When people refer to the Silver Wing as a

Was out running errands today on the Swing. 105 degrees out. Eastern WA. At a Dollar store loading up on some painting supplies. A mini van was trying to pull out and ran out of gas. After trying to start it all the time I was loading stuff into my seat out spills the driver with a gas can.
I offered to give him a ride to get it filled. Only three blocks down. He made the comment that his kids were calling my bike a Moped. And people every so offten call it a moped.

You guys get this much? Driver asked it it really went 120 Mph and I said I know people on the the internet who have had em up that fast but I never got over 65 mph on it.

Ya....

Mike

'Name-calling' isn't a problem here - P2Ws are part of Life here (and bicycles, too).

I suspect ignorance is part of the problem; people really don't know what a Silverwing is so use a name they do know.
I don't think that'll ever change but chatting to those who show a modicom of interest must be a good thing.

Were the people in a mini van or a SUV or a crossover(I have no idea what that is} or a station wagon or........? Who cares what others call it! They call it whatever they are comfotable with. Mine is a scooter but I have to have a motorcycle license to ride it legally. I'll bet they will refer to you as "that great guy who helped us". Thanks for improving our image.

OK...the deal is, the very early "motor/cycle's" were just that, motorized bicycles. Bicycles with a small motor added. Harley-Davidson was one of them...and a bunch of other small bike bilders during that period.

I thinking...When a Harley rider tells me its a "moPed". I'll just answer "No, it's not a Harley-Davidson...It's a Honda". The down side is that most Harley riders have no idea that Harley-Davidson started as a "moPed" manufacturer back in the day.

When I was riding a 1959 Panhead (20 years), most new Harley riders did not even know what it was.. Most are ignorant of their own bikes history.

I ride a Honda Silverwing now and very proud to do so.

BTW Dennis, did you know HD issued a little 2 banger mini bike in the very early 70's

Worth a packet now if you can find one

Simple:
Moped = Pedals
Scooter = No Pedals
A swing is so big, it's a hybrid of a scooter and a motorcycle. It isn't even a flat floor scooter as most people's concept of a scooter.
Automatic-type transmissions (no lift manual, dual-clutch manual and full automatic) are one of the coming things to "modern" motorcycles. Who knows when H-D will build one. However, if H-D is smart they'll develop an auto-shifting bike for their old demographic. Maybe they can build it to sound like their standard crash box!

Harley-Davidson did build and sell a scooter 1960-1965 called "Topper"

Who cares what they call it----I'm riding, they are not.

HD also had MOPED in the 60's

I call it my scooter with an attitude or my scooter on steroids.

Thanks DennisB, I'm printing that ad out. My son-in-aw has my Harley and he will like this ad. We use to ride on 165cc 2 cycle dirt track Harleys too. Good little bikes.

Why all the rhetoric, just tell them to **** off, what you ride is none of their concern.

Yesterday I was stopped at a red light next to a man on a Harley. It had rained hard the intersection was flooded. He said he just got out of work and hadn't seen the storm and asked me how long it had rained. I told him I didn't know I had just got back from a ride 75 miles south. Now I must point out, to get down there you have to go over the Sunshine Skyway bridge on I 275. He said ON THAT THING? Then he asked what size engine and how fast it would go. I told him 600cc and 105-110 mph. and than he wanted to know who made it. I told him Honda. He said Oh that's why I thought it was one of those Chinese things, ya Honda makes some good stuff.

model28a wrote:

He said Oh that's why I thought it was one of those Chinese things, ya Honda makes some good stuff.

Unfortunately I had one of those Chinese things a couple of yrs ago.

Homer

Homer, sad to hear you had bad luck with your Chinese scooter. I had a Chinese Helix clone that I put over 18,000 miles on and it was still going strong threw two more people before I lost track of it. I do believe it was an exception and I just got lucky.

Don't EVER buy Chinese scooters. I had a silverwing copy. All the rubber will fail. It borke down or had repair issues every summer at least one. With the money I spent on it, and repairs and on the used silver wing I could have bought a brand new Silver wing or Bergman.

Unless you can do your own repairs it's not worth it.

I could not agree more. There is a man in my town that sells some very nice looking knock-offs and now one that is completelly electric, that looks just like the Silverwing. Selling for around $ 10,000 minus rebates.
The point is, every once and a while I will see some poor sucker pushing his itty bitty scotter down the side walk and to his shop. The worst part is that I have heard that he will not work on them and I know of know one that will touch them. Bummer!

If he is selling chinese bikes for the same amount you pay for Japanese name brands he's ripping people off blind!

Someone should picket his store.

I will not get in a debate over Chinese scooters or would I ever recommend one over a Japanese scooter. That said if I had not got my Chinese scooter I don't think I would have ever come off the money that a good scooter cost. I paid $2,100 out the door for my Chinese Helix clone from a brick and mortar store. It came with a two year warranty and I had over 18,000 miles on in one and half years. Then I was hooked on scooters. In January 2010 I was at the Honda dealership and they had an 08 Silverwing with about 2,000 miles on it for $5,800. I offered them $5,000 out the door, tax, tags and title. They went for it and now I would not buy another Chinese scooter. But if someone is low on money and is going to buy a Chinese scooter I say get one from a brick and mortar seller and pay a little more than on the internet and you have a better chance at getting something usable. I know I was vary happy with the one I had. Perhaps I'm just lucky we have at lest two good brick and mortar shops hear in St.Pete. that sell Chinese and Taiwanese scooters that stand behind there products.

model28a wrote:

I will not get in a debate over Chinese scooters or would I ever recommend one over a Japanese scooter. That said if I had not got my Chinese scooter I don't think I would have ever come off the money that a good scooter cost. I paid $2,100 out the door for my Chinese Helix clone from a brick and mortar store. It came with a two year warranty and I had over 18,000 miles on in one and half years. Then I was hooked on scooters. In January 2010 I was at the Honda dealership and they had an 08 Silverwing with about 2,000 miles on it for $5,800. I offered them $5,000 out the door, tax, tags and title. They went for it and now I would not buy another Chinese scooter. But if someone is low on money and is going to buy a Chinese scooter I say get one from a brick and mortar seller and pay a little more than on the internet and you have a better chance at getting something usable. I know I was vary happy with the one I had. Perhaps I'm just lucky we have at lest two good brick and mortar shops hear in St.Pete. that sell Chinese and Taiwanese scooters that stand behind there products.

This is almost word for word my story. With the exception that I bought my Chinese Reflex clone mail order and knowing up front it might not be top quality and I'd have to be my own mechanic. I put 8000 miles on the thing before I sold it and I worked on it almost as much as I rode it but I'm VERY glad I bought the thing because I learned how the engine worked, where all the parts were, how to take it apart and put it back together. I learned QUITE A BIT of invaluable information and got totally hooked on scooters. In 2010 I found a leftover brand new 2008 Silverwing and I have 13000+ miles on it now. I just love it and wont be parting with it anytime soon.

I now have over 35,000 on my Wing, so yes I'm hooked. I had to ride my Morphous when my Wing was down and it my hips hurt so bad(I need new ones) I was afraid I was going to give up riding, but the taller Wing doesn't bother me So I'm good to go a little longer. I know I will have to trike my Wing someday but at least Yelvington trikes is only about three miles from me, all I need is money.

Don't get me wrong, the power train on my Chinese scooter seemed to be pretty solid. It was all the little parts that wear out long before they should. If I was a mechanic I would have loved keeping it on the road.

But right off the bat they sent me a schooter that was messed up. A shop I begged my way into found a wire that was shorting out effecting the fuel line and fixed it.

Family motor sports in PENN. state refused any help at all and blamed me for something I must have done to it myself. I only bougtht it on line because the local shop did not seem to want to sell me a 250 cc

When I 'accidentally' throttled up and passed the chief of police of a small Florida town back in 2011 (it was raining enough to drown a frog), I got stopped and yelled at for quite a while, I think the fact that he thought the Swing was a moped helped in my favor. "'You shouldn't even be riding that moped in the rain!'" When he saw my PA license, he seemed a little confused. I sure wasn't about to tell him that I had only ridden down from Philadelphia the day before. He let me and my moped go with just a warning. I'm sure a 'real bike' would've garnered a performance award.

I finally have an answer for the "moped" comments and other derogatory comments "real" motorcycle riders will sometimes give us.

I've had a sticker on the rear fender from the Rounders Forum.



Then I added one of these license plate frames a few weeks ago.



There's a rider who parks next to me at work, and I've never seen him till the other day. He rides two different Honda Interceptors. A 1986 model in immaculate condition and the 25th Anniversary version, plus an ST1300.

When I saw him, he asked me if that was an "Iron Butt bike", and I told him yes. That moment was priceless!

The idea of it being a moped was totally out of his mind.

Chris

Fellow IBA member here. Good on ya!

I'm amused that you put stickers on to show you ride all year and not just in "the riding season". In the UK the majority of riders dig out their winter riding gear and carry on as normal. There's also a long tradition of going to winter rallies and camping weekends

The most famous are the Dragon Rally in Wales, and the Elephant Rally originally held at the Nürburgring, now held in Bavaria. Both have been going for over 50 years.

I went to the 25th Anniversary Dragon Rally, and the one the next year after that. I've still got the souvenir wooly hat and coveted Dragon Rally badges, in hindsight they were both pretty rubbish affairs unless you like riding hundreds of miles to spend a night in a snowy field to watch drunken bikers with mullets tramping through a large bonfire, and dropping their pants to reveal their spotty white arses to the cheers of the assembled crowd.

Maybe they were Spotty Butt Association members!

TBH, if the person is that dense they can't tell the difference they don't deserve a reply.

Ignore them.

As for wearing a badge to show you ride all year why not just ride all year! You will be noticed! Beats badges no-one will either read or those that do read it will ignore it as bluff!

Ride - ride - ride -

Americans as riders for the most part are wimps---they trailer to Daytona/Sturgis. I know about Dragon in UK, been to Elephant many times---solo/sidecar, my Vespa actually worked good in the snow. Missed the Original Elelphant in the 50's even though I was riding sidecar outfit year around=busy in Garmisch, girls and beer hard to leave.

For those in UK---Stella Alpina is still the best---ride there, stay in comfortable Hotel---end is 25 km up mountain=dirt road/rocks/snow/mud.....if you want to buy pin or tee shirt.Been up it on BMW RT80-horrible, broke fins off crankcase and crushed crossover pipe, both MZ 250 solo and Honda XBR500S=ok, but best my 2 stroke Vespa 150 because lite/slow but enough power to keep you going.

Waspie wrote:

...As for wearing a badge to show you ride all year why not just ride all year! You will be noticed! Beats badges no-one will either read or those that do read it will ignore it as bluff!

So the Rounders sticker is "bluff"? I doubt seriously that many members of this forum ride as many miles per year as I do, or in the extremes I have ridden in.

I'll take that as the insult it seems to be.

Chris

Daboo wrote:

Waspie wrote:

...As for wearing a badge to show you ride all year why not just ride all year! You will be noticed! Beats badges no-one will either read or those that do read it will ignore it as bluff!

So the Rounders sticker is "bluff"? I doubt seriously that many members of this forum ride as many miles per year as I do, or in the extremes I have ridden in.

I'll take that as the insult it seems to be.

Chris

You can take is as you see fit, wasn't meant as a derogatory statement but as has been the way of this forum of late it will be taken that way! Sobeit!

I simply don't see a badge being worn as proof as an all year rider that is all.

We have a plethora of wanabee riders over here in the UK that say loads on their jackets regards what they ride and what they do - however the reality rarely reflects the truth.

Like i say - take my comment as you will. I will continue to ride all year without advertising the fact.

Anyone can buy this Rounders sticker from www.cafepress.com/rounderwear without joining the Rounders forum, and if that doesn't drop a subtle hint that you're an all weather rider with balls like a Siamese bulldog, kit yourself out with the other Rounders gear.

Since I've made the effort so myself and other others can stop telling long winded anecdotes, check out the "It's Not A Damn Moped" sticker on www.cafepress.com/+scooter+bumper-stickers if you're that bothered about it.

Ride in snow and ice? R U guys crazy??

SilverwingInIdaho wrote:

Ride in snow and ice? R U guys crazy??

You're forgetting the rain, we get quite a bit of that too. The downside of this is all the wet dirt and crap on our roads would cover up a proudly displayed Rounders sticker on the rear mudguard, and we'd be forever cleaning it off to show other riders out in the same conditions that we ride all year round too.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

I have it tough too.
As soon as the winter temp drops below 20 degrees, I make sure there is no snow or ice on the horizon, get rugged up and drive my car behind all the other bikes.

We have it easy compared to you Aussies, we don't have to worry about stray kangaroos, feral camels, manic road train drivers, wombats sunning themselves in the road, pot holes full of bull dust, and funnel web spiders in the dunny!

what i think im riding


what people think im riding

Hotwings, I think you nailed it.