First Long Ride on The Forza

[Waldorf]

I have just arrived home after a trip on the Forza down to Ruislip (near Watford) to attend the wedding of a First Cousin, Once Removed i.e. the son of my cousin.
I didn't do it all in one go; I overnighted in the Premier Inn in Grantham both on the way down and back and stayed the two nights either side of Saturday in another Premier Inn near the wedding venue.
The weather was fine on all five days but cloudy and very chilly although there was some light rain today - not enough to force the use of waterproofs, fortunately.

The bike performed very well. I sensed but didn't really miss the reduction in power from the Silverwing, never being prevented from moving from Lane 1 to Lane 2 into a line of fast-moving traffic.
Travelling at a sustained 70 MPH does mean fuel consumption takes a bit of a dive, of course, but I wasn't troubled by it. I didn't bother to make any note of that although I collected receipts when I filled up.
I put my trust in the 'Range' gauge and it seemed very accurate.
Two slight downsides:
Naturally, as it's smaller than the Silverwing and one sits more 'on' it than 'in' it, it's a bit more drafty so I must remember to wear my kidney-belt on longer rides.
The Forza, for me really doesn't have a 'Feet Forward' position. Half-way home I reluctantly decided to ride flat-footed but quickly found it much more comfortable. Result!

I travelled somewhere between 530 and 540 miles, predominantly on motorways and duel-carriageways. As with the petrol consumption and price I didn't record departure and arrival times.

All in all I'm very pleased.

I'll post this elsewhere, too.

[Stephen]

I’ll say you have been spoilt by the weather protection on your X9’s & Silverwings Mikesame with me when i chopped the Big Burger in,the Tmax had good protection from the elements but not as good as the Burger,any long rides i do now,i put my thermal onsie on under my biker trousers,i guess you don’t often do that sort of milage much nowadays,only on the odd weekends away,did you make use of the electric screen,which although not very wide,in the up position will keep the wind off you head,possibly a wider screen may help to keep any wind blast away from hands,arms and the side of your body,if you can find a wider screen to fit.Although i have the 750 version the 350 is good enough for what you’re going to be doing,easily obtaining motorway speeds and keeping that speed up,i guess you don’t want to get you knee down any more,them days are probably past now

Steve

[Waldorf]

You're absolutely right, Steve, although the Silverwing is quite slim and really needs the add-on wind-deflectors; they made all the difference.
Unless it's really warm I wear thermal long-johns even when I'm riding the electric moped. I wore the matching top for the whole journey this weekend. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the weather forecast. I wasn't dangerously cold and don't ride continuously for more than 75 minutes at a time but wished I was a bit warmer; in fact I try to plan my journeys to include a break every hour.
I've been thinking how I could lash up a pair of deflectors - I have the crash bars and could attach something to them.
I need to experiment with the screen; the Givi I have is taller than the stock one but doesn't deflect the wind up in the way the AF214 on the Silverwing does. I might even investigate a clip-on deflector to put on the top.
I've almost made up my mind to buy heated gloves. I am getting used to all the switches on the LH bar but I think even when I'm totally familiar with them, muffs are not suitable.
We shall see; I'm in no hurry.

[Stephen]

Heated gloves battery powered rather than wired i guess,get a second set of batteries,then when the first set run out of power,just swop batteries,you could even charge the first set up via the usb power socket under the seat,i presume the 350 has a charging port under the seat,a break every hour is a good idea,a wee break is generally required then anyway

Steve

[velocipede6295]

Hi Waldorf, I enjoyed reading your account of your long trip on your 350, and your stays at Premier Inns. I have the 300 Forza, and in order to have a trip further from home/ ride in different areas, have been considering a longer trip, and staying overnight at Premier Inns. Although I mainly keep off motorways, I do use them to get past towns/cities and my 300 is quite comfortable keeping up with traffic in the nearside lane,at 60 - 70 mph.
I have stayed at Premier Inns several times using a car, but have been wary of using them with a bike/scooter for security reasons.
Did you take any specials precautions when parking your bike, or did you just park it in a space on the car park?

[Waldorf]

Thank you!
I'm a fan of Premier Inns, finding them consistently good.

I share your concern about security. I took with me two 2 metre cables and a shorter one, just in case, and an Oxford Alarmed yellow lock (although the alarm doesn't work).
I nearly always find a suitable lamp-post or similar to which to lock the bike; taking two cables means a post close by will do .... if you see what I mean.
Also, I loop one of the cables round the step-through bit rather than through the wheels.
The Grantham Premier Inn has a very substantial bicycle rack on the grass next to a vacant parking bay; it was within reach of my cables.
I bought an alarm which is fastened with cable ties and sticky pads to a concealed place; it was cheap, loud, runs on ordinary batteries and is operated with a remote-control.
None of this will deter a serious thief but it gives a good degree of peace-of-mind.

[horobags]

sounds like you had a good trip Mike, I wonder how much extra fuel you would have used on the silverwing, and arrived at the same time.

[Waldorf]

Thanks!

The tank was full when I left on Thursday.
I refilled it just before I arrived at the hotel, my having sussed out a decent petrol station just up the road. I used most of the 11.7 litres barring 30 miles-worth in riding roughly 160 miles at mostly 70 MPH.
I then rode to my destination - Rickmansworth - on Friday, parked the bike and didn't use it again until Sunday morning.
I rode to my old hometown of Whetstone and filled up again ready for my trek North. There was plenty left in the tank.
I rode up to Grantham again, about 105 miles.
On Monday I set off and filled up again 20 miles North of Grantham.
I had a bit of a detour near home - bank-holiday traffic queues - so travelled a bit more than 160 miles.
I've just checked the bike: it's showing two blocks on the gauge and telling me I can ride 38 more miles before the tank's empty.
I will fill up in a day or so and note how much petrol goes in.
I reckon I'd have probably filled up the Silverwing one more time.
I'm off down to Calne in a couple of weeks' time; I will keep a detailed written record. I didn't bother this time as I was more concerned with getting used to the bike and a slightly different management process - different bike, different cubby-holes and so on.
It's only about 30 miles further so should be a good comparison.

[velocipede6295]

Thank you!
I'm a fan of Premier Inns, finding them consistently good.

I share your concern about security. I took with me two 2 metre cables and a shorter one, just in case, and an Oxford Alarmed yellow lock (although the alarm doesn't work).
I nearly always find a suitable lamp-post or similar to which to lock the bike; taking two cables means a post close by will do .... if you see what I mean.
Also, I loop one of the cables round the step-through bit rather than through the wheels.
The Grantham Premier Inn has a very substantial bicycle rack on the grass next to a vacant parking bay; it was within reach of my cables.
I bought an alarm which is fastened with cable ties and sticky pads to a concealed place; it was cheap, loud, runs on ordinary batteries and is operated with a remote-control.
None of this will deter a serious thief but it gives a good degree of peace-of-mind.

Very sensible precautions - thanks for taking the trouble to respond. I agree about Premier Inn, we as a family are fans of theirs, although I have not gone a bike as of yet.

[Data]

I have just arrived home after a trip on the Forza down to Ruislip (near Watford) to attend the wedding of a First Cousin, Once Removed i.e. the son of my cousin.
I didn't do it all in one go; I overnighted in the Premier Inn in Grantham both on the way down and back and stayed the two nights either side of Saturday in another Premier Inn near the wedding venue.
The weather was fine on all five days but cloudy and very chilly although there was some light rain today - not enough to force the use of waterproofs, fortunately.

The bike performed very well. I sensed but didn't really miss the reduction in power from the Silverwing, never being prevented from moving from Lane 1 to Lane 2 into a line of fast-moving traffic.
Travelling at a sustained 70 MPH does mean fuel consumption takes a bit of a dive, of course, but I wasn't troubled by it. I didn't bother to make any note of that although I collected receipts when I filled up.
I put my trust in the 'Range' gauge and it seemed very accurate.
Two slight downsides:
Naturally, as it's smaller than the Silverwing and one sits more 'on' it than 'in' it, it's a bit more drafty so I must remember to wear my kidney-belt on longer rides.
The Forza, for me really doesn't have a 'Feet Forward' position. Half-way home I reluctantly decided to ride flat-footed but quickly found it much more comfortable. Result!

I travelled somewhere between 530 and 540 miles, predominantly on motorways and duel-carriageways. As with the petrol consumption and price I didn't record departure and arrival times.

All in all I'm very pleased.

I'll post this elsewhere, too.

I like this Waldorf! Glad you are pleased with it. The Forza has always been a very capable bike even in the 300cc format. Easy to look after too! You should find the motor will loosen more and become even more powerful and economical as the miles go on the clock. Keep us all updated on how she is going. You cannot beat owners reviews.