Wing and a prayer (Honda Silver Wings)

Member Name: grbrown

Product:	Honda Silver Wings
Date:	20/02/02 (2455 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very smart, Comfortable, Fast!

Disadvantages: Poor Handling, Slow Speed Steering, Expensive

I am a regular motorcyclist of many years experience and use a bike for daily travel all year round. Unfortunately modern motorcycles are increasingly recreational rather than functional, so I have tried the new "super scooters" to see if they better suit my needs.

The Honda is well made and equipped, with two compartments in the leg-shield, one lockable. Under the lockable seat there is room for two helmets. The seat is huge and has an adjustable bum-stop for the rider, which helps to get the distance to the footboard just right, when riding feet forward.

The seat is also reasonably low, making slow speed handling fairly safe, however the steering "flops" readily from side-to-side at slow speeds, making traffic work a bit tiresome.

Once underway, however, the performance from the 600cc engine is remarkable, making mincemeat of the speed-limits! Acceleration and speed are excellent, though the same is not quite so for the handling. I had a couple of "moments" on my 30 mile ride, one at around 70mph on a slight bend, which was a bit disconcerting. The suspension can best be described as comfortable rather than sporty.
The best feature I enjoyed is the linked front and rear brakes, which operate off the left-hand lever. This has a firm feel to it and operates both front and rear brakes together, very well. The right-hand lever only operates the front brake, but not enough to be used on its own.

A wonderful bike which I thoroughly enjoyed riding, but I am uncertain of the handling and have yet to make up my mind if I can live with one, compared with the Yamaha Tmax!

Summary: