A windy intro to 2008 Honda Silver Wing scooter
ANDREW MEESON/TORONTO STAR
The Silver Wing and the Harley Low Rider get ready to return home from Chicago. There’s some luggage under the scooter seat, but most is on the Hog.
SALINE, MICH.–It was a big gust in this little town outside Detroit that almost brought my scooter to a crashing halt.
We were on the return leg of a long weekend trip between Toronto and Chicago – the Windy City – and I was on a new Honda Silver Wing. We were in the middle of a line of traffic winding its way at about 80 km/h through the south Michigan countryside.
As a thunderstorm swept across the state road, I could see one particularly fearsome gust blowing in from a low-lying field to my left. Tree branches thrashed about wildly, grass bending over as it approached.
I'd been tussling with the wind for some time, leaning into it while trying not to overcompensate and end up in oncoming traffic. This blast was much more ferocious.
When it finally hit the Silver Wing, it shoved me to my right with so much force I found myself headed across the shoulder. Right for the ditch.
It wasn't exactly how I'd pictured my trip taking flight on Honda's big scooter.
I'd tagged along on the 1,600 km journey to see if the large displacement scooter could hold its own on such a lengthy road trip. And what better way to find out than to pit it against a classic American two-wheeled road warrior – the Wheels Editor's own 2008 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider?
When 1,584 cc of air-cooled V-twin met 582 cc of Japanese liquid-cooled four-stroke, who'd be left by the side of the road?
Most people's reaction to the trip? "You're taking a what? A scooter?"
But the Silver Wing is a scooter like the Sears Tower is an office building. Sure it's got the step-through style and twist-and-go automatic transmission that defines the breed. But that's where its similarity with, say, a Vespa, ends.
The $10,499 Wing lives among a rarefied group of big-engined bikes such as Suzuki's Bergman, Yamaha's Majesty and the Piaggio BV500. Though they're called "scooters," they're basically the equivalent of a motorcycle, and built for long-distance riding.
Including, it must be said, making it through lashing thunderstorms like the one outside Saline (and a few others throughout the weekend), driver's skill permitting.
Fortunately, the pickup behind me slowed enough that I could ease off the Silver Wing's throttle and hug the edge of the paved shoulder until I righted myself and could work back into traffic. It was some distance before I really relaxed my clenched muscles.
Honda boasts that the Silver Wing's bodywork and windshield are tested in a wind tunnel with the aim of protecting the rider from the elements while reducing wind noise. Which it did, even at speed on many kilometres of interstate and 400-series highways.
But it may have also contributed to my sudden change in course – the rogue gust couldn't go around all that plastic. The Harley, meanwhile, packing more than 290 kg to the Silver Wing's 231 kg, and having a lot less fairing, sailed right through. The Wheels Editor seemed oblivious.
It's unfair to think a bike's engineers can anticipate a sudden wind blast in a field; the rider has to bear responsibility for driving according to conditions. If weather advisories were issued, we wouldn't have known.
Under most conditions, the design worked well. Compared to many other full motorcycles, the Wing was a lot less noisy and I felt a lot less buffeted at the speed of traffic. In fact, if I slouched forward behind the fairing and windshield, wind noise dropped to nearly nothing.
As for power, the scooter was certainly no slouch when it came to keeping up with the Harley. During the sweltering voyage over the four-lane blacktop, the Wing had more than enough grunt to keep up with traffic on the superhighways. Nor was there any hesitation when jostling with congestion around the City of Big Shoulders, or Detroit, or the GTA.
And it did so with less showiness and hey-look-at-me attitude than the glittering Low Rider. Once south of the border, people were more interested in asking about the Wing than they were in talking about the Hog. Harleys are a dime a dozen, it seemed, while a highway cruising, gas-sipping scooter was a rare bird worth a second look.
That said, there are some clear reminders that you aren't riding a true highway cruiser.
At 16 litres, the gas tank may be enough for city cruising, but on a long-distance trip, it meant stopping every 240 km to fill up. That's not necessarily a bad thing – it gives the rider a needed break – but it does slow you down.
The other shortcoming is the storage space. Or lack of. There are a couple of thoughtful watertight storage compartments on either side of the handlebars and there is a 55 L space (complete with an inside light), which is more than enough for around-town cruising.
But it's definitely not enough if you want to pack more than a couple of changes of clothes and some toiletries. To my shame, I had to rely on the packhorse ability of the Harley to keep a rain suit handy.
Honda says the Wing's maximum hauling weight is 375 lbs (170 kg). If two adults intend to ride, it's doubtful they'd be able to take much more than their toothbrushes.
Though the Wing has a parking brake (you just never know), what I really ached for is some kind of cruise control. My throttle hand was still slightly sore a week after the trip. There are reasons people don't typically ride 1,600 km in three days.
The instrument panel includes a tachometer (which stayed north of 6000 rpm on the 401 and I-90), electronic fuel and temperature gauges, a digital clock and a couple of trip odometers, as well as the usual array of warning lights such as ABS.
After spending as much time in the saddle as I did, I doubt I would have found any bike – let alone scooter – comfortable. Even with an added gel pad (loaned by the Wheels Editor from his private collection), my butt felt every one of the last 50 kilometres or so.
But I eventually figured out that one of the benefits to having floorboards inside of footpegs is that I could wedge my legs between the front for the boards and the adjustable seat back. That allowed me to lift my butt slightly off the seat, letting the blood flow, however briefly.
Honda boasts that its Silver Wing appeals to the more mature rider (which may explain the $10,000-plus price) who may have once ridden a motorbike and who may be getting back into two-wheeling, but is daunted by changing manual gears.
And certainly riding around Chicago or the GTA, it's a very comfortable and able bike – whether zipping around the major highways or creeping through stop-and-go traffic, even if its automatic transmission isn't quite as smooth and quiet as you'd expect from Honda.
There's a trade-off, here, as always.
The heft and power that make it a confident long-distance cruiser tend to work against it for short jaunts in town. You think twice about hopping on it just to zip down to the local shops to pick up groceries.
It's comforting to know that if you need to get across town quickly, you can take a superhighway and still cut through traffic.
Just beware of sudden blasts of wind beneath your Wing.
Andrew Meeson is the editor of wheels.ca, and reviews scooters for Wheels ameeson@thestar.ca
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