Bittersweet Day. Sold the Swing

Hi Guys,

It's kind of a sad feeling yet I'm looking forward to my next bike which is shaping up to be a Suzuki V-Strom due to its touring and comfort credentials as well as bang for the buck. (Bikes under consideration were the Kawasaki Versys, Honda NT 700, Aprilia Mana GT, and BMW F800 ST) The Swing has been an excellent ride and was a big step up from the Helix. The biggest factor that made me want to sell was the drop in fuel mileage after the bike got over 60 MPH. It is the best bike in the world for anything under that speed. But I knew that if I wanted to do some Serious touring and get reasonable fuel mileage, I'd have to look elsewhere. The V-Strom with its 5.8 gallon tank and 46-55 mpg fills the bill nicely since much of my riding will be at a speed where the V-Strom will excel MPG Wise. Many reported exceeding 50 MPG at Interstate Speed. The Swing though was an excellent ride. I will miss it. I will especially miss the underseat storage. However with the larger side cases, it should pack close to the same amount of stuff. Our Last ride was a trip last Saturday Night. We rode from Greeneville, TN to Newport, TN. We stopped at an A&W for burgers, fries and, of course, root beer. We then rode up toward Hot Springs N.C. and back home again to good ol' Greeneville on TN-70 for one more ride through the twisties. I Want to wish all of you the best of luck with your Silverwings. They are an incredible ride and do so many things well while keeping its riders in the best of comfort. I'll stop by from time to time to comment on a post or say hello. Take Care! Ron

Awww.... well, I certainly hear you about the mileage. With the way I ride (you can ask Sweendog and Cosmic Jumper), I get high 30s, maybe 40 if I'm lucky on my rides. I'm not sure how folks get the mileage they do; all I know is what I get, and I've learned to live with it, cos I sure love the speed and power that my Swing gives me. That, and I can't figure out a clutch to save my life! Enjoy the V-Strom -- those are sweet bikes!

Have fun and stay safe on your V-Strom! Those are nice bikes. I really liked the F800-ST I test rode, but the seating was just way too scrunched up for me. I thought that bike would be perfection with the foot pegs lowered about 4" and the handlebars moved back and up into a more standard position.

ronjr009 wrote:

It's kind of a sad feeling yet I'm looking forward to my next bike which is shaping up to be a Suzuki V-Strom due to its touring and comfort credentials as well as bang for the buck. (Bikes under consideration were the Kawasaki Versys, Honda NT 700, Aprilia Mana GT, and BMW F800 ST)

Not the Honda ST1300??

honda_silver wrote:

ronjr009 wrote:

It's kind of a sad feeling yet I'm looking forward to my next bike which is shaping up to be a Suzuki V-Strom due to its touring and comfort credentials as well as bang for the buck. (Bikes under consideration were the Kawasaki Versys, Honda NT 700, Aprilia Mana GT, and BMW F800 ST)

Not the Honda ST1300??

Looks like the intent was to stay under a litre.

Best wishes, stay in touch.

Yeah, I didn't need a lot more power. The 650 is fine. The other selling point is the cost. The V-Strom is a lot of bike for the $$$$. Not that I wouldn't mind having an ST-1300 if money weren't an issue, but I felt that the V-Strom 650 gives me everything I'm looking for at a better value. I'll definitely visit from time to time. There are a lot of great folks on this board!

Ron,

Congrats on your new bike and give us a review sometime when you get time. Thanks for being active here and please don't be a stranger. Ride safe.

Taking my new versys for it's first good road trip tomorrow. Just did the first oil change, and gonna wring her out a little bit in the twisties up around Mt. St. Helens. Kept the Swing for around town, cant beat a big scoot in stop and go traffic, but for sport touring, and taking those 2 lane hiways the Versys just smokes the Swing. And at under 500 lbs, just easy to ride. Would have got a Vstrom, but they are a bit harder to come by right now. Super popular. Enjoy.
Brian