The best and worst additions to my scooter

The worst additions to my ride.

1) The head light modulator from Signal Dynamics. Stopped working twice.

The best additions.

1) Givi windshield.
2) Hyper-springs in front.
3) Wolo bad boy air horn.
4) H-3 Piaa head lights bulbs.
5) Fog and spot lights.

The best addition to my scooter is the 70,000+ miles I've put on it.

Tim

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

The best addition to my scooter is the 70,000+ miles I've put on it.

Tim

I was going to say 'Me'.!!!!!!

No worst additions - Yet!!

After having my bike for 10 years, and testing and creating more mods than virtually anyone for this bike,
Here is what I would do differently 10 years later:

Would not install Japanese aftermarket Cowl.
Would not install the custom Solar battery charging system I designed.
I would probably get cheaper lights than motolights.
The technology has improved where there are some LEDs that would
do the job for less money and less power.
Might get a Russel Day Long seat instead of a corbin.
Might get adjustable GIVI instead of clearview (dunno have to test.)
Would get a different alarm system.
Would not install knightrider LED on handlebar for alarm. Not worth the money.
Would not create custom hand protectors that slide in and out.

dspevack wrote:

After having my bike for 10 years, and testing and creating more mods than virtually anyone for this bike,
Here is what I would do differently 10 years later:

Would not install Japanese aftermarket Cowl.
Would not install the custom Solar battery charging system I designed.
I would probably get cheaper lights than motolights.
The technology has improved where there are some LEDs that would
do the job for less money and less power.
Might get a Russel Day Long seat instead of a corbin.
Might get adjustable GIVI instead of clearview (dunno have to test.)
Would get a different alarm system.
Would not install knightrider LED on handlebar for alarm. Not worth the money.
Would not create custom hand protectors that slide in and out.

Thanks Dan, think you have justified my staying stock in your post!!!!

Interesting thread you started here. There aren't any mods on my bike that I wouldn't do again, but the mods I can't imagine doing without include:
1 - The tall Givi windscreen. (great wind protection)
2 - The HyperPro progressive springs (amazing improvement in handling)
3 - 22g Dr. Pulley sliders (much quicker accelleration)
4 - Power commander (engine runs smoother and gets better mpg)

Waspie wrote:

Thanks Dan, think you have justified my staying stock in your post!!!!

No I haven't. LOL that's only about 10% of my mods!

Sorry i didn't mean hijack this thread, but.

dspevack wrote:

Would not install the custom Solar battery charging system I designed.
I would probably get cheaper lights than motolights.
The technology has improved where there are some LEDs that would do the job for less money and less power.

Dave what did you not like about the solar battery charging system?
I have been thinking about putting a solar panel on the top of my top box.
What LEDs would go with now?
I have 55w auxiliary lights on now and plan going to LEDs for less power draw. I want them to see better more than to be seen. I like the light output from the lights I have now, but I want less power draw.

Roger,

Its Dan, not Dave. I'm not taking offense, just clarifying it.
I just posted a topic called "Solar Charging Your Ride" which defines how I did it.
At the time I was worried that my Alarm would draw too much power over time and I did not want the battery to die. So I went the Solar charging route to compensate. Also I have LEDs for show that could also drain power.

The way I did it was expensive and involved a lot of trial and error ($$$)
Now I would just get an 18AH shorai battery and not worry about it.
One of my biggest problems was getting the solar cells to stay on the sides.
I tried superglue, gorilla glue, and others. A few hours of the wind blowing at 80+mph would peel the flexible solar film away from the plastic.

I wanted to keep my top box removable as I use if for luggage on trips.
A solar panel mounted there (the best place for sunlight obviously) would
have meant plugging and unplugging. I also felt it could easily be stolen.
The commercial solar panels I could find at the automotive stores for
$20 didn't provide very much current (20ma), and they weren't flexible.
My system optimally could provide 200ma, and was flexible.

You can get 35 watt HIDs that will put out as much light as regular 55 watt lights and more for 55 watt HIDs.

Here is a link to a thread on high end LED lighting.


Dan

I would not install Dr Pulley bits and pieces, HyperPro fork springs, after market exhaust, custom seat, cup holder, LED running lights, Grip Puppies, headlight modulator, any type of sound system, chrome plated bling, rear car tyre, flag mount, deer whistles, extra instruments, etc.

I want a Silver Wing maxi scooter not a poor mans Gold Wing or sports bike.

Best things?

1. Buttrest to backrest conversion.
2. Honda light with switch to replace underseat light.
3. 12 volt accessory plug.
4. Battery maintainer harness installed on battery under the seat for quick connect of battery maintainer.
5. Changed out the mirrors for some that stick out farther so I can see stuff other than my shoulders...
6. Dennis B GPS mount

Worst thing?

1. Dealer installed the 12 volt plug as switched versus non-switched (sigh). In other words, key has to be on to charge cell-phone and use GPS.

Buttrest to Backrest has made riding far more comfortable for me.I fitted Gel grips, but no big improvement. The Givi screen(DT) i didn't care for, when it got broken i didn't replace it, and am back with the OEM screen. Disconnecting the side stand switch(i have to pass through a gate) was very useful.Possibly the best thing i did was take the seat light bulb out. I fitted Dr Pulley sliders and i think that was worthwhile. Battery being under the seat made connecting heated clothing easy. All in all it's a good package. I just wish i could find some tyres that give better mileage.

Best:

Givi AF214 - makes highway riding pleasant

Givi 55L top box

Mirror extenders - to see around my American-sized body

Kiss an headlight modulator. If I forget to turn it on, I always catch it after a few thoughts along the lines of, "There sure are a lot of idiot cagers out today"

Oh, and a nice helmet. Amazing the noise difference between my old helmet and my new one.

Worst:

I am happy thus far with everything on the bike.

Mine's all bog standard - happy with her as she is although I might check out the airflow screen

I have no regrets doing my mods .Givi AF, UK wind deflectors Oxford Heatzer,12 V plug,Shark stereo,Givi 55 top box Passenger back rest,Passenger armrest,going to the DS,soon DDS. Soon Trigg trike with On and Off capability, Dr P sliders,Cree LED running light. The one thing that I removed was Palm rest I found very dangerous in a slow left hand turn,the hand pressure could not release on the throttle control.

So far here is my list, but I have a couple of other things to do yet.

Best:
Remove the Buttrest (It made a huge difference for a 6' tall guy!)
Givi AF214 (Way better than stock)
Grip Puppies (They help with my arthritic hands)

Ok:
Kaoko Trottle stop (Very expensive, so not sure it's the way to go)

Worst:
NEP throttle lock (It didn't fit correctly so it was always dragging)
Front cowl mod ( I dropped the bike and took a chuck out of it)

By far the best bike I have owned! Better than the Burgman 400, better than the HD Softail.

Dan Spevack, David Parker,

What is this aftermarket or Cowl mod that you've mentioned?

Tim

Tim,

David was joking because he dropped his bike.

Mine was from a fiberglass bike kit called "Bomber" I believe.
We had a member named Genki on the Silverwing.org site who lived in Japan.
It looked good on his bike, so I had him send me one.
Of course in typical fashion I overdid it.
They were overlays that more or less fit on the stock side cowls.
I had them glassed in and painted.
The extra weight was constantly stressing the clips and the fit for the
extra moulded-in lighting was poor.
Click the link in my sig to go to my album and you will see my bike with the cowl.
I think this might show the complete kit that my side cowls came from
It was originally for the Honda Forza, aka Honda Reflex.
Here is a link to a shop that sells them if you are really interested.
http://japan.webike.net/ps/vivid+power+side+cowl/#!search&p.k=vivid+power+side+cowl

My best mod is a Russell day Long Seat. The second best were the mirror extenders. The progressive springs, new headlights and sliders all helped as well.

I would have to say these are the best mods for me:

AF214 Givi Adjustable Screen
Hyperpro springs
Dr Pulley sliders

Ok. so I forgot a few of my favored up grades. So what? At least I did not leave my love stock, like Meldrew, that believes any changes are bad.except.

"front mudflap, fork protectors, leg wind deflectors, heated grips, Givi AF214 Airflow with M.A.R.S., mirror extenders, Givi E52 or E55 top cases with back rests, Cameron 'Barker' high-viz, and Givi T421 saddle bags. Dennis B sat nav mount, Garmin Zūmo 350LM, Interphone F4 intercom system"
but I must admit,that thanks to you Mildrew that I have picked up on some great ideas.

Meldrew hasn't spent much time changing anything mate, I'm not into farkling. The dealer fitted my heated grips, wind deflectors, and Givi rack. The Airflow and mirror extenders I chose to fit because the stock items were rubbish. The mudflap was homemade job, so was the M.A.R.S. for my Airflow, and the fork protectors were a 10 minute job with zip ties. I already had the Givi E52 and soft luggage items from previous maxi scooters. The Dennis B sat nav mount was another easy 10 minute job, but I'm still not convinced it's the best place for a sat nav. I binned my Grip Puppies after a short period as they were rubbish, and the Interphone F4 intercom is fitted to a pair of helmets not the scooter.



I've only listed the stuff as it seems to be the thing to do on American based scooter forums. I've got a tunnel bag, a load of Ortlieb gear and some other bits that I could add to that list, but meh!

As I tend to be rider(over 1.5 million 2 wheel miles since 1955) don't care about adding eletronic junk, ride in all weathers, wear no underwear if butt hurts-----and do not wish to change performance of SilverWing (buy a motorcycle if you want to go faster)....and considering buying another new one.... SilverWing needs: front mudflap (I bolt on) GIVI adjustable windshield, GIVI rear rack, NEP throttle stop @ $20, Baker Air Wings to keep pants flapping down.

Ride it 20-40,000 miles a year, WalMart Oil work fine. It is getting a bit dated and US market not important to Honda....so no plug in for electric vest/OEM heated grips, etc, etc.

I don't suppose you ponce about changing the fork springs for "blasting through the twisties" either John!

Stock fork springs have worked fine for me-----scooters with a lot of power/ charging thru the bends/ can put you in the woods easy. I like the putt-putt aspect of scooters, but still go fast-----actually liked the trailing link Helix forks......but they didn't like winter salt.

Meldrew wrote:

I don't suppose you ponce about changing the fork springs for "blasting through the twisties" either John!

Actually I did change the fronts to Hypro 2 years ago.

johnd wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

I don't suppose you ponce about changing the fork springs for "blasting through the twisties" either John!

Actually I did change the fronts to Hypro 2 years ago.

Err.. the John I was addressing was Mr Grinsel, who also favours the minimalist approach to adding stuff

I removed the butt rest from my bike and it has completely transformed the ride experience. Before the removal i felt i had made a big mistake bying the s\wing. i am 5ft. 10in tall a salad dodger and no stranger to the biscuit tin.All the best.

Best mods:
mirror extenders
headlight modulators
loud car horns (two tones), would like to have air horns!
RAM GPS mount and cup holders
power plug inside glove box for GPS

Less ideal:
Givi solid windscreen. Loved the Givi on my VStrom, but the first one I ordered for the SWing was cloudy - sent it back. The next one better, but still not crystal clear. It is too high, cannot look over the top. It fogs up and is not safe in rain and high humidity. It rattles, and I blame it for my gas mileage being below 45 mpg. The adjustable Givi sounds better, but I am not happy with the company at this point, their product had both quality and engineering issues for my model, which gripes me off.

Contemplating:

Butt rest mod for improved leg room. I'll be looking over the site for ideas on this.

MadStad adjustable screen. Haven't seen much on this here yet, good or bad. I'm not anal or unrealistic about this - but the stock screen, I got buffetted badly, and the Givi has been a big disappointment for me. I guess I'm just not tall enough, and feel if I trim it down, I'll probably get beat up again by the wind.

I have had the stock screen, standard Givi, XL Clearview, and now the Givi air flow and will never go back to either of the others. The Givi AF is very nice. I know you have had a bad experience with Givi but the AF is so much better.

If you want a different screen you may want to check out the Clearview. I bought the XL with the vent, they no longer sell them with the vent, but because of the vent the screen would flex very bad and sometimes almost touch my chin when I was going fast. Since they don't make it with the vent you don't have to worry about this now. The clearview is better than the standard Givi, IMO, and you can order them in many different sizes.

Thanks, I will also look seriously at the Givi AF. I had both a Givi top box and a Givi screen on My VStrom, and absolutely loved the quality and utility of both. I guess that was why I was so disappointed with the SWing Givi shield - I had pretty high expectations. I'm not way picky, so I don't mess around with trial and error on my farkles. I put something on, and I use it, and if it doesn't work, there might be some tweaking involving duct tape, or zip ties, or some other self-help. My brother is able to weld things, and has power tools, so he can do more for me when I'm in Georgia. He made me a very cool bent plate and threaded it so I could just screw in a RAM ball for my GPS mount, and he pre-mounted the plate atop my dash. I probably could have crammed it on a bar mount, but this keeps the GPS right where it needs to be.

One other piece of gear I love, love, love, though it is not on my scooter. I bought an Aerostich one-piece suit gently used on craigslist years ago, and it has been my constant companion through everything. It vents in hot weather, it's waterproof on all-day rides in heavy rain, and it's warm on the below 40 riding days. I had a low-speed highside exit from the scooter, and slid across a stretch of pavement on my belly. I walked away from the accident (which almost totalled my Silverwing, though mostly cosmetic stuff). I have a small scuff and one pinhole on one knee, and I got a sprained wrist. Without that suit, I shudder to think what a lot of my skin would have looked like. I slid quite a ways (as did my scooter).

Having lost 50 pounds recently, the suit is now huge on me (it was very roomy when I was heftier). I am lookiing for a replacement in a smaller size. I consider it the smartest motorcycle-related purchase I ever made! When someone asks what my "Space Suit" cost me (400 bucks!) my answer is "less than 1 single little skin graft." I look forward to having one that doesn't flap around so much when I ride, though! I'll find one eventually. Till then, I'll swim in the one I've got. Best. Gear. Ever.

So far my favorite mods to my SW have been:
Givi adjustable windshield.
Kisan headlight modulator.
Coocase V37 topbox with remote keyless lock.
Mirror extenders.
Crampbuster.
Wiring for Gerbings heated jacket liner and gloves.