talk SilverWing to.me please

[fish]

Considering moving up from a year of riding my Forza....want to take my wife or daughter on my rides.
There is a 2011 SILVER WING ,with 750 miles ,$8000,
Opinions please on.price, year, issues with the Wing....hope to ride it into my sunset.
Or, burgman, or majesty
What say folks with experience in this area?
I have a 163cc Kymco for daily all weather work commuting....but want my next bigger scooter to be my last scooter.
Thanks much,
Fish

[tbln930]

I ride a buddies Majesty 400 frequently and like it except there was an air cleaner issue he had to resolve. Some modification was necessary. I heard the brand new ones were fixed. I have test riden the Silver Wing and Burgman 650s. The Burgman was the premiere by far but costlier.

[Walrus]

I test rode a Silverwing and it was fine. Honda has not updated this scoot in years. i.e. no cell phone charger and so forth like the Forza. If I go up from the Forza I am going for the Burgman Executive.

[gn2]

Honda has not updated this scoot in years

There have been a number of improvements to the model over the years.
Particularly regarding fuel economy, newer ones use a lot less fuel than the older ones.

[Walrus]

Yeah I suspect your correct about that. I was just talking after some of the stuff I read about the lack of updates to the Silverwing. Its time for Honda to add some of the refinements. BTW have you checked out the updated Yamaha TMax that was brought back to the US this year? Looks like a slick ride.

[fish]

Yeah I suspect your correct about that. I was just talking after some of the stuff I read about the lack of updates to the Silverwing. Its time for Honda to add some of the refinements. BTW have you checked out the updated Yamaha TMax that was brought back to the US this year? Looks like a slick ride.

The TMax is not offered with ABS in the States. $10000+ w/o ABS!
Drops it out of my into-my-sunset years final ride.
Wonder if Honda is coming with another big scooter?
Fish

[gn2]

Wonder if Honda is coming with another big scooter?
Fish

They already did, back in 2011.
Its an update of the Silverwing and its called the SW-T
http://www.scooter-station.com/Essai-Ho ... -2011.html

[pja2536]

Considering moving up from a year of riding my Forza....want to take my wife or daughter on my rides.
There is a 2011 SILVER WING ,with 750 miles ,$8000,
Opinions please on.price, year, issues with the Wing....hope to ride it into my sunset.

Fish,

As a former SilverWing owner my advice is GO FOR IT!.

I did nearly 20,000 km on mine including many touring rides across New South Wales and Victoria here in Australia.

I have only one complaint - the screen was very noisy with a full face helmet and just noisy with an open face helmet. I found a supplier in the USA whose range of replacement screens included one like that fitted to the Honda NSS30 Forza (like a "sport" screen). I never got around to ordering one but I believe it would have made the bike perfect.

Performance is good all-round. It might be 50 cc shy of the Burgman but the SilverWing's lighter weight makes it at least as quick as the Burgman.

I don't think there was much change (except for body colour) over the life of the SilverWing.

My advice is buy this one!

Regards,
Peter

[pja2536]

Yeah I suspect your correct about that. I was just talking after some of the stuff I read about the lack of updates to the Silverwing. Its time for Honda to add some of the refinements. BTW have you checked out the updated Yamaha TMax that was brought back to the US this year? Looks like a slick ride.

The TMax is not offered with ABS in the States. $10000+ w/o ABS!

I agree! The TMax also has a reputation for VERY expensive servicing (here in Australia at least).

Regards,
Peter

[TonyM]

Go for it! I loved my Silverwing even though it did not have ABS. It was comfortable, had plenty of power and the motor sounded so nice! I added a Cee Bailey taller windscreen, Givi topcase, hand wind deflectors (from National Cycle), and leg deflectors (from England).

I don't remember what the MPGs were but I'm not concerned about that. I hated to trade it in but it was too heavy for me to handle due to my weak and bad low back. I wish that I still had it.

[pja2536]

Considering moving up from a year of riding my Forza....want to take my wife or daughter on my rides.
There is a 2011 SILVER WING ,with 750 miles ,$8000,
Opinions please on.price, year, issues with the Wing...

Fish,

DO IT!!! I owned a similar model Silverwing for several years and its a fantastic bike. My only serious problem with it was the height of the screen. It was just too noisy with a full face helmet and barely usable with an open face helmet. I found a vendor in the USA (I'm from Australia) who makes a range of screens for the 'Wing; they have a "Sports" screen just like the Forza and I would have purchased one of those if I had kept the bike.

The other change I would make is to have the seat re-upholstered; removing that silly bum support. While the standard seat is not too bad, I've had this done on my Forza and it makes a huge difference for all-day riding. A seat shape without the bum support just gives you lots of options as you ride the highways.

The SilverWing is good around town and great out on the open road. You can easily keep up with bikes of a much larger capacity. The handling was never an issue. IMHO the SilverWing is a much better bike than the Suzuki Burgman 650 with which it is often compared; its lighter, faster and "its a Honda!".

Hope that helps.

Regards,
Peter

[Mario]

The other change I would make is to have the seat re-upholstered; removing that silly bum support. While the standard seat is not too bad, I've had this done on my Forza and it makes a huge difference for all-day riding. A seat shape without the bum support just gives you lots of options as you ride the highways.
Regards,
Peter

Do you have a picture of your modded seat?

[glencoeman]

I have just sold my Silverwing, mainly because I was struggling with the weight when pushing it in and out of the garage. It is a heavy scooter (about 240kg), more so if it has ABS fitted. I fitted my Silverwing with progressive fork springs which made it much better.

[phantom309]

i also had a silverwing . it was very heavy beast to move around , an it also ( maybe just mine was tired or bad tyre choice ) used to tie it's self in knot's around quick bends , swapped it for a 400 burgman , first time i put the burgman on it's main stand i nearly threw it across the car park it was that lite .....as for the burgman 650 iv'e always wanted one , but apparently the service costs are quite high .? but i would have another tmax , they were awesome ...but for now the forza is perfect for what i want it for ...

[roc54]

Greetings. I've owned a 2002 SWing for about 6 years. It has about 35K miles on it now. I ride it on local runs into the mountains; also toured on it into central Oregon and Washington. Carries a ton of stuff, including my large self and all my junk, quite well. Good power and easily interstate capable, if that's your preference. Mileage runs about 45-50 mpg if I keep it below 70mph, but goes to 42-45 mpg if I run it at 75 or so. I like the storage space and have learned to stuff the heavy things way forward and down low in the well under the seat to maintain good center of gravity for handling.

I have found that handling is directly affected by the tires on the bike, more so than a standard motorcycle. I had Michelin PowerPure dual compound tires on it for awhile, but really did not like how those handled and found the transition ridge between the softer and harder compounds to be very noticeable and very unpleasant. Also, the PowerPures did not last any longer than standard tires, which is why I got them in the first place. I currently have Pirelli Diablos on the machine...don't care for the name, but the tires work great and they really improve handling a bunch...I understand they wear out pretty quick. We'll see.

I installed mirror extenders so I can see over my shoulders. The stock windshield sucks, so I replaced it with a Give AirFlow...an absolutely wonderful, adjustable windshield which eliminated all buffeting. The seat sucks after awhile, so I installed a bead pad on it to increase my endurance a bit...it's helpful, but I've ordered a Corbin seat for the bike...not cheap, but read some good reviews on it. A less expensive alternative might be an AirHawk R air pad.

Maintenance-wise, what can I say? It's a Honda. I've had no weird or troublesome issues with the bike at all. One water pump replacement (I had the dealer do that) and one new battery, which is pretty expensive (it's a sidemount which fits into a compartment on the left side of the cargo well...pretty easy to get to. Routine maintenance is pretty easy...I can change the crankcase and rear drive oil despite having the mechanical aptitude of a chimp (I mean no disrespect to chimps :-) ).

I ride a scooter because I developed a bad left knee and ankle which made it difficult to mount and shift a standard manual transmission motorcycle...the choice was to ride a scooter or don't ride. The SWing has been great in that regard. I have considered replacing it with a new machine, but I really don't see anything on the market which will do what the SWing does with the same reliability, ease of maintenance and general rideability. The Burgman 650 is larger and heavier and has a transmission design flaw which is very expensive to repair. The Burgman 400 is a nice, well-proven machine, but lacks power. The Majesty 400 also appears to be a nice machine, but owners report several design flaws, such as poor placing of air cleaner filters, and so on. I have concluded it's better to stay with the machine you know, so the SWing will continue to live on in my garage for the foreseeable future.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I have a 46L Givi topcase on the bike. On tour, I carry only light stuff...jackets and the like...in the top box. On day rides, the box is empty, because when I stop and need to get off the bike for a bit, my helmet, gloves and jacket fit in the box and are locked there, so I don't have to schlep all that stuff into the Starbucks. Works well.

[gn2]

The only thing which is a real competitor for the Silverwing is the Maxsym 600, alas it isn't available in the USA.

[fish]

Greetings. I've owned a 2002 SWing for about 6 years. It has about 35K miles on it now. I ride it on local runs into the mountains; also toured on it into central Oregon and Washington. Carries a ton of stuff, including my large self and all my junk, quite well. Good power and easily interstate capable, if that's your preference. Mileage runs about 45-50 mpg if I keep it below 70mph, but goes to 42-45 mpg if I run it at 75 or so. I like the storage space and have learned to stuff the heavy things way forward and down low in the well under the seat to maintain good center of gravity for handling.

I have found that handling is directly affected by the tires on the bike, more so than a standard motorcycle. I had Michelin PowerPure dual compound tires on it for awhile, but really did not like how those handled and found the transition ridge between the softer and harder compounds to be very noticeable and very unpleasant. Also, the PowerPures did not last any longer than standard tires, which is why I got them in the first place. I currently have Pirelli Diablos on the machine...don't care for the name, but the tires work great and they really improve handling a bunch...I understand they wear out pretty quick. We'll see.

I installed mirror extenders so I can see over my shoulders. The stock windshield sucks, so I replaced it with a Give AirFlow...an absolutely wonderful, adjustable windshield which eliminated all buffeting. The seat sucks after awhile, so I installed a bead pad on it to increase my endurance a bit...it's helpful, but I've ordered a Corbin seat for the bike...not cheap, but read some good reviews on it. A less expensive alternative might be an AirHawk R air pad.

Maintenance-wise, what can I say? It's a Honda. I've had no weird or troublesome issues with the bike at all. One water pump replacement (I had the dealer do that) and one new battery, which is pretty expensive (it's a sidemount which fits into a compartment on the left side of the cargo well...pretty easy to get to. Routine maintenance is pretty easy...I can change the crankcase and rear drive oil despite having the mechanical aptitude of a chimp (I mean no disrespect to chimps :-) ).

I ride a scooter because I developed a bad left knee and ankle which made it difficult to mount and shift a standard manual transmission motorcycle...the choice was to ride a scooter or don't ride. The SWing has been great in that regard. I have considered replacing it with a new machine, but I really don't see anything on the market which will do what the SWing does with the same reliability, ease of maintenance and general rideability. The Burgman 650 is larger and heavier and has a transmission design flaw which is very expensive to repair. The Burgman 400 is a nice, well-proven machine, but lacks power. The Majesty 400 also appears to be a nice machine, but owners report several design flaws, such as poor placing of air cleaner filters, and so on. I have concluded it's better to stay with the machine you know, so the SWing will continue to live on in my garage for the foreseeable future.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I have a 46L Givi topcase on the bike. On tour, I carry only light stuff...jackets and the like...in the top box. On day rides, the box is empty, because when I stop and need to get off the bike for a bit, my helmet, gloves and jacket fit in the box and are locked there, so I don't have to schlep all that stuff into the Starbucks. Works well.

Thanks roc54, nice report and great picture!
In the end, because of dealer issues, I went with a new 400 Burgman.
But surely would have liked a Honda! (I know nothing about Suzuki.....never much cared for them....but the new 400's come with good reputation....though gn will set that record straight, I'm sure) Turned 1000 miles on the Burgman this morning.....like it but for the oil level checking silliness...described as a science project by some.
Fish
Fish

[gn2]

The 400 burger is a good beast so long as you get one with a sorted clutch.

[roc54]

Fish, I've heard very little negative about the Burg 400. By most accounts, it's an excellent, and easy to maintain, machine. If I get to the point of replacing the SWing in the future (assuming Honda does not start producing them again), the B400 would be its most likely replacement. There's a kazillion of them around and a very large information base about them.

Burgman USA website: http://burgmanusa.com/forums/index.php

Also, if you go on YouTube, do searches for Burgman 400 and Mic Bergsma (he's a guy who posts many videos about scooter maintenance and he did a bunch on the Burgman 400).

I think you'll be quite pleased with the B400...

[you you]

The 400 burger is a good beast so long as you get one with a sorted clutch.

Beast?