New Owner in Sturgis

Hello, all!

I'm a middle-aged mom who took up riding 6 years ago. I've ridden a 1978 Honda CB400, 1985 Honda Magna V30 (500cc), 1993 Kawasaki Vulcan 750, & a 1997 Honda Shadow Spirit VT1100. For the past 5 years, all I wanted was a scooter, but kept ending up with my husband's hand-me-downs. For our anniversary this year he bought me a new 2008 Honda Silverwing. Yay! I've only had a chance to ride it twice between blizzards. It is a perfect fit for me. Can't wait for better weather. Love this forum!!

Wendy
SturgisMama

Welcome to the forum, Wendy.

Are you really in Sturgis?

Hi Wendy,

Welcome to the group. I just joined the group myself. Everyone is very helpful here. I'm not to far from Sturgis and now that I have a SWing I might make it up there, should be fun. :D

Hi Wendy,

Welcome to the forum....enjoy and have fun riding that SWing.

DennisB

Wendy,

Welcome to the site and please post a pic or your SWing. Maybe you can compare the SWing to the 750 and the 1100 bikes you had. I've always wondered about the difference in ride and power between the SWing and some of the 700-750cc bikes. If you have any questions please ask away and you will be some responses. Also, you might want to check out the other sections we have on how to modify or perform maintenance on the SWing.

Yes, I really live in Sturgis. I've been here for 19 years. It's not a bad place to live -- except in August.

Wendy
SturgisMama

Mike, you say you're not too far from Sturgis. What town do you live in? Did you get your Silverwing from Outdoor Powersports in Spearfish by any chance?

Wendy
SturgisMama

Wendy,

Welcome to the forum. The Black Hills area is on my list of places to ride someday, not so much for the rally, but I've heard that the roads in and around the area are quite nice. Enjoy poking around on this site. I'd also be interested in your opinion relative to the caomparison of the SilverWing to the 750cc bike.

I'm a little further away in Thornton (N.Denver Colorado). I got my SWing from Colorado Powersports in Boulder, Colorado.

Welcome to the forum. You have moved down over the years and I moved up. I love the ease of a scooter. I've only been on my new 09 twice now and today looks like a great day to take a longer ride. Great choice!

JeffR wrote:

Wendy,

Welcome to the site and please post a pic or your SWing. Maybe you can compare the SWing to the 750 and the 1100 bikes you had. I've always wondered about the difference in ride and power between the SWing and some of the 700-750cc bikes. If you have any questions please ask away and you will be some responses. Also, you might want to check out the other sections we have on how to modify or perform maintenance on the SWing.

The Vulcan 750 & the Silverwing are very similar in the way they handle. The Vulcan had a small rake/trail for a cruiser & was very responsive. It was not nearly as comfortable ergonomically as the Swing, however. It was a fun bike that I found easy to ride but would not want to go for long hauls on it (although many people do!). You also don't get anywhere near the wind protection on the Vulcan, even with a windshield.

The Honda Shadow Spirit 1100 is a wonderful motorcycle, but was too big a bike for me -- too long a reach to the levers (no aftermarket adjustable levers available), seat height a little too tall, & the reach to the handlebars was too far. But I'll tell you what, it was a great-handling motorcycle. Compared to the SWing, the Shadow just settled in the corners & no matter how hard you pushed it, it just tracked right along with no effort. By comparison, the SWing seems "jittery" in corners. I think that has a lot to do with so much weight being in the rear of the scooter. It also has a lot to do with the fact that I'm still adjusting to my new scooter.

As far as power goes, the SWing has all I need. I don't know if it accelerates faster than the 2 bikes, but it feels like it does. I haven't tried to find the top speed, but I went 80mph a lot more easily than with the 750 or the 1100.

The SWing fits me like a glove. So comfortable. I can reach everything, can flat-foot it, & I love the wind protection. Other pluses: the SWing is nice & QUIET (Shadow had a modified exhaust & was very loud), I don't have to shift, & there's plenty of storage space.

Hope that answers all your questions about the comparison.

BTW, I'll get a photo of the SWing as soon as the weather gets nice (another blizzard is just hours away here in Sturgis). I've got a Cee Bailey windshield & Vista throttle lock waiting for me at the dealership as soon as I can dig out of the driveway & get there.

Wendy
SturgisMama

Wendy,

Thanks for the review of the bikes. I would have thought that the SWing was comparable to the 750 but that the 1100 would probably be more powerful. I am amazed still at the power of the SWing and it is so easy to ride. Isn't it nice to not have to shift? I rode m/c's for probably 25 years and I can say I don't miss shifting. Maybe you can take a nice picture of your bike with the Cee Bailey too? I'm not sure anyone else on the site has a Cee Bailey and I'm curious to see a close up. One thing you may want to think about one day are the Hyperpro front springs. They are progressive front springs, that cost about $150 or so, and really give the SWing more of a m/c feel when cornering and just riding. Again, thanks for the review.

Hi Wendy, welcome to the group. We were one of the people you talked about that showed up a week early at Sturges. Did the tourist thing and really enjoyed the Motorcycle musuem then cleared out before the party bunch arrived. You have wonderful country up there. We camped down below Mt Rushmore, did the badlands and just had a great time. Take care, Dick

Wendy,
Welcome to the Forum...I'm just south of you in Scottsbluff, Ne have a 2005 Swing. It works perfect for me as I have had knee replacement both knees. All I have to do is pick my feet up when I go and put them down when I stop. I would like to ride up through the hills this summer. Pictures of my Swing are under 'trying to take a picture' page 2.
Old Dave

Welcome, Wendy, from a soon-to-be Silver Wing owner (current owner of a much-loved Burgman 400)! Scoots are a blast for all the reasons you mentioned. And cheers for your husband for a perfect and thoughtful gift!

Hi from me too Wendy