What kinds of bikes have you had before and compare them to the SWing !!!

Hi,

I was wondering what kind of bikes we all have had and how they compare to the Silver Wing, or the scoot you ride now, so I will start. My first bike was a 3 hp mini-bike when I was 12 years old. My brother and I chipped in from our paper routes to buy it. When we crossed the street we lived on we would be officially in the country, so we would be able to ride along the corn fields for miles.

My next few bikes were enduro's ranging from 100cc up to a 380cc enduro. I also had an old CB175, which had and electric start believe it or not, which I bought very used but rode it for 2 winters in Illinois. I didn't even have a car during this time. I then bought a Honda 400cc Hawk which I really liked. I think it was about a 1981. After that I bought a Harley Sportster 883 and had that for about 4 years. The Harley was really a very nice bike but wasn't the kind of bike to take on long rides. I'm 6' tall and it just seemed too cramped for me.

Now to compare these to my Silver Wing:

The Honda Hawk 400cc vs the Silver Wing:

It may be unfair to compare the 2 since the Honda Hawk was older technology but I really enjoyed the Hawk. It only had 27 hp compared to the 50hp of the Silver Wing but was a lot of fun. It was comfortable for me and I enjoyed taking it out on the interstate for rides. I would say it was more comfortable than the 883 on the interstate. But the Hawk doesn't compare to the Silver Wing in terms of comfort, speed, and touring capabilitities. If I had the Hawk now it probably would be harder for me to ride it like I did since I was much younger than. I think I was only about 27 or 28 then and will be turning 50 this July. But the Hawk was a really nice bike for what it was, it just doesn't compare to the Silver Wing.

The Harley Sportster 883 vs the Silver Wing:

I have to say that the 883 was probably quicker, due to the torque and the ability to change gears, but I really think the Silver Wing is a couple of mph faster. The 883 was a joy to own and I would own another in a heart-beat. They are a very narrow bike but comfortable for shorter distances. The 883 could only go 102 mph indicated due to the rev limiter but got there fairly quick.

In terms of longer distances I have to say the Silver Wing wins hands down. The 883 was kind of cramped for me for longer rides but I will say that the highway pegs really helped. It did vibrate a bit more at highway speeds too which wasn't as much fun and they also don't have any wind protection. Even though the 883 was one of my favorite bikes I have to say that overall the Silver Wing is better for what I do. I'm not saying it is better for all but just for me.

I'm not even going to compare the enduros I had since they are totally different beasts. But the enduros sure are fun to have and worked great for me. Even though many of my bikes, when younger, were well used they worked great. I really didn't have much trouble at all with my bikes. I mainly had Honda's and Yamaha's and they are rock solid, even when older.

So, if you have time maybe you can give us a background of your past bikes and compare them to the Silver Wing. I would really like to hear stories of the larger touring bikes and how you liked them, and compare them too. I know the Silver Wing is a good bike but they can't compare to the larger touring bikes on the long distance rides. But I am curious how the SWing compares to the Goldwings, Valkarie's etc. Thanks.

Edited later at 7:50pm on Sunday

I forgot to include the Reflex and the Majesty that I owned before the Silver Wing.

2004 Reflex:

I bought the Reflex in April of 2005 and thought it was a very nice scoot. I kept it 3 months and put 3500 miles on it during that time. I road it about 15 miles each way to work and took many fun rides on it. The Reflex was very comfortable and had very good weather protection but just wasn't powerful enough for the S.F. bay area traffic. Sometimes you need enough power to safely merge into traffic. And I feel that the Reflex didn't fulfill this. I think if the 250cc bikes were 300cc bikes than they would be powerful enough for this and to have a bit more juice for the interstate.

When my wife and I rode 2 up it was really pushing it I felt. We could do the speed limits on the interstate (65mph) but there was really not much left at all. So if you got into trouble you had to brake since there was no way to accelerate out of trouble. But the Reflex is a great bike !!! I'm 6' and 210 lbs so maybe riders that are only about 150lb or less would have more power available for the interstate.

2005 Majesty

I bought the Majesty just a couple of months after the Reflex when I realized my wife enjoyed riding on the back. She said she would never ride on a motorcycle but she did and found she really enjoyed it. So I bought the Majesty and could tell from the minute I took off from the dealer that it is what I needed.

The Majesty is much more powerful and faster than the Reflex, considering just an additional 150cc's. It really surprised me the difference between the two. Because of this when people ask what size scoot they should get, and they want to travel on the interstate or go 2 up, I automatically tell them a 400cc should be the smallest they go. With the stock screen I got up to 107mph indicated which is probably about 95 or 96 actual.

My wife thought the Majesty was much better and very comfortable too. The only thing she didn't like as much was the floorboards for the passenger. The Majesty will take you anywhere you want to go in comfort and is a very stable bike on the interstate.

2007 Silver Wing

When I bought the Silver Wing I didn't buy it because I wasn't happy with the Majesty. The Majesty did everything I wanted in a scoot but I just always wanted a Silver Wing when I first got into scooters. I sat on the Burgman 650 and really liked it but something just pulled me to the Sivler Wing so I figured that was it. The first time I left the dealer and got on the merge lane of the interstate I almost rear ended the car in front of me while merging. I gave the same amount of throttle that I would have given on the Majesty but I new real quick that you don't do that with the Silver Wing.

Just like I was surprised with the power difference between the Reflex and the Majesty, I was equally surprised with the difference between the Majesty and the Silver Wing. So that scared me because I was about to rear end that car. I also think that the engine being a twin cylinder and mounted to the frame really makes it smoother too. The Majesty was a very smooth bike but I feel the Silver Wing is smoother. It is also a bit more stable than the Majesty, probably due to the weight.

So I ended up with the Silver Wing and I just can't think of ever going to anything else unless they do come out with the Honda Silver Wing 750. Their are rumors of this but I wouldn't buy one very soon though. I still get that grin with this bike when I ride and it has been 22 months and 19,700 miles now so I figure that grin will stay with me.

I know this is long but, hey what the heck, it's free.

[b]

Well, here's my biking history, and it won't be a long one since I'm still a newbie compared to most:

I bought my first motorized two-wheeler in April of 07, as my 60th birthday present to myself. I don't know where the idea came from, but somehow I got it into my head that a scooter would be a good idea. I was thinking of my 30 mile each way commute into Santa Fe and back, and the idea of saving money on gas, being environmentally sensible, etc.

I walked into the local cycle/scooter shop in Santa Fe on a cloudy Spring day and spent an hour with the owner getting my basic education in scooters. He recommended the Kymco People 250 to me, given what I wanted a scoot to do. I sat on it and felt it out a bit, and knew that for me, with no experience except the two days I had borrowed a friend's 350 something back in 1971, that it felt too heavy (at 367 lbs. dry weight) and like too much machine for me. I wanted something I could handle easily. After looking at a riding a used People 150 and a Genuine Buddy 125, I bought a new People 150 from this dealer.

My first real ride was the 30 mile ride home from the shop. Wow! I have to say that was fun, and just a little scary. I took to riding more enthusiastically than I had imagined, and began riding that thing into parts of NM that I'd never gone to before, covering up to about 170 miles in a day. I even took it onto the interstate, just to see. That was a real learning experience, and one that I knew I'd never repeat on such a small bike. I also knew within 2 months of owning this scoot that I was ready for a bigger one. I did use it to take the MSF course, and got my motorcycle license.

I followed this up with the People 250. I actually owned two of these, both of which I found on craigslist in Phoenix, and both times I flew down and rode the bikes back to NM, about 400 miles if I remember right, including several hours on I40. Most people thought this was a kind of crazy thing to do, but it seemed ok to me. I thought the bike, and I, were up to it.

The way I came to the Swing was this: last summer I decided I was gonna ride my P250 to St. Louis, which I set out to do. I honestly thought the bike could and would do it just fine. I was wrong. It broke down twice within about 450 miles of home, and I ended up giving it away with a blown engine to the young man who towed me to Wichita.

After returning from my vacation, I started looking into bigger bikes, mostly considering the Majesty and the Swing. I kept going back and forth, and actually did get to test ride the Maj. I was surprised at how light weight it felt to me, and decided I'd like to try the heavier Swing.

Did a couple of months of internet research, and flew to OKCity and rode back on my Swing. It handled well, of course, cruised easily past the endless 18 wheelers on I40, and got me home without incident.

Of course neither the P150 nor the P250 can be compared to the Swing. They were both great scoots though, and a whole lot of fun. Kept within their capabilities, they did great. The 150 wasn't all that comfortable on longer rides, with it's bent-a-bit-forward riding position. Of course it was never meant for this kind of riding. The 250 was surprisingly comfortable on longer rides, especially when I had a stuffed duffle tied on the passenger seat to lean on.

I have to say, there is a way in which these smaller scoots were really more fun than the Swing. They were of course lighter, more nimble, and because of that you could push them to their limits and really feel like you were a bit "on the edge". I find the Swing to be a much more "serious" bike, and of course it is. It's heavy, powerful, and nothing to be taken "lightly", and for me anyway, this actually removes some of the fun factor. Of course, if you want to "go the distance", this kind of bike is more necessary, but somehow "touring" isn't the same as "zipping" around. It's a much more weighty affair, and it feels that way. I toy with the idea of scaling down to the Majesty, in order to recapture some of the fun factor, while maintaining the touring capability. We'll see.

The only bike I had before my S'Wing was a Schwinn! The S'Wing is much faster than any kind of Schwinn, and my Schwinn had 10 speeds!

Let's see,

Schwinn (3 speed) and Western Flyer (single speed, handle bars turned upside down, and fenders removed). Both much slower and much more labor intensive... Oh ... You'r talkin' about the things with motors on them... Oops

We had a 125 yamaha that we used in the woods growing up. Some guy who raced had sort of made it out of parts. My brother and I jumped logs in the woods and it was great fun. In grad schoo, in the early 70's,I had an old 80 Suzuki to get back and forth to class. I really didn't ride it much anywhere but in town.
About 15 years ago after a long absence from biking I bought a Honda 150. I started riding anywhere but town. I liked the bike but it didn't have much power. Then I bought a '87 Helix and loved it. It went right up the hills and could keep up with traffic if I needed it to. My husband and I both rode until he told me he really didn't enjoy riding. We sold both the bikes. But three years ago I bought another '04 Helix and rode any chance I got. I just bought my '09 Silverwing and know it has more power than I will ever need. But I want to take longer trips this year and venture out more :D

This should be interesting! I can't remember all the dates, apart from my first and last two bikes, but these are the machines I've owned.....

The Honda SS50.
I can still remember in 1982 (on my 16th birthday) when my dad had this wee machine delivered to our house. It was a complete surprise, and I had no inkling whatsoever… This was where my love of bikes began… It was bright yellow, and had the tiniest of engines…. Actually it looked a bit like the engine was missing! There was a huge gap under the petrol tank, and the seat was so small that I tended to sit halfway on the pillion seat. It was basic, solid, reliable, dependable, and a rather buzzy single cylinder thumper, and I loved it, even if it wasn’t the fastest of machines!

A year later I graduated to the Suzuki GS125 ES, another single cylinder four stroke. This machine was a major step up in just about everything, comfort, handling, performance, looks etc. It brings back memories of a group of friends used to hand out with, and the thrills spills and adventures we had. I must have come off this bike around a ten to dozen times I think, all my fault pushing the envelope just that bit too much.. Nothing major, just scrapes and bruises and the occasional sprained wrist or ankle for me, with a few scrapes and scratches on the bike.

Suzuki GSX400 ES
My first twin, this silver retro style bike had a petrol tank sculpted to look like suzuki’s 550 and 650 Katana…. This machine afforded me the experience of the first time I ever went over a ton on a bike. I also bought it brand new, but at a discounted price as it had a small dent in the petrol where it had been knocked over in the show room. This was the bike I had when I had my first really serious girlfriend, Ah yes some interesting memories from back then….
This was also my first machine with a real bit of power, and whilst on leave I rode it everywhere that I could, even in the snow once, and only once… A silly thing to do, and a well scary experience, but thankfully, I got home safely enough. I remember distinctly one summer’s day riding across the Yorkshire Dales to visit my sister for the weekend, enjoying some twisty bits and thinking to myself, wow this is real fast as the speedo got to 80 on full throttle having just negotiated a 45-50mph corner, and now on the straight accelerating hard…. I was just about to start thinking of slowing down for the next corner, and this mean machine really howled past me, almost coming out of nowhere, and I watched in awe as the rider at one with his machine neatly flicked this nimble bike through the S bend ahead, and popped a small wheelie before disappearing out of view….. I’m not sure, but I think that may have been my intro to the Honda Fireblade…… or at least something with similar power and poise….

Soooo…..not having that much money, and wanting a bit more power, I moved on to a more powerful but a rather “Sensible” bike, and also my first 4 cylinder machine….. A Kawasaki GT550. A tough reliable 4 cylinder engine (I think it was a detuned GPz550), and shaft drive. But despite this and being very comfortable, to be honest it had really pants handling, IMHO not good enough for the power it had ….. So it was never as much fun as my previous Suzuki, and I found that whilst the engine was quite torquey, the bike as a whole was rather underwhelming, and ultimately frustrating as it weaved and wobbled its way around corners… I sold it after a year, and for a while had no bike, concentrating instead on buying my first property, a small flat by the seaside.

But guess what, life with no bike was just awful. So, after just a few months….

……I bought myself a runabout Suzuki CG125 for about £150…… A basic old, but reliable single cylinder but more like the Honda SS50 than the slicker GS 125 ES.

Several months later, someone actually gave me a bike as it was “in the way” and he was going to scrap it as no-one had wanted to buy it… An old Suzuki GT250 two stroke screamer, my first and last two stroke…. I immediately began grinning just now when I thought of this one. Talk about a narrow power band! Keeping the engine on the boil was a bit like an art form, pegging up and down the gear box…. I remember one night coming home the generator must have spiked cos all the bulbs blew, all at once!! Had to ride home in the dark... But it wasn't too bad cos everyone got out the way when they could hear me coming but not see what it was!!! These two old bikes got me to and from college no problem, The CG125 was the better commuter, but the GT250 was more fun….. Anyway I was well and truly back into bikes again… Within six months I replaced them… From the old to the sublime…

My next bike was the most expensive I’d ever bought, even though it was second hand. A BMW K100RT. But by now I had a decent wage and I could afford to spend more This would have been around 1993, 94, I think. This machine was smooth, slick, fast(ish) and extremely comfortable, easily capable of cruising all day long at 120mph. I’d had an aftermarket rear suspension fitted, and heavier oil and a fork brace on the front, so the handling was much better. I once did just over 3,500 miles in three weeks around Europe on this one. What a trip! One of the highlights I distinctly recall, was riding over the crest of a hill having over a week ago just left the English Channel behind, and in front of me was the Mediterranean sea, beautiful and restless….. sigh…!

Alas the love I had for this bike turned into a bit of a love hate relationship as it cost a ridiculous amount of money to keep on the road, which ultimately spoilt it for me… I vowed never to buy a beemer again, and I ended up part exchanging it for an estate car…

But guess what, life with no bike was just awful. So, after just a few months….

I bought a BMW 650 Funduro. A single cylinder thumper, fun bike, which although very practical, comfortable and fun, it never really quite made it for me. I missed the power of the bigger BMW too much. Also life had other things in store for me. I sold it eventually after about a year to 18 months, as by this time I was now married and a daddy, and the bike just sat gathering dust….. No bike for another 12 long years. I never even went for a ride or so much as looked at a bike shop… It was just too painful. Besides I’d no time as I’d also given up my career to raise my kids, whilst my much more intelligent Mrs carried on with her career and earned good money……

Then early in 2008 in the winter, the Honda 600 Silver Wing came into my life and so began my mid life crisis… Or may be it was the S’wing that saved me…. If you want to know what I made of it, then please read my review posted here on the forum…… But of all the bikes I’ve owned, this one has methinks been the best….. Within a few months it had already surpassed all my expectations, and it got me wondering, can a scoot really be as good as a bike? And so it became a bit of a project… After various modifications over the period of a year, and bearing in mind I am now a much more mature “debonair” in my forties kinda guy, I finally figured one could also ask, can a bike be as practical as a scoot?

And finally after all that, about 3 months ago I went and bought another bike anyway, a 93’ Yamaha XJ900S Diversion. It fulfils the one thing that short of fitting a turbo charger, I couldn’t get the scoot to do. The Yamaha it has a much more brutal 0-60mph of around 4 seconds as opposed to the S’wing’s 5.8 to 6 seconds…… But for the most part the Yamaha sits in the garage next to the S’wing and looks pretty. Of the two I use the Swing about 90% of the time, and it remains well and truly my workhorse. Note the Yamaha is also a workhorse kinda bike, solid, straight forward, comfortable, reliable with shaft drive, and an inline four that develops twice the horsepower of my souped up S’wing. However it certainly is not twice the bike!!!

Looking back through what I’ve written, the features I have most valued in my bikes are comfort, practicality, reliability, solid build, minimal maintenance, good handling, reasonable performance, and with a good potential for fun… No small wonder then that I like the Silver Wing as much as I do :D

Previous bikes I have had:
Suzuki
1966 B100P 120cc 1966-1967 .......................:D New
1967 T20 250 1967-68 ....................... New
1968 T20 250 1968-1970 ....................... New
1968 KT120 120 1969-1970 ....................... Used Demo
1969 T500P 500 1970-1975 .....................:D Used Demo
19XX B100P 120cc 1971-1972 ........................ ratbike

OSSA
1969 250 Pioneer 1970-1971 ...................... New

Suzuki
1970 TS90 90 1971........................... New

Kawasaki
GA2A 90/100 1972-1978 :D :D thru 1990's as hack New

Bultaco Matador
250 1975-1977................................................ Well Used
Honda
Z50, CT90. dirt bikes hacks 1980's .......................

Yamaha
TM80 hack 1980's ............................................... ratbike
SR25O 250 1989-2007 ......restored.......................... Used
XJ650 650 1999-2000 ......restored......................... Used

MuZ Skorpion
660 2000---------.......................... :D :D :D :D :D New

Suzuki
GR650 650 2005----restorer..... ............................. well worn

V moto Montego . Used Demo
2006 125 2007-2008

Silverwing
2007 600 2008---------- :D lol!:Used Demo

I started riding in 1962. All of my motorcycles and scooters were bought new although some were non-current year models. I've owned about 15 or 16 motorcycles and three scooters.

My first "motorcycle" was a 1962 Honda Super Sport 50 and it had a manual clutch & a four speed transmission. My next two bikes were the famous Super Hawk 305 (CB-77). Uncle Sam interrupted my riding for a few years but eventually I returned to motorcycling. My last motorcycle was a 2005 BMW R1150R (very nice bike). But I found out that my battered body no longer found it easy to ride motorcycles. A neighbor insisted that I try out his Yamaha Majesty and immediately after that, I bought my first scooter.

Which was a 2004 Honda Silverwing. My next scooter was a 2008 Burg 400 but I realized that I missed the SWing so I traded in my B400 on a 2007 SWing ABS and I'm happy once again.

The B400 was lighter than the SWing and easier to push around and paddle around. And it felt lower to the ground than the SWing. The MPGs were much higher too.

But the smoothness and much greater power of the SWing appeals alot to me. And I love the sound of the twin cylinder engine compared to the lawn mower sound of the B400. The linked braking system (and ABS) help to make me feel safer. And finally, I find that it is easier for me to add accessories to the SWing than it was on the B400.

As a youngster (~12) I rode several friends motorized mini bikes around on dirt paths, but it was during college in Northern Michigan when I was introduced to motorcycles. I had a couple of room mates that allowed me to occasionally borrow their bikes. One was a 1972 (or so) Honda CB 350 (I think) and the other was an early 1970's Yamaha 650 Special.

Both bikes were a blast to ride. The Special had more zip to it, but was a naked bike, so you ended up eating plenty of bugs - especially if you couldn't get that permanent grin off your face.

Thinking about it I find it interesting that it took me so long after college to actually buy my own bike, but for nearly 30 years I always seemed to have a long list of reasons not to do it. too dangerous, too much traffic, too impractical, not while I'm raising young kids (and so on). I often found myself reading over magazine articles extolling the virtues of the various bikes and I would reflect back to my own experience and smile.

Then last July - the summer after I turned 50 - with gasoline prices skyrocketing to over $4.00 /gallon, my wife and I went out "just to look" at these scooter things. We visited a Suzuki dealer first and closely looked over the Burgman 650 Executive. It was a very nice machine, but I found the leg room a bit cramped and it felt sort of "fat" and top heavy. Plus the $9,500 price tag placed it well out of the range of what we would consider.

On the way home we passed by a little Honda dealership that tucked away along Highway 85 - I had never even noticed it before, but there were quite a few scooter-looking things out front, so we turned around and went back to see what they had. We found that they were more of an ATV and personal water craft type of dealer, but they did have one 2007 Honda Silver Wing that one of the employees had dropped while wheeling it into the shop. It had some minor scratches on the right side but otherwise looked pretty good. They said that they would really like to get rid of it and practically bagged me to make them an offer. I thought about it and figured "what the heck at least I won't have to worry about dropping it first". We ended up settling on a price of $6,500 for it.

I like a lot of you have put quite a bit of money into various aftermarket performance enhancements (J Costa, Leo Vince, K & N Air filter) and other customization options (givi windshield and top case). I figure that with all I have done I am just now getting up to about the original retail price of the bike, but I have a bike that is quite responsive, handles extremely well under a wide variety of conditions, can haul more stuff than any guy has a right to haul, and provides a very comfortable and economical commuting platform. I ride it every day that the roads are not snow covered or icy. A little rain is not a problem.

I don't know that it is fair to try to compare the Silver wing with the older bikes I have ridden since the technology is so different (meaning advanced). But compared to those older bikes, the wing has better wind protection, as good or better handling, can haul more stuff, better gas mileage, more power, and is more comfortable.

There are many bikes out there that look great and provide exciting performance, so I may eventually purchase another bike, but I expect that I will always keep the Swing. I kind of have my eye on the Kawasaki Concours 14 and the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 LT. It seems that I may need to get a larger garage...

You got your SWing for a good price. Brand new out the door mine was $7,500. It is harder to talk dealers down out here I think since they are so hard to find now. I have about the same mods that you have and I think the J. Costa does the most for performance but the Givi, or Clearview, do the best for comfort.

Jeff:
The dealership here in Colorado had it listed at $7,999.95, so I thought what I paid was fair considering the scratches. I suppose could replace (or repaint) the plastic for a couple hundred dollars, but it really isn't that important to me - those things are just cosmetic. I am much more than impressed with how she performs.

Jeff,
I only had a few bikes over the years and had blast with every one of them.
Started with a Kawasaki 100, dual range, two stroke. I used it on the farm almost exclusively to check the fences and the livestock. In the low range could do wheelies but only for a short run. After 10 years or so I bought a Suzuki 250 quadrunner, great machine. Couldn't get around with it as easy as with the Kawasaki though, but hauled more stuff.
1986 Suzuki Intruder 750ccm
I was checking out the Harleys one day and after test driving one I realized I wanted something lighter. After I saw and rode the Intruder I snapped up this bike in a hurry. I believe to this day that Suzuki did a great job with this bike. I need to stress that the styling is second to none. Plenty of power, oil level sight glass, shaft drive, soft ride were the features that got my attention. After one good scare I sold it a year later.
2002 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 ccm.
I bought this bike last summer from a buddy of mine. As much as I liked it I found it a bit cumbersome and a bit heavy to handle moving it in and out of the garage.
2008 Suzuki Boulevard S50 805 ccm
This bike is virtually identical to my 1986 Intruder. As soon as I got on it I felt right at home. I traded in the Honda Shadow.
2005 Honda SW600
My buddy has a Yamaha Majesty 400. I drove it a few times and I liked it. I guess that's what got my interest started. I ran across this scooter sitting in an out of town dealership. It was a demo with 684 miles. I bought it 3 weeks ago for 5000 U$ including taxes and a full 1 year Factory warranty. I compared the price on the autotraderonline.com and think it It has a few scuff marks that I'm sure I will be able to take care of. It is hard to make a comparison with my Suzuki Boulevard, I haven't ridden the scooter yet. I expect the Honda SW will be more practical, not necessarily more comfortable, but easier to handle. Although the SW weighs 60 lbs more than the Suzuki it has a much lower center of gravity. I believe that is the key to easy handling.
As long as I can afford it I will keep the Suzuki. There are more powerful bikes, but this bike can scat! Plenty for me....

My first bike was a Husqvarna 250 racebike that my husband, who had been riding since he was 14, chose for me to ride. Somehow I managed to put a few miles on it on Albuquerque's levee roads, but after I took my neighbor's fence down while he was watching, I put away my riding boots until I was 35.

When we moved to Nevada I got a 1985 Suzuki DR 200 and rode it in the desert and mountains. I fell down a lot trying to keep up with my husband and sons, but compared to the Husky, I thought it was great--it's power was controllable. My sons nicknamed the Suzuki "The Pig" due to its tendency to wallow in the sand. I always had a bike to ride--no one wanted to ride Mom's. I rode all kinds of dirtbikes, and later I got a Honda 200 dirtbike--it was much better than the Suzuki. I chose it.

My 1st streetbike was a 1983 Honda Shadow with shaft drive and high tank. Despite dropping it a couple of times, I decided I liked street riding and after a year I bought a 1996 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic. I chose it and I put 55,000 miles on it in 5 years. We went all over; our longest trip was across North Dakota and down into Iowa. I probably should have kept it. However....I wanted something bigger.

When I sat on the 2001 Victory I knew I had to have it. I loved that bike and put 22,000 miles on it. In the end the weight was too much for my feet and back, and the arthritis in my shifting foot (probably from shifting dirtbikes and kickstarting them), got to me. I got a sidecar and drove that rig for a year, once to Canada. However, it doesn't pay to have a sidecar unless you are the mechanic; no one else really wants to work on your sidecar--they want to go riding. When I "lifted my chair", and had to tell my friend it wasn't on purpose, I decided it was time to try something different. I got the 2003 Honda Silverwing FSC600 A and had it for about a year before I sold the Victory. I really wanted to keep the Victory, but it was too much weight for my left leg.

By the way, after I got the Victory my husband was teased unmercifully by other Harley riders--"You'd better get a bike bigger than your wife's" was the usual cry, so he got a Goldwing.

My 2003 Honda Silverwing has 30,000 + miles on it, and I've ridden it across country. I rode it with my husband's Goldwing, and then with his 1000 V-strom. It rode well with both those bikes as long as I led. After I put 25,000 miles on the Silverwing we started trailering so we lessened the miles we put on our bikes.

A few years ago I decided to ride a "real motorcycle" again and bought a 650 V-strom. I love that bike, but found that the Honda was still better for me due to arthritis and the low no-tank. So now I have the Honda Silverwing FSC 600 A and my newest addition, the 2009 Piaggio MP3 500. I'll let you know how that turns out.

And my husband has two V-stroms.

The other day my husband asked me if I wanted to go look in the bike shops. I told him, no, I'd probably better stay out of the bike shops. I'm finally addressing the "maturity" issue. Maybe.

It just goes to show, there are two wheels (or 3 if you have an MP3) to fit everyone.

I live in the upper peninsula of mich, in marquette. my silverwing is a 2004 bought in 2005 out of the box. I have had honda 125, 250 rebel, reflex and now the swing, which is the best. I now have 53k miles and have ridden to tennessee and back, washington state and back, and last summer to texas to watch my youngest son graduate from air force basic and back of course. I use amsoil synthetic (i change) and each year have new tires and drivebelt installed by the dealer in escanaba. i had one headlight burn out but otherwise have had no troubles. the dealer in escanaba has been great. the bike fits me perfectly and i only needed to put a new givi windshield on to keep the wind manageable. i won't be on the road for a while. we get lots of snow and this year have 60 more inches than usual. it will be a looooong spring before summer arrives.

Tom,

Welcome to the site and post some pics of you and your bike in the "Albums" section. I had a Reflex and Majesty, before the SWing, and think the SWing is a great bike. Welcome.

Hello Tom:
Welcome to the site. I lived in Marquette while I was attending NMU. I love the UP and have made it back several times to visit some friends who still live in the area. I wish I could visit more often. I monitor the UP weather and noticed that you guys have had quite a lot of snow this year. We could use some of that here in Colorado. I look forward to visiting with you some more.

Take care.
David Cloutier

u p tom wrote:

I live in the upper peninsula of mich, in marquette. my silverwing is a 2004 bought in 2005 out of the box. I have had honda 125, 250 rebel, reflex and now the swing, which is the best. I now have 53k miles and have ridden to tennessee and back, washington state and back, and last summer to texas to watch my youngest son graduate from air force basic and back of course.

That is a lot average miles per year with a winter hiatus.

I had a minibike when I was a kid (a long time ago). I got into riding about 4 or 5 years ago. I started with a brand new Yamaha Zuma because I didn't want to get a motorcycle license. I learned quickly that even polite traffic won't tolerate a vehicle that tops out at 37 mph. I took a couple of motorcycle courses and then purchased a used 2004 Reflex on eBay. It was a great machine for riding in town but was just too tender out on the highway. This slightest wind really seemed to knock it around. I sold it on eBay and purchased a brand new 2004 SWing in the fall of 2007. I got it for $5800 out the door. I must admit, I'm surprised at how much I enjoy riding. I'm always looking for excuses (during the warmer months in Maine) to go out. I really need to come up with a strategy to get my wife interested in riding too. Any suggestions anyone?

Scooterian wrote:

I really need to come up with a strategy to get my wife interested in riding too. Any suggestions anyone?

As a rider or a driver??

Hi U P Tom, welcome to the site. I just finished a job up in Escanaba a couple of weeks ago. Hit a deer (deer hit me) with the car on rt 2. Wife and I have camped in The UP and also stayed in a cabin in Munising on previous motorcycle trips. It is really nice in the summer on the UP. Sounds like you are getting the use out of you swing. Stay warm and take care...Dick

Just realized that I have not replied to the topic of this thread.
I will list only the motorcycles that I had registered and ridden on the road.
1. 1963 305 Honda Dream. This was my first new motorcycle.
2. 1966 305 Honda Superhawk. I liked this very much.
3. 1968 BSA 441 Victor. Courted and married my wife with this one.
4. 1968 YR1 350 Yamaha. Great 2 stroke.
5. 1972 S3 Kawasaki tripple. 3 sets of points, hard to keep timed.
6. 1972 Kawasaki 175 enduro. Fun street legal enduro.
7. 1971 350 GTR Bridgestone. Rotary valved 2 Stroke.
8. 1975 H2 Kawasaki 750 triple. Hot rod of it's day. Toured Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on this one.
9. 1977 KZ 650 Kawasaki. One of my wifes favorites.
10. 1979 KZ 1300 Kawasaki 6 cylinder. Another favorite of my wifes and the bike that turned us to real long distance touring in a serous fashion.
11. 1973 Harley Sprint 350 SS. Don't ask me why!
12. 1983 Honda 750 Magna. One of 2 bikes that my wife said had to go after a long trip.
13. 1973 500 twin Triumph.
14. 1975 500 Suzuki Titan. Another great 2 stroke.
15. 1981 Honda GL 1100 Gold Wing. Took us many places. Kept for 10 years. Started trailer pulling while owning this bike.
16. 1984 Yamaha 180 Riva scooter. We had a blast with this one.
17. 1990 Honda Pacific Coast. Probably the best of the bunch. Bought new and had right at 110,000 miles when I let it go.
18. 1985 BMW K100 RT. The other bike she said had to go. Rode like a brick and vibrated her feet. (Her words).
19. 1989 GL1500 GW. Still own this one and pull our camping trailer and cargo trailer with it. Trailer pulling with reverse when needed is wonderful.
20. 2003 Silverwing. This thing is great fun and is our daily rider now. I would say the closest comparison would have been the Honda PC.
Other than my service time we have pretty much had a motorcycle all the time. A great bunch of people ride these things and this site is a prime example. We have 4 more states to ride to and we will have covered the lower 48. We are blessed to live in a country that is not only beautiful to ride in but we have the freedom to do so.
I have probably missed a couple as I am listing as I remember them.
It doesn't matter how many motorcycles a person has owned or how many miles they have traveled. What does matter is the memories of all the sites,sounds and the people you meet along the way. Enjoy the ride no matter what you are on.
Just as a side note I would like to say to all the guys...The secret to long term motorcycling is to please the lady on the back....if she's comfy and smiling then everybody's happy. Take care and God Bless...Dick

Dickie is right. It doesn't matter what you ride, as long as you enjoy it. And, as a "lady" who wasn't happy on the back of a bike, I can tell you that sometimes you'll just have to let your lady ride her own scooter! Just don't forget the MSF safety courses, although I don't know if they have any that are geared toward scooters rather than motorcycles. A course would still be beneficial and would get you a motorcycle license if you ride a large scooter. Diane

Diane, you are correct, there are many ladies riding there own and enjoying every minute of it. My wife bless her heart has never had the desire to ride her own on the street. I must say that I am glad of that decision and I think that has kept us closer all these years. I would have missed out on all those little touch's and hugs, giggles, her sliding down in the seat while falling asleep, looking in the mirror and seeng her smiling from ear to ear and hearing all those excited "did you see that".
That said she did ride dirt bikes while the kids were little and we all rode.
Every family is different and what works for one may not work for another. You make a very good point and please continue to enjoy the ride. Dick

My last bike before I bought a SW in 2007 was a Kawasaki Concours. After having both knees replaced I had a hard time swinging my leg over the Kawa, and an even harder time getting off the bike without falling over. The SW was the almost perfect solution. I love my SW and have found it an excellent and fun ride both for local use and for long trips, but I miss the power and acceleration of the Concours. Now when I am stuck behind a vehicle doing 55 on a two-lane road I am less likely to try to pass unless I have a long, long open stretch. With my old Concours I would drop two gears and accererate to 85 or 90 within a few seconds and safely go around the slower traffic. The SW is great, but don't look for the adrenaline rush that a real motorcycle can provide.

Vito:
You may want to look into some of the discussions on this site that tell yu how you can boost the performance of your Silverwing. JeffR and Bernardo are both very well versed in these things and they can tell you about some after market equipment that you can put on that will really make a difference in acceleration. To get the engine running more efficiently you may want to consider a K&N air filter (~$60.00) and a free flow/performance exhaust. I put a Leo Vince on my bike for ~$450.00. These modifications will get more horse power out of the engine. But the best value for the money will be changing your variator to a J Costa. It works more efficiently that the stock one, so that when you twist the throttle, it kicks up the engine rpms into the real power band of the 600 cc parallel twin and keeps it there as you accellerate. I am a big guy (6'5" and 235lbs) and I live at high altitude >5,500 feet, so the stock bike felt a little anemic to me - especially when trying to pass while going up a hill. But since I did these modifications I have absolutely no problem passing anytime I feel I need to. Just twist and Whooosh... I'm doing 60, 70, 80, 90... in just a couple seconds. Granted, it isn't going to match a Concourse 14, but it isn't bad.

Vito,

Like Dave (Scootist) said, the J. Costa is a very simple solution to getting the SWing into it's powerband. I don't have the Leo Vince like Dave has but I hear that the J. Costa gives the most performance by itself, more than just the exhaust or Power Commander, gives. But all of them together really put you in a different class.

Bernardo posted his dyno results after all his mods and he increased his hp from about 37 to 44, and his torque went from 37 to 49. So all three really increase your torque. You might want to check it out by doing a search of Bernardo's posts.

Jeff:
I agree that the J Costa provided the biggest boost. If you did one thing that should be it. Fortunately it is one of the cheaper things to do (relatively)

Jeff:

I started my serious riding in 1973 when I purchased a Yamaha 350 two stroke. That was to light and fast for me so I purchased a 500. All my bikes have been Yamaha since the dealer was here in town and I did not have the time to travel 20 to 30 miles for other brands. Over the years I have had 750, 920 Virago, 1300 Venture, 1100 Virago. We also had endor's when my boys were young.
After the Virago I bought a 250 Helix which I had for 2 yrs. before the 2004 Silver Wing. I feel the Helix is the ultiment in that size scooter. I had so much fun with that but wanted a something with more power for highway riding. The Silver Wing just filled the bill for that.

Compare bikes: The two V-twin Virago's were nice but did vibrate more than the SW
The Venture being a larger bike had the power and was very smooth like the SW.
Why would I ever go back to a motorcycle when I have all the luxury of step-thru, twist and go and all the power needed to handle the type of riding I do now.
Besides it is to hard to swing the right leg over the seat any more!
I love my Silver Wing.
Bill

vito wrote:

My last bike before I bought a SW in 2007 was a Kawasaki Concours. After having both knees replaced I had a hard time swinging my leg over the Kawa, and an even harder time getting off the bike without falling over. The SW was the almost perfect solution. I love my SW and have found it an excellent and fun ride both for local use and for long trips, but I miss the power and acceleration of the Concours. Now when I am stuck behind a vehicle doing 55 on a two-lane road I am less likely to try to pass unless I have a long, long open stretch. With my old Concours I would drop two gears and accererate to 85 or 90 within a few seconds and safely go around the slower traffic. The SW is great, but don't look for the adrenaline rush that a real motorcycle can provide.

Hi There Vito,

As some of the others have already said, you should at least try a J Costa.... It makes a big difference. That said, even with all the "affordable" and easy to fit mods without tinkering with the engine, the modified S'wing although faster, 0-60 just under 6 seconds still doesn't have that brutal low down grunt of a similar or bigger bike (0-60 mph 4 seconds or less) Please have a read of my posts in the review section. If I haven't already, I'll add a post somewhere that you can use to compare the peformance of a modified S'wing with an older in line four Yamaha Diversion (90bhp, and I think 65 ft/lbs torque). It has a similar spec I think to your concours, but is probably more sports tourer / commuter than tourer. I bought this bike after completing all the mods on the S'wing, specifcally to address the "adrenaline rush" as you describe it. Plus I love the feel of the in line four..... However the proof of the pudding is that I use the S'wing 90% of the time.... It has better luggage capacity, fits through narrower gaps, better weather protection, is more comfortable, better mpg (with the mods) cheaper to insure and maintain, better build quality, and is overall IMHO more usable and practical.....

As promised I have just posted a review of my bike

https://www.silverwing600.com/topic-for-other-scooters-yamaha-suzuki-etc-f13/comparison-review-yamaha-xj-900-diversion-bike-t258.htm#1395

which if you read in conjunction with the review of my S'Wing

https://www.silverwing600.com/silver-wing-accessories-modifications-f5/comprehensive-review-honda-fjs-600-abs-silver-wing-t144.htm#1396

should give an interesting comparison of similar(ish) machines one in the bike world and other in the scooter world.

Happy Riding