Honda Silver Wing reviews

20 years ago I would not be “caught “dead” on any scooter. However, with the passage of time, my body has developed mobility issues (if you can’t raise your leg, you can’t run with the big dogs). Therefore, I find myself in the position of either a scooter or nothing. I chose a scooter. After checking out a 650cc, two different 400 cc and a 600 cc scooter, I decided the most appropriate scooter for me was a Honda SilverWing 600 cc (actually 582 cc) so I purchased the nicest one I could find. My son and I put over 300 miles on this highway capable machine and I am very happy with my purchase. If you are considering any scooter of any size, I suggest checking out the Honda SilverWing last and determine which machine best suits yourself! Lloyd Mason 217 737-5507 Show less

MY SILVERWING HAD 4,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I PURCHASED IT IN 2004. IT NOW HAS 26,500. I HAVE RODE IT SOUTH TO KEY LARGO,FL NORTH TO GREENBURG, PA. AND WEST TO BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI. PLANNING ON MAKING IT TO ST LOUIS, MO NEXT SUMMER. IT STILL RIDES COMFORTABLY AND SMOOTHLY. LIKE ANOTHER REVIEWER MENTIONED THE RIGHT SIDE GLOVE BOX ON MINE DOES NOT CLOSE PROPERLY AND THERE IS SOME RATTLING FROM THE FRONT END. EVERTHING ELSE IS FINE. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR A MOTORCYLE IF GIVEN THE CHANCE. I LOVE IT. Show less

The Honda Silver Wing is a well thought out machine by Honda! The safety and balance, that you feel when you barely roll on the trottle and find yourself doing 85-90 with plenty of throttle left, is not only exciting, but impressive! The only complaint I have is inflating the rear tire...the rotor is really in the way. But, other than that, the storage and the craftsmanship is exemplary. I do agree with another writer, that a compartment light with a switch would be a good idea...as well as relocating the light. Some thoughts on making the pig tail for the battery tender easily accessible would be nice as well. Other than that...if you are thinking about buying one...do it!!! 55-60 miles per gallon and most cars on the road can't touch the Wing, from 0 to 60...She's pretty dang fast for a scooter! Show less

I have a 2001 Silverwing- my first bike. The main reason for getting it was my 50 mile daily commute from SF to Redwood City. Aprox 18miles of fast highway riding and 10 miles of city each day. Since 2000, I've put three sets of tires on it- well worn I must add - I seem to run through a set at about 12-14K. Which is pushing it they should probably be replaced at around 9-10. Basically one set a year for me. Most of my riding is done on Highway 280 which in the SF Bay Area circles tends to be a high speed adventure for anyone driving or riding. 70-80mph is the norm most of the time. The Sliverwing has done this trip almost every day of the week for several years with out missing a beat. Synthetic oil, I change it pending how the oil looks not nessisarily by milege. Mine is all stock and I've resisted putting a big lunch box on the back of it and glad I didn't. I pack a standard Laptop with case, dress shoes, even rain gear in the trunk. It all fits if you plan it right. There is even a little space left over for a lunch bag. I've done a couple of rides outside of my weekly commuting. Did some coastal rides with the local dirtbiker/street slick riding knee draggers, whom were all very surprised to see the Silverwing glued to their back side as we pushed up Highway 1 hitting 80-90mph at times. Granted, I was taking the Wing to the limit and using the breaks to the point of lock up before powering through turns the light bikes were simply coasting through, but the Wing would jump out of the turns and with some flogging and put me right back in the group. The hard core sunday knee draggers were quite impressed that they were not waiting for the Scoot as they had expected but waiting for an older street biker who was bringing up the rear by quite a distance. I did a long 6oo mile round trip from SF to the mountians above Fresno- 100ft to 8200ft. Back roads, twisty mt roads and flat out Highway 5 riding. I had a duffel lashed down behind me which fit nicely I might add which had gear, sleeping bag, sailing gear for the regatta I was attending at the lake. The Wing did very well. The only thing that got to me were the grips are not the most comfortable after 300 miles of non stop riding. At high speeds, fast freeway riding (lets just say keeping up with traffic 80+) it got a little buzzy after a few hours with it running at high RPM's. But the Wing played tag with a fully tricked out Goldwing for several hours. Crusing by groups of classic Harley types in comfort behind the windscreen was a nice feeling. The Goldwing rider was quite amused and when we pulled off for a gas stop the complete stranger (Goldwing rider) said he had heard about the Silverwing but never came across one before. He was shocked that the little Wing could catch and pass his big roadmaster when in the 90mph range. Yes, the scoot will move! My normal commute milege runs about 50mpg, the cross country trip my best was 58mpg, that was at tank of gas when speeds were below 60mph. When doing the mountains the Wing suffered from altitude sickness when I hit the 6500ft mark though it got me to my destination and had a lazy idle and run while at the lake. I'm sure if it lived at 8200ft you could get it calibrated for that altitude. The fit and finish has held up well, mine is the metalic red/burgandy color with standard brakes, not the fancy ABS model. Though it has proven to be well balanced for wet riding, locking up the wheels is easy to do with the powerful breaks. For commuting and the occasional long ride and even runing to the local store in the city the Wing has proven to be a great choice. It will get up and go when you feel like burning up some pavement, haul your work gear in clean mode, non-bulky extra storage isn't needed. It has proven to be a solid reliable daily commuter not afraid of being used, true Honda it will run for more miles than you'll ever ride. Show less

I bought my 2005 Honda Silverwing in May of 2005. I have had it 15 months and have put a little over 9,000 miles on it. I just love it. Shifting gears on a motorcycle was not for me. The Silverwing is supereasy to handle. It just glides along, even at speeds of 80mph. I do ride it around town some, but mostly out in the country-side on the weekends. It is very comfortable and a lot of fun to ride. I get a lot of compliments on it. I like having an instrument panel. And, the underseat storage is plenty big for what I would want to carry. I highly recommend the Silver Wing. I highly recommend the Silverwing. Show less

I bought my scooter on September 9, 2005, at a real good deal. I got a leftover from 2003 with 0 miles. The choice was a no-brainer; I saved tons over the 2005 model. At first, I had an 80cc Elite in 2002, so it was scary for me to ride this big boy at first, but when I got a few blocks from the dealership, it was a breeze to ride this bike! The handling is superb and I love you can just apply that power when you need it. I rode it from NY to Ft. Dix, NJ, the military base. I got there in 1 hour and 10 minutes flat! The power while you are on the interstate is crazy! It keeps up with traffic effortlessly, I got up to 95 miles per hour, and the bike wasn't even broken in yet! A very well built machine, especially for large people like me. The legroom is a little stiff but bearable. The only downside to the overall ride is cornering, as you have to be extremely careful when doing so because the tires are small and are the tubeless type. On rain-slick or oil-slicked ground, you could take a fall easily especially if you're going fast. I only had 2 months of good weather to ride it; I plan to do some long-distance trips on it. I even got used to the bike when the 3-day transit strike was in effect... another test! The bike performed well in 20-degree temperature as I rode it to work. A very fine machine and well worth what I paid for it. Kudos to you, Honda! I wish Honda had their own line of accessories to dress the bike up, and a music kit. Years ago, they had a scooter radio kit for the 250 Elite. Show less

I'm still having fun commuting my 10 miles each way to work. I would always choose the scooter over the car if weather permits. It is mostly a motorcycle in scooter clothing with some limitations. I've noticed that pushing it around a highway curve and riding over a small road imperfection will cause it to get a little weird. The threshold for this happening is lower than a bike. I know it's scooter but you forget . . . The gas mileage could be better. It seems to suffer at highway speeds more than I would have guessed. I wish Honda would offer a choice of at least three different colors every year. Scooter people like color. At least the ones I know do. I'm still looking for a scooter like the BMW C-1 with a roof. Something with oomph, not the little 150cc models. I have a couple of small quality quibbles: <br /> The right-hand glove box cover after 5000 miles started closing poorly, it was rather flimsily constructed to begin with, and now at 10,000 miles sits, when closed at about 1/8 to the closure line. I haven't inspected it yet to see if it is adjustable but on first glance it looks like mostly plastic. Also I've noticed more rattles up front. I've had a full dress 1977 BMW and don't recall it making such noises. So I don't think the fairing is the culprit. One more thing. If you think you are going to hang with the Vespa, Lambretta gang think again. As my wife said when I first brought it home, "I thought you were buying a scooter?!!! While some clubs are open to "scooters" of all makes and welcome Silverwings, others don't feel they belong. And of course there is the modern vs. traditional tastes which will naturally separate out some folks into different leagues. The Silverwing and Reflex are definitely of the modern style. The most fun is trying to convince H-D riders at a gas pump to convert. They're good natured but can't imagine why I ride that thing. These days, with the price of gas, I get stopped almost every other day. It can be a guy asking for his wife or himself, women themselves and black guys and gals (I'm a white 53 year old male) stop me to inquire. This never happened on my motorcycles. You get to meet all sorts of people. What I never guessed would happen was the number of sport bike riders who wave head on thinking I'm one of their clan. The second look of surprise on the faces is a hoot as they shoot by. You should have seen the look on my face when I glanced over the other to see a white haired lady in her late sixties next to me on a screaming yellow Reflex. All in all, I love this thing and would buy it again in a heart beat. I have been paying attention to the SUZUKI BURGMAN 650 but have heard some stories of transmission problems once you've put the miles on it. I don't know how the Honda will do, so far almost 10K and not a peep. I chose Honda so I'd have parts in every corner of the US of A. Show less

I have purchased a 2005 silver wing on sep-9th 05 Titanium color. I have had it on local roads, interstates and parkways and it without a doubt exceeded what I had expected. I have never rode a street bike with a shift, so I have nothing to compare it to and I have no desire to. My wing rocks from power to comfort, speed and so far reliability. I had sustained a severe back injury with 15 hours of titanium surgery work on both front and rear of my back along with severe spinal cord damage causing my disability that caused me to loose the movement of my feet and a lot of leg movement. So shifting and slinging my leg over a motorcycle is not an option for me. The walk through on the wing is awesome and the auto transmission rocks. I did not test drive the Burgman 650 nor did I test drive the Wing, either. I had read the features and specs on the wing and it is no doubt a high-tech, balanced and very well thought out machine. So hands down I took the Honda. I just figured out my mileage and this is both local and highway. It balanced out to 57 mpg at only 570 miles so I'm sure with break in I'll do 60+. It has no problem keeping up with and passing traffic and with 500 lbs of bike and 220 lbs of rider that's 720 lbs and it is steady outside of Mother Nature blowing like crazy. I have no dark spots on it I tried to find the flaws. Yes the rear tire and rim is a pain to keep clean but I built my show car so I am used to detailing. The storage fits my gym bag and a few other things. I highly recommend it. Honda definitely did there homework. Happy riding Show less

I have just purchased my 2003 Silverwing and have come to realize that there just aren't enough hours in my day. I have just finished paying off my 1997 Jeep, which guzzles gas almost as fast as I put it in. So, I started looking at bikes and came across this one. I picked the bike up from Dallas just 2 weeks ago and I can't stay off of it. I work nights at my company and can't say how many times I have taken the Wing out at nighe just to get in a good ride. I have not had a chance yet to "ride" it on a long trip but that time is comming. However, I did get a chance to ride in the Ouachita Mountains, here in Arkansas and I must say that this bike is a blast. It has plenty of power and great storage areas. However, I wish it would have a power plug, so I can keep my phone charged but that it is something that you can work around. I have only had one major problem with the bike so far and that is the lack of use of sunscreen. I love the bike and look forward to many years/miles on it Show less