Brakes, Tires, Ride

The front brake is downright enemic; is there anything that will make it better?
With only 2300 miles on the SW, the pads are still good. Haven't pulled them to see if perhaps they have been glazed, but doubt it.

It has IRC tires which I think are good tires, but the ride is not as comfortable as I'd like. Seems that every ripple in the road is felt. Tires are 29 front, 34 rear, rear shocks on 2. Any suggestions. Perhaps 26lbs in front?

Aside from these couple small issues, I'm really liking the SW. Put a standard GIVI WS on today, and think the only other thing I will add is a trunk. Looking at some of the inexpensive ones on Ebay.

x

ulflyer wrote:

The front brake is downright enemic; is there anything that will make it better?

When was the last time you changed your brake fluid??

I changed the original to Valvoline brake fluid .... and then a couple of months later switch to Honda brake fluid. After I switched to the Honda brake fluid, the brakes felt the same as when I first purchased the Silverwing.

ulflyer wrote:

It has IRC tires which I think are good tires, but the ride is not as comfortable as I'd like. Seems that every ripple in the road is felt. Tires are 29 front, 34 rear, rear shocks on 2. Any suggestions. Perhaps 26lbs in front?

On my first OEM Bridgestone, I checked my tires by cupping my hand around the width of the tire and moving in both directions (forward and backward). I found the Bridgestone was staring some cupping, so I increased the tire pressure. I eventually wore the cupping.

So checking your tire and increasing the pressure may be something to try ... though it may take time to gauge the effect.

Bigbird: sounds like a couple simple questions hit you the wrong way.

I'm comparing it to three Burgman 400"s, a Yamaha Majesty, and Piaggio X9 (500). Better brakes, better ride on them all.

I think thats a fair number for comparison.

What I'm asking is if anyone has any suggestions for improvement. If its just a "poor suspension big scooter" and nothing can be done, then so be it.

HondaSilver: I haven't changed the brake fluid yet, only the amount in the resevoirs. Thats something I want to do this winter. I'll double check the tires but don't think anything is wrong with them. Maybe less air will provide a softer ride at the expense of tire wear.

ulflyer wrote:

Maybe less air will provide a softer ride at the expense of tire wear.

The Hyperpro Progressive front spring provided a softer ride for me with better handling.

Bill: I just now noticed the mods you've done. Wow, you've really got a loaded machine. I'll look into the springs but don't think its something I would venture to change out myself and with ship rates being what they are, I'll just learn to live with feeling the "road ripples". They're not all that bad.

First you are not talking about new machine----so what is condition of brake disk, pads, hoses? Complaining about front brake. Start with above and proper bleeding. More aggressive pads maybe can be found.

Ride----anything with all you weight on spine, will make you feel bumps and maybe cause some discomfort.

Tires----follow Honda's pressure recommendations---hard for tackle box mechanics to out think them. Tires 6 years old? Throw them out. I found both IRC and Bridgestone work fine on SilverWing....remember if you don't do your own tire and balance work......most bike shops cannot balance rear wheel---"Ride On" works in this case.


SilverWing in end is scooter and a good one, but scooter and after 56 years of daily riding and over 1.5 million miles I find it enjoyable/comfortable(once wind management problem is solved) but must be enjoyed as scooter.

Must clarify miles-----in my last comment----1.5 million two wheel, not scooter miles.

Firstly, check your brake pads don't assume.

Secondly, change the brake fluid, may even be worth changing the hoses too! They are a source of moisture ingress into the brake system.

My machine albeit a mere youngster at 2 years and 12k miles has had the brake fluid changed twice and they are solid! Very little lever movement.

Maybe it is time to give the front shocks a good inspection too.

I ride with my rear suspension on '5', it works for me. A bit of experimenting with tyre pressures and shock settings may just find you the optimum ride.

Good luck.

x

Bigbird, Waspie, & John: thanks for the feedback. The 05 is like new, 2200 actual miles, tires look like new and being IRC I don't if they were the originals or if the owner, who bought it new from a local dealer in '08, had them installed. Balance weights look like factory. As you mentioned, I've been riding a long time and have had a lot of machines, large and small. I did thoroughly check it out before buying but didn't notice in the short demo that the ride was a bit more harsh than my previous 400's. Did notice the enemic front brake and didn't worry much about it as its exactly like the previous Helix's I've owned. Despite these perceived differences, I wouldnt trade it for the 400, although theres a few pro's & con's for each.

Just gets down to what each person likes best. Will fool with the tire pressures some, and when I get time will drain the brake fluid, checking the pads as well. John, you mentioned more aggressive pads: any suggestions on make? With winter coming on soon, it will be a good time to change the front. I have no problem with the rear; it seems very positive.

GIVI WS came yesterday and went about a 100 miles today. Boy what a diff over the orig. Lot less wind, much quieter. Very satisified with it.

Just some things i wanted to point out- Some of the S'wings came with Bridgestone Hoops and some came with the IRC (I bought mine with 8000 miles and they had very dry-rotted IRCs on them (I assume the front was original, the rear may have been original too).
I am wondering if the brake feel you are experiencing may be due to the linked brake system, but I can tell you that when I recently did a brake fluid flush (I didn't drain completely, just pumped out and refilled the reservoirs until the fluid ran clear). I definitely noticed a great improvement in brake feel with the new fluid (not at all spongy). Brake fluid will absorb moisture over time even if you don't ride it so that is definitely something to consider.

Jesse

x

Enemic brakes. I am surprised. I have an 07 with 5300 mi. on it and I always was surprised at how good the front brake holds. Have not changed the brake fluid yet. Something to keep in mind if things go bad.

ulflyer, some of your observations are similar to ones I have observed.

Brakes - I was unimpressed with the front brake. I removed the caliper from the fork, GENTLY pressed on the lever and found that the lowest piston was not extending. I cleaned the dirt and grime from around the rubber seal and re-assembled. The brakes worked much better afterwards. I have had the fluid changed, and could not tell any difference (and the fluid was 6 years old when changed). My brake pads are all original. Check the calipers/pistons! The middle one works with the rear brake lever, the outer two with the front lever.

Ride - the rear can jolt you if you are sitting straight up. Try leaning forward from the waist when hitting bumps. Also, if your shock setting is too low, you lose spring travel and it can feel harsh. Only use setting 1 if you are lighter than an avg rider. 2/3 feel best to me (I'm 170 lbs). If you are heavier, go with setting 3 or 4. It can actually make the ride softer by using a higher setting if your weight causes you to compress the spring to the point it does no good.

If your fork transmits a lot of chatter to your grips, it is possible that the first owner had the fork springs changed to Hyperpro springs. My stock springs were very cushy in normal riding and I never felt road chatter. But, stock springs are too soft for fast turns. How to tell if you have stock - does the front end dive a lot upon hard braking? If it does, they're stock springs.

I've had the original IRC tires, Pirelli Diablo and now Metzelar Feel Free tires. I could not say that the bike road any softer/harder with any of them. Traction feels very nice with Diablo and Metzelar.

If you want a chance to try another Silverwing for comparison, let me know. We are probably about 45 minutes apart. I can get free during the weekday or the weekend.

Philip; thanks for the feedback. I've come to the conclusion my only problem is that I was comparing the SW to my previous '09 Burgman 400.
Now that I've ridden it more, and got used to the differences, I'm a lot more satisified that all is right with the SW. I just had to learn to honk on the left brake harder than I previously thot was necessary. Right/front is positive enough. I don't get chatter from road ripples/ridges, it just transmits them through to bars and seat, unlike the B400 which absorbed them. I have the rear set on 2 and i'm 170+. Prob a set of progressive springs would make it better, but I'm not into all the work involved changing them out.

I'd be happy to meet with you anytime, if for no reason other than to get acquainted and compare notes. Weather being what it is tho, it would have to be a spur of the moment thing. I'm long time retired so am avail anytime, other than weds when a group of us meet for breakfast, usually up near Greensboro as thats where most of the others live. I'm an early riser and on the computer usually by 6am. Anytime you'd like to get togather shoot me a PM. Perhaps somewhere around Kannapolis would be about half way?

ulflyer, I sent you a private message. Be sure to log in, and check your inbox.

buddy19520 wrote:

ulflyer, I sent you a private message. Be sure to log in, and check your inbox.

Or look for the flashing PM. The first message I received I wondered why that thing was blinking, I know. "Read the forum instructions." But I'm a guy.

Buddy: got ur PM and will reply back via PM. Sounds like a plan for Monday.