Lowering the Silverwing?

Hello All. My name is Dave from W. Tn. and I ride a Burgman 650. I recently purchased an 05 Silverwing for my daughter and promised her I could make it fit her. So far we have shaved the seat down couple of inches (helped maby 1/4 inch). We heated up the seat pan and squesed the sides down (might have helped a little). Set the shocks all the way down. Checked the forks and they were already slid the max (wasn't much). Only thing left seems be to heat or cut the rear springs. Or is there a shorter shock that will fit? Still need to get it at lease an inch lower.

I am sure this spring modification will work but was hopeing someone had already did it that I could talk to before I get started.

jimdave wrote:

I am sure this spring modification will work but was hopeing someone had already did it that I could talk to before I get started.

Welcome to the friendliest SilverWing forum.

I would suggest investigating alternative tire sizes. I am not sure if any smaller motorcycle tires exists, but it would be worth investigating.

Another member here Lucian needed to lower his Silverwing also. He used a smaller Darkside tire around 145 (Lucian should confirm the size), if I remember correctly it lowered it by 1". If Lucian does not confirm the size ... I can call him if you want.

Jim,

Welcome to the site. As Bill said, some of the tires that fit the SWing are different sizes diameter wise (height of the tire, not a different rim size). It may not be much but you should look up the diameters of the:

Hoops
Pirelli Diablo
Metzler
IRC

I have not heard too good of reviews of the IRC compared to the others, so you may not want to consider that tire. I put those on my Majesty, after having the Dunlops, and the IRC's were a huge improvement.

Another thing to try is to get boots with thicker heels. I believe there are a couple of women on the site that have done this and it worked very well for them. And boots are good to wear anyway for safety. Keep us informed on what works for you. We would all like to hear.

And if the SWing is still too big for her the Burg400 has a seat that is a few inches lower I believe. But that would be a very last resort. Do you know what her inseam is? Or how tall she is? We have a couple of women who are only about 5'2" and ride it all over the place.

I would advise against lowering/monkeying with Honda Design----bikes/scooters are designed to be ridden feet up. Only one foot, left needs to come down at stops.

SilverWing has low center of gravity, does not tend to tip on own.

I am sure, even under 5 ft can ride SilverWing safely-----done everyday in Japan.

Suggest further riding training for dau.----SilverWing is hardly beginner's scooter----lots of power and can put you in weeds with little warning.

Lower bike also screws up side stand angle, makes getting on centerstand harder. Any different tire sizes, look for speed rating/load rating.

Car tires no no in my book.

Send her is decent scooter safety/riding course.

will need to watch the stands as well

be harder to ge it on the centre stand

but more so the side stand

dont know if its a big problem on the SWing buti have read of it on other bike and scooter sites

Yeah, playing with the height of the bike is probably not a good idea. It doesn't have much in the way of ground clearance in the first place probably similar to Burgman at 4.5". Starting put with a 582cc bike that weighs over 500# is probably asking for trouble. I would think a 250 would be a great way for her to start. If height is an issue, a used Helix would be a great start. Seat height on those is 26.2" which is much lower than the Silver Wing's 29.7".

(Hmm, anyone thought about putting the Silver Wing's drivetrain in a Helix?)

I agree with DarthJ, a used Helix with it's lower seat height would be a great way for her to start, and I'm sure she would enjoy riding it. They are also a lot easier to haul on and off the main stand, and the engine is easy to get at, just undo one bolt and lift the seat off.

Having said you've purchased a Silver Wing, and I haven't read anything in UK forums or magazines about lowering one, best of luck with it.

This site also has boots for women which increase height:
http://www.tallmenshoes.com/height-increasing-shoes-for-women-toto.html

Here is another website that has them:

http://www.funkefeet.com/

Thanks to those that responded with the thoughtfull comments. In ansure-she has been riding for 35 years and sold a 1100 VStar when I gave her the silverwing. It was too still big for her after it was lowerd and for years it was so cumbersome.
she has also taken the MSF Basic Riders Course (I have been teaching it for almost 10 years). For those of you that aren't inseam chalenged you might remember that if you can't get both feet flat on the ground, it only takes an unleval spot to ruin your day.
A helix or reflex and expecialy the Burgman 400 is a good idea but since most of our friends ride big bikes that would be such a problem having to wait all the time for her to catch up. I've been riding the 650 Burgman for a few years and that is seldom a problem and I understand from my friends that have both the SW and the Burgman that the Silverwing is also pretty fast.
Before I resort to the torch or saw, I would be interested in the tire that was mentioned. I would hope there is a smaller scooter tire that would work. Any info apreciated as it will be several days before I remove the shocks.
I am haveing trouble removing the left rear cover to get to the shock and must be missing some atachment. Any help there? I'll write an update latter after I get the job done. THANKS!

'jimdave' a couple of your comments inspired me to add my little bit. (I'm not big on mods or changing from stock to be precise, hence my lack of response previously.

The Burgman 400 in regard to speed. Unless you plan on riding above the speed limits, here in the UK - 70 mph unsure of the law in the States but it is around that mark I believe. The AN400 is more than capable of exceeding these speeds even two up.

The other advantage with the AN400 is the cut out around where the legs straddle the bike when stationary. This means the inseam can be short as there is less distance involved. I have a short leg and with the Burgman 400 I was well and truly able to plant both feet on the ground, (feet flat.)

The Silver Wing is a fast scooter in relation to other scooters, The speedo states 120 mph and the needle will hit the stop on occasion but the true speed will be up to 10% less than that indicated.

What I am saying badly is don't write off the Burgman 400 as an alternative. It is capable of motorway speeds, (80 - 90 mph for long periods,) and does suit those of a shorter inside leg.

Battlescooter has a really complex and probably expensive solution to your problem: http://battlescooter.com/36.html

It is cool though...

Seriously, I would try having the seat cut down as much as she can stand it and set the rear springs on their lowest preload so they will collapse more when she sits. I would not resort to shorter springs/shocks if I could help it, mainly due to the side- and centerstand issues Mick noted. If you have to go with a shorter shock/spring combo, go with one that's custom-made, maybe a half-inch or inch shorter than stock. Certainly no shorter. Even if you remove just half a coil from the stockers, you're likely going to render your side stand useless. When you cut springs, the drop is usually more dramatic than expected. Ask an old hotrodder or a kid with a slammed Civic.

Also, like Dan suggested, get her some thick-soled footwear.

And at the risk of igniting the whole darkside tire debate again, if you're going to look for a smaller diameter tire, I'd look for actual scooter tires. I'd certainly stay away from car tires for a newbie. Just keep in mind the size and speed on the SWing and make sure you get a scooter tire that is rated for the task. You might find something that will "fit" but if it isn't rated properly you could end up with something that could easily fail at worst, or wear out in no time at best.

JimDave,

Seriously, platform footware is the least expensive, least time investive, easiest change you can make. Most are under $100.00/pair.

If your daughter considers it an insurmountable fashion challenge, only
then would I look at something else.

I suggest you order some and try it out. The companies usually have a return policy if it doesn't work for you.

Dan