New owner from WI

Hello all. As I brand-new owner of '08 Silver Wing I am taking my time reading
through the posts and files. It seems that it might take me a while so I
figured I'd step forward and introduce myself. I am also planning on asking a
few questions which already probably have been answered a million times but once
again, since I haven't finished going through all of the info here on this forum
I'll ask them anyway.

I am 40-yer old engineer who just started riding last year. I have always been
a car nut (not in mechanical sense of the term) but I never cared for 2-wheel
riding. It all started when my wife decided to buy me a scooter for my
birthday. After owning Yamaha Zuma for a few months I took MSF course and got
my motorcycle license. Of course, immediately after that I was ready for
something bigger then 49cc. I was able to convince my wife of a bigger scooter
and I bought 06' Reflex last August. Long story short even though I had a lot
of fun with my Reflex this spring I was ready for something bigger. After
taking a few test rides I've decided that I do not like neither sport bikes nor
cruisers. I did like sport touring bikes and maxi-scooters. After doing some
"soul searching" for a while it all came down to a few bikes (Honda DN-01, BMW
F800ST, Burgman 650, Aprilia Mana 850, Honda ST1300, Yamaha FJR, and of course
Silver Wing). After trying on ST1300 and FJR (with clutchless tranny), I've
decided that they are still too big and powerful for me. DN-01, BMW, and
Burgman were very nice but too expensive. Aprilia was good but I was worried
about its reliability. It also turned out that my beautiful Reflex with only
1100 ml was worth $2500-2800 8 month after I left a check for $5200 at a
dealership for it. Then, on Thur this week, my salesman called and said that
they have '08 Silver Wing which they'd like to sell me. The deal was so good
that I could not resist it and SW also had ABS. So, here I am, with brand-new
SW in a garage and a crappy weather outside. I did have a chance to ride it for
a little bit on Fri but now it's cold and rainy and I have to wait. Oh, by the
way, I am in WI.

Now, to the questions.
1. It seems that SW does not have a power outlet but there seem to be a spot for
it in one of the gloveboxes. How difficult is it to wire it there? Has anybody
done it?
2. It appears that almost everyone replaces windshield with the aftermarket one.
I realize that there is only one model available from Givi. With Reflex, there
were two. I am only 5'6", so I wonder if D214ST would be too big for me. Any
thoughts?
3. I found three forums on the web for SW. Obviously, I am already here, are
you participating on all three?

Once again I apologize if these questions have been answered before as I am
slowly working my way through this forum. I am also looking forward to
communicate with all of you here. Thank you.

Welcome to the world of Swing riders. I am 5'6' also and i did order a Givi windshield but it is way to tall so I brought it to out local glass shop and had it cut down so I could see over the top instead of looking thru it. I went back to the stock mostly because I like the looks of it better. To me it looks more sporty with stock shield. I think that there are more accesssories that you can add to the Swing than almost any other bike. So search the different forums and try and decide what you like. As for me I like mine just like it came from the factory. The only addition I have is an Air Hawk seat cushion for the longer rides because the stock seat get a little uncomforable after about 75 miles for my butt.

Welcome in Miro. I live in Northern Illinois and as soon as the weather breaks, I'm positive you will enjoy riding your new S'wing. at 6', I have the givi windscreen and love it. I also have 2 items that require power (GPS and stero) and I tap into a power line hooked up to the ignition (headlight and taillight) for these devices to power up when the ignition is turned on. I know others here have hooked up a power outlet and they got it from a Honda dealer. I think you order the outlet for a Honda Gold Wing and it works for us. I participate here and silverwing.org. You will see a few from here are also there. I have never been to the yahoo SW sight, I feel I get excellent answers at these two.

Miro,

Welcome to the forum and post some pics in the Album section. You can create your own folder for pics there. I have the Givi now and had the Clearview before. I cut the Givi down for the summer and it still keeps the wind off my helmet great, and I'm 6' tall. I like the Clearview I have up to about 65-70 mph and after that it just flexes too much. But I think I received a defective one since everyone who has a Clearview really likes it. But they are about 2 times the cost of a Givi.

As for the SWing...I had a Reflex and Majesty, after many mc/s in my life, and really enjoy the SWing so much. I have had it for 2 years and almost 23,000 miles and I still enjoy this bike so much. It will do anything you need if you don't expect sport bike performance. Welcome and please continue to be active here.

Hello and welcome ive just installed a givi but im 6'2 great in the sun cant see a thing in the rain as, your shorter i wouldnt bother spend your money on other stuff you will :arrow: probably end up either cutting it or putting the original back on anyway