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| On the road Honda Silver Wing 400: a 400 cc twin cylinder By Th. Groussin Faced with the success encountered by 400cc maxi scooters in Europe, Honda could no longer ignore this winning engine capacity. The retort is resounding, since the new Silver Wing 400 comes at the same price tag as its competitors, while being the only one to be equipped with a twin-cylinder engine.  At ease in town despite its respectable size, the Silver Wing 400 only reveals its road holding limits in long fast corners. A good compromise In these early days of 2006, one-upmanship seems to be on hold in the choice of engine capacity of the new maxi scooters. The continued success of the Suzuki Burgman 400 since its launch seven years ago, and that of the more recent Yamaha Majesty 400, lead one to the conclusion that this engine capacity today represents an attractive compromise. Manufacturers can thus offer scooters that are perfectly homogeneous but relatively economical compared to those over 500cc, which require a more sophisticated chassis to obtain road holding adapted to their performance. 400 cc is also more than enough for riding in the larger European cities, as well as for going on longer journeys from time to time. Sophisticated chassis The 400cc version has also inherited from the Silver Wing 600 its sophisticated frame, which has nothing to do with that of a "traditional" scooter where the engine and transmission assembly is interdependent on the rear wheel and oscillates with damping. On the Silver Wing 400, the twin cylinder is fixed at the heart of a steel frame while the rear wheel is suspended by an independent swingarm, as on a motorcycle. By balancing the mass borne by the front and rear axles and by optimising the overall rigidity, this is supposed to optimise the road holding of the scooter at high speed. In practice, although the road holding of the Silver Wing is beyond reproach at cruising speed (even lively) the steering nevertheless remains likely to lose precision in long fast corners. To tell the truth, only a Yamaha T Max 500 copes better in these conditions. So it's best to make the most of the Silver Wing's excellent comfort, rather than impose upon it a sporty style of riding that goes against the grain. In town, this big scooter is surprisingly agile. Its length requires caution during manoeuvres when stationary, but its relatively limited width, very low centre of gravity and balanced chassis constitute precious allies for threading your way through traffic.
CBS but no ABS Honda is of course equipping the Silver Wing 400 with the excellent Combined Braking System (CBS) of the 600. The left-hand lever ensures optimum distribution of brake force between the two wheels, making it possible to considerably reduce skid limits in the event of emergency braking and to forget about the right-hand lever during manoeuvres at slow speeds. Favouring progressiveness, this braking system simply requires a firm hand for strong deceleration. The Suzuki Burgman 400 also has such a brake assistance system. Same equipment, same price As regards the practical aspects, it is more difficult for the Silver Wing 400 to set itself apart from its competitors, since they are so accomplished in this respect. Like the Burgman and the Majesty, it has an immense storage compartment for two full-face helmets, splendid upholstery, instrumentation worthy of a car. Exactly what is to be expected on current maxi scooters. It is nevertheless the case that, thanks to its twin-cylinder engine and sophisticated frame, the Honda manages to move the performance level of 400cc scooters up a notch. An advantage that is all the more striking since it comes at the same price tag as its competitors.
Photographies : © Honda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
