Almost New

Hello All, from North Wales UK

I have now been riding bikes for 44 years, and every few years have always found myself looking
for the next bike, something better, faster, more comfort, more character, less hassle, etc.
Last August I sold my 04 KTM Adventure 950 to somebody who was willing to pay over the odds
for it, and found myself wondering what to get ...... not a problem I thought, but it has been 9 months of wondering what to get, including do I actualy want or need another bike, perhaps a boat would be more fun ! I have 5 windsurf boards, a boat could be the answer. The boat I fancied is beyond current finance, so have gone back to the quest for a bike.
what follows is the list of bikes owned so far.

HONDA ST50 MONKEY BIKE (I was 6 years old, best Christmas ever !)
HONDA ST70, SAME BIKE BIGGER ENGINE
VESPA 180 SCOOTER. (bad field bike, an education in soldering cables)
PANTHER M120 WITH DOUBLE ADULT SIDECAR. I was 14 and on the road .. not legal)
GILERA 50 TRAIL, 16 ... FREEDOM OF THE ROAD .
YAMAHA DT 175 MX , RELIABLE, FUN,
BSA STARFIRE 250 X 2, SLOW, FRAGILE BOTTOM END, NEED TWO TO KEEP ONE GOING.
SUZUKI COBRA DRESDA 500 CAFE RACER, NICE, FAST, AND LOOKED GOOD.
KAWASAKI H1 ...... WHERE IS THE NEXT PETROL STATION ?
KAWASAKI H2 ...... AS ABOVE, BUT MORE POWER, corners were a problem.
BSA THUNDERBOLT 650, NOT VERY GOOD AT ANYTHING, BUT OK.
SUZUKI 500 GAMMA, HEAD DOWN ARSE UP, BIG RUSH.
HONDA 750 4 K, BIG BUT WEAVY AT SPEED.
TRIUMPH 5TA CHOP, MADNESS THAT MAKES YOU SMILE.
HONDA 750 4 F, X 2 GOOD POWER, NO PROTECTION.
BMW K100 RT, MILE MUNCHER, BETTER THAN IT LOOKS.
APRILLIA PEGASO 650, A BIT UNDERPOWERED BUT OK.
COTTON 250 TRIALS, 15 YEARS OF FUN AND PAIN FROM FALLING OFF.
SUZUKI 1200 BANDIT, STREET FIGHTER, I WAS GOING TO DIE ON THIS.
BMW R1150 GS, GREAT BUT HEAVY AND NOTHING TO POLISH .
HARLEY DAVIDSON 1540 SOFTTAIL FEET FORWARD, TOO MUCH TO POLISH !
HONDA PAN EUOPEAN 1300 GREAT BUT WOBBLED AT SPEED .. A WORRY.
BMW 1150 RT GOOD BIG MILE MUNCHER POOR ON SMALL ROADS AND GRAVEL.
MATCHLESS G3L 1946 LOADS OF WORK, BUT A GOOD CHUFFER, A HOBBY IN IT’S SELF.
KTM 690 SMC MANIC, FUN, SMALL RANGE, PAINFULL SEAT
KTM 950 ADVENTURE, DOES IT ALL, A BIT HEAVY, OLD BUT GOOD.

I still have the Matchless, although I am not sure I want the hobby, and it is not the sort of bike you want to leap aboard and pop to the shops for some milk. It does bring a smile when pottering down the lanes, and everybody who sees it thinks it is great, but they don’t have to look after it.

I went for a test drive on an 06 Silverwing at a Honda dealer, it had a flat battery so I waited half an hour whilst they put a new battery in, during which time I looked at the other bikes in the shop, the only bike that had any appeal was a Harley nightster 1200, but I feel I have already been down that road. New battery fitted I set off for a ride with 2 fuel bars showing, and after about 10 miles it was flashing ‘low fuel’ so didn’t go much further and rode back to the dealer. On the way back I thought ‘this is actualy good, comfortable, quick enough, quiet, and has somewhere to put riding clothes and helmet when I get some place’ , the handling was a little odd being a scooter with little wheels, but nippy and flickable and never a worry, most of all, it wasn’t like any bike I have had before, but seems to have many of the positive qualities of some of them. The test bike
was over priced by about 2 grand so I didnt buy it, I have found a 2011 with 4700 miles, new tyres, serviced, leg wind deflectors, Givi screen, Givi box rack, all as new for £4500, from a Honda dealer, and am going to collect it this Friday ........ the 9 month wait is over, and spring / summer
looks like it is here !

That is quite an intro,the Swing might be just your next long term ride ,and you wont have to work on it after every ride .

Yes, sorry it was a bit long.
Looking forward to a hassle free ride.

Thanks for the welcome

But, do you have any experience? Welcome to the forum. I enjoyed your "long" introduction and your personal comments. Much better than:" I've come here to get you to fix my problems and then I'll be gone," I look forward to your comments on the Silver Wing.

Welcome, interesting story and some awesome rides. I too have been riding over 50 years, just realized it and it doesn't seem possible! Seems the more I ride the Silverwing the more I like it. The wing seems to grow on you after awhile, saying that in a good way of course!

Gary

Great intro! I am glad you have "found" a SWing I am sure you will love it! In my case; having ridden many bikes, the Silver Wing is the only one that "calls" me to ride it... I am in California visiting my son and wish greatly my Wing were here!!! Alas a couple more days then back to my "baby"!!!

Welcome. Nice intro. Enjoy your new ride.

"Hi Yo" wrote:

But, do you have any experience? Welcome to the forum. I enjoyed your "long" introduction and your personal comments. Much better than:" I've come here to get you to fix my problems and then I'll be gone," I look forward to your comments on the Silver Wing.

I agree, it makes a change from all the quick fix merchants.

Thank you all for the welcome, and glad my rather long intro didn't send you all to sleep.
The KTM Adventure 950 was probably the best of the bikes on the list, it had character, seemed reliable, not too tricky to work on (although I am lucky to have a workshop with lift bench which helps) and could do distance work, good on smooth roads and rough, had luggage, all in all a good bike, but as I rode it mostly at around the speed limit, and not generally to Timbuktu and back each week I found myself thinking " this is a lot of machine for what I do, and could do the same on a Vespa" ...... quite glad I am going wing instead of Vespa though.

And yes Yi Ho, probably more experience than is good for me, but I will post more on that another day.

I will be back with my Silverwing experience report once I have used it enough to establish an informed opinion,( and probably sooner if I find snags that need the forum input to solve)

Thanks again.

Ooh a SUZUKI 500 GAMMA a scaaaarrryyy quick bike

Which reminds me... ITV4 tonight at 9pm The Unrideables

Oooooo the aroma of two stroke, enjoyed the programe, thanks for the tip off.
The H1 and H2 wouldn't have made it around any track except Santa pod drag strip, the 500 cobra was better than the gamma ........ Those were the days, when the smell of the bike was better than the ride !!!!!

Glad you enjoyed it, I missed most of it as mate rang who I hadn't spoken to in a while and I couldn't really fob him off

I hope to they put it on the ITV Player...

Reminds me of my Honda VFR400. Small, very rapid, handled a dream, uncomfortable as hell. for me it is probably the bike mostly likely I would have killed myself on. Luckily, my 'off' was at very low speed. I hit the tarmac and stuck there. Bike repaired and then sold.

Cheers,