Another Cruisym or, a Forza?

[Waldorf]

I'm inclined to agree.
I have to remind myself that, although we may sometimes be charged rather a lot for such services, the companies with whom we deal are in it to make money and don't have charitable status.
Having filled in a few on line forms recently, I am quite happy to pay reasonable amounts to have it done for me!

[Sylar]

Well, i collected my Forza 350 today at about 1pm. i had not had a test ride on it, as i thought it would be roughly the same as my cruisym. First impression was, it was too high off the ground. I am 5 ft 10 but could not put both feet down, only on tip toe. Second, too many switches on the left handlebar, i had to look down for indicators, and put the heated grips on twice instead. Screen did not come high enough for me. Seating position was upright, i felt like " a pea on a drum". I could not stretch my legs out. Engine was resposive enough, for my ten mile ride home. I know everything is new and needs running in. When i got home i read the hand book, On page sixty one it told you how to start the engine!! I shall take my time to get to know the bike properly, At least the dealer gave a full tank of fuel.

[Waldorf]

I am confident you'll come to terms with it, especially the 'control panel' on the LHS.
Having ridden Silverwings for more than 10 years, I sympathise with your feelings of being on rather than in the Forza but, again, I'm sure you'll get used to it; in truth, I miss the 'armchair' naure of the former but enjoy the latter.

[Stibbs]

Well, i collected my Forza 350 today at about 1pm. i had not had a test ride on it, as i thought it would be roughly the same as my cruisym. First impression was, it was too high off the ground. I am 5 ft 10 but could not put both feet down, only on tip toe. Second, too many switches on the left handlebar, i had to look down for indicators, and put the heated grips on twice instead. Screen did not come high enough for me. Seating position was upright, i felt like " a pea on a drum". I could not stretch my legs out. Engine was resposive enough, for my ten mile ride home. I know everything is new and needs running in. When i got home i read the hand book, On page sixty one it told you how to start the engine!! I shall take my time to get to know the bike properly, At least the dealer gave a full tank of fuel.

My thoughts were pretty much the same as yours when I got mine late last year. However, some upbeat observations for you may help you stay positive and look forward to riding it in future.

Yes it’s a tall bike for a scooter, I’m 5’ 8” and I’ve developed the knack of sliding my bum slightly forward when coming to a halt. This allows my little legs to plant one foot on the ground when stationary. Problem solved.
The initial left side control cluster gets easier with use. You develop a “feel” for the position of switches but will still press info button when cancelling indicators
Screen, you can buy a larger Givi screen replacement. They’re relatively cheap (around £70 I think), this suited me much better than stock screen. Remember, you only have to move these screens an inch or so to make a difference. Too many riders make large adjustments each time and never seem to find the “sweet” spot.
The engine. These things go well. I recently took a trip to Burnley on the motorway, sat at 70ish with occasional 80 to get past HGVs, it was effortless. And getting over 70mpg is easy. If you stick to 60mph you can expect high 70s, low 80’s. My old burger never did that.
Overall I’m well happy with mine and made a good decision IMO.
Anyway, best of luck and im sure you’ll enjoy very much once the weather breaks and you get out more

[Sylar]

Since i got my Cruisym300 i have ridden that far more than the Silverwing, that is one of the reasons, i can compare very similar machines. I will put some miles on the Forza in the coming weeks, but also rides on the Cruisym. I played around with the controls today and figured out a few things with the Keyless ignition. I even found the little glove box.

[scootabout]

I put a clip on screen extender on my Forza. It works reasonably well, but I find the main issue is when riding in a slight crosswind. As there is a large gap between you and the screen, there can be a lot of buffeting. My Beverly 350, in contrast, was perfect (when it worked).
I'm still beeping the horn instead of signalling, despite 10K covered. The fuel flap has stopped opening cleanly and needs persuasion. The speedo is optimistic by 10%, which seems shoddy by Honda standards (and perhaps deliberate?); my other Hondas all seem to be spot on. Oh, and I sawed off those annoying logbook holder tabs under the seat!
Get a few miles in and it will all start to make sense.

[Waldorf]

I think 10% over-reading is par for the course these days on most, if not all, vehicles sold in the UK.

[Stephen]

Well, i collected my Forza 350 today at about 1pm. i had not had a test ride on it, as i thought it would be roughly the same as my cruisym. First impression was, it was too high off the ground. I am 5 ft 10 but could not put both feet down, only on tip toe. Second, too many switches on the left handlebar, i had to look down for indicators, and put the heated grips on twice instead. Screen did not come high enough for me. Seating position was upright, i felt like " a pea on a drum". I could not stretch my legs out. Engine was resposive enough, for my ten mile ride home. I know everything is new and needs running in. When i got home i read the hand book, On page sixty one it told you how to start the engine!! I shall take my time to get to know the bike properly, At least the dealer gave a full tank of fuel.

My thoughts were pretty much the same as yours when I got mine late last year. However, some upbeat observations for you may help you stay positive and look forward to riding it in future.

Yes it’s a tall bike for a scooter, I’m 5’ 8” and I’ve developed the knack of sliding my bum slightly forward when coming to a halt. This allows my little legs to plant one foot on the ground when stationary. Problem solved.
The initial left side control cluster gets easier with use. You develop a “feel” for the position of switches but will still press info button when cancelling indicators
Screen, you can buy a larger Givi screen replacement. They’re relatively cheap (around £70 I think), this suited me much better than stock screen. Remember, you only have to move these screens an inch or so to make a difference. Too many riders make large adjustments each time and never seem to find the “sweet” spot.
The engine. These things go well. I recently took a trip to Burnley on the motorway, sat at 70ish with occasional 80 to get past HGVs, it was effortless. And getting over 70mpg is easy. If you stick to 60mph you can expect high 70s, low 80’s. My old burger never did that.
Overall I’m well happy with mine and made a good decision IMO.
Anyway, best of luck and im sure you’ll enjoy very much once the weather breaks and you get out more

Thanks Stibbs…..some info i was kinda looking for,normally change my ride every three years,i do like he Forza 750 i have now,but i don’t do anywhere near the mileage i used to do,i’ll be due to change next year,i have thought about getting another Tmax,but at £13k plus,it’s getting dear,the Forza 750 i guess will be around £11k then,i have mulled over the idea of a Forza 350,although i am no hooligan i do like to a bit naughty from time to timei wasn’t sure the 350 would allow me to do that,but if it’ll get up to 80ish,that could sway me,i aint exactly a lightweight any more,at 5”7” i can have both feet on the floor on the 750,i think the 350 is a lower seat hieght and my weight shoul help to push it down further,the electric screen is also a plus for me,plus the belt drive would save the task of oiling the chain,lots of positive reports from youtube vloggers and members on here,so is definitely on my watch list

Steve

[Waldorf]

The 350 is no slouch, Steve; it may not have the highest top speed in the world of maxiscooters but it's more than adequate for the 70+MPH nips past HGVs with enough on top of that.
I'm 18st on the bathroom scales and my Forza copes very well, even with luggage.

[Greyerbeard]

The fuel flap has stopped opening cleanly and needs persuasion. The speedo is optimistic by 10%, which seems shoddy by Honda standards (and perhaps deliberate?); my other Hondas all seem to be spot on. Oh, and I sawed off those annoying logbook holder tabs under the seat!
Get a few miles in and it will all start to make sense.

Put some stick-on foam strip (e.g. draught excluder) on the closing rim of the fuel flap; enough so that you need a bit of pressure to close it. It will then spring open when the button is pressed.
Ditto with removing the document holder tabs! Punctured shopping, otherwise.
The footboards are wide rather than the seat high; but it's so well-balanced that it only needs the slightest toe pressure to hold it upright.
The performance still surprises me for a 350, especially now it's done over 3k miles - it's QUICK!
Nearly all vehicles have speedos that read around 10% fast...