Strongly considering Forza, just took first test ride.

[mboni]

Hello folks,

My original scooter was a Honda Reflex 250, then I moved up to the Silverwing 600. Now I'm thinking about coming back to the Forza. I took my first test ride on a Forza last night, and had a couple thoughts/questions.

First, I know the Forza isn't going to have the top speed of a Silverwing, but on my test ride I couldn't seem to get above 75mph on the interstate. While I would normally cruise at the speed limit of 70mph, I want to have some reserve speed for passing trucks and getting out of the way of fast cars, and I thought the Forza would top out closer to 85mph. (yea, I know the Forza isn't going to be a highway cruiser like the Silverwing, but I need to get past the Atlanta suburbs before moving to secondary roads) Can you all clearly confirm a reliable (or even burst) top speed over 80mph?

The Forza is supposed to have a lower seat height than the Silverwing, but oddly I was not easily able to flat-foot the Forza like I can in my Silverwing. The wider seat held my legs out, so I'd have to slide forward before I could flat-foot it. However, being a lighter bike, I wasn't uncomfortable being stopped with just the front of my feet on the ground.

Can anyone tell me how well the lights work on the Forza? Does the headlight use a standard automotive 55w H7 bulb? Are the tail lights sufficiently bright? Has anyone installed extra driving lights, something like the Denali LED lights from TwistedThrottle.com?

I notice there's a power outlet in the left-side dash box, but is there a slot or something to route a power cable out when the door is closed? The GPS needs juice on long rides, and I suspect I won't want to ride with the door open.


Hoping I'll be hanging out here in the future....

[JoshM]

I don't own a Forza, but I'll help out with a couple questions.

First, I know the Forza isn't going to have the top speed of a Silverwing, but on my test ride I couldn't seem to get above 75mph on the interstate.
- That was probably due to it not being broken in yet. It definitely won't be able to keep up with a SWing on the interstate, but I don't see why you couldn't maintain, if needed, 80mph on the interstate.

I notice there's a power outlet in the left-side dash box, but is there a slot or something to route a power cable out when the door is closed?
- You'll need to cut a small hole/slit in the bottom/top of the door facing to allow the wire to come thru. This is pretty common with most scoots (and bikes) I've seen.

[willajabir]

As Josh said, it should do at least 80+ around Hotlanta with no problems. You aren't exactly a mountainous area. I never tried that fast until after breakin though, so I don't have any experience about pre-breakin max speed.

I used a dremmel tool cut a notch in the bottom of the door for my GPS cable. Notching the same as the cable size will help keep out water and little winged creatures that build nests.
Also works ok if you use a usb cable so you can mount your phone too.
Had this same problem with the Burgman 650.

[garrup]

.........i'm a bit curious as to why you would trade down from a silver wing to a forza. Not that i don't think its a good idea. But it would indicate what tradeoffs you are willing to make. If you want better gas mileage, and want it bad enough, and want quicker handling as well, then the Forza's power reduction (from Silverwing) can be overlooked.
Look at it this way: with the silverwing you didn't have to consider wind speed resistance, and you always had passing power on tap. Well, with the Forza, those are the tradeoffs.
As for top end, i'm still on the break-in period myself, so haven't given that a lot of attention. But i have had it up to 120kph (75mph) for a minute or so - with no throttle left. At other times i find it will still be pulling very strongly while accelerating through 70mph and feeling like it could easily reach 80. But perhaps more important, on any given day it will hold 70mph uphill and downhill, probably for hours without harm.
Trading down is always a bit of a scary proposition. I've done it many times. Sometimes right down to a moped. And i've always had fun doing it. The Forza is not much of a trade down, by anyone's reconing. Personally, i wouldn't take the Silverwing at the same purchase price. And i wouldn't take any scooter above 400cc.

[Indyglow]

You might want to take a look at the Suzuki Burgman 200. I can't reach the ground on a Forza but can flatfoot the Burgman 200. It's always good to be able to have both feet flat on the ground.

[willajabir]

I don't think the 200 is freeway legal in Ga. I think they require 250cc.
What about it maddiedog or mel? I know people drive less on the freeway though.

[gn2]

A Forza will sit at 70, but it won't be cruising.
It will get up to an indicated 85 but not quickly.

[AustinPCX]

A Forza will sit at 70, but it won't be cruising.
It will get up to an indicated 85 but not quickly.

I'll second this based on my own experience. I've had my Forza to 85mph once. I'm getting upper 60's mpg when my mph is 60-65mph and upper 50's when I'm doing 65-75mph. I do most of my riding between 65-70mph which the Forza handles quite well for the 30 mile round trip on the highway I do 5-6 days per week in pretty light traffic. If I wanted to go faster for extended periods I would probably get a different bike but going from 65-75 to get around traffic is not a problem.

[JoshM]

Can anyone tell me how well the lights work on the Forza? Does the headlight use a standard automotive 55w H7 bulb?

Quoting this for emphasis. Sadly, a requirement for my next scoot will be the ability to add HIDs.
99% of my ride is done on back country roads. The more light I can project, the better when it comes to deer, other animals, and drunks.

[gn2]

Twin 35w headlamps.
Enough for the job.

[mboni]

Ok folks, I made up my mind, and took home a new Forza yesterday evening. Thanks for the answers. Now the real fun begins.

[willajabir]

Congrats. Dont forget the camera when you go for a ride...

[garrup]

........way to go! What decided you on the Forza? What does this bike most represent to you:
-jack of all trades machine (one bike stable/want it to do everything)
-great errand/task machine. Jump on this instead of a gas guzzler to do the errands/light shopping
-commuter: re the bike as a major work horse for daily rides to work or in/out of town
-entertainment: re the bike as a means to putting that smile on your face and just tooling around
-light travel: wanting a comfortable ride to go out to the park every week or so

Personally i'm overjoyed with the Forza as a "task" machine. I'm almost anxious now for any excuse to go downtown on some business, carry out an errand, or pick up some groceries. Previously i would hesitate doing any of that what with gas prices at $1.50/L.
And the bonus is there is enough power here to put a smile on my face.

[JoshM]

Ok folks, I made up my mind, and took home a new Forza yesterday evening. Thanks for the answers. Now the real fun begins.

Woohoo! While your at it, why don't you take a peak at the headlights. Are they standard H4/H7 bulbs? Or did Honda make it like the PCX with super "special" Honda bulbs?

[Fizzy Rascal]

You might want to take a look at the Suzuki Burgman 200. I can't reach the ground on a Forza but can flatfoot the Burgman 200. It's always good to be able to have both feet flat on the ground.

This ^ is exactly what I found.

I bought the Burger - despite desperately wanting the Forza.

[mboni]

Woohoo! While your at it, why don't you take a peak at the headlights. Are they standard H4/H7 bulbs? Or did Honda make it like the PCX with super "special" Honda bulbs?

Ok, I'm a little disappointed with the headlights. It's a 35w/35w HS1 bulb. Standard, but generally reserved for scooters and small motorcycles (in fact, I just saw them on the wall at my local Vespa shop). The good news is that a HS1 is virtually the same as an H4 in physical characteristics. The upgrade path is pretty simple: first you can try a 45w/45w version, then you start using 60w/55w H4 automotive bulbs. The problem with using the higher wattage bulbs is that our electrical system may not be designed with much reserve capacity, so you risk burning out the stator or not giving the battery enough charge. The other risk is melting/discoloring of the lens assembly itself, but I think that's less likely.

Anyone know how many extra watts are available?

The other choice is auxiliary driving lights, and I've got a LED set that I'm looking at now.

[Mel46]

We have PCX 150s and ride on the freeway many times for short distances, though the PCX will never do above 67. The Forza would do the job much better. However, most of our riding is local, so I had a choice to make when I had my Burgman 400. It was definitely a freeway bike, but it wasn't great in tight turns such as those you would encounter in town when turning into an alley or turning around. That is where the PCX shines. So I gave up my Burgman and bought a PCX, knowing that I would be giving up a great freeway ride in favor of great in town riding. I had looked at a Forza before I traded, but the seat was way too wide, and the bike just felt bulky, even as apposed to the Burgman. It all comes down to individual comfort. If you feel comfortable with the Forza, then it is probably the bike for you.

[maddiedog]

Hi Michael! Glad to see you on here -- welcome to the forums and congrats on the new Forza.

Are you planning on modding the Forza to haul the trailer you had for your Silverwing?


I have these as auxiliary lights on my PCX: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GRISB78 -- they work AMAZINGLY and are easily twice as bright as the stock lights. I think you're going on the ride tomorrow morning, so I'll show em to you then.

[mboni]

Hi Michael! Glad to see you on here -- welcome to the forums and congrats on the new Forza.

Are you planning on modding the Forza to haul the trailer you had for your Silverwing?


I have these as auxiliary lights on my PCX: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GRISB78 -- they work AMAZINGLY and are easily twice as bright as the stock lights. I think you're going on the ride tomorrow morning, so I'll show em to you then.

The SilverWing had plenty of horsepower for pulling a trailer on the highway, the Forza is much closer to it's limit. So I'm going to pass on the trailer for now. I'm holding on to it for my Elio next year, however.

As for lights, I saw the ones you have, but went with the Denali Micro set from twisted throttle. I've got them in the house now, but connecting them to power looks like it's a lot harder than on the SilverWing. I may have to remove a dozen panels to get down to the bottom of the battery box. I've also put in higher wattage H4 bulbs, which make a big difference over the HS1 that comes stock.

[Mel46]

Dave, sorry we couldn't join you on the ride today. We loaded up our grandson yesterday and rode all over the place. It wore me out. My back isn't use to that much weight. He doesn't even know how to ride a bicycle, so it was a bit of an effort to get him use to balancing behind me. It was a bit of a strain on the little pcx 150 too, since the total weight on it was close to 400 pounds. Today is turning out to be a down day.