Should I buy today?

Found a 2006 Honda Silver Wing nearby with trike conversion. Am seeing in person today at 2pm CST Texas USA time. Anything I should look for as “danger sigs?

Owned by elderly couple, bought new. Garage kept and maintained. Was told it was ridden in area for commuting and fun rides by the wife while he has a Can Am, but both are tired of riding / getting too old (he is 80 she is 78.)

Scooter has not been ridden in this year, but has a new battery and I am told it will start today. Inspection sticker expired April 19, 2019.

Has a Voyager trike conversion package.
Bike is purple.
Seat stitching unraveling she said but no other cosmetic or mechanical issues. She said it ran great.
6200 miles.
$3,000.00.

So my question is: 2006 Honda Silver Wing Trike for $3,000.00. Would you hesitate to buy it?

Me: I am 62 and I am a first time rider though I’ve ridden on mcs in the past with a buddy. I will have to get mc license. I weigh 350#.

Have a couple of friends with Harley and Honda Goldwing trikes that want me to buy and ride with them.

I am not interested in investing 10-20K for a mc, but this scooter looks like a good deal.

Hope to get advice quickly as in 6 hours I may be trucking this home.

Can't give advice on the bike, but I would take a buddy who rides to look at it with you.

Better yet, if you're a first-time rider, I'd recommend doing a slow roll on buying a bike until you take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation new riders' course (Google it). I was selling a bike to somebody (also never ridden) your age and advised him strongly to take the course first before taking delivery of the bike I was selling. He did, and found he wasn't comfortable riding. I lost the sale but was a little bit relieved, too.

Just my opinion but I'd rather have a trike like Dales over the Voyager is I were to trike.

I have owned three Silver Wings and 0 trikes. I've never even ridden a trike, so I can't help you there. But I know for sure the Wing is an amazing, reliable, easy to maintain machine.

Life is short, brother. Buy it! Take $2,600 in cash and say "that's what I have on me -- it's up to you." You're probably going to spend $400 to get it updated and in top running condition. And if you don't like it, I'm guessing you can get $2,600 back in resale if it's in great condition. It's still a low mileage bike.

And yes, PLEASE take a motorcycle safety course and dip your toes into Wing riding slowly and surely. It's got a big engine. You can get in a lot of trouble on that bike real quick.

Good luck!

Fellows THANK YOU for the advice. I DID buy it for $3000. I offered 2800 but he would not budge. His wife arrived and she said she’d had three local calls that morning wanting it. It has some scratches along the fender lines and near the windshield.

This couple was the second owner, they purchased it from a woman friend who rode it for three months then she laid it over and broke her ankle. This was before the trike kit. She let it sit for a year and then sold it to the couple and they put the $2500.00 trike kit on it. The man is 80 and his wife is 60 and they now have a CanAm that they ride together.

Front and rear tires are original, 2006) there is still some rubber left on the front but the rear tire is completely bald. I want to replace both of those just to soon as I can. The outside trike tires are regular small car tires and they are in good shape.

Small 1 inch tear on the front seat at the seam where the stitching came out. No rust in the gas tank that I could see. New battery. Lights signals brake lamps all work. Cranks instantly and purrs nicely.

I drove it around the block and it was a blast. Though that centrifugal force even at 20 miles an hour on my 350 pound frame was very noticeable, so that’s gonna take some practice.

And yes I plan on being legal with this bike.
First up tomorrow get it insured.
Then get it inspected.
Then get it registered.
Then in one month have my knee surgery.
Then in late August take a motorcycle safety course that’s going to cost me $250 using their bikes and after their two days a week in class and riding I’ll be able to get my license..

But I promise you, I will not be riding it until I have the go ahead from the Texas DPS. But between now and then though I plan on replacing those tires and maybe adding a couple other extras to it.

Overall I am very happy with the purchase. And like you said I think I could easily sell this for 3000 or more if I decide to get rid of it..

Sent from Topic'it App

Thanks for the update. Good for you!

You sound excited and I'm sure you're going to have an on-going blast with it.

Congrats on the purchase, Russ! Sounds like you have a great plan, and I am sure you'll have loads of fun when you get on the road.

Congrats Russ ! An exciting time for you. Not only due to the wear on the tires do they call for replacement but look for fine cracks on the side walls too. It wasn't until a year after I had bought my 2005 Silverwing that I noticed the cracked side walls. The tread wear you described matches what I had. Once I noticed the side walls there were no more rides until I replaced the tires. They were the original tires and about 10 years old ! (Check the date code on the tires. Any more than 5 or 6 years old is too old.) One of the instructors I had for my "course" checked this bike out for me ... about a week after the course ... before I purchased it. I have never regretted buying it. Hope the same will hold for you.

Mike

Russ,
A couple of years ago I purchased a 2004 Swing from someone in Washington state. It had a Voyager trike kit also. I did the best I could to inspect it. After getting it to Idaho, I discovered while trying to adjust the parking brake that the rear tire was wobbling side to side. The wobble had damaged the rear wheel splines, rear brake caliper and parking brake caliper were worn by the rotor. The bike was missing the outter wheel axle spacer which made it impossible to torque the axle nut.
The following year, in Hawaii, I rebuilt some used calipers. Last year when traveling to Idaho, replaced the rear wheel and tire, front tire and both calipers. I was able to install the rear wheel and torque it to the 102ftlbs.
The Voyager kit is easy to work with. Easy off and easy on. The stated preload is zero inches, but I experimented with a 1/4 inch board. This gave me a better more stable feeling when cornering.
My wife and I are at the Honolulu airport now awaiting our flight to Spokane. There my daughter will pick us up and take us to her home in Couer d'Alene Idaho where my bike is stored. I will give the bike a once over before my wife and I head to Canada next week.
Good luck on you new to you Swing. Make sure you change both engine and rear end oils, flush the brake fluid with DOT4, flush the antifreeze, and change the belt. The Voyager trike adds some strain to the belt. You will have to remove the trike to do the belt change. Maybe easier to do all the services with the trike remove. If you plan to keep the trike installed, the look for a radial car tire for the rear.
Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase. I too have never ridden a trike (except a Can-Am) but I know the prices and believe you got a great deal! Have fun and be safe!

Russ Congrats if you ever have any questions let us know and you really did get a new deal for sure.