Response.(Letter to the Editor)

Publication: Rider

Bookmark this article Print this article Link to this article Email this article Digg It! Add to del.icio.us RSS

COPYRIGHT 2002 Ehlert Publishing Group

Scooter Schism

I received the July issue and immediately read with great interest the article on the new Honda Silver Wing. I own and ride the "original" Silver Wing from 1982--the GL500 Silver Wing Interstate. This bike was an adaptation of the V-twin, water-cooled, shaft-driven CX500 from 1978-1983, and had the same fairing as the GL1100 Gold Wing Interstate. It was called a Silver Wing because it was the little sister of the Gold Wing. The motorcycle is reliable, small enough to be fun, yet large enough to be an excellent one-man touring bike.

One thing that baffles me is why Honda discontinued the model after expanding the engine to a 650cc model in 1983-'84.

Now, 20 years later, Honda comes out with a new Silver Wing, and it's a scooter! Personally, I find it an insult to the revered name of Silver Wing to resurrect the model as a scooter. At least, as Donya Carlson pointed out in her article, it is a scooter that is almost a motorcycle.

To me the Wing name has a tradition of American touring, and to call a scooter a Wing is sacrilege.

Wayne DeWaay

Minneapolis, Minnesota

I received my July issue today, and the first article I read was the report on the Silver Wing. I have been slavering over the scoot since it was introduced. My first ride was the Honda Helix, which I purchased at the age of 69. From June until November, I put more than 7,000 comfortable and enjoyable miles on that sucker. But, supposedly, real men don't ride scooters, so I traded it for a Yamaha 650 V-Star Classic, upon which I have put 15,000 miles.

However, the V-Star has not done anything more for me than the Helix, other...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.