New member from New Brunswick, Canada.

Hey all, I am joining this forum to find out all I can about the SW. I am a new rider at 60, 3 years riding experience. My current ride is an ACE 750 Honda from 2000. Great ride, but no amenities on board. Scooters have way more in storage space than a bike.
I am looking t a 2005 SW with 11,000 km. Pics look good, but I'm doing my homework before I throw my money. My biggest concern is tire wear on scooters. Is the SW harder than other scooters or? Tires are a tricky issue: a lot depending on rider preferences and whims, etc. Nonetheless, they are an expense, and if there are ways to cut down ( without compromising safety) then I'm all ears. I know that older models may have quirks that owners forgot with the passing years. So, if anyone remembers anything about the 2005 model I'd like to know.
Thanks.

I can't really help you with your tire questions as I've only owned my S'wing trike a couple of months and only have a little over 1000 miles of ride time on it.

Welcome to the forum.

I have had two Honda Shadows prior to buying the Silverwing. They were great bikes but for me, the Silverwing is better. I currently have an 05 Swing and like all Honda products, mechanically it is very solid.

On a recent 150 mile trip I averaged 56 mpg which is about what I would have gotten with my Shadow Spirit.

My only complaint is that in stop and go traffic, especially in hot weather, my clutch emits a fairly loud noise that sounds like a turkey gobbler. It has to do with glazing of the clutch drum. With harder acceleration, it goes away for a while. This has been discussed on other threads here.

There are many threads about tire wear. Expected life of a tire depends on brands and driving style. I believe that about 6000 miles is typical. My wife and I don't hot-rod our scooters and we get a little better than 6000 miles from our tires.

Having the tires changed at a shop can be a pretty expensive proposition. Good tires can be purchased for about $50 each. If you are mechanically inclined and can take the wheel/tire off the bike yourself, you can get the new tires put on for about $35 each. There are very good tutorials, with pictures, explaining how to remove the wheels on this site.

My wife and I both have scooters and we ride about 3000 miles / year. I change the tires myself so the $100 per scooter every other year or two doesn't seem excessive.

I don't think that you will regret buying a Silverwing.

As rjdoles said, go to the search function and type in tires (tyres for the sophisticated) and get ready to learn a lot.

Thank you all for your replies. I am doing my research, a bit too thoroughly perhaps. All that's left for me to do is to line up potential bikes and go see and try them. I have ordered special boots for the bike, to boost my inseam. The only drawback is the seat height, but I think I got that fixed now. The SW is also lighter than the 650 burger, a big + for me. I am hoping for a new-to-me SW soon.

The Burgman 650's transmission scares me - it's unnecessarily complex (take a look at the geared final drive - and think about the weight you must be moving around with the wheel, along with internal friction - there's a reason why shaft drive, chain drive, and belt drive are common but "collection of many identical gear drive" is not). Some people have had pretty huge expenses from transmission failure, since it's pretty difficult to get to stuff inside on the Bergman ($3,000 if something internal fails seems to be typical). Unlike the B650, the Swing's transmission can be fixed without removing the engine, radiator, or other unrelated parts. Now I know B650 owners generally say this is rare in current models - and it may be. But do your research if looking at the B650.

The B400's transmission is much more conventional and probably fine.

The Swing does wear through tires fairly quickly, unfortunately. Your best bet will be tires that aren't particularly designed for performance (not a soft compound). I think the IRCs and Bridgestones are probably a good compromise for performance to wear but you'll still replace more often than you like.

As for inseam, I have a 28 inch inseam and can manage the Swing with standard riding boots on just fine. They kept it relatively narrow with cutouts for your feet to get to the road, so that helps us shorter inseam riders. I'd never be able to ride one of those BMWs!

One final note - the Swing is a lot of weight. Make sure you feel comfortable with the weight (knowing you'll get more comfortable with a little bit of time on the bike). I wouldn't call it a beginner bike because of how quickly it can get up to speed and the weight.

Greetings from a fellow NB er . I purchased an 05 this spring and have replaced the tires and also have done some other maintenance as required. Where in NB are you located? I am in Moncton perhaps we could meet for a coffee sometime . Welcome to this forum you will enjoy this site and the members are a great group and offer lots of good advise.

Cheers,

Scroller

Welcome:cheers:  

Hello from Santa Barbara California.
I have the 08 now with 35,000 miles. I love it and this forum is the best place you could ever find for questions about our loved ones.:lol!: 

i also have a 05 with 14k on the clock, i stand at 5.5 and it is perfect.

I have been away for some time. Thanks to all for your helpful information. I have been looking for a likely Swing but so far, no luck. All the tempting ones are in other provinces, and will cost upfront just to go and check out. If they don't pan out, I'm out that money. So, it is a waiting game for now. I am strongly considering the Swing as #1, but if a 400 Yamaha or Burgman pops up, it'd be worth a close look. Time will tell, and I'll let you guys know. You might see me here more often.
Hey Scroller, I am in Saint John, and ride up to Moncton every once in a while. Be great to meet up at Tim's for a chit chat.

I am not sure what services you are using to try to locate a scooter or what your price range is. I bought and sold several motorcycles and over the past few years bought four scooters from  sellers on Craigslist. I was checking today and there are several swings in the Columbus area for prices ranging from $3500 for a nice 2003 with 6500 miles to $5600 for a 2008 with 1400 miles. You might try a search in your area if you haven't done that already.

Just a suggestion.

Since the Silver Wing is no longer sold in Canada it is hard to locate a decent one. I lucked out when i got mine as it was only 35 minutes away. On later searches i would have to travel 2-3 hours just to look at one. I found mine using the Kijiji site. Not sure if thats only in Canada or not.

Welcome !

I owned a Burgman 400....save your time and money and stick with the Swing purchase

 I too am looking a new rear tire soon and not sure were to go

Magoo