New Silverwing collected today - initial impressions

I was a bit tentative at first. Low Centre of gravity took me by surprise and from the off it felt incredibly nimble around town - steering and turning in very sharp. Swapping from a 'normal' bike to an automatic actually very instinctive - no grabbing for clutch. Leg position a bit odd at first - kept putting feet straight down for footpegs. Engine incredibly smooth - much more so than I expected. Learned pretty quickly to rev it more and it darted away from the line pretty smartish. Did about twenty miles of dual carriageway and it was comfortable at 70-75mph. Within an hour I started to throw it around in traffic like I did when I was a courier in the 1980's.

The only obvious issue - wing mirrors need extending.

In summary

Glad you like it, I'd never ridden a scooter before, always had motorbikes and I found it very strange at first, frankly I'm still learning, find it most difficult at slow speeds and islands, but I'm getting there.
Having said that, I wouldn't swop it, so comfy.

Crusty, what year did you snag?

Hi Gustafa, the bike is registered as a 2015/16 but the dealer seemed to think it was built in late 2014 and has been in stock since then. He showed me the stock control system and there were still plenty of Black and Blue models available but less of the Silver ones.

Crustycrutch ,let me say welcome to a new riding experience. No clutch is sure nice...enjoy.

Very nice Crusty, enjoy, she'll treat you well! Welcome on!

Actually, I just thought of another issue. The dealer was quite adamant that the Honda Service Manual is not available any longer in the UK. I understand I can order one from the good ol' US of A but is there a UK or European one available anywhere?

"I started to throw it around in traffic like I did when I was a courier in the 1980's."

Were you riding the old Silverwing GL500 back then or a CX500?

As a courier in London back then I used to go through bikes like crazy. In two and a half years I had three CX500s, five GT550 or 750's, two z550’s, a handfull of CB250's and a variety of trail bikes. What with crashing, blowing up, throwing chains or getting t-boned by cabs the life expectancy of bikes (and riders) was short.
I gave up after a particularly nasty crash on the A40 that still affects me to this day. We used to do stupid things like riding on footpaths, through underpasses and down one way streets the wrong way just to get an extra package on board. The money was so good back then but my feeble brain finally saw the risks weren't worth it. Darwinian theory at work :-)

Crustycrutch wrote:

The only obvious issue - wing mirrors need extending.

If you do a search on here, you'll find plenty of links for mirror extenders. They do make a big difference IMO. I got mine from Ebay, through Gascap Dude in the States - don't think there is a UK-based seller.

Graham

Welcome crustycruch, don't bother with mirror extenders. I tried them,but, I found the mirrors from the Suzuki Burgman or similar are much better having longer stems and wider  vision. You can get them  easily on EBay. There are a few adaptations you can find in the achieve section to make the bike more comfortable, but give it a couple of  months riding first.

I neede some adhustment, and still do
I keep forgetting that the 'clutch' lever is really a brake that's stronger than the one on my S40 :lol!:

Crustycrutch wrote:

Actually, I just thought of another issue. The dealer was quite adamant that the Honda Service Manual is not available any longer in the UK. I understand I can order one from the good ol' US of A but is there a UK or European one available anywhere?

I got my manual from here http://www.service-shop-repair-manual.com/honda-silverwing-fsc600-fsc600a-part-61mct11-service-shop-repair-manual/ Very good seller and I had mine from USA in less than a week. A few other forum members have also had the manual from him.

Den

Hi Den, no joy with that link. It works and shows the manual but when going through the checkout process, the site tells me it can't send to my address for some reason. I even set up an account but still no joy. There's no email address listed either. Bummer

Sorry that you had no joy with that. I know he's dispatched to several UK members before so I wonder if he's stopped sending to UK now. I have his email address as manualwizard41@gmail.com. May be worth sending an email just asking about delivery to UK.

Den

Cheers for that. Will try email. Ta

Update. Manual ordered thanks to Den. With shipping to UK cost is about £50 and takes about ten days or so.

Glad you got that sorted. I think that's around what mine cost too and it arrived within the week and the seller kept me informed all the way through about delivery. It's a great manual too. You'll be doing all sorts when you get it

Den

Mirror extenders worked fine for me on both of my SWs as well as the pair I put on a friend's bike. Inexpensive too compared to replacing with different mirrors. Just wide enough, install a pair and no more shoulders in the mirrors.

I'm with Paul W on this. Mirror extenders have worked great for me too. It's the first mod I did to my original SW in 2003. Here's a link to a set on Amazon. Under $12, with all the necessary hardware & free shipping too. Free is a good thing:

http://www.amazon.com/10mm-Motorcycle-Mirror-Riser-Extender/dp/B019IDMAAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453776352&sr=8-1&keywords=motorcycle+mirror+extender

Tim

Crusty, I can tell that you are going to enjoy this bike quite a lot. I have mirror extenders and they work great. This site is great for running ideas by people who have tried them all and will give you their opinion. I'm sure you feel right at home !!!!
Jay.

Welcome aboard. I have the shop manual and the mirror extenders as well. Both excellent products. You're going to like that SWing...

Been looking at mirror extenders - can I ask, does the Silverwing use M10 threads on the mirrors?

Yes, 10mm thread size. The kit on that Amazon link has the correct 10mm thread hex bolts, which probably requires an 8mm hex wrench to fit. Both left and right mirror stems are the same thread --as opposed to one being a left-hand thread and the other neing a right-hand thread.

Tim

On my present Silverwing I have the same extenders as Tim, purchased in the UK.
On my previous one I hade genuine Honda ones, good but not as good to look at.
Both types do just as efficient a job.

Bit of an update. Workshop manual arrived today - exactly a week from ordering - pretty good considering the weather in the US. Also got mirror extenders on order. Happy times

Crustycrutch wrote:

Bit of an update. Workshop manual arrived today - exactly a week from ordering - pretty good considering the weather in the US. Also got mirror extenders on order. Happy times

Let the customisations begin!

Also found a set of brand new wind deflectors on eBay for a little over £50 - bargain!