keeping my 02 cherry red silver wing with 15k on it (unless i get an offer over $5k for it!) and getting an '09 SYM HD 200 scoot. anyone ridden one before and can give me a comparison with the SYM HD 200 fit/finish, ride, etc compared to honda '02 silver wing?

Five thousand dollars!
Good luck, you have it forever!

again, anyone able to compare a silver wing quality with SYM HD 200? As far as pricing a silver wing, $5k too much? ok--how about $9k for a a brand new one? supply and demand. remember--it only takes one buyer!

My sentiments exactly BB. If i wasnt going to buy a scoot from the big boys, i would look at an Aprlilia, or a genuine, and of course i would love to have a vespa gtv 300, because there is a very passionate worldwide group of crazy enthusiasts!

I rode a Kymco Yager before I upgraded to my Silver Wing. I have since ridden the Kymco a couple of times and while I agree that it does not match the overall quality of a Honda, it is more than reliable.

What the Taiwanese are doing in terms of quality is just below that of the Japanese and Italians. I think BigBird and I have a different idea of what par is.

I would have no qualms about using an HD200 as a daily commuter in the city with short highway hops. It should top out ~75, but will cruise happily at 65 or so depending on the usual factors. Storage isn't as much as the SWing, but it is a 16" scoot so it loses some space due to that.

The best comparison for the HD200 is not so much the SWing as it would be the SH150i. For 25% more cost, you lose a couple of CCs but gain EFI and the fit and finish will be better. The service intervals on the SH will probably be higher but as simple as the small scoots are, most, if not all, of the service could be done by you if you have the desire.

Good luck with your decision, it would probably help with giving more tips if you gave a little more info on what your riding plans are/why you want to downgrade.

I'll second what aidenpryde said. Everything I have read about SYM has been positive. They build good scoots that perform well and hold up well. They are not mainland China junk, but Taiwanese. There is a huge difference. Please look at
http://www.justgottascoot.com/symhd200.htm
and
http://www.justgottascoot.com/sym.htm#Caution
for more info. For an extensive review from an owner look here
http://scootdawg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=200cc&action=display&thread=16772
I think I have seen the poster on this site a few times, too.

Their problem may have been the US distributor. They did not support SYM strongly enough, then suffered a fire last year that burned up most of their stock. I believe that SYM has signed a new distributor agreement for the West coast, but not the East coast.

I have seen them on the used market, and they are usually priced cheap because of the worry about parts availability.

First 200cc to 600cc is apple and orange comparision. SilverWing does a lot of things well

My experience 250 min to keep from getting run over in N America. I had 4 Helix and a Reflex. I am not new to riding so have had many motorcycles from new HD sidecar out fit on down.....but also like scooters.

$5000 for 02 ? maybe $2000 tops....now 9 years old.

I have no fear for stuff from Formosa-----but national dealer network? Parts? If scooter is used seriously you need to think of that

Having owned a Sym, (125 cc,) for many years, (5,) I would say it was a very good, reliable, fuel efficient small engined scoot. Well made, durable unlike the Chinese makes. Never had a fault in all the years I rode it. Bought it used, albeit sub 1000 miles. Sold it five years later and only lost £200, a good return in my books.

However, it's not a Silver Wing!

i appreciate all the comments/suggestions/links. i had an 02 goldwing for three years--rode with a club. great bike, etc but after three years--decided on downsizing to a silver wing. still a great bike....most likely will keep the swing and have already ordered the sym. mainly for 75 mpg, half the weight of the swing and commuter stuff. will use the swing for daytrips, more highway stuff, etc. sym for city, etc. checked on the distribution of sym/parts, etc. have talked to new west coast distributor of sym and parts--and was told new '12 scoots arriving in a few weeks. i have a local sym dealer and secondary mechanic that can work on them. worst case--parts can be ordered from sym canada. typically, tires, brake pads, etc are usually what i should consider the main things to look at. i only put on like 2k/year on the swing, so probably won't put as many on the sym. then again, it's all relative. got a new sym for less than half of what i paid for the swing. a comment on the resale of a swing, etc. i guess it depends on where you live. i was told about a year after i bought my swing that they didn't sell well due to high price/wind, etc here in the midwest. they sold better on the coasts. therefore, even though they sell them still, more people know about their quality, etc. so, if you're in an area where there aren't as many--and you want one for less than a new one, and they can go 100k if you maintain them--but you don't have very many available for sale (if any), then your choices are, buy on ebay or the net/pay shipping, etc, buy local and visually see it, ride it etc, or buy a new one. check on ebay and see how many are available. i had an audi that i sold last month that i was told trade-in was worth $8k-$10k. i could sell it for maybe a few thousand more myself. listed it on craigslist--for $15k, had a few calls, didn't sell--lowered price to $12500 for several months, nothing. raised it to $13800--had one call. guy in military had ridden them in germany--even though it had 102k on it--he wanted it and paid 13200. by the way--just checked ebay and four silver wings are listed--an '02 like mine for a bid of $2600, an '09 for $3500 bid thus far and a new '10 for $6500 bid thus far. so, it's all relative to what you want, willing to pay, etc. is it worth a couple of thousand more, to get the color you want, not have to ship it, not have it chipped, banged up, etc? you may not be willing to pay $5k for it...but some guy 1000 miles away just might--considering he can't find them anywhere and is tired of getting 23 mpg in his car and wants 50 mpg on a swing. if silver wings were flooding the market, then it's a different story. how much would you pay for a cabbage patch doll? that's what i'm talking about when i say supply and demand. if the economy continues to be slow, gas prices high, fuel efficient motorcycles, scoots, etc--will get in greater demand.

[quote="scootercruiser"] if the economy continues to be slow, gas prices highquote] IF? IF!

Must be the going rate for red 03 Swings is $3250!!! and a Gold Wing in the family is a must as well.

I don't know why I feel the need to say it, but my first scoot was a 150cc GY6 Chinese brand. I paid 1300.00 for it brand new in 2007, still have it 5 years later. I've logged a total of 28,000 miles on it, the 150 engine size is perfect for city riding. You CANNOT compare the quality of the Chinese bike to the Honda, but the Chinese scooter has never been unreliable or junk in the 5 years I've had it. I have however always performed the maintenance on my Silverwing and Chinese scoot myself and on time. I think cheap bikes like that get bad names like the Geo Metro's did, because the people who buy them spend on the bare minimum on them, and never perform maintenance to them.

Kinda funny about the Goldwing owners. I have an '01 GL1800 but don't intend to part with my Silverwing. They both serve different purposes too well. The big 'Wing for longer trips and the SW for errands and local rides. The Silverwing is just too handy in town traffic and easier to handle in slow, crowded parking lots.

Its like comparing apples to oranges. they are both fruit. but so different!! test drive!!