I am a small guy 5'6" (175.lbs) with a 30" inseam, and the silverwing fits me like a glove. The weight is no big deal at all because the center of gravity is so low. I whip this thing around like nothing. Been riding bikes since the 80's. This is one of the most interesting bikes i've even owned! It seems like honda made this machine (just for me) prob cuz the average adult japanese male is about my same height, weight& build, so it stands to reason. It's an outstanding bike for small men, & women. It's also an outstanding bike for short to medium distances. For bigger men or longer distances (100+mi) you may want to go with a ST1100 or FJ1300. As amazing as this bike is, i wouldn't recommend for big men or long distances, it simply wasn't designed for that. Does everything else wonderfully. I would HIGHLY reccommend this machine-o-fun if it sounds like you fit the criteria, you will NOT be disapponted! I've rode all kinds and i'm hard to please, but this bike is simply amazing! SOOO glad i didn't get a 400cc scooter! Screw that. I do see myself outgrowing the silverwing and getting a sport tourer for long distance, but i'll still keep it in the stable.

Very comfortable , good leg room , 2 glove compartments in front and space to fit 2 helmets and a raincoat underseat . Excellent acceleration and the engine sound is really sweet but pls be careful about hard braking on this bike . (3 year owner of a Yr 2004 silverwing)

Anyone else have trouble with the Silverwing in turns? Twice, now I've had my Silverwing's front tire "slide out" from under me in relatively low speed (both left) turns causing a low side fall off both times. No gravel, no paint strips, or any other noted debris either time. I really like my Silverwing, but this problem is so puzzling, I cannot justify continuing to ride it.

The bike maybe heavy to push about because it is! However once moving it as nimble as any small sports bike. I have never riding any bike ( inc 600cc race bikes) that can go from side to side like this. Great constant acceleration and will hold 95 easy. The transmission is the key to this bike's success. Brilliant bike with loads of space under seat. Nothing better for commuting into London.

I've owned about 40 motorcycles & have been riding 45+ years, owned other scooters & professionally drag raced bikes back in the 1970s. I currently also ride a FJR 1300, but thoroughly enjoy riding my 600 Honda Silverwing as for it's simplicity & good power, even when riding double. However, riding about town, parking, backing into a garage, etc., it feels like 3/4 of a full size motorcycle, not a scooter. It has a top heavy feel at slower speeds, especially into corners. -Its a hulk. No one would describe this scooter as being nimble. The 600 seems to be in a new category of

A low center of gravity makes this heavy scooter feel light at a stop and when zippy through urban and suburban streets. I have taken the scooter on many highway runs but felt the original air screen allowed too much buffeting. Got an "AirFlow" screen and now the bike feels like a touring bike. I rode to an indicated 108 mph on the mass pike and also raced a friend on his burgman 650. We were neck and neck in a single lane passing a semi at 100 mph and he said I was pulling away. Probably stupid, but was really a blast. He thought his power button would make a difference but it didn't I guess. I think it may work better at lower speeds. Both bikes are close. I felt a little more daring since it seemed I was the one on a scooter as the burgman is a little bigger and more like a regular bike. On back roads the silverwing is just a lot of fun to ride. Even when I'm fatigued I will likely ride the scooter before driving since it is so easy to jut get on and go. It's good enough on gas that it would take $8 gal prices before I would consider anything smaller. At 10,000 miles/yr I figured the silverwing only costs $200 for gas than a sh150i at $4 gal., and the silverwing is really so much more scooter. I once rode a yamaha xs1100 cross country and that bike was great. The silverwing can do it just as easily if not better. The difference is that the wing is so easy to steer in town, while the 1100 was like steering a wheelbarrow. I bought the silverwing because I was diagnosed with arthritis and needed the step through. Later when I found I actually had lyme disease and got it solved I still picked the scooter to ride first. It's just too much fun. To anyone that may make suggestions as to the worthiness of my choice of transportation, they should be careful not to challenge me with their Harley or other custom as I will likely make them red face. Not fun to be beaten by a scooter. Buy a silverwing and enjoy yourself.

I've owned my 'Wing for 3 years now and love it to pieces. It certainly has it's little things to be aware of, but I'm not so sure I would go so far as to call them bad points. But for the purposes of a balanced review here goes:

Niggles: It's heavy and therefore a bit difficult to put on the centre stand albeit there is a side stand too however. The plastic handlebar cover rattles at low speed. It can be a bit of a pain getting to the rear wheel to clean it or check tyre pressure. The windscreen could be a bit taller but it's not too bad. The tank is a bit small meaning the normal range is 150-160 miles although with careful driving I can get it to 170 miles.

The niggles are far, far outweighed by the plus points however:

It's fast - it'll take anything at traffic lights but more importantly in my book there's plenty in reserve if you need to overtake something at 80mph. Twist the throttle and you've passed potential danger in the blink of an eye. Storage is excellent, particularly with the top box and a tunnel bag. Weather protection is also excellent and I installed the extra leg windshields which make a big difference too (and look good). The whole bike looks great and I frequently get people asking about it, amazed it's a 600cc scooter. Fuel ecomony is fine. The engine is practically indestructable. Servicing and running costs like insurance are great - 75% better than a car.

If buying new it's not a cheap machine, but if looked after the bike will provide years and years of great service. Last, but not least, it is brilliant fun riding this scooter - you can almost hear it laughing its head off at 80mph on the motorway when it really comes into its own.

I'm 71 and use my Silverwing for pleasure and convenience mostly riding in urban and I've only found 4 things not to my liking.Firstly, the OE mirrors are useless and could arguably be considered as dangerous unless the rider is less than about 5'6".I sourced out a new pair of cheap replacements with larger mirror heads and longer stems from a bike salvage dealer for £25 and they are the best mirrors I've ever had.They almost make the recommendation of the "life saver" glance over the right shoulder unneccesary and although this statement probably flies in the face of common sense unless anyone actually sits on my SW with these fitted it's impossible to appreciate the amazing field of vision that be seen rearwards.Second,the discomfort caused by the riders seat backstop almost caused me to get rid of the bike after just a few weeks.I never noticed this when I road tested it before purchase but after about 15mins riding I found that the rather slumped riding position it seemed my stomach up was being pushed up and under my ribcage.Alright - lose weight everyone says but this is easier said than done and although I've got a bit of a "rubber tyre" It's not that bad but was causing me great discomfort as if I'd been punched in the solar plexus.Problem completely solved with 100% improvement in riding position by fitting an backrest extension from www.3brothersperformance.com.in the USA.Its a padded extension that bolts to the existing bumstop brackets under the seat and raises it to provide support higner up the spine. It's a simple solution, easy to fit but could easily be made in anyones workshop from scrap materials so is a bit pricey at about £45.00.
Another minor niggle is that the seat catch dosen't close properly everytime and if the key is left in the lock it it's very vulnerable to getting snagged and snapped off as it sticks out.A seperate release lever would be a much better option similar to that on the Piaggio X9 I had before.Finally, in common with the X9 I find the direction warning indicator green lights on the dashboard are situated too far below the riders sightline and can't be seen flashing clearly on sunlit days.
These are minor complaints compared with the rest of the bike and the excellent overall quality and the mirror and discomfort problem I had would probably only apply to people of certain stature so can't really be considered as overt criticism of an otherwise excellent machine.

Having taken delivery of the Silverwing one week before setting off for a 3000mile tour, I was filled with trepidation about the setup and settings of the bike, which was a six month old, recently serviced machine, fitted with a touring screen and back box. The touring screen was hopeless, allowing the rain to stay both on the screen, and on my visor, I had it removed asap, and now have the standard unit fitted, more wind, less water! The 45 ltr colour coded back box is great, although will not carry much weight.
The Honda Silverwing FJ600ABS scoot carried 2 people and luggage in comfort for the two weeks away, and returned me to the uk in good order.
Could be faster the "top speed" is a figment of somebodies imagination, but the cruising speed of around 70MPH is perfectly adequate for the British Motorways, 130KPH is not so easily maintained on the French Peaje.
Although the design is old, and it misses some of the refinements of the Burgman Maxi Scoots, I would thoroughly recomend it as a good reliable long distance touring machine, fuel consumption worked out at about 55MPG over the 3000 miles so OK, but not brilliant, I am led to believe that if you "cane it" poor economy will result, and I can believe that!
My recommendation is Buy, if you want a Maxiscoot for easy long distance and city commuting in comfort and in executive style. Add a "tunnel bag" for extra carrying capacity.

I am now on my second Silverwing, the first (non ABS model) having lasted 104,500 miles before the radiator let go (having the radiator so low down on the bike means it is very exposed to the spray off the front wheels and hence the salt during the winter months) unfortunately 2nd hand radiators are in short supply with the price of a new radiator making it an uneconomical repair.

I commute 11-12,000 miles a year with this bike an can thoroughly recommend it. It is comfortable, Honda reliable & most of all practical with lots of storage compared to most scooters. Insurance costs are reasonable for a 600cc (generally these bikes are not targeted by thieves as they are not everybody's cup of tea). With heated handled bars and the excellent weather protection on offer there is no better all round, year round commuter scooter/bike.

It is fast and will just about make a real 100mph (the speedo overreads generously) when fully wound up (my bike has been upgraded to a tall Givi screen & wind deflectors for better weather protection but this does have a negative effect on top speed & fuel consumpion when on fast roads).

Cornering is fun and you can easily get far enough over to scrape the centre stand along the road if you push it! Acceleration is repectable for a 600cc (this is a heavy bike) and due to the seamless acceleration other 600cc + motorbikes will have to stretch 2nd gear & 3rd to keep you behind them.

Realistically, this scooter will keep up with any batch of motorbikes riding out.

Brakes are OK and will stop this bike. Keeping the tyre pressures right is important on the front otherwise I feel the ABS cuts in too early & often if you are making an emergency stop.

As for tyres I have experimented a bit and have not found a better tyre than the Bridgestone Hoop for the rears. I currently have Avon Viper on the rears which are wearing well but feel it is a little squidgy & less planted in the wet. The Bridgestone Hoop front tyre is good but I will be trying the Pirelli GTS23 this winter.
Bridgestone Front tyres have lasted over 9,000 miles & Bridgestone rears 5,000 miles.

The tank is 16.3 litres from dry and could do with being larger for longer range between fill ups when commuting long distances.

I have tracked my fuel consumption closely and achieved the following (99% of the time rider only 100kgs, top box with spare 5 litre fuel)over 4 years of commuting 35% motorway/dual carriage, 20% A-road,20% B-road & 25% city centre:
Average range on a full tank is 161 miles = 46 MPG.
Best range 183 miles on a full tank = 54 MPG
Worst range 149 miles on a full tank = 42 MPG
The gauge is a bit funny as you can do between 35 & 44 miles before it comes off full. Similarly you can do the same range on flashing empty! You have to have guts... Otherwise the gauge goes down in roughly 15 mile increments.

The drive belt is good for 16k miles but believe the manual calls for 12k.
Brake pads do need monitoring as the they do wear out as the bike weighs 250kgs + rider.

I have also upgraded the headlight bulbs as the original OEM lamps were in my opinion very poor.

All in all if properly maintained I would recommend this bike for reliable high mileage use as it is difficult to take the engine to the red line unless trying to hit top speed and realistically this is not something normal people will be doing regularly.

Hope this information is useful. Happy riding. DP

2008 HONDA SilverWing FSC600D I'm 6' 3" and hadn't ridden in years - It was purchased to carry on the back of our RV so we wouldn't have to always tow a car - I find driving it utterly relaxing or invigorating depending on how far I turn the right grip - The scooter IS a bit "buzzy" (front plastic) when taking off - I find myself driving it nearly every day though, just to relax - I love driving it - Acceleration is VERY good! - I've learned to apply a bit of rear brake and keep a little throttle in turns, and that took care of the "power on" or torque problems I had in turns, and I can corner much better now - Even with the GIVI E52 on the back, I still think it could use more storage, but, I think they all can - I think I may buy a bigger bike now, but I'm also going to keep the SilverWing - I really like this machine and it's a VERY smooth riding scooter

Like other reviewers, ongoing knee deterioration limited my "lift-over" so I was forced to look at other rides...along with the Silverwing, I considered the Yamaha Majesty 400 and the Suzuki Burgman 650. I chose the Silverwing and have not regretted it for an instant. I was lucky to find a 2004 with 3000 miles on it for a very attractive price.

Acceleration is phenomenal. I haven't actually clocked it, but a friend with an 1100 Shadow says he starts falling behind about five feet off the line. I found a long stretch of secluded and straight road and had it hitting 102 mph (and I am a 295 lb. rider). Handling is, if not sports bike quality, certainly not far off...I have leaned the 'Wing a lot further than I have ever had a regular street bike.

The ride is great, seating position very nice for longer rides, and with the Givi windshield, I have that extra 2" that Honda felt were not necessary. I also have a 53l tail box, and between that and the copious underseat storage, I can pack for a three day weekend easily.

Insofar as mileage goes, the day I got it, I rode quite aggressively, averaging 80mph over 3 hours riding it home. On that ride, I averaged 39 mpg. Riding with a mixed group of bikes (sport and cruiser), I average mid-forties. Riding solo, mostly highway, and keeping steady speeds at or just over the speed limit, I have averaged well over 50.

It's fun to ride, comfortable, roomy, and protects the operator with a bubble of no weather (well, almost). I have owned many motorcycles and ridden many others, and this is, quite plainly, the best ride around.

This ain't your grandma's scooter.

When I bought my Silverwing I bought with my head and not my heart. It just doesn't do anything for me cosmetically. That apart, I can't fault it. It's plenty fast enough and will hold its own against most bikes (within reason). It handles well, is very comfortable, has excellent weather protection and great storage. Also, the price is really good at the moment. A few years ago it cost more or less the same as Yamaha's T Max. Whereas other makes and most Honda madels have increased considerably, the Silverwing's price has remained relatively static. If only I could learn to like its looks more.

First ever scooter - owned around 30 motorbikes in the past. Absolutely love this machine! Very comfortable, quick enough (cruise 80mph no prob) Superb two up and LOADS of luggage space. Handles great - really good on corners which is a big plus.
Really cant think of anything negative to say - tank range could be better - get around 125 miles before reserve - so realistic range of 150 miles. MPG 40 - 48 - not great but acceptable.
Highly recommended!

I've owned my 2009 Honda Silverwing ABS for about 7 months and am very pleased with it.

I was looking for a maxi-scooter with plenty of power.

It's fun to ride on both secondary roads and the highway; very smooth, quiet, and stable.

Typical "bullet-proof" Honda engineering.

Yes, it is very heavy (close to 600 lbs with all my add-ons), but I've adjusted and I've never dropped it, and I only weigh 150 lbs.

No regrets; I think it's a little bit smaller and thinner and more agile than the Suzuki Burgman 650. Most reviews pick the Burgman 650 over the Silverwing, but the Silverwing was the better choice for me.

I bought this 2002 Honda Silverwing (then known as FSC 600) off Craigslist, from a student of automotive engineering who was an avid "tinkerer' of bikes. At 17,000 K miles, its rear tire was nearly worn.. the front rim needed replacement. Blue was not the bike's original color, and the original owner was riding it without the cowl nor plastics, leaving the bike naked and electrical wiring exposed to the elements. I purchase it for $4500 on the condition that he reinstall the cowl, plastics and windshield..
As a supplement to my 3-year old Matrix, I intended to ride the heck out of the bike on the 405 and 701 daily as I travel to bank branches servicing their PCs and printers... So far it's been reliable as long as I maintain it, and with 28000 miles, has cost me a quite a bit in parts & labor.
This leaves me to ponder the cost for benefits of 45 mpg and two hrs shaved off my daily commute. You can't just take a bike over to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. You may require an appointment at Long Beach Motorsports and not get away for less then $150.
I knew the bike had a rough life and may have been taken off-road on a regular basis while in Utah. The latest problem was been with the electrical system.. I constantly need to keep a fully charged battery ready, lest I end up stranded in downtown LA or Orange County. Guess ordering a new wiring harness is next.
Fortunately, I found a reliable bike mechanic who helps me install parts I order from places like Bike Bandit online. it has new Rubber all around, new front brakes and CVT belt.
This is a great bike to learn on as there are no delicate turn signal stalks to break off if dropped. There are a few scrapes and gouges on the bodywork from the few times when I dropped the bike. I see them as constant reminders to be careful.
Because my legs are inboard, I can squeeze through tighter pockets of traffic without worrying for my kneecaps. Thc comforts and conveniences of a smooth ride, automatic tranny, the managed aerodynamics and lack of foot pedals makes for an fun yet uneventful ride that leaves one better able to concentrate on the road.