Goldwings

[Shoe]

Any ex Goldwing riders or current Goldwimg riders here? I would like some pros and cons on the big flat six.
I test rode one and haven't been able to get the grin off my face since then. I am seriously considering adding one to
my one pony stable. 

[TXIN]

I've never ridden one, but I want one. Riding around on the back of my Grandpa's 87 Wing is the whole reason I started riding myself! I'd buy his, but he sold it when I was about nine, lol.

[Pokey]

I honestly "for me" cant think of a single negative other than wearing out allot of tires and going through allot of gas.

[sherob]

I had a 06 ABS Wing, which I traded in for my 09 C14.  I loved the bike... put 32k on it in the 2 years I had it.  I'd still be riding it if my daughter was still riding with me all the time, or I was still living in TX.  It was good in the twisties, but the C14 is better 

I could eat up the miles on the bike... visit my Dad in Houston, stay a couple of days, then ride overnight from there up to Washington DC in comfort to SIL's place for a week... then ride back to Denver.  It's an oversized sport bike, if handle it that way... or it can be a Baggo if handled that way too.  I installed the CB for late night listening to truckers, they'll entertain you... 

I never had any problems with it... gas, oil, rear brake pads... thinks that's all I did to it... 3 sets of tires, Avon Cobra's and Venom's were my fav's.  I'd get ~38mpg pretty much on the road... that's doing 80-85mph.  I've seen low 30's around town, even 28 once on a tank... that was being a hooligan.    She will get thirsty cranking the throttle.

- added -

Forgot to add... my wife, and this is rich, wants US to get another one soon... so we can ride together.  The entire time I had MY 06 Wing, she rode on it twice... put maybe 30 miles on it.  My now 13 y/o daughter had probably close to 5k miles on it.  Which do you think will actually sit on the back of a new Wing if I get one.    This is in addition to the C14 of course... 

[DonB]

Had an 2002 and 2009
you will not regret it. Great machine and very easy to maintain. well the air filter takes a little doing but other than that, piece of cake
the  big ol gal can take a curve
put 38k care free miles on my 09. for getting down the road they are hard to beat. amazing how well a big bike like that handles. you will love the cruise, and all the audio that they offer, mp3, satellite, cd, am/fm,
oh and you can farkle it till you are broke

[h2smokin]

I've got my 89 gl1500 110k on the clock now. Does'nt burn a drop of oil and will go all day. It does have it rattles and such but its 22yrs young. Don't ride it though except when the wife wants to go maybe twice a year. I just ride the connie now or 1 of my triples

[lt1]

Never had a 6-cylinder Wing, but have a 30-year old GL1100.  In general, if you like it, can handle it and can afford it, it's hard to find a bad newer motorcycle.   For the moment, the C14 is plenty large enough for me.  My old nekkid Wing is actually lighter than the Connie.

Most of us are old enough to realize the "new" wears off pretty soon.  If you like the core of the bike, that lasts for years.   I no longer get the silly grin each time I ride the Connie, but it still brings a contented smile.  From the sound of what you write, the GL might be a great bike for you.  Let us know.

[ZG]

I do like the idea of having a reverse gear for something that big.
 
I've never riden one, but I'm sure when I get a little older I'll have one! 

[Pokey]

I do like the idea of having a reverse gear for something that big.
 
I've never riden one, but I'm sure when I get a little older I'll have one! 

They are not an old-mans bike......trust me!

[danl]

I have an '86 Interstate 1200 4cyl that is a project bike. My wife bought it off a neighbor for $400, we would ride by it all the time and I would say "it'd be cool to have an old bike like that and fix it up". Christmas morning, the title is in my stocking. The unfortunate thing is, I haven't had time to do a thing to it. It was too cold over the winter, and once it warmed up, I was riding, not wanting to wrench.

It's in pretty rough shape. The seats are trash, the chrome has rust. The plastic is in good shape. The brake cylinder is leaking and needs to be replaced.
The 1st thing I need to do is get all the fluids changed and see if it'll start. It supposedly ran good before it sat outside for a couple years. It's got a little over 90k on the odometer.

I'm thinking of stripping it down, removing all the fairings and electronics, turning it into more of a naked cruiser type bike. Now that I have the Connie as my long distance hauler, this would make a fun weekend bike.

[ZG]

They are not an old-mans bike......trust me!

I wasn't saying that as a bad thing Poke...
 
Just more that when I retire and would have more time to ride across country often and be able to spend $25-$30k on a bike... 

[Shoe]

Some good information. I am retired. However, I don't feel the motivation to ride as much as a few years ago. I still like my C14 but have not been able to bond with it like some of my previous bikes. 13k miles in close to 4 years is not a lot of miles. I used to do that in one year.

The Wing would be a big step but if I don't ride then it would be a waste and there are so many things on the Honda that I don't need. I wish they made a stripped down version with just the abs and air bag.

[dusty1300]

I toured with my wife for about 60k on a '99 1500. I really liked that bike, but she doesn't ride with me anymore once she learned to drive.  I had a 1800 for a while also. It was a very fine bike, but I just didn't seem to fit on there like I did the 1500. I suppose I could have kept making adjustments to get it right, but I got rid of it and went to something else.

I just rode a friends 1500 yesterday so he could try out my C14. It was a very comfortable bike, but nothing remotely like the Connie for handling and speed and fun.  But, they are great on the highway. I had an ST1300 between Wings and I missed the power windshield till I got this bike.

Since they haven't really changed the wing much since '01, you could probably find some fine deals on a used one.

Tom

[Just Krusen]

I have a '02 GL1800 with 166,000 miles on it that I bought new in '02.  Had a GL1500 before that and put 87,000 on it before trading up.  They are great bikes, fast, smooth & comfortable.  There is NO vibration in them at all.  The 1800 can run through the mountain at amazing speeds.  The limiting factor is ground clearance. 

I am planning to ride my Wing out west next summer with my wife.  It'll probably be about a 7000 mile trip through Colorado and Wyoming.  I have no doubt my bike is up to the trip.

I agree with most of the above comments.  The GL1800 is a great bike and I will most likely always have one.  But at the same time I like the fun factor of the C14 when riding alone.

[Boomer343]

Had a 2004 that replaced my 83 Aspencade. Quite a jump in ride and technology. I put a Traxxion Dynamics rear shock and front forks upgrade onto mine and it made the bike even better handling. It surprises a lot of people and can blow off many hot cars as well.

If buying used it is generally accepted that the 2006 and up models have a stronger frame. Mine was involved in the frame weld recall for the lower cross member but the 06 and up models had additional material in the rear subframe around the passenger floorboards and in a few other spots. I would strongly suggest the ABS brake models even though you have to do a package deal to get them.

We sold ours when we started a house renovation and had purchased a BMW Z4 a few years after the Wing so it didn't see as much 2 up riding. Now I get to play with the C10 I picked up. Miss the torque on the wing though....until I did the 7th gear mod I was trying to find that next gear....

Look up Fred Harmon as he has a major amount of riding on both his C14 and the Wing.

[jjsC6]

I have a GW - I've now had a 05 and a 09 - both while owning a variety of ST bikes (ST1300, then FJR, then Concours).  To me there is one, and only one reason to own a GW.  That is for two-up riding.  For that, there is none better.  But riding by myself I NEVER prefer the GW.  Once a year the past six years I've taken an eight day, 3500+ mile trip.  I do not take my wife with me, and I do NOT ride the GW.  I know this sounds odd to many people, but I'm actually more comfortable on a long day on my Concours than the GW.

Everyone has different needs/wants.  The GW is a nice bike for what it is, but if I was not married I'd never own one.  If you are more into laid back cruising and you like the ergos, it's a fine bike.  Somewhat boring, but fine.