How long does a brand new SW keep its "new scooter smell"?

Despite the misleading nature of the title, I'm not actually talking about how the excess engine sealant burns off in the first few hundred miles and stinks, nor how the tires exude that fresh rubber smell, or the wonderful perfume of the armor-all or whatever they put on it at the dealer to make it shiny.

What I actually mean is how many miles does it take before the scooter is no longer a tight-fitting, precision machine, and starts to rattle and look a little rough around the edges?

Mine was bought used at 29.5K miles, and other than some physical damage from being dropped a few times, it has some panels that don't quite line up, someone stuffed a sponge between the oil filter to keep some hoses from rubbing/tapping on it, and stuffed a shop rag under the rear cover to keep it from rattling.

When does the new scooter stop feeling like a new scooter, and start feeling like a scooter that is still a decent machine, but has seen better days?

Obviously there's no exact cut-off, and it depends on how well it is ridden and cared for. But let's go for a ball park number here, if it's possible.

I'm just guessing, but based on the fanatical devotion members on this site show to their S'Wings, they'll probably start to look a little rough around the edges at 150,000 miles or so. :lol!:

The new swing smell fade's quickly once we been riding for a wile ,the It take a smell of it's own from sitting on it.

Taking mine into the shower with me has helped to keep it looking good. It may not win any concours competitions but I'm happy with it.

Cheers,

Only have 7300 miles on mine so I would say I have a while... If it loses the new-scooter smell I will get one of those little green pine-tree air-fresheners... That should fix it!

I went to a scooter rally over this weekend. One thing that was in the rally bag I received was an air-freshener with a little string loop like you hang in your car. I thought it was a little odd (being how it was a scooter rally) but I now know it must be to keep that "new scooter smell". So I guess it wasn't odd at all, but now I would like to know, can anyone tell me how often I need or should change the air-freshener? I should add that after putting 700 miles on this weekend I now have over 43,900 miles on my Silver Wing. So that leads me to wonder, does that mean it's too late to start using air-fresheners now? Has it already lost that that "new scooter smell" never to be found again? I do know I still like riding my Silver Wing as much or more than when I first got it.

Is anyone going to answer this question seriously, and tell me how many miles you can expect a SilverWing to have before you notice that the tolerances aren't as tight, the tupperware is starting to need padding/bracing to make it stop rattling, and it's just not a shiny new scooter anymore?

Scoundrel wrote:

Is anyone going to answer this question seriously, and tell me how many miles you can expect a SilverWing to have before you notice that the tolerances aren't as tight, the tupperware is starting to need padding/bracing to make it stop rattling, and it's just not a shiny new scooter anymore?

The serious answer is up to you as a rider. JUst like any other vehicle, it is going to depend on how you ride it, and more importantly, how well you maintain it. If you start dropping it, it's going to look like hell pretty quick - as will you! Taking off like a striped-a**ed ape from every stop is going to be harder on your drive train than moderate starts. Same goes for braking. and every other facet of riding. It's up to you. I bought a 2009 S'wing with only 2400 miles on it. It's a creampuff, and looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor. I'm sure there are 2009 S'wings out there that look & ride like they are on their last legs - and are!

Perhaps because of the title of this thread, could be why some of the answers were tongue-in-cheek. But I have to agree with Gyro; it depends wholly on the rider and the upkeep. That is why some cars/bikes look great after 20 years and others appear to be nearly ready for the scrap yard in a couple of years.

The Silver Wing is a Honda so will hold together MUCH better and longer than a China-made scooter. I am nearly to 8K on my SWing and it runs superb. Keep it clean, check tire pressure and change oil and all should be well. As to an exact mileage figure; the correct answer is I have NO idea!

Thanks. The title of the thread was tongue-in-cheek so that people wouldn't think I was being all uber-serious. I guess it backfired and it wasn't taken seriously at all.

I'm just thinking in terms of cars or standard motorcycles. Obviously there are exceptions for extreme cases, where a vehicle was maintained meticulously, and the other end of the spectrum, where the vehicle was beaten like a redheaded stepchild.

But in general, there are definite differences between when a vehicle is new, when it has certain numbers of miles and years on it.

With standard motorcycles, it's generally:
New
5K - Still looks and runs like new
15K and 3 years - Pretty tight, still looks really good, maybe a few nicks and some fading.
30K and 8 years - Starting to show some definitely signs of age, bearings are a little sloppy, plastic tabs are breaking, things don't fit together like they used to.
50K and 10 years - Starting to fall apart, runs a little rough, bolts are starting to break off when you tighten them, rubber grommets are getting stiff, shops aren't carrying the parts and maintenance items anymore.
65K and 15 years - Not really a good long distance bike anymore because you don't know what's going to go wrong next and the shops refuse to work on something that old, the parts guy sneers at you when you ask him to get something for you and suggests that you'd be better off talking to their sales guy about a new bike.

Scoundrel wrote:

Thanks. The title of the thread was tongue-in-cheek so that people wouldn't think I was being all uber-serious. I guess it backfired and it wasn't taken seriously at all.

I'm just thinking in terms of cars or standard motorcycles. Obviously there are exceptions for extreme cases, where a vehicle was maintained meticulously, and the other end of the spectrum, where the vehicle was beaten like a redheaded stepchild.

But in general, there are definite differences between when a vehicle is new, when it has certain numbers of miles and years on it.

With standard motorcycles, it's generally:
New
5K - Still looks and runs like new
15K and 3 years - Pretty tight, still looks really good, maybe a few nicks and some fading.
30K and 8 years - Starting to show some definitely signs of age, bearings are a little sloppy, plastic tabs are breaking, things don't fit together like they used to.
50K and 10 years - Starting to fall apart, runs a little rough, bolts are starting to break off when you tighten them, rubber grommets are getting stiff, shops aren't carrying the parts and maintenance items anymore.
65K and 15 years - Not really a good long distance bike anymore because you don't know what's going to go wrong next and the shops refuse to work on something that old, the parts guy sneers at you when you ask him to get something for you and suggests that you'd be better off talking to their sales guy about a new bike.

I think that applies to Honda road/tour bikes in only the most general manner. There are lots of early 1980s Gold Wings still touring with well over 65,000 miles on them. The Silver Wing has only been around in it's current incarnation for around 10 years, but evidence suggests that it is going to be very long-lived with reasonable care.

I certainly hope so. I've liked scooters for a while, and have have my 1986 Elite 150 (8.5K miles) for a few years, but it's pretty beat up.

I've been wanting a SWing for a while now. Just picked up one used with 29.5K miles on it, and it's a little rough around the edges. I'm making little improvements here and there so it will feel nicer to me. My plan is to use this one for a year so I will know whether it's really "the" bike for me, before buying a brand new one.

I'm trying to get a feel for whether buying a brand new one is worth the extra cost, vs. finding one that has not been used much with 5K miles on it and is a few years old.

These days I'm more of a "brand new vehicle" sort of guy, but I've spent a lot of money in the last few years and I'm not sure I can justify another 9K next year on a new scooter or not.

Scoundrel, I don't think you can expect anything more serious than what you said.
"Obviously there's no exact cut-off, and it depends on how well it is ridden and cared for."

Gyro said it a little more in depth, but he just expanded what you said.

Like I said in my previous post I have almost 44,000 miles on my Wing, and it is still "tight". I had to replace a lot of body panels when someone ran a red light and hit me as I was driving down the road at 50 miles an hour. Did it do a lot of damage, yes but after I replaced the broken parts no one would know anything was ever wrong with it.
There was someone who had around 298,000 miles on their Silver Wing. A few weeks ago someone posted a link to one with around 178,000 miles on it. I did not see either one of them but if the proper care was taken with them they could have been "tight".
If your Silver Wing has problems you could fix whatever you needed to make it showroom new again. If all the tabs that hold it together are not broken it will be tight. I have seen a 2002 in "as new" condition, my 2008 looked like a piece of junk after my wreck definitely not tight. But after I fixed it back up it was tight again and you could do the same.
I did not mean to offend you in my previous post with my jest, I just thought it was funny that I got an air-freshener at a scooter rally and given the title of your post and some of the other posts in response to it I thought my post would not be out of line. If I offended you with my post I apologize. I just thought (given the title of your post) you had a sense of humour. I will not reply to any of your posts unless I have a serious answer to your questions from now on. I thought your question was meant in a lighthearted manner and didn't know you would be offended so easily.

PS
There has been a few posts made as I was typing this but it took to long to type this with one finger so I am posting it anyhow.

Scoundrel, I have just received a settlement from the wreck I was in and have had some people ask why I fixed my 08 instead of buying a new one. My answer was (is) if I bought a new one it would depreciate more driving it home than what someone would pay for my 08 with 44,000 miles on it. I know my 08 should last a long time. But if I tried to sell it people would think if was almost at the end of its life with so many miles on it. I know how good the bike is and I know it can last a long time with proper care. If you ask me you would be better off to fix your bike up if you think it has been taken care of. Now if you don't think it has had proper care and maintenance You could look for a well maintained one and bye it. I would look for an 08 or newer (oxygen sensor helps fuel milage IMO) maybe one with ABS if that matters to you. I got my 08 in Feb-2010 with a few hundred miles, not even broken in yet for $5,000 out the door, tax title,tags and registration included from a local dealer. You should do even better from a private seller, then someone else takes the hit from depreciation of new. I have never regretted buying used.
Now if you really want a new one, hey someone has to be first in line. Whatever you decide I wish you good luck in the SilverWing world, they are a fine machine, in my opinion you can't do any better.

Model28a, I didn't take offense, I just was hoping for some more information to fill in the gaps left by my assumptions and suppositions, and didn't want the thread to continue in a joking-only manner. I certainly don't want you to feel like you can't reply to my posts without a dead serious message. I do have a sense of humor. Maybe it's a little out of sync with this forum right now, but it's there.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on how these things can hold up. I've already started cleaning up my 2002 with a new belt, air filter, oil and filter, 12v power socket in the left front trunk, and two new front turn signal lens covers to replace the cloudy, scratched up ones that were on there. I also added a Givi box and Ram mount for my GPS.

I don't want to sink too much cash into this one until I have some more history with it and have decided whether I'll move up to a newer one or not, but I think I've made a pretty good start.

Maybe I'll see if there is a fuel additive that makes "new scooter smell" come out of the exhaust, or hang an air freshener from the spoiler.

Scoundrel:
The averages that you listed probably apply well to most average bikes. However, with proper care the Silverwing should easily exceed those averages. Perhaps the reason that nobody has been able to tell you when their Silverwing first felt a bit loose, is that nobody has ever been able to put enough miles on them to start to feel loose? I picked up my 2009 brand new in July 2011 as a left over model. I have nearly 15,000 miles on it and it is just as tight as it was when I drove it home from the dealer. In fact it is even better than new because I replaced the OEM front springs with HyperPro progressive springs.

I'm so busy riding mine that I don't even pay attention to loose.
If you notice something loose your not riding it enough and looking at it too much. Ride it and enjoy it. That's what its all about!

Well, the 2nd signal lens arrived today, so I'm going to go put the front end together and go for a ride.

Of course, then the new windshield will arrive and I'll have to take it halfway apart again to install that...