Hello from Oxford UK

Just dropping in to say 'helllloooo' and can someone help? Thinking of getting a SW but, like a few other posters, cannot decide between the SW and the Burgie 400. I test drove the Burgie 400 today and whilst it's nice WHEN it gets up to speed, 'take off' is a little on the slow/sluggish side and she growls quite a bit so there is vibration. I've had the Burgie 650 before which is a superb bike but very heavy and is constantly searching for the right gear so can be a little jumpy. I'm female and 5ft 6in and can JUST about handle the weight of the B650 - how heavy is the SW by comparison? I want a bike again for commuting and travelling longer distances with good storage a excellent fuel economy. Thanks and I look forward to your replies

The Burgman 650 is 613 lbs and the Silverwing is 551 pounds. That's a significant difference in weight as it means the Burgman outweighs even my Shadow 750 which weighs about the same as the Silverwing. Seat heights are about the same. I'd suggest the Wing for the lighter weight.

hi and welcome
myself i am 5`7" and can handle my SWing no bother even get my feet flat on the ground which is a bonus
had Kawasaki ninjas/ Honda vfr vtec and couldn't get my feet flat
even the vespa px200 i have i am on my toes when stationary but no weight in this
never tried the burgman but did consider it before i got my FJS
but preferred the lower running costs on the honda plus the honda reliability

good luck

Thanks guys for your quick feedback - makes interesting reading but I'm still none the wiser - but that's MY fault, not yours - I take so long to make a decision - "what if I buy this and don't like x or y or I do the other and don't like a or b ...." and so it goes on! I know no-one will EVER find the perfect bike/computer/TV, whatever, but it would be nice to get as near to the perfect bike as I could. I STUPIDLY sold my Burgie 650 and lost a lot of money on it but it was just far too heavy and I have a little back problem - my age I think, hey ho!! Will keep deliberating but my head says "go for the SW and you'll be happy" - I think the Burgie 400 wouldn't give me enough grunt and she growls too much as I said previously and is very sluggish off the line! If I do go ahead with the SW, I will post a piccie (if that's possible?) and update you guys - that is to say, if you're the slightest bit interest! Thanks again x

Have to be perfectly honest. Purely on the MPG I would plug for the 400 Burgman!

The wing being 200cc larger will simply eat more petrol.

However the speed and comfort would 'swing' me over to the Honda.

Welcome by the way and good luck deciding!

I never met a Swing I did not like,Its 100 lbs lighter then the 650 Burgy but heavier then the 400 .Until you make a decision ,It will drive you crazy.

Hello from Lancashire,

I have both the Burgman 400 and the Silverwing. They are different beasts but in my opinion neither one is an outright winner (or loser). For touring and distance work then the Silverwing comes out on top, especially if carrying a lot of stuff (camping gear etc). I have top box and hard panniers. I've done trips to France & Belgium as well as a tour of Scotland (1040 miles in 4½ days). Silverwing never missed a beat.
The Burgman is less of a handful, great for flicking around the 'A' and 'B' roads. My longest day on the Burgman is just over 200 miles, keeping up with my mates Honda CBF1000. If you go for the Burgman then get Dr Pulley Sliders in place of the Honda rollers, improves both economy and acceleration.
Cheers,

I did not no that the Burgman and Honda rollers .

Hello Tinman,

Honda rollers for the Burgman are a bespoke item made by Honda as a one off. They are very expensive but improve performance well above the stock rollers but not as well as the DP Sliders.
(Apart from that it was a slip of the typing finger!)
Well spotted.

Cheers,

Hi Toriaoxford - had the same dilemma last year - had a B400 couple of years ago - but decided on the SW600 because of doing longer commutes, and keeping pace on motorways.

Farnham Honda were very helpful in arranging a test ride on the SW for me. Might be worth trying before you decide.

toriaoxford wrote:

I know no-one will EVER find the perfect bike/computer/TV, whatever, but it would be nice to get as near to the perfect bike as I could.

This may be true for you. But I can say that the Silver Wing is the perfect bike for me. I have an aeroNH80, Elite CH250, E-TON PN-2G 50cc, Yamaha Morphous CP250W, Silver Wing FSC600A and I sold my Q-Link Commuter CM250 and my Bergman AN400S. And I would give up everything but my Silver Wing if I could only have one. I may have to go to a trike do to my failing hips and when that day comes I will add a Yelvington trike kit to my Silver Wing before I would give it up. I have over 40,900 miles (I put 335 miles of that on today) on my Silver Wing and I don't think I will get tired of it.

I know I will trike my Swing soon . The Yelvinton Is nice, but I still want to ride 2 wheels when I ride alone. For now Im looking at the Voyager or the Trig trike,for when my pillion rides with me.It gives me a choice to ride on 2 wheels.

tinman wrote:

I still want to ride 2 wheels when I ride alone. For now Im looking at the Voyager or the Trig trike,for when my pillion rides with me.It gives me a choice to ride on 2 wheels.

If I can take the trike kit off and put it back on then I'm still healthy enough to not need the trike kit. I don't plan to go to a trike until I have to as a last resort to stay on my Wing.

PS
I will still have my 250 Morphous if I can ride on two wheels on the "good" days I hope.

tinman wrote:

I never met a Swing I did not like,Its 100 lbs lighter then the 650 Burgy but heavier then the 400 .Until you make a decision ,It will drive you crazy.

Thanks one and all for your interesting replies. I THINK I've decided now - SW it is. Whilst the B400 is nice and probably more economical than the SW (and lighter), it is just too slow off the mark and growly at lower speeds, I need more oomph. I don't tour much, MOSTLY commuting but nice to have the extra grunt there should I want to go further distances and faster and as one of you rightly pointed out, Honda are renowned for reliability. Thanks chaps

toriaoxford wrote:

I need more oomph. I don't tour much, MOSTLY commuting but nice to have the extra grunt there should I want to go further distances and faster and as one of you rightly pointed out, Honda are renowned for reliability. Thanks chaps

They were my main reasons.

I don't use mine often for social use, its main function is commuting and damn good at it as well. That extra bit of HP to accelerate away from stuff and the Honda Silver Wings amazing engine braking is a winning combo for me.

Now the frustrating phase. Locating one!!!!!!

Happy hunting.

Waspie wrote:

toriaoxford wrote:

I need more oomph. I don't tour much, MOSTLY commuting but nice to have the extra grunt there should I want to go further distances and faster and as one of you rightly pointed out, Honda are renowned for reliability. Thanks chaps

They were my main reasons.

I don't use mine often for social use, its main function is commuting and damn good at it as well. That extra bit of HP to accelerate away from stuff and the Honda Silver Wings amazing engine braking is a winning combo for me.

Now the frustrating phase. Locating one!!!!!!

Happy hunting.

Thanks for that. I think I might have to bite the bullet and get a brand-new one! I have looked on the Internet and can't find any secondhand ones local to me! Hey ho, I deserve a treat!

toriaoxford wrote:

Waspie wrote:

toriaoxford wrote:

I need more oomph. I don't tour much, MOSTLY commuting but nice to have the extra grunt there should I want to go further distances and faster and as one of you rightly pointed out, Honda are renowned for reliability. Thanks chaps

They were my main reasons.

I don't use mine often for social use, its main function is commuting and damn good at it as well. That extra bit of HP to accelerate away from stuff and the Honda Silver Wings amazing engine braking is a winning combo for me.

Now the frustrating phase. Locating one!!!!!!

Happy hunting.

Thanks for that. I think I might have to bite the bullet and get a brand-new one! I have looked on the Internet and can't find any secondhand ones local to me! Hey ho, I deserve a treat!

Wont argue with that. I did three years ago. At least you will get a two year warranty and AA cover. I even took out the extended warranty at the end of the initial two years.

I had one problem with the key/ignition barrel (warranty) other than that minor faults, mostly me!!!!

Starting the Wing can fool folk sometimes as you have to pull the left brake lever hard and listen for TWO micro switches to make, THEN press the starter sw. Other than that, it's typically Honda. Solid robust and reliable! (Not forgetting expensive to repair not under warranty!!!!!!)

When you do get one, loads of hints and tips on here for all sorts of info. But I bet you'll have read up on them before you get one!!!!

Waspie wrote:

toriaoxford wrote:

Waspie wrote:

toriaoxford wrote:

I need more oomph. I don't tour much, MOSTLY commuting but nice to have the extra grunt there should I want to go further distances and faster and as one of you rightly pointed out, Honda are renowned for reliability. Thanks chaps

They were my main reasons.

I don't use mine often for social use, its main function is commuting and damn good at it as well. That extra bit of HP to accelerate away from stuff and the Honda Silver Wings amazing engine braking is a winning combo for me.

Now the frustrating phase. Locating one!!!!!!

Happy hunting.

Thanks for that. I think I might have to bite the bullet and get a brand-new one! I have looked on the Internet and can't find any secondhand ones local to me! Hey ho, I deserve a treat!

Wont argue with that. I did three years ago. At least you will get a two year warranty and AA cover. I even took out the extended warranty at the end of the initial two years.

I had one problem with the key/ignition barrel (warranty) other than that minor faults, mostly me!!!!

Starting the Wing can fool folk sometimes as you have to pull the left brake lever hard and listen for TWO micro switches to make, THEN press the starter sw. Other than that, it's typically Honda. Solid robust and reliable! (Not forgetting expensive to repair not under warranty!!!!!!)

When you do get one, loads of hints and tips on here for all sorts of info. But I bet you'll have read up on them before you get one!!!!

Thanks for that! Will keep an eye on this forum for tips. Another reason for going with SW, the B400 is more expensive for less CCs and less grunt so go figure, doesn't make sense to me! Do you ever do SW ride outs in the UK? I know they do on the B650 forum!

Toria,

Did a search on Autotrader, there is a 2010 scooter that should be close to you. (29 miles from the postcode I used, last one on the list).

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/bikes/honda/fjs/postcode/ox11aa/radius/1500/sort/recpriceascdefault

If you are going to buy a new one then I suggest waiting for the new registration in March, better value at trade in time. Having said that if you go and order one just before then you should be able to get a good discount as sales will be slow in February.

Good luck,

Cheers,

tarmacburner2 wrote:

Toria,

Did a search on Autotrader, there is a 2010 scooter that should be close to you. (29 miles from the postcode I used, last one on the list).

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/bikes/honda/fjs/postcode/ox11aa/radius/1500/sort/recpriceascdefault

If you are going to buy a new one then I suggest waiting for the new registration in March, better value at trade in time. Having said that if you go and order one just before then you should be able to get a good discount as sales will be slow in February.

Good luck,

Cheers,

Thanks for that I fully intend to wait until March for new reg and can order mid Feb at my local dealer. Will go for new so I get AA roadside assist and 2 year warranty! Thanks again

Good luck with the purchase.

Cheers,

The Swing bug strikes again

tinman wrote:

The Swing bug strikes again

Are you going to get another one, or are you just reminiscing?

Reminiscing,With 31k kl on my 09 and the last year sold in Canada ,my Swing is not broken in yet .I have 100k kl to go before that happens. :lol!:

tinman wrote:

Reminiscing,With 31k kl on my 09 and the last year sold in Canada ,my Swing is not broken in yet .I have 100k kl to go before that happens. :lol!:

I can't wait to get mine now! I'm going to have to wait for about five weeks before I do tho (2013 reg in March). However, I'm sure the wait will be worth it!! They only seem to have the grey, black and blue in the UK, but I see they seem to have a red one in the States? I wish they did more colours over here in the UK!

I had to wait to get my blue one, black and silver are no probs.

There has been talk of some of us southerners having some kind of meet/rideout, but nothing arranged yet.

Nowun wrote:

us southerners having some kind of meet/rideout

I up for that, but best wait for fairer weather :D

me too, any time! any place! any where!

Welcome to toriaoxford, we are next door neighbours, I am in London and team up with another forum member RArch for rides out once a month and breakfasts at the famous Ace cafe, so hope that you can make one of these, as we have a great time.