I have a Silverwing, that i bought in 2010 it was an 07 model and had 1300mls on it. I have just tripped over 26,300mls. I tried the 650 Burgman but prefer the Honda. I keep to speed limits and never get less than 64mpg. I always do my own servicing and have put Dr pulley sliders in, i changed the drive belt ar 16000mls. The brakes are well up to the job, i have the ABS on mine. If you want a reliable, steady workhorse you won't go far wrong with a Silverwing.

MrGrumpy wrote:

pikey wrote:I only took mine flat out once and the engine was just singing agree great engine

Great engine, but dodgy chassis....and astonishingly cramped for so big a bike as well IMHO

Dodgy chassis? I haven't encountered any handling problems in the time I've had a Silver Wing, did you have one of the earlier ones?

Take no notice mate everytime silverwing is mentioned you get a couple who had a bad experiance with one posting while theres loads of happy owners owned them for years

pikey wrote:Take no notice mate everytime silverwing is mentioned you get a couple who had a bad experiance with one posting while theres loads of happy owners owned them for years

It all comes down to a test ride in the end.

I dont think thats strictly true you need time to get used to a scooter your nervous on a test ride in case you drop it .

I agree with Pikey. It can take a little while to get used to your ride. I don't have the Silverwing but I have ridden one. A fine bike from what I could see, plenty of power and handled ok on the ride I put it through. But it seemed a bit cramped for my long legs, and because of that I actually never considered one properly before buying my B400 because of the space issue for me, which at the time was an interesting choice as the Silverwing 600 was the same price as my new Burgman 400z abs. I don't regret my choice of the Burgman though.

Meldrew wrote:

rtfm wrote:

pikey wrote:Take no notice mate everytime silverwing is mentioned you get a couple who had a bad experiance with one posting while theres loads of happy owners owned them for years

It all comes down to a test ride in the end.

You're not testing anything really, it's just a short ride you're offered to familiarise yourself with a scooter before buying it. You can assess it's physical size and weight as you ride, play with any electric toys fitted, and try and look at your reflection in shop windows. You can also claim a few bragging rights because you've been on one. Then it's back to the dealers to see if you can haul the beast onto the centre stand and that's about it.

You've no idea if the seat gets uncomfortable after a few hours riding, how the scooter is affected by turbulence overtaking a HGV on motorways, or if you'll deafened by wind noise at high speed. Unless it's raining you won't know how effective the weather protection is, and since you won't be riding at night there's no way of knowing if the headlights are up to scratch. You only find out these things after you've bought a scooter not on a test ride.

So really it all comes down to ownership.

Well long term maybe but a test ride will show you if you really hate the thing so it's always better to test ride than not if you're trying something different. You can have a play with the brakes and throttle and you will get an idea of wind protection and balance, how the weight feels etc. You're right, it's not the be all and end all but it'll give you a slightly better indication on whether you're wasting your hard earned dosh on something you won't like from the off. You might also be able to gauge something about the quality of dealer if they won't let you have a go...

well i for one wish i had not bought mine..gone back to sym like i had before it..only the newer 300 ...now i'm very happy with how it is..

Test rides/drives - a tricky issue. They can be very deceiving. Mostly you just find out how different it is to what you are riding or driving currently! I recall a test drive of a Ford Focus which I thought was OK, but when I bought one, I ended up hating it within half an hour. I test rode a Pan European, but of course it was so different to anything I'd ridden before I didn't learn much, and of course ownership was a disaster from the off. I test rode the BMW C600 a while back and the fact that it didn't blow me away seemed to me to be a bad sign - but of course once I got to know it better I might have liked it. I've bought most scoots entirely blind, and most of them have worked out - though in two cases (big Burger and SH300) I liked them initially, but found that after a while my enthusiasm for them waned, so a test ride wouldn't have made much difference.

I'd love a test ride of the mk4 Tmax so see how it compares to the mk3 - at least in that case, familiarity with the Tmax might make me learn something.

I did have a test ride of a Silverwing - the effortless power impressed me, but I couldn't get much feel from it on bends, and Darlington's admittedly appalling roads reduced its suspension to a shaking mess!

btw just noticed that the 'wing is still listed on Honda UK's website for a mere £6K - the same price they were asking in 2001!!!!

You missed a few scoots out in between lol