My SilverWing riding days could be coming to a close

Today I decided to ride the Swing to work just to be a bit different and it was nice to be on it for a change. But to get the topic I rode there parked across  the street so I could lovingly admire it while at work when this Afternoon a Mutha F@#$ker backed into it knocking it over. The front panel is broken , under the sill is also broken and the body panel over the air filter has some nice scrapes in it. Considering the age of HER and the parts availability of panels here in Australia I have a bad  feeling it could be  a insurance write off. SHE has done 86000kms(just over 50000 miles to u people in America) but is still going strong. I am hoping the insurance company WON'T write her off as I do love riding her.

That SUCKS. Not sure about Oz, but here in the states, it's not that hard to find Silverwings with much lower mileage for relatively cheap money. What is the bike worth vs. the insurance payout? What are similar bikes selling for there? That might help with the decision.

Let's hope you get a fair deal, regardless. I'm sure there is another SWing in Australia looking for a good owner !

Jay.

THAT SUCKS!! I sure hope you get a decent deal from the insurance company and can find another SWing for a reasonable price. Good Luck!

Sorry to hear that glad you were not on it. Partzilla were prompt and reasonable in supplying my body panel parts.

Just hoping that with help of insurance, Partzilla, and your patience, you will get Humpty Dumpty back together again. If so, every fun-filled day on the revised SWing would be a better investment than the stock market. Maybe a new opportunity to tattoo it with stickers or a Repsol theme, or just a rattle can paint job in your favorite hue. If the guts are still there, it's worth any renovation adventure.

Thats the worse feeling ever! I take it you know who did it and you let the insurance companies fight it out. I wish I knew how to post pictures. My friend purchased back a write off Silverwing that T-boned a car and put it back on the road! He basically made it a street fighter! Looks HORRIBLE but runs great.

sc00ter wrote:

Thats the worse feeling ever! I take it you know who did it and you let the insurance companies fight it out. I wish I knew how to post pictures. My friend purchased back a write off Silverwing that T-boned a car and put it back on the road! He basically made it a street fighter! Looks HORRIBLE but runs great.

Gutted to hear your news, bad enough when it's our own fault but others stupidity really sticks in the throat.

However sc00ter beat me to it, you know the bike, you like the bike so buy it back from the insurance (providing frame still straight) & have a unique custom 'frankenstein' Swing

In 2013 I rear ended a car. My wife made it known that I was not going to purchase another Swing. With two broken thumbs and five broken ribs, I rebuilt the bike. Ordered a new front faring, head lights, dash panel and front fender. Repaired and painted both side covers. Replaced stem ball bearings with rollers including the races. Didn't think that it was a hard collision, but the stem shaft was visibly bent, so I replaced it also. Had to replace one side of my front forks. I did not have collision insurance. My cost to rebuild my 2002 Swing was around $2k. Took me around eight months.
After riding it for a year I sold it and got a new 2013 Swing, but that is another story.

shyted wrote:

< Snip>Considering the age of HER and the parts availability of panels here in Australia I have a bad  feeling it could be  a insurance write off. SHE has done 86000kms (just over 50000 miles to u people in America) but is still going strong. I am hoping the insurance company WON'T write her off as I do love riding her.

Don't give up hope. Hopefully those panels didn't shatter into a million pieces, so that it still may be possible to put Humpty back together again.

In the past I've used ABS plumbing cement backed up with fiberglass drywall tape to repair panels (from the inside out). More recently I've discovered that Plast-Aid works wonders repairing tupperware panels and repairing/replacing broken tabs.

So quite probably your Mr Humpty is salvageable. And, as others have stated, this would be an excellent opportunity to excercise your innate creativity and rattle can your own Akira or Repsol Silverwing.

Hey, whaddya got to lose?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Plast-aid-6oz-Plastic-Pool-Spa-PVC-Plumbing-Part-Repair-Kit-80400/252969565413?epid=1701269695&hash=item3ae6293ce5:g:yEQAAOSwtGlZMKCM

Update
Unfortunately My wonderful Silverwing has been written off.  Parts are very scarce for these in Australia and panels would have to be imported which puts the situation in the too hard basket.
What am I going to do?
Silverwings In Australia were very rare so buying a resonable second hand Wing is near impossible.
I still have my Aprilia SR Max 300 to ride but its a different ride to the Wing. The Wing was more like a lounge chair u sat in, the Aprilia is like a bar stool u sit on. plus the handling is different.

shyted wrote:

Update
Unfortunately My wonderful Silverwing has been written off.  Parts are very scarce for these in Australia and panels would have to be imported which puts the situation in the too hard basket.
What am I going to do?
Silverwings In Australia were very rare so buying a resonable second hand Wing is near impossible.
I still have my Aprilia SR Max 300 to ride but its a different ride to the Wing. The Wing was more like a lounge chair u sat in, the Aprilia is like a bar stool u sit on. plus the handling is different.

Have you seen the assessment report?

Is the damage structural or cosmetic.

Structural then sadly move on, cosmetic are you up for a rat scoot with some bodywork bastardised from salvage and other models. (I've always fancied trying to sideways mount the radiator)

shyted wrote:

Update
Unfortunately My wonderful Silverwing has been written off.  Parts are very scarce for these in Australia and panels would have to be imported which puts the situation in the too hard basket.
What am I going to do?
Silverwings In Australia were very rare so buying a resonable second hand Wing is near impossible.
I still have my Aprilia SR Max 300 to ride but its a different ride to the Wing. The Wing was more like a lounge chair u sat in, the Aprilia is like a bar stool u sit on. plus the handling is different.

If it's structurally sound what is the possibility of donated body panels from outside the country, pay for shipping install yourself?

Photos. We need photos. You havent told us how bad and where it's damaged.

IMHO You should strongly consider buying back the scoot from the Insuror and repairing that cosmetic damage.

As said before you could reconstruct it as a rat bike stitching it together with salvaged copper-wire staples, etc, or use ABS plumbing cement & drywall fiberglas tape and/or Plast-Aid to restore the panels.

Of course the alternative would be to take the money and run. But where?...

Why bother, you could be faffing around for months trying cobble together a 'rat scooter'. With the best will in the world it'll still look like a Silver Wing that's been crashed and bodged together.

If I was in Oz I'd take the money, slip, slap, slop, get in the ute and go looking at what's available in a few SYM and Kymco dealerships.

Rather than resurrect the Silver Wing, you could have something that's thoroughly up to date like the new Kymco AK550. It's had good reviews, it's very well specced out and already has shed loads of quality accessories for it available from Taiwan.

Meldrew wrote:

Why bother, you could be faffing around for months trying cobble together a 'rat scooter'. With the best will in the world it'll still look like a Silver Wing that's been crashed and bodged together.

If I was in Oz I'd take the money,

Rome wasn't built in a day & isn't that the idea of a Rat bike.

I suggested it because OP didn't want to part with his S'wing
but agree if the monies there and Rats aren't your thing but unsure how liberal Oz government are with imports & associated taxes

So what do you do? The Silver Wing was designed with bodywork designed to give good wind and weather protection and have under seat storage. I'm not even sure what a 'rat scooter' is supposed to look like. Especially a big twin cylinder maxi scooter like the Silver Wing.

Is it supposed to look like a Honda Big Ruckus that's good for nothing except carrying a skateboard, or aping those dreadful looking Trad scooters I occasionally see that try and look like choppers.

The OP has already said replacement body panels are hard to come by in Australia, so what's the point of throwing money at a cosmetically damaged and discontinued Silver Wing that's been written off by the insurers. It's always going to be classed as an insurance write off, whatever work in progress you make it.

With the insurance money you could also buy a SYM Maxsym 400, a very good 'sit in' type maxi scooter with bodywork and styling similar to the Silver Wing, although it was discontinued after a couple of years in the UK, it's still on sale in Australia.

There's also the new Burgman 400, the XMax 300 etc, and other suitable replacements. Throwing your leg over one of them and actually getting some miles in makes sense than trying to resurrect a written off Silver Wing into some pie in the sky project scoot.

Well stated. Enlightened reasoning. Thank you Meldrew.

Meldrew wrote:

So what do you do? The Silver Wing was designed with bodywork designed to give good wind and weather protection and have under seat storage. I'm not even sure what a 'rat scooter' is supposed to look like. Especially a big twin cylinder maxi scooter like the Silver Wing.

Is it supposed to look like a Honda Big Ruckus that's good for nothing except carrying a skateboard, or aping those dreadful looking Trad scooters I occasionally see that try and look like choppers.

The OP has already said replacement body panels are hard to come by in Australia, so what's the point of throwing money at a cosmetically damaged and discontinued Silver Wing that's been written off by the insurers. It's always going to be classed as an insurance write off, whatever work in progress you make it.

With the insurance money you could also buy a SYM Maxsym 400, a very good 'sit in' type maxi scooter with bodywork and styling similar to the Silver Wing, although it was discontinued after a couple of years in the UK, it's still on sale in Australia.

There's also the new Burgman 400, the XMax 300 etc, and other suitable replacements. Throwing your leg over one of them and actually getting some miles in makes sense than trying to resurrect a written off Silver Wing into some pie in the sky project scoot.

As usual your lack of imagination or creativity brings you into the comfort zone the bubble you feel we should all sit in.
You are a politicians dream citizen

Really, you're posting **** about turning an insurance write off Silver Wing into a 'rat scoot' whatever that is, and since I obviously lack imagination and creativity, how about telling me and the assembled masses what exactly a 'rat scoot' is. I don't think you know yourself.

In fact let's go further and burst your bubble, give us all your forward thinking and vision on how you'd turn a written off Silver Wing that you've never seen into a 'rat scoot'.

Your right I've not seen it hence trying to offer advice (as are you)

I recall your views on pimped Burgmans.

You and I will never agree on this or any other forum so let's just move on & you can save this post to beat me up with another time as is your way.

Admin apologises thread off track and become a slanging match again

I'm not being personal at all, unlike you with remarks about my lack of vision and creativity, calling me a politicians dream citizen etc.

When exactly did I make a 'personal attack' on you? All I've done is asked you to clarify this nonsense about what exactly a rat scooter is, and how you'd turn this written off Silver Wing into one, you obviously won't or can't.

As for derogatory remarks about pimped up Burgmans, what exactly has that to do with this topic, and on a Silver Wing forum.

Weren't those long ago comments on the Muppets forum after someone posted about a gang of blokes with huge sound systems moulded into the bodywork of their 650 Burgmans.

What's wrong with having an opinion, isn't that what forums are for. Would you be pleased if these pimped up Burgmans parked up in your street on an evening and started blasting out music at deafening levels?

You are well aware of the definition of rat bike/scoot. A back to basics machine rebuilt in a apocalyptic/survivalist way with lots of dirty parts, rust, staples, extra moulding extended parts or minimalist as is the current trend for original Honda cubs (though fit & finish tend to be show quality in most)

You are also right no I have not ratted a Silverwing as mine isn't ready for the knackers yard yet and to date I've only ever "customised, wrecked, or bastardised (whatever term you want) 125cc air cooled singles as the are cheap, parts interchangeable with Chinese clones no cooling system to 're route and electrics tend to be simple.

However other folk are more creative,resourceful and clever beyond my ability and perhaps somebody may well just do it.

As you said the ruckus is a good build base but where to site the rad' without burning your leg is one if many issues the build would pose (perhaps it can stay to the front exposed and simpler to resite the coolant jar.

So now you've drawn me to reply, move on

Gentlemen, please..

Both sentiments are correct. There are amazing people out there who have the vision to restore things to better than original condition, or who have the imagination to create anything from a rat bike to a Mona Lisa. If your motivation is to create, restore, and ride, go for it. If you lean more toward the riding adventure, then just twist and go.

You're right Timothy it's too much playing on here, looking at Facebook messages and photos from Mrs M who's currently having dinner at George's French Restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and flitting in and out of the garage trying to measure up a front rubber mud flap for a recently bought scooter.

She must be pretty agile, Meldrew.

Jay.