peace, love and life

well, peace anyway. i've finally accepted that i wont be able to ride my firestorm or any of my other bikes anymore due to knackered joints etc; and i've finally got over the 'i'm not a biker' thing. i've tried various machines over the last year and most of them are too painful to ride. however, the swing is really growing on me and i enjoy being out there, so i've made my peace with it and looking forward to many more years of riding DV. new yss shocks have made a big difference and the forks will get hyperpros soon. anyway, thought i'd share that with you all on this lovely wet evening.

What you mean is youv'e made a senior choice to join the world of twist and go, long may they run!
Riding the highway on your favourite armchair/shopping trolly, or eat the M-way miles.
Yes it's a senior thing, common sense kicking in. Just as much a biker as you've always been, except now you have a cheesy grin while riding.
Look forward to reading more from you Pete.
Hope this helps, just my opinion and not an excuse for a bun fight.

Be safe, be seen! Hi-Vis and LED's are your friends, earbuds and headphones killed loud pipes.

yup, definitely a senior thing! the best thing about test riding other motorbikes was getting back on the swing and thinking 'no wind and rain in the face' as youre cocooned behind all that bodywork

If you're on a two-wheeled, engine-powered machine, you're a biker. My SW certainly stands out at biker meets and rides.

I think most of the modern day riders, who are usually much younger than me, are curious about the SW. Some of the group members of 'my age' have gone for the Triumph, Enfield or BMW to keep up with modern trends; they never seem to be completely happy with them and actually don't ride very often.

The SW offers a unique ride and a great deal of fun once you get the hang of it. A ride into town or a long tour makes no difference to the SW. Ride On.

I've been riding maxi scooters since 1996 when there were about 60 of us were riding the Honda CN 250 Helix. A mixture of the few that Honda UK or grey imports like the US spec I bought new from a long gone Honda dealer in York.

There was a lot of derision then from riders because it wasn't a 'proper bike' or that we couldn't ride geared motorcycles. Which was total bollocks because all owners had Full Licences on geared bikes as there was no licence class for twist n' go scooters then.



So I've always found it amusing when the same now ageing bikers with their knackered knees and wrists  who took the piss out of maxi scooters and their owners in their early years are now riding them.

As for the cheesy grin thing that's ludicrous too, the Burgman USA forum used to spout this 'Get the Burgman Grin' nonsense in numerous posts, until some Burgman 650's transmissions started to self- destruct and that slogan died the death.


It makes no difference what size maxi scooter you ride, I downsized from a Silver Wing to a Forza 300 a few years ago and don't miss that extra cylinder at all. It's what you do and where you go, you just ride the scooter there.

the swing really was designed and built incredibly well, it's meant to be a city commuter  but it does this and a lot more , touring and a road scratching is a hoot , i,m no fan of motorway riding but it does that pretty well too.

Enjoy the Swinger , she's a great ride but lets keep that to ourselves otherwise everyone will want one and they are getting rarer by the year.

ATB

I'm not sure if the Silver Wing was ever designed as a city commuter. At its European Press Launch  in Italy in 2000, Briitish journos rode half a dozen Silver Wings back to the UK. They found it capable but thirsty, getting only 130 miles from a full tank.

The Suzuki Burgman 650 was launched about the same time and for years they were the only two main contenders if you wanted a larger capacity maxi scooter. Which for quite a few years was what British riders with Auto Only Licences could legally ride until Honda brought out the early Integra, then other DCT scooters and motorcycles.

Nowadays unless you're carrying a passenger a lot, a maxi in the 300cc to 400cc range does it better. With lighter weight, better mpg and range, multi function displays, LED lights, keyless ignition, and traction control.

So the now discontinued Silver Wing and Burgman 650 are no longer the big hitters they once were. It's ages since I last spotted a Silver Wing out on the road, the vast majority of maxi scooters I see nowadays are L plated 125's with Large Deliveroo and Just Eat boxes on the rear rack.

Welcome aboard Hondapete, you'll soon be wondering why you never tried a maxiscooter before. What I've found is that those that have tried a big scooter like them, those that haven't don't.
All I'll say about suspension mods is try the bike as it is for a while to see if you need them, ditto screens, seats etc. The only modification I would recommend immediately is removing the bulb from the underseat light.

hondapete wrote:

well, peace anyway.  i've finally accepted that i wont be able to ride my firestorm or any of my other bikes anymore due to knackered joints etc; and i've finally got over the 'i'm not a biker' thing.  i've tried various machines over the last year and most of them are too painful to ride. however, the swing is really growing on me and i enjoy being out there, so i've made my peace with it and looking forward to many more years of riding DV.  new yss shocks have made a big difference and the forks will get hyperpros soon. anyway, thought i'd share that with you all on this lovely wet evening.

I'm curious to see how those shocks look on the swing. I've outgrown the 50cc scooters, and I must say, I love my swing so much. It made me realize how cramped up I was before. In my opinion, the swing is a great step-down bike. I still get all the waves unless I pass a bike with apes on it. Enjoy the Silverwing; it's considered Honda's last great maxi, at least here in the states.

Enjoy the SWing! They are amazing and I have never cared what other riders thought... In fact I could usually out run most of them when it came down to it. In 2013 I joined the American Legion Riders group. At the time I had the SWing and a Trail 90! They asked about the scooter and said it made the cc limit, as long as I could keep with the Harley's etc. After a couple of rides they noticed I had NO problems keeping up and all went well and still does! Cao.

The SWing has presence whether commuting , in the city or on the motorway thats why I like her, two up or carrying baggage she copes with aplomb.

I would also say that she has a bit of excess weight and hence anyone looking for a easy ride will need to think again, she takes a little muscling around and you need to be physically fit to be in a long lasting relationship with her.

She loves a drink , new shoes and occasionally being thrashed to high heaven.......lol if she does not float your boat then get a younger fitter lighter model.

I also have a XR650R BRP and a TMAX 500 and yes there are better bikes out there but on the whole these have what i am looking for in a dirt bike and a sporty maxi scooter, the SWing is better tourer and motorway bike , EASY !