Why do you ride a Silverwing?

Hey y'all.

I recently went to a BMW rally with my husband, who drives an RT. One of the first words out of someone's mouth was "When are you going to move up to a real bike?" I handled this very maturely, and merely stuck my tongue out at him. But it got me to thinking, particlularly since so many folks on this site also drive motorcycles.

I've been riding for a year now. I drive a Silverwing because I took the MSF course last year, and the program head, who has since become a really good friend, was selling his. He had purchased it for his wife, in hopes that she would ride with him. She declined (although I will attest to her otherwise sensibility and general ok-edness). The scoot was nicely equipped, and a very good deal. Plus, I had a little trouble learning to lean, and I figured I'd be better off not having to shift while I was still getting used to two wheel locomotion. 10,000 miles later, I love my scoot, and have dropped plans to replace it with another form of two-wheel transportation anytime in the near future.

Plus, I've put on so many mods and farkles, I wouldn't want to start over on a new machine. :ROTF:

Would love to hear your story...

It was cheap

Emeskay wrote:

I recently went to a BMW rally with my husband, who drives an RT. One of the first words out of someone's mouth was "When are you going to move up to a real bike?" I handled this very maturely, and merely stuck my tongue out at him.

I would have answered that BMW has scooters and is designing a larger scooter ( http://www.motorcycledaily.com/05february09_bmwscooter_concept.htm ) ... when are you moving up.

I had a Burgman 400 and wanted something better able to stay with the flow but not having to have the throttle wide open. 650 Burgman was too heavy and the 850cc Gilera GP800 is too costly.

when i went looking for a maxi scooter this time i wanted something that would start all the time move fast get parts when i needed them and when i sold it got some money back i would never ride apiaggio again i had two three and its hard work if you dont have i good service center i did now he sold out.

second i wanted a goldwing but for the miles i do its a waste of time and money england is not like the us we have many large towns and small roads so it would be silly each day to ride to work ,

i brought the wing when i was on a plane coming back from the middle east on wifi by the time we landed i brought it and paid next morning i picked it up :afro: :afro: :afro: :afro: :afro: :afro:

honda_silver wrote:

Emeskay wrote:

I recently went to a BMW rally with my husband, who drives an RT. One of the first words out of someone's mouth was "When are you going to move up to a real bike?" I handled this very maturely, and merely stuck my tongue out at him.

I would have answered that BMW has scooters and is designing a larger scooter ( http://www.motorcycledaily.com/05february09_bmwscooter_concept.htm ) ... when are you moving up.

Bob from Bob's BMW in Columbia, MD (it's the #1 rated BMW dealer in the US, I think) says that BMW is not offerring it's scooters in the US. Also,

KurtPerthWA wrote:

It was cheap

I wouldn't say that Swings are cheap, but anything with a BMW tag is NOT!!!

My husband bought his RT with 36,000 miles on it, and it still cost three times as much as my swing, which had less than 7,000 miles on it!

Besides, I really like my scoot.

Why do I ride a Silver Wing?

Let me count the reasons:
1) It it gets more than 50 mpg.
2) It has a ridiculous amount of storage (especialy with my top case).
3) It is very comfortable.
4) It is very quick off the line.
5) It is capable of freeway speeds.
6) It is very maneuverable in traffic and in the twisties (more so than the Burgman 650).
7) It provides good protection from the elements for year-round riding.
It is very reliable.
9) It can comfortably handle two people.
10) It is a heck of a lot of fun.

1. keeping up with highway traffic
2.Easy DIY maintenance
3.120mph max speed
4.600cc motorcycle engine
5.able to concentrate on road instead of shifting gears

The Scootist wrote:

Let me count the reasons:

1. It it gets more than 50 mpg
   
2. It has a ridiculous amount of storage
   
3. It is very comfortable
   
4. It is very quick off the line
   
5. It is capable of freeway speeds
   
6. It is very maneuverable in traffic and in the twisties
   
7. It provides good protection from the elements for year-round riding
   
8. It is very reliable
   
9. It can comfortably handle two people
   
10. It is a heck of a lot of fun

This sums up my reasons superbly, for which thank you. All I'd add is DennisB's accessories, of which one is in the post to me!

Pretty much always had a smaller motorcycle to go along with the GW's we have ridden since 1985. I put the most miles on the smaller bikes just because thay are easier for general use (at least to me). The Swing fits this bill to a "T" and is just plain fun to boot. Dick

1. My top reason was I could mount/dismount without killing my lower back.
2. The bike fit me.
3. Honda reputation for quality & reliability.
4. The bike had enough engine & weight to be confortable on the highway.

Interestingly enough, having a "shiftless" transmission was not one of my original requirements. But once I got used to not shifting, I didn't miss it at all!

because they seem to turn heads and great gas milage

KurtPerthWA wrote:

It was cheap

I wouldn't say that Swings are cheap, but anything with a BMW tag is NOT!!!

My husband bought his RT with 36,000 miles on it, and it still cost three times as much as my swing, which had less than 7,000 miles on it!]

Besides, I really like my scoot. [/quote]



I always wanted one cos its the only Maxi I could reach the ground on. One of our local dealers was getting rid of the" Demo" and had it up for sale for $AUS 9990, as opposed to $AUS 12990 plus on roads, I'd say that was cheap with only 263 klm on the clock.

Great lists of reasons..
Also compared to my Helix this does great in the wind and the gusts from the semis. It has all the power I will ever need. It's comfortable to ride and with bad knees I can change positions of my legs and being short it's easy on and off. I feel so comfortable on the bike and it handles like a dream.
Certainly not cheap, I have about 10k in it. It's a new 09 and I put a Givi top case and a light modulator on right away. But my mpg are great, I'm getting over 60.
At this point I can't imagine changing bikes down the line....

My reasons are pretty much the same as dickie's. I have a Goldwing for longer rides but the Silverwing is much handier for running errands or trips around town. I was torn between the Burgman 650 and the Silverwing. I didn't want anything much below 600ccs because some of my riding would be on freeways and hills. Since I've owned a lot of Hondas and think they are about the most reliable bikes made. Also it didn't sound bad to have a Silver and Gold wing. Now if only Honda would come out with a Bronze or Platinum wing...

I have a harley but I have a 110 mile, roundtrip, daily commute to work. I wanted something economical, dependable, comfortable, and with good weather protection to extend the riding season longer into the winter and early spring. Plus the luggage space is very handy. I have been spoiled now by leaving my helmet, rain suit, etc. under the seat. The silverwing, even stock, has better night vision and visibility than my harley.

I've had many m/c's through the years, but not large ones, and have had the Reflex, Majesty, and now the SWing. I like this big scooters and don't miss shifting like I thought I might have. The Swing to me is very comfortable, smooth, and bullet-proof. It is also nice, when going through the twisties, just being able to enjoy the sites without having to shift. I know that shifting is 2nd nature but you still have to be aware of riding the bike. With the SWing you just have to look around and enjoy. It also has a lot of storage and great weather protection. I may get a m/c in the future but I'm in no hurry whatsoever to get one now.

So that is why I ride a SWing and would only trade up to the E4-01 or the Silver Wing 750 when or if they ever come out. The biggest engine bike I ever had was the 883 Sportster. I liked it a lot but I was younger and I don't think my back to take it now. And I think the SWing is just as quick or fast as the 883 was.

I ride my Swing because it is the BEST of all rides.
Old Dave

After getting the "itch" by spotting Silver Wings by chance on the internet, and being the newest of untested newbies at age 63 (some 15 months ago) and having researched the available Silver Wing forums for a couple of years, I figured it would be something I could "handle". Plus I saw a 'pair' of them at a lake concert one night and that sealed the deal.

I have been fortunate to ride about any kind you can mention and the super scoots are the all around winners. I think the key word is scooter because the design gives you more options in storage, comfort and safety. I would realy like to have a scoot with plug and play options like GPS, Cruise, heat grips and seat, driving lights, stereo. I guess what I mean is a true touring big scoot. The hardest part of being a full time scoot rider is the ridacule from people who are more interested in their image than the enjoyment of riding. We all like to be accepted and fit in because comraderie is important, but as far as I am concerned being able to ride and enjoy it so much makes it worth it.

Agility of the Silverwing. It is soooooo much fun to ride. Would like to be able to beef up the suspension.

I bought my SW in May as my first bike. My only prior cycle experience was some off-road stuff on a borrowed dirt bike years ago. I figured a "scooter" would be a reasonably easy way to learn.

It was. I jumped on, road 70 miles home, and never looked back. (Except for hitting that stupid deer.)

I've put 4500 miles on my SW this summer.

I don't see myself keeping it for the long haul. I REALLY want a BMW touring bike. The R 1200 RT. But they cost as much as a good car, so that's not going to happen any time soon.

Freedomjerr wrote:

Agility of the Silverwing. It is soooooo much fun to ride. Would like to be able to beef up the suspension.

I've experimented with different preload settings. Right now I've got it cranked all the way up to "5", and I really like it! I'm pretty high on the bubba scale, though.

Chief Rider wrote:

I have been fortunate to ride about any kind you can mention and the super scoots are the all around winners. I think the key word is scooter because the design gives you more options in storage, comfort and safety. I would realy like to have a scoot with plug and play options like GPS, Cruise, heat grips and seat, driving lights, stereo. I guess what I mean is a true touring big scoot. The hardest part of being a full time scoot rider is the ridacule from people who are more interested in their image than the enjoyment of riding. We all like to be accepted and fit in because comraderie is important, but as far as I am concerned being able to ride and enjoy it so much makes it worth it.

I've never been ridiculed. (Not in a serious way, anyhow.) The Harley guys won't even look my way, but I'm not all that impressed by THEM either. Anybody who defines himself by a piece of mechanical stuff is a fairly pathetic specimen if you ask me. Harleys may be expensive as motorcycles go, but they don't cost as much as my Honda Civic did. (It's the CNG model. $25,000 sticker price. Which makes me BETTER THAN YOU.)

Freedomjerr wrote:

Agility of the Silverwing. It is soooooo much fun to ride. Would like to be able to beef up the suspension.

You can beef up the suspension ,with Hyper-pro springs . It is expensive though.
I ride my swing because ,I like the transmision,I like the power ,I like the step threw,and I like the storage . I also like the reliability .

I ride a Swing because I came to want a bike - a scooter, not a
"motorcycle" - that would be truly tour-worthy. That's because I blew up my Kymco P250 last summer trying to ride it from NM to St. Louis. It didn't like that, and let me know.

I've only been riding for about 2 1/2 years now, starting on a 150, then the 250, and now the Swing. I fretted over which size scoot to get for a couple of months after the 250 died. Considered the Majesty, the 400 Burgman, and the Swing, and decided, after all, on the Swing because of reading so much about people's positive experiences with it on the forums, and knowing that I'd never need any other bike to do anything I'd want to do with it.

Searched Craigslist for a couple months, and found my 04 in OKCity. Flew out there and rode it back home. I've changed a few things since then (last year just about this time), learned some about the various maintenance procedures, and have no regrets at all. I'll be another Swing owner who sings its praises to anyone who want to hear about it.

My upcoming tour will be the farthest either me or the Swing has gone, and it is apparently nothing at all as far as what others have done on their Swings. So I'm feeling pretty confident about its reliability.