Hi from the land of wreckers and miners

Hi all,
my name is Adam, I currently ride a very tired Honda Deauville and have been lurking while pondering buying a Silverwing - there's not too many about are there?

I commute (61 mile round trip) on country roads and will also be going camping/hiking trips/abroad/taking the better half or son or daughter places/doing my own mechanical work and servicing.

I'm looking at one at the mo' on ebay at £2995
listed as
2007 57-PLATE HONDA SILVERWING FJS 600 A-7 14,829 MILES
AERO SCREEN, HEATED GRIPS AND GIVI MAXIA TOP BOX.
looks in good nick


seems to not be late enough to have the O2 sensor and therefore not as fuel efficient as it could be according to posts on here. It is an ABS model which I note is recommended (is that because it is especially useful on a scooter or just a general thing?)

Does anyone have experience of the type of screen addition used (laminar lip)?
I see that on here it has 'mixed reviews'

I know there should be a little wriggle room on the price but it doesn't look over priced compared with others on eblag, any thoughts from you expert buyers?

I guess that on the given mileage a new belt is in order - I will do a search to find out how and what to do etc - but are there any other points I need to consider (changing fluids etc) that I might use to bargain with on price?

thanks for all input.
p.s been trying to post this for ages before i noticed the warning that I couldn't post a link (to ebay)- doh!

Thanks Hi Yo - am I right in thinking the coloured in states are ones you have visited. I can't imagine the miles involved living as I do on such a tiny island!

cornishtrailsloth...Welcome! I bought a 2002 SWing with 14,700 miles on it a little over a year ago (21,000, now). It doesn't have the O2 sensor. I get 45 to 50 MPG running 55 or 60 MPH. That drops to 35 or 40 MPG at 70 or 75 MPH. I suspect the 2007 SWing would do at least that well. I gather from member postings that even with the O2 sensor, 50 MPG is about as good as you can expect from the SWing 50 HP engine. If most of your riding is in the 55 or 60 MPH range, I believe the absence of the O2 sensor should not be a deal breaker...IMHO!

cornishtrailsloth wrote:

Thanks Hi Yo - am I right in thinking the coloured in states are ones you have visited. I can't imagine the miles involved living as I do on such a tiny island!

Correct. I'm just a "fair weather rider" compared to others on here.

Thanks for that Kenjj50 - I am getting about 55mpg from the Deauville and heavy handed with the throttle so will have to consider the extra(increasing) costs involved, still as you say the O2 sensor does not seem to make a huge difference.

LOL - bet you get a few more fair weather days than we do here though, Hi Yo

Just remember Cornishtrailsloth that there is a difference between the US gallon and the UK gallon and most members here are in the States.

Oh, and welcome to the forum. I have a 2006 model with abs and find the fuel consumption is highest on motorways where I tend to travel at lane 3 speeds.

When I got it about three months ago, I was doing around 52 UK mpg. Having got used to it and with new front springs and tyres, I reckon I'm chucking it around a bit more and probably using more fuel.

It'll soon be ready for a full engine service and I'll check the throttle sync., plugs and air filter. That may improve things and I'll check the consumption again.

Thanks Flyingpanman - of course! It's been really interesting lurking on this site because there is a real sense of difference and yet sameness at times between US and UK posters (and all other points of the compass), 52 mpg isn't bad.

I have to say from a personal point of view getting 52 mpg Imp overall is pretty rubbish. I've had the odd 54-59 mpg on as a result of short local rides, but on fast quiet A roads, dual carriageways, motorways, autobahns, and anywhere where high speed cruising is possible, I expect and do get about 63-69 mpg overall. That's on my '10 plate Silver Wing with the O2 sensor fitted. The addition of a passenger and full touring kit doesn't alter the figures either.

I don't do a lot of fuel logging these days unlike the comprehensive records I used to keep, the last figures I posted on here were based on the fuel consumption noted when I was over in Germany last year.

Then the Silver Wing was running on Bridgestone Hoops and standard NGK spark plugs. Now that I've changed to Continental ContiMove tyres and a set of NGK Iridium plugs, I'll start note taking again to see if these changes have improved fuel efficiency.

Welcome to the forum.

From what I have read the mileage is better with the O2 sensor.
I have no problem getting 60mpg (UK gallon)
Anyone with a little bit of mechanical skills will have no trouble changing the belt or pulling
the clutch. Look in the pictorial section for some excellent write ups.

The only thing you might be concerned with is wheel size.
Scooters have smaller wheels than bikes. So rough roads are a lot more jolting.
But when it comes to city riding the scooter is the ride of choose.

Good luck in what ever you decide. Come back and let us know.

I suppose the difference between 50 mpg and 60 mpg is the difference in a US gallon (3.8 liters) and a UK gallon (4.5 liters) rather than the O2 sensor. It appears an O2 sensor is a good thing, but not really a big contributor in fuel economy in the 55 and 60 mph range.

Welcome to the forum, Adam

Tim

Well - I bought it! £2700 in the end

can't post the ebay link I'm afraid

- what a giggle it is to ride - you're right about the jolting Reg.

I think the poor thing won't know what's hit it now it is in my clutches - it had such an easy life up till now, often less than a 1000 miles between MOTs and full services regardless of mileage. Nice lot of paper work with it so I know where I am in the service schedule.

The laminar lip thing stayed on at 90mph - wind noise much less than my Deauville with a tall touring screen on, must admit it doesn't feel as smooth on acceleration as I'd thought it would and it has a nasty habit of shaking the bars on decelerating with no hands on. The dealer said it would go away if I take the top box off but I wonder if it may be down to other causes.

The seat strut seems like a weak thing - won't hold the seat up if the bike isn't level.I like the fact that I put the helmet in the under seat storage after stopping for petrol on a cold day - and when I took it out it was warm.

Gutted for a while when I thought the heated grips weren't working but then figured out how to use them.

So now to order a new OEM belt and Dr Pulley rollers, make a variator holding tool, clean up the Deauville to sell etc etc....

Still I know where to come for advice and info -

thanks again everyone.

I said before I'd owned mine for three months. I was wrong, it's five months. It had 7k miles and now has nearly 12k.

The front end would bang hard on small potholes and with my 17.9 stone weight the rear shocks bottom out even on full preload. I used to have to ride very gently. That's when I was getting 52mpg UK.

Hyperpro progressive front springs have transformed the front end and now I chuck it about a lot more, hardly worrying about pot-holes. I'm thinking of fitting YSS shocks to the rear. A new pair of tyres were needed also.

I've made my own backrest and fitted leg wind deflectors. A Givi A214 airflow windscreen and a pair of handguards all add to the comfort. I also found a cheap air cushion (£52?) similar to the airhawk.

I had my wheels powder coated with a chrome effect paint (see my personal album) and cleaned the calipers along with new pads all round. Just today I fitted my own design throttle lock. Being an automatic means you are holding the throttle for long periods and I suffer from hand cramps.

The previous owner had the heated grip control placed inside the right hand glove box! To turn on or off while on the move means letting go of the throttle! Soon, I'll move the control to the left side glove box lid.

My handlebars shake a bit when hands-off. Just keep at least one hand on

The decelerating head shake is much similar to that of the Goldwing. Usually happens around 35mph decelerating with hands off. On the Goldwing one finger on a grip will prevent it. The usual cure, assuming head bearings are in good condition and tensioned properly, is a new front tire.

exavid wrote:

The decelerating head shake is much similar to that of the Goldwing. Usually happens around 35mph decelerating with hands off. On the Goldwing one finger on a grip will prevent it. The usual cure, assuming head bearings are in good condition and tensioned properly, is a new front tire.

Yes, that's how mine is now. Before I put a new pair of tyres on it was slightly worse. at that time I noticed the rear tyre was not running quite even when on the centre stand. The wheel was perfectly true.

I put it down to that at the time and ignored it as I was getting a new pair of tyres.

The head bearings were fine when I put the new tyres on. The front wheel bearings were replaced due to powder coating.

Despite all this, the shake was still there, but not as bad. Looking at the new rear tyre on the centre stand showed it was running uneven just like the old tyre! Again checked the rear wheel and it is perfectly true.

I haven't checked the front wheel. I'm assuming it would've been noticed when balancing the new tyre.

It's something that I can quite happily live with and the bike is otherwise very stable and smooth, especially with the new suspension. Just the same, I'd rather it didn't do it and it bugs me a little that my new tyre runs ever so slightly uneven.

It could also be caused by the front brake on an uneven disc.

I have had the same issue with the Deauville which seems particularly sensitive to tyre condition/pressure and I have found difficult to get the head bearings to the right tension on it. As you say keep a hand on - which is the usual method of riding an MC, incidentally - and not sure of the truth of this - but I heard that part of the police MC course involves making the rider take their hands off the bars and when the bike started to shake the bars they are supposed to leave their hands off as the shake sorts itself out - bit of a test of nerve!

I'm not sure I'll be imvesting as much on the handling as you have FPM but lets see how bugged I get by it. I'll check out your comfort adding bits though.
On the throttle side I have been using a simple plastic palm throttle holder that works well to relieve the right hand on long trips on the Deauville and hopefully will work on the Swing.

Taxed the Swing today, and now looking at the insurance, btw anyone got any good things to say about parts suppliers in the UK?

- I often go to wemoto for most bits but david silvers for honda specific stuff I can't find elsewhere.

Welcome from the north east fella.
Dave silverman was the best price I could find for a belt.
A doddle to fit, but you'll need to make the holder tool, piece laminate flooring did for me. It doesnt need to be pretty, just three holes lol.

Thanks for the welcome steve_h80 - yes JeffRs pictorial and youtube posts (ie bigbirds etc) make it look relatively easy.
Thanks for the info re David Silvers - cheapest I've seen for the belt

When you change the belt pull the clutch and sand any glaze off the pads and inside the clutch drum.
It smoothed out the acceleration for me. Cut down a lot on the tupperware rattle.

I wouldn't deliberately allow a wobble to continue. I did once just to find out what would happen. The '35mph decelerating head shake' phenomenon was a big discussion subject on the Steve Saunders Goldwing forum. Using a throttle lock and the cruise control to hold speeds at five mph intervals from 25 to 80mph on my '93 GL1500 I would ride hands off and slap the grips to see if a wobble would start. It took a bit of nerve to try to induce a wobble but I wanted to know if the GL had a dangerous characteristic. In the end I couldn't induce a wobble other than around 35mph. Steady speed 35mph hands free would cause a slight wobble, decelerating through 35 caused a wobble of somewhat stronger intensity. At no time did the wobble continue once I put a hand on a grip. There are so many different possibilities in a resonant system that I couldn't think of a good way to refine a method of determining exactly what was inducing the wobble. But I could fairly accurately state that it wasn't seriously dangerous.
HD did have a serious high speed wobble on some models in the past. That was dangerous because high speed wobble has a lot more potential energy which can cause disastrous results. It looks to me that the SW has similar characteristics, sometimes annoying but not seriously dangerous because one hand on a grip will dampen the system and prevent oscillation or wobble as we define it.

cornishtrailsloth wrote:

The seat strut seems like a weak thing - won't hold the seat up if the bike isn't level.

Since your scoot is an '07, the strut may need replaced. There should be plenty of information available using the search function.

Motogrid has the lift strut for $29. Seems like highway robbery since I just put two new lift struts on the back window of my Jeep Liberty for a total of $11 for the pair.

re the wobble, having obtained a S/H wheel and swapped disc, abs ring and tyre, i've ended up with a wobble, whats yours like at walking pace or below, mines a nightmare. Took the wheel off and sat it between 2 axle stands, the wheel rim is buckled, up to 5mm out of true in one place, starts gradually and goes to 5mm then back down again. Gotta try and find a repairer, there is a place in Maidstone, cost is about £80

Thanks Hi Yo and Exavid - will do a search.
Phils a winger - seems OK at walking place - just on deceleration, as has been said - don't take your hands off the bars and it's OK - looking at your thread I'm hoping not to have your bearing woes.

So I'm on nights at the Mo' and have done a 100+ miles commuting, it is a very different thing to riding the M/C and I feel I have a bit to go until I am 'at one' with the cornering on the scooter - new centre of gravity, not being able to use engine breaking etc.

Have ordered some ACF50 to help fight the winter corrosion, and will be getting some more long johns to combat the (new to me) cold BEHIND the knee! That and an ever sunny disposition should get me through another Cornish winter.

once again thanks for the info and tips guys.

Cornish try dragging a little rear brake in the corners same as you would on a regular bike...

good tip - I'll try it - it is more at very slow speeds - u-turns etc that I really don't get it right. Still not dropped it - yet.

finished nights and a little time to spare so I have ordered some parts to do the 16,000 mile service - new OEM belt, 24gr Slider rollers and peices, new iridium sparks, oil filter, front and rear pads, pins and new graphite flange for when the silencer comes off for a new rear tyre.

In the meantime I have to get rid of the deauville (no space) so that needs a clean and a little work.

no time! no time!

Take a look at Jerry Padilla's "Ride like a Pro" videos. Some of them are free on Youtube. The technique of dragging your rear brake in sharp turns can be adapted to the SW with it's shiftless transmission. I find it works as well on my CVT scooter as it did on my Goldwings and BMW K1100. You can get the idea from the free videos on Youtube or you can get the whole enchilada from his website. Well worth looking at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzN4Y-C0tL8

As for me, I use light rear brake going into the U-turn, then power out the second half of the U-turn. Fell over a couple of times when going too slow in the second half of my turn. That is my way. Everyone needs to find what works for them.

Any time the a bike or scooter starts to fall inward on a slow speed turn a shot of throttle will do wonders to catch it and prevent the drop.

Thanks Exavid and easyrider - I reckon I'll get into the 'swing' of it soon