Should I Buy this Silver Wing?

I am looking at a 2005 Silver Wing ABS with 7,400 miles for about $3,500. Is this a good deal?? The owner has replaced the drive belt and has changed the oil. He is the second owner and has put on about 2000 miles.

Thank-you

Ron

Hello Ron, I'd say a better deal is to go and Introduce yourself to the forum first instead of jumping straight in about your proposed purchase.

lvflyer wrote:

I am looking at a 2005 Silver Wing ABS with 7,400 miles for about $3,500. Is this a good deal?? The owner has replaced the drive belt and has changed the oil. He is the second owner and has put on about 2000 miles.

Thank-you

Ron

Yes. No. Maybe. A "good deal" is a happy seller and a satisfied buyer. At a glance, it sounds "good" not great, but only you can determine that. Why is the seller selling? What is the overall condition and the tires? Are there maintenance records? What is your experience? You can go to the "For sale" section after going to the introduction and determine what others have sold for. Good luck with your search.

8 year old bike....little high....and what does it need? previous care/treatment? These things are not cheap to fix.

Here is MY 2 cents.

ABS, ABS, ABS, ABS...

Almost all of them are parked in a garage somewhere. Models don't change. Offer seller 3000 cash and it will be a fair price. I got my 06 with 10,000 for $3500 cash. The ABS is a MUST. Did I say a MUST ! I am saying this from experience. My old 2005 / 80,0000 miles Silverwing didn't have one. I squeezed for my life those brakes to avoid hitting the car that suddenly stopped in front of me. Then next thing I know, both wheels lock. I went for straight slide in the last direction I was pointing at. You don't just decide you will slowly release the brakes. No there is no such thing. It is a reflex. You are going to die. My ABS had saved my life so many times this year alone.

It is not THE answer to all your problems but you have a little more saying on where and how you brake. People that race or jump bikes don't like it because it delays their maneuvers. For street biking, ABS is your friend.

Last month going in a low speed, slick curb I just wanted to slow down from about 30 mph. The ABS came in automatically. I would've died in that curb going against the traffic.

Look up YouTube videos of motorcycle tests with or without the ABS. No human can compensate for an ABS, I don't care how much experience you have.

LN wrote:

ABS is a MUST... to avoid hitting the car that suddenly stopped in front of me. My ABS had saved my life so many times this year alone.

Perhaps you ride too close to the vehicle in front!

Hello Ron from LV.

Battery life in the climate you and I live in can be short, have the battery load tested. If the body panels are sound, fluids are clean and toped off, tires are not dry rotted and everything checks out to be in working order start comparing what other Silverwings have sold for.

Here are a few sites to get a idea of a price point.

http://www.scooterfinds.com/honda-silver-wings

http://www.kbb.com/motorcycles/scooter/honda/

http://www.nadaguides.com/Motorcycles/2005/Honda

 

If after checking the Wing and all looks good it is a good deal if your happy... I just got an 2004 that looks and runs like new hat had 7,000 miles on it . Lady rider garage kept service record, I paid her price

Magoo

I go along with the consensus. Do a little research into the condition then make an offer commensurate with that. Bear in mind that "tupperware" the plastic stuff is VERY expensive to replace so if significant cracks or scratches are found lower offer accordingly! Good luck and if all goes well we like pictures!!!

Thank-you Very much for your replies - I am ready to buy it BUT I am waiting ti ride a Burgman 650 before I "pull the trigger". I wanted to know if the Burgman 650 transmission and running gear is reliable compared to the SW. Can you let me know? Also, I was at a HONDA dealer that also had used scooters. I drove a Burgan 400 (they did not have a 650). The salesman told me that once I ride a Burgman 650, I will like it BETTER than the NEW SW they had in the showroom!!

The dealer would not let me drive the NEW SW, of course, but WHY would he say I would like the Burgman 650 over the SW thus NOT make a sale on what he sells BRAND NEW??

A new 650 Burgman will cost you over $11,000 + tax and whatever other charges. A few people have had some problems with the ECVT. I would read some posts here at this link. http://burgmanusa.com/forums/15-burgman-650/
Then I would buy the Silverwing you saw for $3,500.

It's a bit weird asking for advice about the 650 Burgman on a forum for Silver Wing enthusiasts. If you want to ride or buy a new 650 Burgman it's the 2013 model you should be looking at which has been facelifted and had various tweaks and improvements. As for transmission problems I'd say far more people know about them from reading forum posts than there will be 650 owners that have experienced them. The 650's transmission is also a lot more complicated than the Silver Wings and knowing how some owners fancy themselves as home mechanics and tinker where they shouldn't, they might be responsible for the problems.

I did not have a Burg. 650 but I did own a 400....and I can tell you from past experience with mine and those that I new who had 650`s over the years...you will be much happier financially and mechanically if you but the Swing

I meant buy the Swing

I bought a new 650 Burgman and kept it for over 2 years and used it mainly for touring. Apart from condensation in one headlight I had no problems whatsoever. It was fast comfortable and a very competent tourer, I sold it because I lost interest it, as it was too heavy and a pain in the arse to clean in wintertime.

Thank-you Pastor Ron and Meldrew.

I am hopefully going to sit and test ride a used 2003 Burgman 650 with 13,000 miles. I still have the used SW I am deciding on. The SW owner (2nd) says he bought it from a lady that put 5,000 miles on and he put 2,000 on. He said he replaced the belt. I am not sure why he changed out the belt so soon. What should I look for when I check out the 650 and what should I look for
when I re-visit the SW? I was also wondering about the weight difference between the two and I was wondering if I would come to the same conclusion as you did Meldrew.

Pastor Ron - Can you explain in more detail what you meant by "you will be much happier financially and mechanically if you buy the Swing" ??

Thank-you - Ron (lvflyer)

lvflyer, have you went to the link I gave in my last post. You will get a lot better information for the Burgman on that site than hear on the Silverwing site. You need to investigate the pros and cons of each brand then only you can decide what fits your needs best. I have a Yamaha Morphous CP250W then I moved up to a 2005 Suzuki Burgman AN400S then I got my Silverwing. For me the Silverwing is the best scooter of the lot and if something happened to it I would replace it with another Silverwing. For me the extra almost one hundred pounds of the Burgman 650 takes it off my list. Only you can make the right decision for yourself.

The 650 Burgman is 30 kg or 66 lbs heavier than the Silver Wing, but it's enough for me to make the Silver Wing feel like riding a 400 scooter. The Suzuki is also a lot harder to move about by hand and both wheels take a lot to effort to turn by hand when cleaning. You can very easily cut your hands on the ABS ring on the front wheel if you don't wear gloves, and the rear wheel is difficult to turn with transmission is cold. The rear wheel gets filthy with brake dust being rough cast in fact the whole rear end is a dirt trap.

If you're going to talk or give advice about the big Burgman it helps if you've actually owned one.  

To me 66 lbs is getting close to 100 lbs. The only advice about the big Burgman I gave was to go to burgmanusa and read for themself. And who the h#ll are you to tell me what I can or cannot talk about? So as you said to me before piss off.

It's spelled hell, not h#ll. Who am I? Well I'm certainly not that nice helpful Meldrew guy you were bullshitting about a few days ago.

Meldrew you were also not who told me to piss off, so I apologize for that. But I do have the right to talk about whatever I choose to.

Thank-you Roger - I am going to "pull the trigger" on the SW tomorrow morning

-Ron

lvflyer wrote:

"pull the trigger"

  English subtitles please.  

Colin B.

pull the trigger

1. to take decisive action with no certainty of the outcome
2. To make a decision that may very well require inflicting a result that is detrimental to self or others.

model28a,

66 pounds close to 100 pounds, you won't catch me giving someone a 34 pound tip.

As near as dammit 66 is 2/3rds of 100.

Cheers,

I believe "pull the trigger" has all sorts of meanings, including putting your fingers down your throat to puke, it's also a way to pleasure a girlfriend , and a geeky term for making a purchase.

I am sorry - I meant I will try to purchase the SW this morning.

Thank-you

Ron

Americans talk English whilst we English speak it.  

Cheers,

tarmacburner2 wrote:

Americans talk English whilst we English speak it.  

Cheers,

 On this side of the pond we have let the 17th century go! 

Along with spelling, punctuation, grammar, morphology, syntax, semantics and linguistics in general.

Such a young country and you are already throwing away bits of your history. 

Felicitations,

tarmacburner2 wrote:

Along with spelling, punctuation, grammar, morphology, syntax, semantics and linguistics in general.

You forgot pompousness!  

hotwings wrote:

 On this side of the pond we have let the 17th century go! 

I'm quite surprised to hear that, having visited both Philadelphia and Boston in the last couple of years you've no more let go of your 17th century history than we have here in York. You hang onto it because you're pretty young as a country.

You see on this side of the pond in York where I now live, we can go back earlier to the Middle Ages when York Minster was built and 2.5 miles of ancient city walls are still standing, even earlier to when it was a Viking settlement, in fact way back to when it was just a fort called Eboracum in Roman Britain.

Hi Yo,

Don't be too hard on them, They still have to suffer under a monarchy

Everyone - Thank-you for you help and insight. I purchased the SW in immaculate condition with 7289 miles on it this morning for $3,500 and drove it home. What a nice ride and now I can pick riding the SW or my Harley Sportster with or without the Voyager Trike Kit. Here in Las Vegas we have MANY days throughout the year to ride our bikes - not alot of rain or weather to deal with.

I will be referring to you SW experts for many tips and answers to questions in taking care of my SW. I just hope I can become part of this "family" and contribute as well as gleen information from all of you from time to time. I will probably start asking questions VERY soon and of course I will use the "search" before I ask a question to see if someone has had the same question as myself.

Thank-you - Ron in Las Vegas

surlybiker 58, How exactly are we suffering under a Monarchy? Her Majesty The Queen has been around since Eisenhower was your President and she's still our Queen and much loved and respected. Meanwhile you've had Kennedy who was assassinated, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and currently Obama.

As far as I know in the 61 years she's been our Monarch she hasn't started any wars, been impeached or been tainted by any scandal.

You really don't know what you're talking about do you.  

undefined wrote:

As far as I know in the 61 years she's been our Monarch she hasn't started any wars, been impeached or been tainted by any scandal.

Nor has she done anything except perfect her wave. 

I know, she should really visit Canada to see you all a lot more! 

Wow, did this get off-thread or what???

GHM-PM wrote:

Wow, did this get off-thread or what???

It does seem to have gone a little bit lateral  speaking of lateral have you ever been to the big hat store in Phoenix ? it is most impressive  

You want to go lateral OK then, the big hat store you mentioned is probably Heritage Hats in Phoenix.   Having no use at all for a Stetson of any kind as they're kind of hard to cram into a top box, my favourite hat store is John Helmer Haberdasher in Portland OR. I bought a very nice charcoal grey French style beret there a few years ago. Clement Salvadori the well respected US bike journo on 'Rider' magazine buys his berets there too!   

Hi Yo wrote:

tarmacburner2 wrote:

Along with spelling, punctuation, grammar, morphology, syntax, semantics and linguistics in general.

 You forgot pompousness!  

Never thought of Americans as pompous, more like arrogant, illiterate, and some have their head so far up their arse they can do their own colonoscopy.   

Cheers,

lvflyer wrote:

Everyone - Thamk-you for you help and insight. I purchased the SW in immaculate condition with 7289 miles on it this morning for $3,500 and drove it home. What a nice ride and now I can pick riding the SW or my Harley Sportster with or without the Voyager Trike Kit. Here in Las Vegas we have MANY days throughout the year to ride our bikes - not alot of rain or weather to deal with.

I will be referring to you SW experts for many tips and answers to questions in taking care of my SW. I just hope I can become part of this "family" and contribute as well as gleen information from all of you from time to time. I will probably start asking questions VERY soon and of course I will use the "search" before I ask a question to see if someone has had the same question as myself.

Thank-you - Ron in Las Vegas

Ron,

Congrats on the purchase, hope you get plenty of good rides on it.
Forum has a lot to offer, and remember the banter is just that,
a bit of fun.

Cheers,

tarmacburner2 wrote:

Never thought of Americans as pompous, more like arrogant, illiterate, and some have their head so far up their arse they can do their own colonoscopy.   

Cheers,

 At least the americans have teeth

Meldrew wrote:

You want to go lateral OK then, the big hat store you mentioned is probably Heritage Hats in Phoenix.   Having no use at all for a Stetson of any kind as they're kind of hard to cram into a top box, my favourite hat store is John Helmer Haberdasher in Portland OR. I bought a very nice charcoal grey French style beret there a few years ago. Clement Salvadori the well respected US bike journo on 'Rider' magazine buys his berets there too!   

Sounds right bud,went there after visiting the observatory which was really.really interesting,never been to Oregan but I believe that is where the Spruce Goose is hangered so is on the list of places to go.

Inflyer   Your going to love the Silver Wing and yes the Voyager Kit will work fine on it as I have one myself. If you put the Vorager on Wing let me know what kind of MPG you get

Magoo

The Bern wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

You want to go lateral OK then, the big hat store you mentioned is probably Heritage Hats in Phoenix.   Having no use at all for a Stetson of any kind as they're kind of hard to cram into a top box, my favourite hat store is John Helmer Haberdasher in Portland OR. I bought a very nice charcoal grey French style beret there a few years ago. Clement Salvadori the well respected US bike journo on 'Rider' magazine buys his berets there too!   

Sounds right bud,went there after visiting the observatory which was really.really interesting,never been to Oregan but I believe that is where the Spruce Goose is hangered so is on the list of places to go.

Keeping on the lateral, old Brubaker and me had a ride over to the Lowell Observatory or Jodrell Bank as it's better known as, in Cheshire a few weeks ago. It was an unseasonably cold wet day, the astronomy bit in the Discovery Centre was downright boring, but their cafë is excellent...bud! 

Did I mention that's me not old Brubaker, he was round at my house this evening and logged in here when he was net surfing on my iPad and didn't log out again. 

Locking thread.

This thread is no longer a discussion of buying a Silverwing.