Greetings, and opinions please...

Hello everybody! My name is Rich and I'm from Tulsa, OK. I've had as many as 3 scooters at once, all smaller, and am currently down to two. I think I've had enough of the small stuff and am really wanting a SilverWing. Truth be told, I've been wanting one from the beginning.

Anyway, there's a used 2003 available here in town, with 20,000 miles, and I can probably get it for $3,000. Is that pricing about right? I haven't ridden it yet, so obviously that could shoot the whole thing down in flames if it's funky, but it is cosmetically kinda rough. It's the Candy Apple Red, and the paint is very thin/faded in spots, especially the side panels. It was a little disappointing to see that, but if it's mechanically sound, I can live with it, and perhaps just pull all the panels and have it painted. One thing about it being rough like that, at least I don't have to worry about putting the first scratch on it!

Does this color normally have a problem with this, or does this maybe indicate a lot of time outside? $3,000 sound fair? Anything mechanically to watch out for? It's got a Clearview windshield that's been cut down. It really needs to be smoothed out, or just replaced with the Givi Airflow. On that note, when I checked the steering just sitting on it, the mirror stems both contacted the windshield. Is that normal for aftermarket windscreens? The first thing I thought when I sat on it was, "those mirrors need to go forward a touch". Then I figured out why they were swung back a bit.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I'm looking forward to having one of these someday. I'd prefer sooner rather than later! I appreciate your opinions and experience in these matters...

Rich

Hey Rich,

I just knew there had to be another Silverwing in NEOK somewhere. Welcome to the forum from Glenpool.

Welcome to the forum!
The market seems to vary depending on where your at, but it sounds a little high. 20,000 is high and red is bad for fading which says outside storage or parking. It sure is easy to fall in love with these babies, but don't be afraid to shop around and be patient. Good Luck and again, Welcome

Welcome Rich. The 03 is a great color. Renewing the tupperware should be an easy boost. That price should be negotiable. Not way out of line, but if seller is anxious to sell, you can offer less. As Dale said, be patient and look for the perfect fit for you. Mileage not really high, but verify that the belt was changed at 16,000 miles. That will be another $100 - $200 depending on whether you do the work yourself or get it done in a shop. If it has new tires or worn will matter. Other wise, just let your head prevail. Honda makes a great machine. You can expect the Swing to give you many fun miles.

Hi Rich that is a great color and not worrying about the minor scratches does sound like a good idea. My 04 has some chips that I will have to decide about fix em or leave em and ride more. I saw this one on craigslist in Joplin that looked interesting and might help with your negotiating since the paint seems to be better and it has a trunk, or take a road trip.
Toro8 in KC

Sorry I forgot the link.
No interest in this sale just passing along the info. Toro8

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/mcy/2238070576.html

Rich,

Welcome to the site. Here is a link for the blue book:

http://www.kbb.com/motorcycle/retail/2003/honda/fsc600-silver-wing/70048

It says that it is worth about $3,500 if it is in EXCELLENT shape. I would test ride it and check it over really good too. I have a 2007 with 33,000 miles so the miles are pretty low really for a 2003. But check the tires for wear and cracks, check the panels, ask about the maintenance on it too. If the paint if faded that much it probably has been outside a lot through the years. I haven't really seen SWings that have faded at all really though.

But I wouldn't be concerned about the mileage myself since this things last about 100,000 miles if taken care of. Good luck and keep us informed. If it runs good and seems to have been taken care of mechanically I would say it isn't a bad price, but i think I would try to talk him down a couple of hundred dollars. The mirrors can be adjusted very easily and also touched the sides of the shield for both my Clearview and the standard Givi I had so I wouldn't worry about that. I also bought mirror extenders for only $15 so that is a very minor cost there. Good luck and keep us informed.

Hey Rich, Welcome to the forum from Baja Oklahoma(Texas). It sounds like you already know what to check on the bike and the price sounds reasonable for this time of year and the demand for scooters with the gas prices going up. There's a guy in Glenpool who is always available to help his fellow bikers and just a great man to know. Enjoy the ride.

Hi Rich, welcome to the forum.
I have a red 2003 and really like it. If the mechanics are good on the one you are looking at then I don't think it is to bad of a buy. As others have said I would try to negotiate with the owner first. I have the Givi windshield which I cut down so I can see over it and am satisfied with it. If I were windshield shopping again I would go with the adjustable one. I had a PC800 with around 110,000 mile on it and it faded like you are describing. It was red also but it set in the sun and fowl weather every day while at work so as was already mentioned the one you are looking at probably set outside a lot.
Also as mentioned you have a Silverwing Geru out at Glenpool which is close to you that can answer any question you may have. Maybe can get him to look at it and ride it for an evaluation. His name is Dennis and is a great guy.
As a side note I was raised in and around the Tulsa area. Mostly in Oologah and graduated from Claremore. Still have a brother in Bristow.....Go Sooners
Take care.....Dick

Dennis! Glad to know there's a Silverwing Guru so nearby! That will be comforting to know if I do indeed pick this thing up.

Dale, and others- I found it at a local scooter shop, internet price $3400. When I stopped by to talk to them, he said $3200. I was saying $3k just as a guess for an easy sale. I'd bet they'd take $2800. I did forget to mention that it's got ABS, which is nice. Blue book on the '03 with ABS is $3800 in excellent condition.

toro8- thanks for the heads up on the relatively local one up in Joplin. That would be easy enough to get, but it being an '07 probably puts it out of the acceptable price range of she-who-must-be-obeyed. I do like the color, though... and the trunk.

Actually, I stopped by and looked at it today again, just to see what my second impression would be. I don't think the paint situation would really bother me. The first time I saw it, it was a little shocking. The second time wasn't so bad. It's really more thin than faded, though. Kinda strange, but perhaps waxed excessively in an effort to maintain the shiny red color. I do ride just about every day, year round. About the only thing that stops me is accumulating snow, so yeah, it will sit out in the parking lot in the sun all the time, even though it will be garaged at home. The other members on here with Okie (and Texas) experience can testify to the fact that it will be out in the sun when it's well over 100 degrees F, so maybe that will just free me up to not worry about it. I feel kind of bad because there's a guy at work selling his 2006 Yamaha Majesty with 2500 miles for $3800. It's absolutely pristine and has a Givi trunk, tall windshield, and shop manual, as he's quite meticulous with his stuff. He keeps hitting me up about it, and thinks I'm a potential buyer, but I just don't really want a Majesty. I've always wanted a Silverwing, and I think I've come to the conclusion that I won't be content with anything else. If I'm going to buy anything, it'll be a SWing.

I did take it for a short ride today. Very nice ride, indeed. Much better wind protection than my Piaggio BV250, and more stable in the atrocious Oklahoma wind we're having today. It's nice to have the power, for sure.

I've got a couple of scooters that I would need to get rid of first, and even though I could get a bit more money selling them outright, the place selling the Silverwing would take them on trade and call it even. I know that's not the smart way to do it, but the convenience of it all has me tempted. There's a couple of items on them that if I decided to sell, I would need to get resolved first (which I did tell them about), so perhaps it's a wash. I've sold a couple of cars lately, and tried to sell one of my scooters before. It's pretty tough to find people with money to spend these days, and it seems like if they're needing to get a loan, they'd just as soon buy something from a dealership.

Thanks for all the input, guys. I'll post up if I decide to pull the trigger...

Lab Rat,

Tell us about the scooters you need to sell...

I've currently got a 2006 Piaggio BV250, and a 2009 Genuine Stella. I originally started with an '09 Yamaha Zuma 125. Bought it for fuel injected, big-name manufacturer reliability and fuel economy. It did everything it was supposed to do, and did it just fine.

Then I decided it had no soul, and wanted a Stella because it was cool... two-stroke 150cc, manual 4-speed. It's basically a vintage 80's Vespa, still made in in old Vespa factory in India. I knew it was a "tinkerer" bike, and thought it would be fun to have because it's got such personality. Well, I'm tired of tinkering. In my enthusiasm for quirky, different things throughout my life, I've been kinda burned more than once. I love to be different, but there's something to be said for having several options for service and accessories. The Stella has plenty of accessories available for it, but the local service options are shaky. Oklahoma City was supposedly a better bet, but that didn't work very well for me, either.

After a little more time had passed, I came across this really nice looking Piaggio BV250. Very nice. Italian. 250cc 4 stroke. Bingo, I can now get on the highway to get back and forth to work, instead of being forced to stay on city streets due to limited cc's. So very nice, especially when it's 90 or 100 degrees. It gets hot sitting at long red lights, so it was refreshing to get to keep moving at highway speeds. Big, cushy seat too! This one not only suffers from a lack of good service options, but it's an older model BV, and with low production numbers, suffers from a lack of accessories as well. Whatever you do manage to find is $$$. But it did make me appreciate having highway capability, and whetted my appetite for more power. With a good headwind and a slight uphill grade (like an overpass) it would sometimes lose a little speed and there wasn't anything I could do about it. And I'm still somewhat hamstrung about getting out too far. Pretty much all the interstates outside of town around here have 70 or 75mph speed limits. 65, I can hang... 75 is out of the question.

So all that brings me back to what I was originally oogling. I spent enough on 3 scooters, that I could have bought a new Silverwing. The problem with that would have been convincing the wife that I needed an $8,000 scooter right off the bat. At this point there are other things that would keep me from buying a new one, besides just the wife, but I'd be happy to pick up a used one. Besides, that would make my decision on what to ride to work in the morning a lot easier!

Genuine Stella- Looks cool with the hubcaps, but they didn't last long. Disappeared on the way to work on two different days.


Piaggio BV250- Before I cut the Givi windshield down to an acceptable level, which I then broke when I low-sided the damn thing... then discovered the windshield was discontinued. So now I'm back to the obnoxiously small factory windshield that dumps all the wind right on your head. Very unpleasant.

Well, I did it. I must say, I'm in love... she's a fabulous machine! Can't wait to put some miles on her.

Thanks for all your help, gang. I hope to be an active participant here on the forum... just gotta learn the bike a little bit. I ordered a shop manual from ebay this morning, so I should be good to go.

That mark midway up the front fairing is a reflection. The light spot on the side panel, back by the "Silver Wing" badge, is a scratch. I've got some minor cosmetic clean up to work on, in addition to going over all the mechanics myself. (Sorry- don't really trust dealers.)

It looks beautiful!

I like the black upper panel on the wing!
And the stella is smokin hot!
I really like badged scooters.

Congatulations! I'm jealous of that red. Bikes should all be red, blue or black. Kinda like Ferarris must be red. The 07 color has kinda grown on me, but it's hard to describe. Red is red. Good riding.

Congrats on your new Silverwing! Candy Glory Red is one of the nicer colors (I'm a bit biased with that comment) and the fastest! Mine is stored indoors and yours looks to be every bit as shinny as mine! I did the black "W" a couple years back.

There are mods you will want to do, but for now ride and enjoy!