Potential new SWinger UK

Hi all, in my 50’s and knees shot so I'm considering moving from my 2013 BMW R1200RT to a new Silverwing. Can't do much more than an hour on the Beemer before my knees hurt too much. I use the bike for a daily 40 mile commute and regular trips to the European mainland mostly solo.

I've read lots of positive reports on this forum and the SWing looks like it'll do me fine. I believe from what I've read that routine maintenance is fairly straightforward and if looked after, a SWing will last many years. One quick question - has anyone report on reliability over high mileages? Say 50-100k miles?

Many thanks

Welcome to the forum, Crusty. Lots of good info here. Using the Search function (above, left) will guide you to more information.

Re your high mileage question; I recently replaced my 2003 SW at 97000+ miles after it became Humpty Dumpty when it was dropped after sliding out on an oil coated intersection. Fortunately the negligent party's insuror made good on my damages and I was able to replace my original SW with a new(er) one.

Tim

Thats good enough for me then. Many thanks

Welcome to another UK member, you will find the SW very comfy, I have done a 200 mile round trip on mine with only a fuel stop, could have done another 200. Brilliant piece of kit.

Hello & Welcome bud There's a member on here who's son has spaceship, milage IIRC he's in Lincolnshire. I seem to think he was that impressed with his boys that he got one for himself

IMHO although the SW is a capable touring mount, it is a huge step down from the R1200. You will gain a more relaxed sitting position and the ability to move your feet and legs to multiple positions. The R bike has a better ride, a better seat, better wind/weather protection, better handling, more carrying capacity and tons more power. By all means try the SW. It is an amazing scooter. If there is any way you can own both machines...

Yeah, my Goldwings and K1100LTs had all that. There comes a time for some of us when physical limitations of aging make those kinds of motorcycles less desirable than they once were.

Crusty - I've just swapped an 1150 GS Adventure for a SWING after doing a lot of research on here and elsewhere. It is a very comfortable bike and surprisingly quick! You will need to remember that you have no clutch and the left-hand lever is a brake! ...caught me out a couple of times (conditioned reflex) despite being warned. You soon get used to it...Givi adjustable w/screen also well recommended.
Let us know how you get on and good luck. Welcome to the forum!

Thanks all. In an ideal world I'd stick with the Beemer but I can't see my knees getting any better. I took the BMW C scooter while the RT was being serviced and was amazed how relaxing it was to ride and how quickly I adapted to the brakes setup. I took a quick run on the Burgman 650 and while it was supremely comfortable, I couldn't get on with the leg position or the complexity of maintenance. I loved the Kawasaki J300 but felt unsure of its ability to tour. The SWing engine seems bulletproof and the maintenance appears much easier.

I'm not a knee scratcher but I love the sense of freedom you get on two wheels so a scooter seems a sound solution.

You'll be surprised how well a scooter can do in the twisties. It takes awhile to get comfortable pushing the scooter to its limits but once you do it's easy to forget it's a scooter. These maxis aren't a minibike.

Reading through forum posts these last few years it's surprising how many old bikers with bad knees end up buying maxi scooters or join forums to say they're going to get one. Before their knees started playing up they'd probably have  taken the piss out of maxi riders for not having a "proper bike". It's only if or when they buy a maxi scooter that they realise how good they are.

I resemble that remark
I always ragged on scooters until I rode a Burgman 400
I have a friend who looks at diesel pickups differently too since his muscle car got smoked by a Ram 2500 diesel :lol!:
sometimes crow tastes good

Right. Deal done. New SWing arrives in two weeks. Not a bad deal - paid list price but dealer threw in honda topcase, heated grips, two air filters, two oil filters, 10 litres of oil and a drive belt as its coming to the end of the model run. I've often done business there before and it makes such a difference when negotiating :-)

Nice one, I ordered my Silver Wing five years ago in early September and was assured I'd have it by the end of the month, it was around mid November when it arrived. I hope you don't have to wait that long.

Honda UK dealers often throw in that Honda top box and heated grips as a Winter sales incentives to shift Silver Wings. Service items you can buy as and when you need them, getting a set of the lower leg wind deflectors as part of the deal would have been better. You may have already read that the OE Honda screen is pretty useless, just as all OE maxi scooter screens seem to be.

Welcome to this excellent Silver Wing owners site !

I have an early 2002 Wing, which still performs well, after some 13 years without fault, and you can also be assured that it will take you wherever you wish to go, and in comfort.

I have myself had several knee operations over the past 15 years, and this unfortunately continues with some problems, but I refuse to give up, and as the wing is simply ideal in this regard as joint wear and osteoarthritis simply causes additional considerable difficulties with the usual pegs !

I regulary do several 1100 mile + round trips each year from my home in East Anglia in England to the Scottish Higlands, even before any additional local mileage up in Scotland.
Earlier this year, I completed a 5 week tour from the uK, through Germany, up in to Denmark, then crossing over to Sweden, then by ferry from Frederickshaven to Gotenborg.

My final end point was the Swedish capital of Stockholm, before returning via another route avoiding Denmark by crossing to Northern Germany.
Again the vehicle was absolutely faultless, and comfortable !

Do enjoy the adventure ! and also enjoy the Ride !

Thanks Stuart for a most positive and reassuring post. If my SWing lasts as long as yours and travels anywhere like it, I shall be more than happy.

I'm not one of those fellows who rag on scooters Meldrew. But then my first motor vehicle was a hard ridden Cushman model 52 in 1957. I was a bit too young for a regular driver's license but could ride the scooter on a restricted license. That was my last scooter until buying a SW a few years ago. Not that I wasn't interested but until I came across a SW in 2007 I didn't know what a maxi was. Since then another SW, a Burgman 650 and my current BMW C650GT. Can't say I'm one who looks down on scooters because they're not macho or some such. Great little machines.

As a guy who just stepped off a motorcycle with no windshield, I have to strongly disagree that the SW's windshield is useless, I just rode mine in 44 degree temps, and what would have been a miserable ride on the moto was actually not bad on the SW

Art wrote:

As a guy who just stepped off a motorcycle with no windshield, I have to strongly disagree that the SW's windshield is useless,

Then myself and lots of other forum members disagree with you. Look around at the number of topics and posts on here about junking the OE screen and fitting the Givi AF 214 Airflow adjustable. It's the most popular mod fitted to a Silver Wing on this forum, so the Honda screen is considered useless.

I rode my Silver Wing home from the showroom and within a hour I'd made the decision to replace the Honda screen. It was extremely noisy even with earplugs, had no weather protection for the hands, and with the screen height I was continually having to wipe rain drops from my visor.

Crustycrutch,welcome to the Silverwing forum; you couldn't have chosen a better and more reliable maxi scooter.
I am a frequent visitor on a local motorcycle forum, where scooter riders are tolerated but certainly regarded as second class riders by most members. I thoroughly enjoy reading about their problems like stalling on take off, problems with the gear change in emergency braking situations, not being able to put their feet on the ground, lack of storage space, arthritis making operation and mounting hard, flies stuck between their teeth and all the rest of it. In short; all the problems we don't have. Makes me real glad I have changed to a scooter

Hi Gremlin, thanks for the welcome. I have the pleasure and benefit of holding dual British/Australian citizenship thanks to a ten year period working for the WA State Government in the 80's and 90's. It is my intention to return at some point when I retire and do a decent tour of the whole continent :-)

Meldrew wrote:

Art wrote:

As a guy who just stepped off a motorcycle with no windshield, I have to strongly disagree that the SW's windshield is useless,

Then myself and lots of other forum members disagree with you. Look around at the number of topics and posts on here about junking the OE screen and fitting the Givi AF 214 Airflow adjustable. It's the most popular mod fitted to a Silver Wing on this forum, so the Honda screen is considered useless.

I rode my Silver Wing home from the showroom and within a hour I'd made the decision to replace the Honda screen. It was extremely noisy even with earplugs, had no weather protection for the hands, and with the screen height I was continually having to wipe rain drops from my visor.

I hear you, but you're comparing the stocker with the better sheild
compared to NO shield it's quite good

The knee problem probably does cause a lot of more experienced (old) riders to switch to maxis. My last bike was a near showroom condition '95 BMW K1100LT. Wonderful machine but lately I could only stand about an hour on it in warm weather. In cold weather not even that long before I had to get off and straighten my legs out. So finally I sold it and am now down to just the one scooter. It's been long enough that I don't miss the larger bikes as much, the B650, SW, and BMW C650 are all great machines. I wish I had room for all three. The one thing they all have in common for me is that I can stay on two wheels in comfort. I can ride all day long with any one of them.

I love the floorboard on the Silverwing. The ability to "stretch my legs" as I tour is great. I have put 500 miles on in a weekend and just being able to stretch out or bend at a 90 degree or more helps me stay comfortable. Glad you got a nice one!

the knees are part of the reason I switched too
i already wanted something more interstate friendly than a Boulevard S40 (great little cruiser, but it's 'busy' at 70) Then I read a review where an older rider with arthritic knees called it 'a blessing for bikers with arthritic knees'
My knees aren't too bad yet, but they do get angry if I spend too long on a bike

Can we continue the arthritic knee conversation in another thread please.

Tim