I like it a lot better than I thought I would

As I've already posted, I've been looking for a comfortable touring bike to park beside my vfr. My wife is not happy for more than a couple of hours on the back of the vfr and said I needed to add a comfy bike to the garage. We rode a friend's PC800 he has for sale and although he only wants $1500 we weren't impressed with it. Another buddy has loaned me his 2003 Gold Wing for a few weeks to see how I like it. Picked it up yesterday evening and did a short ride home, then rode it to work this morning for my 34 mile commute. I have to say I really like this bike. I always looked at them as an 'old person' bike, but I think I'm gonna have to eat my words. Yes it's intimidatingly huge(that's what she said), but once moving it is very nimble and belies it's size and weight. Super torquey, silky smooth, extremely comfortable, gobs of storage...and the list goes on. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my vfr in on one but I think it might become my second bike. He's contemplating selling me this one but isn't sure he wants to part with it. I'm taking it to the mountains this weekend so I'll really get some seat time on it in the next few days. Anyone else have any experience or opinions with the current generation wings?

Here she is in all of her 900lb glory

 

Awesome. The 'wing is the only bike my wife has even sat on. She really likes them, and I certainly plan on getting one sometime in the future.

Enjoy, and I for one will look forward to your ride report.

 

A friend and his wife took off for a weekend on their wing and 7 weeks later came home. They went to Vancouver Island to see family then drove across Canada to PEI to visit more family,then down to the US and back to Calgary. His wife loves the bike as she can sit on the back and read or watch the world go by and they have the intercom system to talk as they are riding.

I've taken the bike for a spin a few times and for such a big bike that thing gets up and moves. I was supprised at how nimble and well balanced it is.

 

There is nothing like a Wing for two up mile eating. You may be hooked.

 

Wings are phenomenal machines and for two up touring you could not ask for a better bike IMHO. I have a friend who HAD one (think it was a 99 or something like that) and traded it for a 2012 BMW K1300GT touring bike. After about two weeks he kicked himself sooooo much he sold the Bimmer after only owning it for a month. He took a bath on the trade but said he chalked it up to a bad decision and since he has a fair bit of disposable income it bothered him, but by no means HURT him financially. His brand new Goldwing came with all the goodies including Factory Navigation Screen, Keyless remote (for the bags I think) and an AIRBAG that deploys out of the back of the tank he said if he were to hit something head on. I had heard of the airbags being used by Honda on the Gold Wings before but this was the first my friend had heard of it.

Check this out

http://youtu.be/ApYPzyPnFOs

In Canada a new Gold Wing retails for about $30 grand so I think I might consider buying a Mustang convertible before buying a Wing. We have a 4 and 6 year old and the car would be more useful as a family fun machine, and thus a bit more practical.

 

My uncle has always had gold wings, it was the first bike i got to ride on when i was about 12, i had been asking when he would take me for a ride and one holiday he was at my parents on the wing. finally!! he said we could go for a ride, glorious!! so we go out get on the bike, ride to the drive thru, get a case of beer, which i then figured out why i was on the back, held the beer as we went back to my parents. it was still awesome to me.

he has an '11 now i believe it is, 1800, really honda, these 70 yr olds need an 1800?

 

I loved my GL1500 & my GL1800.
Educate yourself on GL1800riders forum.

Things to watch for when buying used:
Dropping out of 5th gear... Tranny problems
Front end wobble 45-55 mph... Install tapered steering head bearings
Saddlebag latches sticking... Easy adjustment once saddlebag opens. But you may have to pop plugs in trunk bottom to access them.
GPS is crap... When compared to aftermarket. But in order to get ABS you are stuck with it.
Suspension can and will bottom out... Easy fix is progressive front & rear. Better fix... Traxxion installed front & rear.
Handlebar Risers are rediculously expensive but easy to install and can definitrly increase comfort.

The GL1800 is exceptionally nimble for the size and weight. Search Yellow Wolf on you tube ... He's well known on The Dragon & Killboy. Once you get used to it... It's pretty nimble in parking lot maneuvers to.

 

Although the wing is a BIG bike, it can perform well in the right hands...
[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BmNqKOhX1r4[/video]

 

***Ride Report - OK, I did 600 miles on the wing from Friday afternoon until I got home last night. I LOVE this bike. I think sometime in the next 12 months I will have one sitting in the garage next to my vfr. I don't care if it does have a 'old man' image, this bike is a joy to ride. My only complaint is that it could really use a 6th gear for interstate cruising, but other than that I couldn't find anyting else to complain about. I'm 5' 8" and about 200 lbs and find the riding position very comfortable. Good wind protection, comfy seats, very flickable & stable, smooth..... and torque in abundance at ANY rpmnthego:. Seriously, it will pull from 1k rpm in any gear without a fuss. And will walk away from traffic while doing it. This one is a 2003 with 120k miles and feels as tight as a new bike. So there is my ride report so far. He's letting me keep it for the whole month and my wife and I are taking it to the mountains for memorial day weekend so I'm sure I'll be logging a good many more miles on it before I have to give it back to him.:grumpy:

 

why don't you just buy a car with a sunroof-same thing as a goldwing

 

If you're joking, then :smile:. If you're serious, then all I can say is ride one. Not around the block, but some serious seat time. If after some seat time you don't like it, then you are far too narrow-minded to admit what a great bike it is. A big touring bike may not be everyone's style, and like I said... I used to think of them as a 'old man boat'...but I'm man enough to admit I was very wrong. I ride 20k+ miles a year between commuting and pleasure riding, and for a comfy mile eater that can still be nimble and fast...nothing else I have ridden can come close.

 

Once you chase a Wing rider in the twisties then you will know! They can be ridden like a sport bike and can put others to shame. Be very careful how you disparage a modern GL1800. They are not your Granddad's Wing.

 

If you had said a covertible I would have to agree with you. I've only ridden one, and for a short distance, but whatever you can say about it's handling, it is still a 900 lb bike. Just like a similar weight cruiser, I worry about avoiding the idiot who pulls out in front of me, when riding such a behemoth.

 

Ok, I've had the goldwing this whole time(yesterday was the first time my vfr has been cranked since I picked up the wing:hss. My wife loves it and doesn't want to get on my vfr again except maybe for very short rides. I have to admit I really like it. My buddy offered it to me for $5500 which I think is a very good price, especially considering it has traxxion suspension and some other add-ons. I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and get it. The vfr is probably still going to be by primary bike for every day riding, but any long trips will be on the wing. I've also thought about maybe keeping my vfr at our mountain place from April through October since I'm up there at least twice a month. That way I can be comfortable for my trip there, swap bikes and ride like a hooligan around the mountains and then ride back home again on the wing. On a side note....ride a goldwing for a couple of months and then climb back on your vfr. I promise it will never feel heavy again.:eagerness: It felt like a minibike when I climbed on it yesterday.
Oh well, off to the credit union.nthego:

 

Nice. Congrats on getting a new ride. I actually have the opposite effect when going from my Duc to either VFR, they feel so HEAVY in comparison! Not sure I'm ready to go for a Gold Wing but perhaps an ST-1300. The wife likes the VFR way more than the Duc but long rides for here are still not very comfortable even with a Sargent seat and Air Hawk seat cushion.

 

YEP!! I had a '85 GL1200, if you haven't ridden a Wing, it's suprising what you can do on one. The newer ones are even better. I have a buddy that I would dare say could take that bike and outride a lot of sportbike riders in the twisties...

 

I found it to be isolated from the road compared to other bikes.....Which your not complaining about so THATS not an issue.

Other then that all I can think of too say is that they dont even shift smoothly till they get 60k on the clock and I routinely see them here in Ga with well over 150k on the clock.

Its not one of the best selling bikes in North America for no reason.


Grats n the new ride!

 

Silly thing to say. Don't you think wearing a helmet and ATGATT would look strange in a car with a sunroof?

 

I, as a long time "sport bike" rider, never thought much about the larger touring bikes until '83 or so. Figured they were all too big, too heavy, and "pointless" as far as motorcycle riding was concerned. However, my thoughts on this changed when I began to work on, and test ride, Yamaha Ventures as a dealership mechanic. I just couldn't believe that such big/heavy machines could be so easy and fun to ride and maneuver (even at low speeds).

 

Yea, I never thought I would like a big touring bike either. But then when I started looking for something more comfortable, it didn't make sense to keep my vfr and get an st or fjr for only marginal improvements in comfort. I figured if I was keeping the vfr, I might as well get something REALLY comfy for touring. When my buddy offered up his goldwing for me to ride for a while, I never thought I would like it. I just had this old man image ingrained in my mind and assumed that I was gonna hate riding it. Within the week, I had done a complete 180 and loved it. Go figure:triumphant: I've been riding the vfr again since Tuesday, and it still feels great(although a lot smaller than it used to) I guess once I complete the deal on the wing, I'll start looking for a good deal on a dual sport to buy next year.:vtr2: