First Real Ride

Well, finally got the title work done, state inspection done, and headed out today for the first ride on the "new to me" Swing. I'm really impressed with it, no doubt, but I'd have to say it's the Rodney Dangerfield of two-wheelers. It don't get no respect...at least not until other vehicles can't run away from it....hahaha.

It's got to be the farthest thing from a Harley, and I'm lovin it.

W

Congrats on finally riding it. You should be very happy with it since it is smooth and powerful. I think it is as fast as the sporster 883 I had but I think it might have been just a tad quicker. But the SWing is so much smoother and more comfortable.

I still think this Silverwing is like Heaven after riding that old PanHead for almost 20 years. Would not go back to a Harley if someone gave me one.

I agree with you both. My only experience riding a Harley was a 4 hour rental I did back in 2005. It was a birthday gift from me to me, just to satisfy my curiosity. For years I wondered if there was something I was not seeing that was drawing people to spend so much money for what I thought was inferior to so many less expensive offerings on the market. My current bike at the time was a Honda ST1100, another very smooth and efficient bike. A half-hour into the ride, I had my answer and would have taken that Road King back if I could have gotten a partial refund for it.

It wasn't particularly bad, but it convinced me that people are paying twice as much for the Harley image and getting less than what they could get in most 800-1100cc Japanese cruisers. I would have been hopping mad to have paid $20K for that kind of performance.

This scooter is just the opposite....people look at it and expect to be trapped behind it at 45mph, and are shocked if you leave them in the dust. I can't wait to surprise some other bikes sometime.

I think I mentioned that this is really for my son to learn on and I actually ride a Goldwing, but I could see myself with just the Swing if I wanted something lighter or less expensive. You can't beat the Goldwing for carrying passengers though. I would imagine a good size passenger might have a bigger effect on the Swing.

I've never ridden a Harley so can not really objectively compare the bikes with anything else. That does not stop me from my subjective analysis though...

I think the posing is possibly the most off-putting thing about the HD rider. But I feel the same way about the Jr. Wanna Be racers on their zip splats.

WarrenK,

Glad you got out for a ride. I think you are correct on the GW as the better people hauler, but my wife and I each ride our own SilverWing and know that it is a capable touring machine. I'm not sure if Honda meant it that way, but that is how we use them. Your son will be able to tour with you when the time comes.

My wife and I made a trip from Rison Arkansas to Colorado Springs Colorado late last year. Rode about 60-70 MPH most of the time... trailered the scoot to Tulsa and back for maintenance issue, but road the Swing over 2000 miles round trip. My wife made no complaints about the ride and I have nothing but praise for the way the scoot handled the trip. What a great machine....

What is a Harley? Do they make scooters?

Opalsboy wrote:

What is a Harley? Do they make scooters?

Hardley used to make a scooter called the Topper.

I two up a lot of the time. The swing isn't as responsive with the added weight but it handles it just fine. I have done 200-280 mile days and she never once complained. Both my passenger and my Swing. Honda built the Swing as a light tourer. But mine has tackled everything I have asked it to do and it has still come back for more. Congrats on the Swing and hope you enjoy it for many more miles to come.