New to Forum From Nashville

- located near Nashville TN
- 2008 Silver Wing
- purchased it to carry on hitch of diesel motorhome
- wife not happy abt purchase and so far won't ride with me
- last bike was many years ago, rode it all year long, was a 1968 Norton Commando
- Silver Wing is VERY different
- I like it although it seems a bit too small for me
- it definitely is better than any other scooter I've driven, but still a bit "disconcerting" on the interstate
- still, I like riding it quite a bit

djevanstn wrote:

- 2008 Silver Wing
- purchased it to carry on hitch of diesel motorhome
- wife not happy abt purchase and so far won't ride with me

Welcome to the SWing forum.

Make sure you are comfortable with the SWing .. then bribe her with a trip to somewhere she wants to go

djevanstn wrote:

-
it definitely is better than any other scooter I've driven, but still a
bit "disconcerting" on the interstate

The interstate and two lane handling improved after I replaced the windshield with a Clearview XL.

"a trip to somewhere she wants to go"

A shoe- & hand-bag shop!

Welcome!

djevanstn,

Welcome to the site (from just down the road) - Enjoy the ride.

If taking her to a shoe and bag shop it might be a good idea to pull a trailer!
Welcome aboard ride safe and have fun.
Craig

Thank you All for the replies!

honda_silver

This Silver Wing came with a GIVA(sp?) tall windshield - I am going to try to 1st locate an OEM windshield to try it - I'm thinking I'll switch it back in winter - this windshield nearly completely isolates me from "any" air - I will definitely look in to the Clearview XL if I'm still not satisfied

As for riding skill, I ride every day I can and "it's" coming back quickly - I am slowing down much more in turns than I remember having to do though - this scooter reacts much more "radically" (for lack of a better or more appropriate word, maybe "unpredicitably") at this point, for me at least.

It also might be "age" and I'm simply not doing "something" well... very slow speed is another issue - I used to be able to literally stop and maintain balance without touching my feet, and take offf again - that doesn't seem possible for me at the moment - I'm trying to work that out - I'm hoping it's just age and lack of recent experience

honda_silver wrote:

djevanstn wrote:

- 2008 Silver Wing
- purchased it to carry on hitch of diesel motorhome
- wife not happy abt purchase and so far won't ride with me

Welcome to the SWing forum.

Make sure you are comfortable with the SWing .. then bribe her with a trip to somewhere she wants to go

djevanstn wrote:

-
it definitely is better than any other scooter I've driven, but still a
bit "disconcerting" on the interstate

The interstate and two lane handling improved after I replaced the windshield with a Clearview XL.

Hi DJ. Good to meet ya. Could you please post a picture of your SWing on that hitch carrier, or loading er' on? And, thanks for mentioning Norton Commando's. The Norton ads in the magazines were so anticipated every month for the...........wait for it........Norton Girls astride the newest Commando..........thanks for the great teenage memories. Jeff

Jeff . . .

I've only had the Silver Wing for a week or so.

I haven't purchased the "carrier" yet - Here http://www.google.com/images?q=versahaul&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi are a bunch of pictures of this system, one showing a scooter of some sort on it - I will be purchasing the Versahaul SPORT RO - I'm trying to find one used

Don . . .

Hi a tip for low speed turns ,use a little throttle ,and light rear brake it works wonders . It also works good for creeping traffic . They do take a bit of getting used to . I think it is a great idea to take it on the back of your motor home .
It beats dragging a car along .

Excell

Excell wrote:

Hi a tip for low speed turns ,use a little throttle ,and light rear brake it works wonders . It also works good for creeping traffic . They do take a bit of getting used to . I think it is a great idea to take it on the back of your motor home .
It beats dragging a car along .

Excell

I can see how that would work, esp. with the throttle lag - I'll certainly try that -I like that suggestion - not so much the throttle lag!

As for the car, I'll just wait for her to get really soaked once and see if we still carry it!

Hey DJ! Welcome from East Tennessee!

Hello wes_ingram and thank you!

Don . . .

Welcome to the site and congrats on your new SWing. If you think the Givi isolates you from the air you may not want the XL Clearview. I had the Clearview and it may not give you the air you want. I don't think they make the XL Clearview with a vent anymore, but mine really bent in the wind. But there have only been a few of us that had that problem.

You may want to order the L Clearview if you want some air. I also cut down my Givi about 1 1/2" to 2" and that helps alot for me, and I sit high in the saddle. I'm 6'0" and have a longer torso and the Givi still pushed the air a few inches above my head. So you may just want to cut an inch or 2 off first to see how you like it. I used a scroll saw and it worked good except I just didn't do a good job. Others have reported very good results with it though.

BTW, there are many Pictorials on how to do things in the "Pictorial" section, with one on how to change out the shield. You may want to review it since I put some hints on what to be careful about. You can push the retainers in very easy and then you might have trouble getting them out. But you may want to look them over since you can save alot of money doing it yourself.

JeffR wrote:

If you think the Givi isolates you from the air you may not want the XL Clearview. I had the Clearview and it may not give you the air you want. I don't think they make the XL Clearview with a vent anymore, but mine really bent in the wind. But there have only been a few of us that had that problem.

The Clearview XL also helped the passenger from wind buffeting My wife is a tall 5'4" , with the Clearview XL the wind was moved so that only felt the wind on the tufts of her hair ... we could also easily talk at 45-50 MPH.

If you are going to ride with a passenger often and want them to be comfortable ... make sure you have your "seat height" finished before cutting a windshield.

I started with
- ) stock seat
- ) added Alaskan Sheepskin
- ) added AirHawk

I could see of the Clearview XL, both the Alaskan Sheepskin and AirHawk both addeded "seat height".

JeffR and honda_silver . . .

OK on the windshields and the issues.

honda_silver - what are you referring to? ("make sure you have your "seat height" finished before cutting a windshield.") The only seat adjustment I've found so far, is to the "lower seat back" and I have it all the way back.




Excell . . .

I can't thank you enough! Adding "a little rear brake" on any turn, slow, or not so slow, solves a big "CVT specific" problem for me. I guess I'll just have to change the rear brakes more often. That feels so much better. I also can take turns much faster with better control. (absolute control - I guess I was used to gearing down on previous bikes)

djevanstn wrote:

what are you referring to? ("make sure you have your "seat height" finished before cutting a windshield.") The only seat adjustment I've found so far, is to the "lower seat back" and I have it all the way back.

Some people have added aftermarket seat cushion/padding on top of the OEM seat for comfort ... which raises the "seat height".

honda_silver wrote:

I started with
- ) stock seat
- ) added Alaskan Sheepskin
- ) added AirHawk

As I added each item ... I could more comfortably travel more miles with no seat discomfort. I added one more item Utopia backrest which positions me back further (and without buttrest a tad higher on the seat), but it greatly helps for very long rides. I hope to do an Ironbutt SaddleSore 1000 in the next couple of days.

honda_silver . . .

One more "round" if you don't mind...

Do you know anything about a company called "CORBIN?"

I have no problem going that route if I end up comfortable.

http://www.corbin.com/honda/hsw.shtml

djevanstn wrote:

honda_silver . . .

One more "round" if you don't mind...

Do you know anything about a company called "CORBIN?"

I have no problem going that route if I end up comfortable.

http://www.corbin.com/honda/hsw.shtml

You might have a look at Russel Day Long if you want the replacement saddle to fit right with no mods needed

http://www.day-long.com/

Thanks Jon! They look great and seem to be a bit more flexible in their offerings.