My impressions of the 650 Silverado

I bought my 2004 650 Silverado used from a private party in July 2008. The bike had only about 1100 miles on it at the time. I paid 4500 for it, and it had an aftermarket throttle lock (cruise control), an engine guard, and windshield bag for holding sunglasses or gloves installed after market. This was the first motorcycle I had ever owned and had done quite a bit of research before buying and was lucky enough to know someone who had what I wanted for sale. I had decided to skip the entry level class of cruisers (in the 250 cc range) because I had read enough to know that I would probably outgrow that class rather quickly. I wanted something large enough to be able to cruise comfortably on the highway, yet was a little concerned about getting something too big as I was pretty much a ‘newbie’. The 650 Silverado was a perfect fit. It handles easily and yet has enough muscle to cruise easily at highway speeds, in the 55 to 70 mph range. It will cruise faster than that, but I think it runs best in this range. I really liked some of the ‘big-boy’ extras that came on the Silverado, like the floorboards, heel-toe shifter, lots of chrome, and self cancelling turn signals. I also like the looks of the bike and have gotten quite a few compliments on it. I also like the shaft drive, no worries about chain tension. I spent the first summer getting used to the bike and comleting the MSF rider safety course,,as I had not ridden in a lot of years and never ridden a lot. This last summer I rode it quite a bit. I am rather tall, about 6’3”, and am pushing 250 lbs, but still feel comfortable on the 650 Silverado. The seat gets a little uncomfortable after 100 miles or so, and I need to take short breaks every 50 miles or so after that point. My longest ride has only been a couple of hundred miles, so I can’t speak to the comfort for riding an entire day, but I am guessing I would be wishing for a better seat. I have left the Silverado pretty much stock to this point, but hope to upgrade the exhaust and rejet the carbs. When riding the bike with a full face shield helmet on, I don’t hear much exhaust, although in the garage and driveway it has a nice little rumble. The bike handles great, the braking is adequate, and the acceleration is not too bad, even with a big guy like me. I won’t be winning a lot of drag races on this motorcycle, but it has enough guts to get up to speed easily for a freeway entrance. I have had the bike up to 80 and there is still some throttle, but I really don’t feel the need to go that fast, as the freeway speed limits in my area are only 65-70. The weight of the 650 Silverado is just under 600 lbs, so I can easily manuever it in the garage and driveway and for parking. I feel a little movement on the bike if I get behind a semi, or pass a large truck going the other way at highway speeds, but it is not bad at all. A little heavier bike would have a little more stability, but I am comfortable riding this bike. The fuel economy for my 650 Silverado has been consistently in the 45 to 50 mpg range (the factory mpg is listed at 49). I am not real heavy handed on the throttle, but don’t baby the bike either. Overall, I really enjoy the 650 Silverado motorcycle and am looking forward to this summer and some longer rides and overnight trips. I has been an excellent ‘first’ motorcycle for me. The price is right as well as the performance. I have changed the oil and filter myself, and it was easy enough to do, but have also taken it into a dealer for routine maintenance and will probably go that route most of the time.