Hi Paul. Taking delivery of my Sh300 next Friday following a lifetime of bikes of all types. Can I ask you which Givi screen did you go for the 52 or 59 cm and do you look over the top of it or through it. How much are they and is the fitting easy. Also have you fitted heated grips and if so which ones. This is the first time that I have ever bought a machine relying only on the strength of test reports so lets hope the writers haven't been over egging it. By the way I live in Lincoln and will be commuting 22 miles a day on A/B roads and city centre with hopefully some pleasure riding as well. Just got fed up with everything that's involved with the likes of Pan's and RT's. Regards. Geoff.
We don't need nearly what we have! Remember that the Vincent Black Shadow had what? maybe 50-60hp? A Ninja 250 will haul my fat ass (270lbs) to over 90mph.:eek1
Hi Geoff. If i remember right i had the 52cm Givi screen. I'm 5ft 10in and i look through the top of the screen. I can happily ride with my visor up. The screen is a breeze to fit. 4 13mm bolts secure it to the underside of the top cowl. There are spacers that fit between the mounting brackets and the underside mounting points. They can be a bit fiddly, but are no real problem. I have got a set of Oxford grips - but i haven't got round to fitting them yet. You'll love the SH. It's just a nice hassle free commuter - and a good tourer to boot. All the best with your purchase. Post some pics when you get it. Paul.
Agreed. With the price of fuel heading only one way maybe small light stuff will be back big time. My local dealers are selling 125's like hot cakes. Big fast stuff has died a death.
I have done exactly the same as you Geoff and purchased the bike on the strength of reviews and opinions. Although I have not had a diverse range of motorbikes I have ridden a few 650s but got tired of the work involved when in traffic. This is my honest opinion. I will give you the bad bits first. The foot-well is too small, I am only a size 9 and I could see it being a little cramped if you are big footed. My first back box so they may all be the same but I find it annoying locking and unlocking, there must be a knack to it but I find myself still trying to lock it after 2 minutes. No low fuel light and no reserve that I can see. Not so nice looking from the front of the bike. The seat is not the best for comfort or position, I feel as though I am sitting very close to the front of the bike with no option to slide back because of the ridge in the seat. It is not overly comfortable but this may just be me. Under seat storage is poor, not enough room to fit a helmet. The good: Looks far better than it looks in any picture especially from the back and the sides, from the back you would not know it was a scooter. It is quick (for a scooter) very quick. Although it does not feel that quick I beat everything from the lights. Mid range it still pulls all the way up to 85mph (this was up hill) and then I think there must be a limiter on it. I say this because it does not run out of breath at all it just stops. There seems to be much more left it feels like it would or should hit at least 100mph. Mine is a 2007 and it looks like new, you can see and feel Honda quality. I actually feel my journeys are much quicker on this than on my motorcycle, I think it is because it is so easy and fun to ride. Instrument panel is brilliant, and the built in HISS alarm system is easy to use and is a CAT 2 so insurance is lower. (I think) Bike feels stable and I am sure you could wheelie it and get your knee down if you wanted. As for the grips I had the Daytona all season which Honda sell as an after market set. Original Honda ones cost £199 and these are £60. Although I have only used them once, they get very hot and the reviews on them are good. Although there are a lot of bad points none of them are really that bad and if you asked me if I think the scooter is worth the money I would say hell yes and more, it is an amazing piece of kit that will last me a good few years. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> <o></o> <o></o> <o></o> <o></o> <o></o> <o></o> <o></o> <o></o> <o></o>
(Firstly: I'm most impressed with the picture gallery on the homepage - when you simply enter www.advrider.com - is this new?) Like macamx and DPE, I bought this scooter purely on the strength of reviews; and, of these, this thread has been the most useful. Took delivery yesterday in Velvet Red (pictures to follow) and with a Givi screen (52cm) - thanks for the advice, Paul -. Buying from a Honda dealer with 0% finance has been a breeze. Great service. I haven't been on two wheels for more than ten years, so it is difficult to make immediate comparisons, but the bike does not disappoint. It has a magic carpet ride that is effortless and, despite running it in and avoiding any hard acceleration, it appears to have loads in reserve. I agree with DPE's observations about the size of the footplate and limited storage, which are both the consequence of the larger wheels and, in my view, the trade-off with the sure-footed handling of the larger diameter wheels is well worthwhile. The Givi screen, despite being the smaller size, is tall enough that I look through the top of the screen (I am a shade off 6 foot). I thought that I would immediately want to cut it down but, as yet, I am totally happy with it. I have not driven it without a screen, so I cannot say that it has increased the engine noise; but I can say that I do not find the noise at all intrusive and that the tone of the engine is relaxing, if anything. None of the high pitch, small engine whine of so many scooters. The dealer had not fitted a Givi screen before and says that he will now recommend it to all his customers. It just looks better than the Honda screen too. The scooter is heavy by comparison with others, but not too heavy. The balance is reassuring considering its power. The seats are broad and comfortable; and I have not found the ridge too far forward, as mentioned by DPE, but this is, of course, a matter of opinion. The top box needs a knack and you certainly should not leave the dealer without a thorough demonstration. I don't particularly like the top box.. In view of the limited space under the seat, I would have preferred something a little larger. A couple of inches wider would have been ideal. I shall not change it, however, because of the advantage of having a single key for ignition, top box and under-seat storage (under-seat storage being released from the ignition, which is a nice touch). The bike is so simple and everything just works; it is difficult to add anything other than mentioning the broad grin that comes as standard. You can't but help smiling as you pull away with such consummate ease and enjoy the ride. One happy customer. Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread.
Saw a scoopy with a Puig screen oday. Looked as though it was in just the right spot. Ended about mid-chest. Could be a purchase for next spring..
Collected and rode the 50 miles back from dealers Grimsby/Lincoln. First impressions very favourable. Will do a review after a few hundred miles. Geoff.
Put 300 miles on so far. starting to bed in just fine, quick blasts up to 80/85 show this should be a realistic sort of cruising speed in the future, Handling very good indeed (using my 40 years plus on all types of bikes both professionally and for pleasure averaging 20k+ a year as my reference) gave it a good shake of the head at around the 80 mark and took several other liberties but the Sh was totally unfazed which is more that could be said for a few conventional bikes that I could mention. Brakes are exceptionally good and the anti-lock very sophisticated especially compared to some of the other systems that I have tried in the past, also when mucking about with the anti-lock this shows up the sport demons fitted to be tenacious little buggers giving plenty of feed back as you know just when the system is about to kick in. Yes the anti-lock does take a very small amount of control away from the rider but this system is so good that to almost every rider this system is nothing but positive in its contribution. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the linked braking system, this does remove far to much control and I dislike it intensely. the level of precise control that is lost on slow manoeuvres buy not being able to modulate throttle and rear brake independently is rubbish. Fuel consumption for first couple of tanks 71 mpg pretty good for a new motor being given a fairly aggressive running procedure, will report more later. Geoff.
Has anyone tried to remove the rear wheel yet? I'd be interested to know the procedure before I try. Ta.
Ok,for those interested here is how I think the rear wheel is removed. Firstly remove the exhaust can,held in place by three bolts and loosen the clamp holding the can to the exhaust pipe. Remove the two bolts retaining the rear caliper. Loosen the 16mm nut on the rear spindle. Remove bottom rear shock mounting bolt. The can mount/swingarm is retained by 2 bolts,remove these. Now remove the loosened 16mm spindle nut and the swingarm can be removed allowing access to the rear wheel.
Quick question. While really trying to find any handling quirks on the 300 I have only been able to unearth one "fault" when decellerating with hands off the bars a bar wobble or flutter sets in just below 40 mph, anyone else picked up on this and before any wag say's "then don't take your hands off the bars" as I say i am trying to find any flaws with what appears to be a pretty flawless machine to start with.
I have frequently found this to be a symptom of the front pre-load being too soft, and/or the rear shock as being not up to the task or out of adjustment..... at least on motorcycles. Given as how I weigh 230 lb.s, I have found suspension upgrades to be mandatory on my bikes. I can't help but think that it's just as important on scooters as well..... yet I have never seen any posts about upgrading or setting up the suspension on scooters.
