Comparison: Piaggio BV500 and Honda Silverwing

I got the Michelins and had the shop put them on...just got back from picking the bike up and riding it home.

Obviously, I haven't ridden on the new tires very far yet, but one thing I have noticed is that the new tires have no central groove, which means they don't catch much on rain grooves and longitudinal defects in the pavement. The old Bridgestones did have the central groove and would occasionally catch a bit...never a big issue, just a matter of staying loose on the bike...

As the weather here is cold and clear through the weekend, I might take a ride in the next day or two and will be able to provide more info about the performance of the Michelin Power Pures...more to follow later.

Be careful, they take some time to warm up!

I've noticed riding in the sub-freezing temps last week that they tend to
let go more easily when accelerating then braking, and even on wet
roads the braking is great, regardless of the central groove.

Also, you might notice a slight "hesitance" when going from the central
part of the tire to the grooves since they're not aligned front-back.

Some say the tires are "unstable" but it's really a non-issue, just ignore it.

Interesting. Is that hesitation due to the shift from the harder compound in the center of the tire to the softer compound in the sidewalls?

I'll watch for that. I'm always a bit cautious with new tires until they break in a bit, but didn't particularly notice anything weird on the ride home...

Thanks for the heads up, Cortez!

Nah, it's the grooves.
You'll hit the ones on the front wheel first, and when you start "leaving"
the area of the front grooves the rear grooves "kick in" giving you the
feeling of loosing traction for a millisecond while in reality everything is ok.

Np!

I've read somewhere that they had a lot of complaints about that and
that they are making, or have already made a replacement (under the
same name).

Never managed to confirm any of that.

These tires on my scoot in 14" and 13" sizes have more grip then what
I had on my Kawasaki 650R with Dunlop Roadsmarts, and those were
great, too!

Well, the temp was up near 70oF this PM, so was able to put a couple of hundred miles on the new PowerPures.

I initially did feel the hesitation Cortez described above a little bit...mostly when the tires were cold (AM was cool...about 40oF), but VERY little and really not an issue at all.

As they warmed up, I no longer felt anything resembling hesitation or slip. What I felt, instead, was lots of very good traction and excellent cornering on the twisties. Very confidence instilling and exponentially better tires than the Bridgestones they replaced.

I will buy these again! Very impressed...thanks for the recommendation, Cortez and others!!

Here are a few photos from today, taken on the west side of the Sutter Buttes...the smallest mountain range in the world!

So amigo, I read the first page of this tread and notice you like your NEW scooter, also notice it was written in July and as a new scooter.

I see you still have the SW, so I wanted to ask if you still have the BV and how do you like it now that it has more miles? Or if you sold it and keep the SW, why?

Thanks

Damasovi

Howdy! I still have both and love both. This is partly because they're both great bikes and partly because I don't really have any more $$$ to buy or trade anything else. Fortunately, my current "stable" is more than adequate for my needs.

Weather protection on both bikes is excellent, particularly after I replaced the wind deflector on the BV500 with a full Givi windshield.

I see the SWing as the "mule", the machine I use to tour and run long distances. It's highly reliable, has lots of storage space, good power and handles reasonably well. It averages about 50 mpg. Service points are pretty easy to get to and the factory service manual is good-even if I choose not to do the work, at least I can see clearly what has to be done.

I see the BV500 as the bike of choice for day rides and twisties. The BV500 is also reliable, though I initially had some issues regarding the speedometer and it was then I discovered that the Piaggio parts pipeline, at least here, is, shall we say, leisurely at best, despite the fact that my dealer is a major BMW/Triumph/Ducati/Vespa/Piaggio dealer about 5 miles from my house. That said, the BV500 continues to outhandle the SWing due to the lighter weight, weight distribution and larger wheels and is truly a joy to ride. It has reasonably good power, although nowhere near that of the SWing...I suspect that the new BV350's engine might be close in power output to the BV500 and probably much smoother. Storage is much less than the SWing under the seat, although front storage is much better. If I need to carry more, I put on the smaller Givi box. Fuel mileage is 55-60, which is fortunate because the fuel tank is pretty small...I made about 130 miles on the tank going over Carson Pass awhile back and so I think it's OK.

So, I love them both and will keep them both. Every time I think about replacing one or the other with something else, I just can't bring myself to do it...they're both such good machines and have pleased me very much.

Here are some recent photos of the BV500 on a short run into Amador County and back out through El Dorado County via the Shenandoah Valley, a big wine vineyard region east of Sacramento.

thanks for the reply!!

They look like keepers!

Damasovi

I bought an 06 Swing with 800 miles on it. I thought it vibrated too much upon acceleration and I waS not thrilled with the gas consumption. I sold it after putting 400 miles on it. To be fair, I was used to my 250cc scooters getting 60 mpg . The Swing just seemed like a truck compared to my smaller scoots.

My Helix and Morphous were just fast enough to handle my short highway commute at 65mph. Actually the Yamaha Morphous was worlds better on the highway. The Helix lighter and peppier was better for everything else.
Not that I did not enjoy the Swing but you are more involved riding a bigger heavier bike which requires more concentration. The smaller bikes = less thinking less work/more fun.

Both well known and documented issues resolved by using different roller
weights (5-10% lighter Dr Pulley sliders).

$40 fix.

Lighter weights would result in poorer mpg not better. Heavier weights may improve MPG but cause the clutch to engage at a lower RPM likely making the vibration worse.

You can experiment with countless weights and get different results.. I wasn't much interested in taking the time money and effort in correcting a problem from the factory. Sell and and buy something else.

Um, sorry, yeah, if regular weights were in question, then you would be
correct, but I specifically said Dr Pulley sliders, which lower the cruising revs
after a certain speed, even when they're lighter up to 15%, and the vibrations
would go away because of higher then stock revs when accelerating.

Clutch engagement revs depend on these springs on the clutch itself:


Anyways, 90% of Majesty and SW owners here "fixed" their bikes with Dr Pulley sliders.

They made a huge difference to my Silverwing. I went from 28g to 24g. Smoother, smaller flat spot and more initial pickup.

What were you thinking? You should have sold it!

I did sell it!

Damnit.

You sold it after 400 miles? Wow, I hope bought it used!

But if I wanted one, I'd this new one here see cause it's only $4899 plus stuff. It being new, it's gotda warranty. No top box though. Oh well. I guess ya can't have everything. Now.... Sym Citycom or Kymco People GTi 300???? Oh da choices!

Alot of the Burgman 400 owners on the Burg forum replace rollers to a 19 gm slider wieghts for much improved acceleration and then dropped RPM on freeway which = better MPG.