Honda Silverwing Motortrike conversion

[jinglebob]

Hi, all. Not a trike owner (yet), but looking into it still.

I own a pretty nice 2003 Honda Silverwing. I like it a lot, partly because I have an issue with my left leg which causes difficulty shifting a conventional manual transmission motorcycle. The Silverwing does very well for me in that regard, with enough power for touring and general riding without the need to shift. As time progresses and the body starts getting creaky, I find myself becoming interested in going to three wheels, either with a sidecar (DMC can do that addition) or a trike conversion.

I just found out that Motortrike is making a trike conversion kit for all years of the SWing. I did a search here, but did not locate much information about it. Wondering if anyone here has done the Motortrike conversion on your SWing and, if so, would like to hear your thoughts about the conversion...handling, effect on fuel mileage, performance and anything else you'd care to share.

Thank you in advance for your responses. Most appreciated.

 

[paws]

Can’t help with your request Bob but if you cannot get your SWing triked have you looked into a Spyder? They are automatic - no shifting and a pretty nice ride.

 

[Gorilla]

Hi Bob. No experience on a SW but I did a Burgman 650 and was very pleased with the results. Fuel mileage on the Burgman dropped to the high 30's but ride was great.

Motor trike is one of the big companies and has a great reputation.

You will lose some power because you are adding weight and more wind resistance. So your mileage will go down. Hard to tell how much without experience. 10 to 20 % ??????

Like mentioned alternative is the Spyder or the Burgman conversion.

Good Luck

 

[dougv]

Hi Bob,

I would look for an older Goldwing conversion already done and you can get a shifter that operates from the handlebars via push buttons if you can't shift with your foot. It looks like the kit is 5k plus another 900 for the rake kit and then paint and install, you might not be far from a Goldwing price wise. The 1500 are nice bikes and with the new Goldwing, I'm sure some people may be looking to upgrade from a 1500 or older 1800.

I went through the same thing I had a almost brand new VN900 Kawi and the cost to trike it was more than the 1500 was already triked. If not a Goldwing, there are other full sized bikes like Yamaha you can find already triked.

 

[jinglebob]

Hi, all. Thanks for the replies.

I've looked into the Spyders. They seem like nice machines, but I'm not convinced about their quality control or reliability.

I haven't seen the push button shifter on a Goldwing yet. I'm a solo tourer, so the Goldwing seems a bit like "overkill" for me. Still, might work.

For me, it doesn't always come down to dollars and cents, but more what will work. Still pondering the possibilities.

Thanks again for the input!

 

[Pastor Ron]

II have one

I have a GT3 MotorTrike on my 2012 Swing, I had it put on fall of 2017 and have put on 3,000 miles. I lost about 4 mpg and slower on take off, with that being said, I would NEVER go back to two wheels. My wife ( who is Always my back seat companion) also loves it. It does very well in the mountains of NC. Stay with the Swing...you will not be sorry. I would like to warn you, do all the reading you can on this site about newbe trike riding...AND BELIEVE EVERY WORD.,also, go to the Silverwing forum and look up Pastor Ron for more info and picks....Good luck

 

[jinglebob]

Hi, Pastor Ron. I'm on the SWing forum also...same user name as here. I went and looked you up over there and immediately found your thread about your GT3 trike conversion. Thank you! The info I was looking for was there. Looks like acceleration is a bit slower and fuel mileage is down a bit as well, but you're otherwise pleased with the conversion. That's about I expected, but it's good to have it confirmed.

Local MotorTrike dealer here is quoting abt $9k for the conversion. I paid $3500 for my bike, so I was initially put off a bit, but on reflection, I understand that any trike conversion is not cheap and, as I noted above....it's not always about the money. Sometimes, it's about whether it will work for you and extend your riding years and about keeping a solid, reliable platform like the SWing and working it out to your advantage. Thank you for the info!