swing handling

I find the swing quite stable and good handling for what it is , for the most part its a confidence inspiring ride but it dose have some issues like all Hondas , first it can get bent out of shape real quick in a aggressive turn , and I suspect the first thing it will do is high side on you , next it has what I call Goldwing syndrome , you have to be extra careful about braking in slow speed turns , like turning around ,especially in gravel or uneven pavement ,or it will dump the front end , but I would still rate its stability and safety very good even when compared to the bikes I own and have owned .

how do you rate the swing ?

Actually having ridden Goldwing well over 200,000 miles and still riding an '06 1800 I can tell you that they aren't hard to turn even in gravel. If a person knows the technique. In fact it's easier than doing that than on the Silverwing. I use the method taught in the program, "Ride like a Pro". The trick is to keep the engine running at a bit above idle and then control your speed and balance using your clutch at the friction point and dragging a bit of rear brake. At such low speeds it won't hurt the brake. I can easily U-turn my big Wing in a narrow two lane road, no big deal doing figure eights lock to lock on the handlebars. The technique works but not quite as well on the SW. I ride the rear brake and hold the engine running fast enough to keep the clutch engaged. The rear brake is used to control the speed in this case. One thing about the Silverwing is that you can use your feet if you need to. Don't try that with a GW.
Take a look at some of Jerry Paladino's videos and see how this technique works. There are several videos of his training on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5T_VSM7nbg

I've been riding motorbikes for nearly 40 years now and this is my first scooter. The handling is certainly different of what I have been used to. What I find most annoying is the slow speed handling. When I say slow speed is when I'm nearly at a stand still. I find that I tend to over correct my balance probably due to the increased rake and wheel base. At faster speeds it's much better although it does need more weight to make it lean into the bends, I am not used to my feet being forward cruiser style.

I'm not sure if any of you have the Hyperpro springs but you should think about getting them installed. It takes it from a scooter to almost m/c handling. Why honda doesn't put these in stock doesn't make sense to me. They are $155 so I can't see them being too much more expensive than stock springs to make.

I have been a victim of the soft front springs/low speed braking dive. I ended up on the ground thinking, what just happened? Other than that I think the handling is surprisingly good. But, I no longer use the front brake in the parking lot. At least until I get the Hyperpro springs...

One should never use a front brake when maneuvering at low speed, it's also known as the 'ejection lever' since it will put most any bike down surprisingly fast and has nothing to do with springs. When you hit the front brake at low speed the bike will instantly begin to lean to the outside of the turn. You could, if one is good enough and anticipates that, lean inward as you drag the front brake but it is a lot simpler just to control the speed with the rear brake in a slow turn.
I really don't notice a lot of difference in handling the SW than my GW. The main difference in slow speed handling is that since the SW doesn't have a directly controlled clutch you have to use the throttle right at the engagement speed and the rear brake to control the speed of the bike.
As for needing more weight in the twisties, not at all. I can and have scraped the stand in a fast turn. You can increase your speed in a curve by leaning forward and into the turn, that will reduce the lean angle and allow a bit more throttle. The scooter is a lot more sensitive to this since it's lighter than my GW which doesn't make near as much of an angle change no matter which way one leans. It's a matter of your moveable weight compared to the bike's weight and the amount you can shift the height and position of the bike's center of gravity. Kind of like a very laid back kneeslider.

I see that most of you are also Gold Wing riders and that is why you find riding the Silver Wing easier or not a lot more different. I always rode bikes where the footpegs are set more to the rear and lower bars where upon taking turns I tend to use my weight together with the higher center of gravity, the bikes fall into the turns much easier. I also find counter steering on the Silver Wing less effective than on my other bikes. I have not scraped anything yet on my Silver Wing but looking at the rear tyre it does look that I am using all the rubber, no chicken strips . I am only expressing my observations with a more aggressive riding style compared to bikes I was used to.

One of the first things I did to my Silverwing was to install the Hyperpro springs. After the first ride i realized for such a powerful scooter the frontend was way to soft and sloppy feeling to me. Very dangerous in my opinion. The Hyperpro springs really made a big difference in handling for sure. The next thing on my list was the seat. OH

I find bikes that have a moderate rake and a large diameter front wheel like a Kawasaki ltd , or a specter to be very stabile at slow speed maneuvering , but of course I always pumped the air shocks/forks up to the max recommended psi , yes the swing front end is way to soft , it bottoms out under hard braking and bumps very quick , I will be installing a set of those springs soon ....

When driving at low speed, I blip the throttle a bit in to keep the clutch engaged and it keeps the bike stable. I installed the hyperpro springs about a year ago and I'm happy I did- the bike does handle much better with them and also smoothes out speed bumps.

Jesse in Atlanta

my last question is , where do you buy the hyperpro springs for the swing , I have checked everywhere with no luck finding a set online...

moonshiner wrote:

my last question is , where do you buy the hyperpro springs for the swing , I have checked everywhere with no luck finding a set online...

You should be able to find them at (www.epmperf.com) I don't have them, but this is the US distributor for them. I hope this helps. (when I clicked on the link, it said it couldn't be displayed, but when I put it in the browser I reached it)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-SilverWing-600-01-FRONT-FORK-SPRING-KIT-Hyperpro-/281018827632?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416e070370

I've been riding with a local group over the last few weeks and I'm the only scooter in the pack...no surprise there! All the others are new street/sport bikes.

Last night, our route took us through some lovely twisties and sweepy bendies, it was great ride. When we reached the Custom Cafe (our usual post-ride meeting point) the guy who was riding behing me came over and pointed at my SW and said, "that thing handles pretty well, when I saw you approaching those bends I thought to myself..'oh yeah! I've got to see this'".

I get the impression that a few people in the group are generally impressed with the SW handling. I certainly am.

Loosemarbles;

You should have replied... yeah it handles well,,, but only when I'm the rider.

Sounds like a fun ride you were on.

Mike

Yeah the front end is way tooooo soft especially after those poor old springs as kept its heavy nose up for 21 years!

I took the cheaper option of the dual spring and it has improved the front forks performance to a point where its bearable and probably tracks better through long fast turns as the front end is not constantly bouncng up and down.

I would say that if you know the roads you can hustle the SWING through the twisties fast enough to have fun but it aint nowhere near a proper middle weight bike , sports or not.

I would also say that its behemoth wheelbase is great and stable but if the front or rear does slide its 50/50 if it comes back.

I have highsided mine on dirt in the centre of the road and that happend fast , lucklily i was doing 10 ,mph but it came round real fast when the rear slid out on the dirt ......comedic launch onto my right shoulder but my kit and rubber bones helped me survive.

The front slid on a regular basis on a **** Avon tire I used all winter when i first had the bike. A change of tire got rid of that but I had another front end slide at speed after hitting gravel while cranked over .......it could have been nasty but straightned up after I stamped my inside foot down MX style.....lifted the toenails off my left foot doing so but we stayed up!

I would not race with other bikes as the centrestand touches down way too early and if it did and lifted the rearwheel off the ground your talking a BIG ACCIDENT. I do get a rush hussling the SWNG about but its all relevent to what we are riding .....no prizes for crashing or getting to the cafe first ...

Good suggestion mike from ns. As for the rideouts, I would never try to race with the other bikes and we generally stay within speed limits. I think this guy was just surprised that I kept up with the flow.

After riding the silverwing for last 15 years, many thousands of miles and sets of tires , my biggest complaint is still the softness of front suspension, Honda should have used a heavier spring and made It gas assisted or adjustable , two riders up or luggage it needed adjustment , that would of been nice, otherwise in nearly 40 thousand miles I have only had to replace the stator, I have rode in every condition and as Mike states , it's pretty sure footed and predictable handling if you stay within the speed limit , the best ,most reliable bike I have ever owned.