 miles on the new springs, I think it is a big improvement.

BTW, when I called the local Honda shop, they wanted $123 PER LEG, for a total of $256. Seals were $17 each. I found the seals here

http://hondaparts-direct.com/fiche_select2.asp?category=SCOOTERS&make=HONDA&year=2003&fveh=3418

for $10 each, and paid the mechanic $70 to rebuild the fork.
I think I got a good deal - hopefully the legs won't fall off one day!

Phillip,

I agree with you totally about Honda putting these in as stock. I think if they would have done that then the SWing would be even a better seller for Honda. I have had mine at least 3 years now and it is night and day for me. I think that after a new windshield, which was mandatory for me, that the springs are the 2nd best mod to do.

It makes it feel more motorcycle like and really smooths things out and also helps take the twisties much better IMO. Congrats on the new springs.

Fully agree with the comments on Hyperpro springs they certainly improve the wing, and has been said Honda should have fitted these as standard.

Enjoy the riding.

Wal

The weather has taken a turn for the better this weekend, and temps were in the low 70's. Took a 128 mile ride with some biker bikers (I was only scooter) and loved the new feel of the fork.

I have only been riding for less than two years, coming up from a Chinese 150. When I struggled to maintain the line in a curve, I just thought it was my lack of skill. Now I know different. The mushy springs in the fork just won't let you hold a good line. I had no problems at all - felt like I was on rails.

If you have problems handling the bike, don't think it is you!

Phillip,

As I think I said earlier this would be the 2nd mod I would do if I haven't done any mods yet. I have to have a taller screen than the stock one but if I didn't need a new screen the springs would be my first mod. It really does improve the SWing so much and mine only cost about $155 and I forgot how much to install them but it wasn't all that much.

Thanks to all for the words of wisdom. I am also installing them next week. I will do the removal and installation of the forks. Looks easy enough now that I have read the shop manual. My local shop only charges about $ 80.00 to install the springs. Can't wait to feel the difference

I paid a total of $ 174.00 and bought them from EPM Performance Imports in NJ

x

Thank you for the tip. I will tell the shop about the spacers. That sounds like more hind-site from some one who knows what thay are talking about.
He assured me, he had done many shock replacements

x

Hi all! I new to this forum as I'm a new owner of a 05 Silverwing. I was hoping to get some help on the handling of my scoot. I took it for a spin today for the first time as notice some handling issue.

I like to ride the twisties so I took up the hills. I noticed in slow turns, it's pretty tight and stable. But when I hit the highspeed sweepers, the chassis seems to flex side to side quite a bit. Kinda nerve racking really.

Wondering if these Hyperpro springs will solve this issue. My scoot is bone stock by the way. Any feed back to help my scoot to handle better is greatly appreciated.

x

Tire pressure is set at 32psi and shock settings are factory. I'm 165lbs and it's seems to me like the suspension is mushing as in too soft.

How do you adjust the shocks?

To me, it seems like the frame is torsioning when it's flexing like that. It's just feels like it wants to go into a speed wobble (tank slapper). This only happens on an uneven high speed turn (60-70mph).

Anyone has this issue?

x

Just to clarify bigbird's point #2 -- you can't actually adjust the shocks; the five positions mentioned are for spring pre-load. That said, I always run on the stiffest setting (#5).

x

I am still happy with the HyperPros, with the exception that it makes the ride a little stiff at times. I just got back from a 4 day trip to Cherokee, NC. After riding the Dragon, as well as Highway 28, I felt the handling is better than stock. If all I did was putter around town at moderate speeds, I would prefer the stock set-up.

The stock ride felt balanced if the rear spring preload was set to 2 or 3. Balanced, but rather mushy, which is fine for around town and lower speeds. Jacking the rear preload to 4 or 5 gave a stiff ride in the rear (and jolts to the spine), with a mushy front end. With the new springs and the rear preload set to 3, the bike feels balanced. Firmer than stock, but very balanced front to rear.

I believe that, if you like to ride aggressively, you will eventually end up with replacement springs. They won't make the scoot a sport bike, but they help a lot.

Thank you all for the wonderful advices. I will go through the settings and adjustments and hope it feels better. I will definitely check the frame for sure. Most likely will do the longer spacers in the forks to firm up the front a bit to see how that is before forking out the bread for the hyperpro.

You guys rock! Now for the tear down.

ShadowWing wrote:

Thank you all for the wonderful advices. I will go through the settings and adjustments and hope it feels better. I will definitely check the frame for sure. Most likely will do the longer spacers in the forks to firm up the front a bit to see how that is before forking out the bread for the hyperpro.

You guys rock! Now for the tear down.

What does the average Honda shop charge to replace the springs (assuming I provide the springs for them?)

DR

x

bigbird wrote:

Acquit wrote:

What does the average Honda shop charge to replace the springs (assuming I provide the springs for them?)
DR

Before I did my own, I checked with an independent scooter shop and he said about 1 hour labour. That could range from $45-$60 for an independent.
Honda? Probably more like $75-$90

Sounds good, I think I will end up doing this, first to try upping the psi in the rear tire to 36 as I weight in at 290lbs, if that doesn't make it less slushy in corners it is good to know labor will not be crippling.

I replaced my springs with hyperpro's too. Just finished it yesterday. So far I'm noticing an improvement on my very rough, rocky, bumpy dirt road. The Swing takes these bumps more in stride. On the pavement I can't say I'm experiencing a radical difference. Maybe it's just subtle and will take me a while of riding to recognize it. Maybe the ride seems smoother, balancing out the rougher/harder ride that I've been experiencing since raising the air pressure in my front tire.

As far as the actual job goes, here's what I learned: 1) I don't think an impact wrench is necessary, as some folks have said it is. I did use a 12 volt one to remove the fork cap, but I think it could have been done by hand. Putting the cap back on at the I did by hand with no problem. I didn't find the pressure from the new springs to present any real difficulty.

Here's a nice trick that my friend/helper-that-I-thought-I-needed (based on much of what I read about this job) came up with to eliminate the risk of injury or cap loss from a flying fork cap upon removal: put the top of the fork, along with your hand and wrench into a cloth grocery bag, and unscrew it. The cap will pop off into the bag, and not into your face, for example. It worked like a charm for me.

2) This can be a one person job. It could be a two person job too, but not necessary. Just depends on what you're comfortable with.

3) If you're gonna be replacing your fork seals at this time, you'll need a "special tool" to seat the seals in the inner tube. My special tool turned out to be a length (about 10") of standard 1 1/2" schedule 40 pvc pipe.
I had a scooter mechanic tell me that he didn't want to do this job because Honda required a special $700 tool to do it with. HUH!??? This
high tech tool cost me about $3 at Lowes. It fits snuggly over the inner tube so there's no wobble, and sits very nicely on top of the oil seal. A few taps with a rubber mallet and voila! The seal is seated and its retainer ring can be installed very simply.

Since this job is fresh in my body/mind, and I'd never done it before, let me know if you have any questions about it. I'm happy to share my experience in more detail if needed.

x

Matthew,

What pieces of tupperware (and anything else) need to be removed to get access to the fork caps? That's the part that bothers me the most about doing this DIY. Do the forks need to come off the bike?

GaryL wrote:

Matthew,

What pieces of tupperware (and anything else) need to be removed to get access to the fork caps? ... Do the forks need to come off the bike?

None and yes. The MAJOR part of the DIY a 6 pt socket for the fork cap. I highly recommend a shop manual, studied thoroughly prior to starting the job.

Jon

Have the manual... Not the socket. Thinking about doing this in the fall, as it is WAY too hot to tackle this outside (my only choice) in the summer. Thanks for the information!

Hey Gary,

I removed the front fender - easy to do, and the front wheel - a little less easy but not too hard either. Then the brake caliper is removed from the left fork by removing two bolts (and a third little screw that holds the brake lines in place).
I don't know how one could do this job without taking the forks off the bike. To do that you need to loosen - not remove - 4 crimp bolts (2 for each fork) near the tops of the forks, and then slide the forks out. Loosening the bolts may require a little effort. I put a 14mm box wrench on the bolt and then hit the other end of it with a hammer - gingerly- to loosen them. Then they can be unscrewed with the wrench easily enough.

I think in order to access the caps with the forks still on the bike you'd need to remove all the front end tupperware down to the frame. Something I didn't want to do.

x

On Feb 15, 2011 I checked with the local Honda shop in Charlotte about the spring replacement. They wanted $123 PER LEG ($256 total) plus $17 each for the seal.

My independent mechanic charged me about $70 before a discount for cash payment. If I had not found the independent mechanic, I would have done the job myself. No way was I going to pay that much!

Add me to the list of happy Hyperpro Spring ownerss. Picked up my SW today from dealer 600 mi service and spring instaltion, took ma little ride and the front forks are now GREAT!

thanks
Bob

Yup, yup, yup, Just wait till you start pushing your loved one into the curves. You are not going to believe how well she handles.

I am sitting on the fence as to the thought of spending the money on Hyperpros. Here's two questions: First, you often hear about how a sport bike or sports car will have excellent handling but not be a comfortable, softer ride in the straights like a big luxury cruiser or a Cadillac. So if I install Hyperpro springs, will I get a harsher less comfortable ride, albeit a better handling one? Secondly, if I have a shop do the work (I'm not good at wrenching) are there many small things that could leave a margin for error in their work like the aforementioned stock spacer/washer issue? You know, like something unique to the S-Wing's design that even a good mechanic might overlook.

I have not experienced any degradation in ride quality. I just did a little 1300 mile tour with the new hyperpros and did not notice any increased discomfort on long interstate straightaways. One thing that will make your ride harsher is increasing the air pressure in the front tire. If you run at recommended air pressure, I don't see any reason that you would notice any problems in this regard with the hyperpros.

As for margins for error in doing the job itself, I wouldn't expect this to be a problem either. I'd never done the job before, and I was able to use the service manual - I'd suggest that you get one if you don't have it already, and give it to the mechanic to use as a reference - as my guide. This won't tell him/her about leaving out the stock spacer when installing the hyperpros, so you'll have to provide that information yourself.

The other thing that I ran into, which is extremely weird in my view, is that I had an independent scooter mechanic tell me that he wouldn't do the job because it would require a "special $700 tool from Honda" to seat the new fork seals I wanted replaced. In researching this on this forum and elsewhere, and then getting into the job, I discovered that this "special $700 tool" could be replaced with a $4 piece of 1 1/2" pvc pipe. Absolutely insane. This is only relevant of course if you're planning to replace the seals, which you might want to do while you have the forks torn down anyway.

My conclusion about that is that this particular mechanic didn't want to do the job anyway - he works on small scooters, and I suspect that the Swing was just beyond his experience, and something he didn't want to deal with - and this was his way of bailing.

Good luck.

x

bigbird wrote:

As for the ride, after 10 minutes of riding, you forget about the old soft wallowy ride.

So I gather then, that there is nothing I'm going to miss and the ride is not harsher from your perspective. The reason I ask is that some (earlier in this thread) expressed the fact that they felt it all wouldn't have been worth it if they didn't actively seek twisties to ride through. Then others make it seem like a miracle cure. I understand people have differing ways of viewing ride quality, so there doesn't seem to be any consensus on the "was it worth it" issue. It just makes me wonder which group I'll end up in after plopping down a couple of hundred, that's all.
I'll be debating inwardly about putting that money into a Clearview with vent or Hyperpros.

I can understand your questioning. If I hadn't had to replace my fork seals due to leaking - I live down a very rough, rocky, bumpy, rarely maintained dirt road - I'm not sure I would have bothered with the hyperpros. Although, having said that, I do find that they allow the Swing to take this road more in stride. I was happy enough with the Swing's ride before the hyperpros as far as pavement was concerned, and that includes routine riding in the mountain twisties of northern NM where I live.

Another consideration might be the age of your scoot. Mine is an 04, and so those original springs were at least 7 years old, and maybe due for changing anyway, maybe having lost a significant degree of their "springiness" anyway? I guess that if I was going to change out the springs for one good reason or another - as I did - I would've chosen to put on hyperpros in any case. Are they miracle springs? I don't think so.

x

Thanks guys for your answers. I am looking for protection for my hands during the cold, but for us here in the Desert Southwest that is still a few months away. I currently have a Laminar Lip on my w/s that is 1.5" higher and scoops the air up but I've always kind of had my heart set on a Clearview with vent. However, my optimal line of sight as dictated on CV's website actually falls between a small and a medium. Then there's always Laminar Lip's "ears" for the hands. I'll be asking about all that in another thread since I don't want to drift too much here.
As to the Hyperpros, my interest in them keeps growing. I have a 2003, and am going to look back in the maintenance receipts given to me by the previous owner. If the forks have been done, then I might give them a miss. If not the HPs are at the top of my list.

Here's something you might consider. Weather deflectors from these guys. Thinking seriously about adding these myself.

http://www.nationalcycle.com/catalogue/CoolWeather.shtml

I have 1 month/800 mile old front springs, and I'm still considering switching out for HyperPros before next season. The front fork is just way too soft for my tastes.

LVScooterBill wrote:

...I am looking for protection for my hands during the cold, but for us here in the Desert Southwest that is still a few months away....

I bought the Suzuki hand guards for my Burgman. I initially thought they made a difference, but I think that was just wishful thinking. The reality is that the cold air just swirled around behind the hand guards and my fingers were cold.

I ended up buying Duck's Unlimited Handlebar Muffs for about $20. They are made for ATVs but they fit the same on a motorcycle/scooter.


I had to put a hole through for the mirror stalk and to allow them to fit better. I also made up an "L" shaped bracket that attached at the handlebar weight and was positioned forward of the brake levers. It kept the muffs from moving back against the brake levers. I didn't want the brakes on all the time, and wanted free access to the levers for my fingers in an emergency.

To finish it all off, I used some black duct tape to get a good seal on all the places where a draft would get through to the fingers.

They work. They aren't pretty, but they work extremely well. My hands are warm. When things get really cold, like below freezing, I'll use some glove liners with pockets to put chemical heat packs. That gets me down to the teens comfortably.

And my gloves (and fingers!) are always dry. In Seattle, that says something.

Chris

Well, I ordered them from EPM Performance this morning. They won't get a shipment of springs in till Wednesday, and then it'll take time for me to get them, so maybe another week. My local independent shop charges an hourly rate of $90, and they say it'll be between 2 to 3 hours work even after I told them front tupperware removal isn't necessary. I don't like the sound of that. I feel they are generally honest, however, since on my tire install, they charged me less than their estimate due to the wheels being easier to take apart than they imagined as they could have stayed high and I'd have never known how long the job took really. Also the mechanic I spoke to on the phone seemed to know everything involved like chucking the stock spacers and the wisdom of doing an R & R on the fork seals now, so the above labor calculations are based on a whole rebuild, seals & all. He said to check with their parts guy first to see if we can line up the fork seals, but I think I'll price them around first before he tells me. All in all, it seems like this whole dang change-over is going to cost me $300 total. These springs better be worth it or at least be much safer like the mechanic said. I think I'll look to price several different cycle shops.

x

I also made up an "L" shaped bracket that attached at the handlebar weight and was positioned forward of the brake levers.

If you have the time and/or inclination, please will you take a picture or two and/or post a fuller description of the bracket and its attachment to the bar-end weights.

I had exactly the same problem of the muffs (Givi Universal ones) pressing on the brake levers and thought about making brackets but chickened out.

Back to the original topic. Bob changed my springs last evening. Took the Swing for a short test ride this morning. About 12 miles. All city traffic. I can feel the difference right away. And, I like it. I can't wait to get it out onto the country roads to test it in the twisties. I now know what everyone who has put the Hyperpro's on there Swing is now talking about. Thanks, everyone. 

Bob checked my fork seals and they were fine. So now I have a spare set for when I do need them.

I got the Swing out today for about an 85 mile ride. City and forest preserves southwest of the city. I have ridden it all week to work. I like the feel much better than the OEM springs. More control. I will be taking it on a camping trip this weekend in SW WI. Then down to TX and Hill Country in 3 weeks. Definitly worth the money. 

I put the "Hyperpro" springs in my 2005 about 20,000 miles back. I like them but I now have a seal leak on the left one. Not a bad leak just a seep. I want to replace the seal and will probably have to add some fluid but, if I remember correctly, the oil was different with the Pro springs.
Does any one know what fluid I need to use? Also what level?
Thank You.

DaveR wrote:

I put the "Hyperpro" springs in my 2005 about 20,000 miles back.  I like them but I now have a seal leak on the left one.  Not a bad leak just a seep.  I want to replace the seal and will probably have to add some fluid but, if I remember correctly, the oil was different with the Pro springs.
Does any one know what fluid I need to use?  Also what level?
Thank You.

It's HyperPro's own "special" anti-friction oil, SAE 20, which comes with the spring kit.
Oil level is 100 mm below top of fork tube.

+1! See my post under title "Fork Rebuild and Hyperpro Spring Installation"

Which Hyperpros do you get? I went to their website and could not finds recommendation for a Silverwing.