| looking for suggestions on buying a GW | Rate Topic |
| Moderators: redbaron, MDKramer, Flyone, AZgl1500 |
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31st, 2012 11:34 pm | 1st Post |
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I have been wanting to get a bigger bike for long trips with my wife, I am looking at early 80s goldwings, i found a couple of 83s that i really like, I am just looking for any info, warnings or just things to look for when I go to look at the bikes, sorry if this question is asked too often, links to previous answers or personal advice would be great. Thank you!
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31st, 2012 11:57 pm | 2nd Post |
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I was in your shoes two years ago. Had not been allowed to have a bike (wife issues) until the kids got out of school. I started looking and GW was what I decided on. The more that I looked, the more that I liked GW. I kept a loose eye on Ebay and C/list, for what the market was. The more I read and looked, the more I wanted a GL1500, read alot about the 1500 and decided it had to be 98 or newer, for looks and some of the things that happened to the model at that time. Now the hard part was finding a bike that new and affordable, or should say justifiable to the wife. I came to the conclusion that I would have to find a bike with damage and bring it back. I would have lots of time to get it fixed waiting for the last kid to graduate. Found a 98 Aspencade with only 49,000 on the clock, and only a 2 hour drive away. Got it when I had 9 months left before I could put it on the road. I had to do a fair amount of work on it, and there is lots of help on this site. And got to take care of all the regular maint. that the PO didn't do. It is not a show bike, very little safety chrome, but it runs like a dream and I would not be hesitant to take it across the country at any time. And It is a GW. There is a large group of guys on the site that own/ride the older GW. And they are just as happy as I am with my 1500. I hope to get back down to Tx later this spring; I have to PU a trailer in Little Rock Ar. and hope to ride over to Wichita Falls on the same trip. I lived in TX for two years courtesy of the USAF. Good Luck. Welcome to the best site for GW riders/owners Look Here for just about all the information you could want on buying a GW http://www.goldwingfacts.com/usedgoldwing.htm Last edited on Wed Feb 1st, 2012 12:00 am by mechtech1 ____________________ USAF, MSgt. Retired Wild Rhino in training Patriot Guard Dark Side #1019 N0PCT Used to Fly Airplanes for fun Used to Scuba Dive for fun Now I ride the most awsome motorcycle on the face of the planet. There is alot of other stuff that could go here. |
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 12:14 am | 3rd Post |
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As with anything with age, it comes at a price. Buyers Guide A lot depends on how much your willing to pay for her. I don't post much but the search on this site is fantastic. As you go through the guide you'll see each newer generation has more bells and whistles. We had an 84 then jumped to an 03 can't really compare the 2 to much difference. Found an 85 Aspencade and now going through it slowly. It has 90,000 miles and sounds great. Small issues but nothing I haven't overcome using this site. Remember they are big bikes, but handle extremely well for there size. Some parts are hard to come by it is 27 years old now. One with a good owner (did the regular maintenance) should last a long time. Good luck on your search. Sorry about the same LINK Last edited on Wed Feb 1st, 2012 12:15 am by Bvanemon |
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 12:21 am | 4th Post |
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 Welcome to the World's Greatest Goldwing Site BlackOctober750! Just like buying a used car, the newer you can afford usually means less work and more reliability. If you can find a real good '83 1100 those are good bikes and reliable if the owner has kept good care of it. I'd look for one with excellent cosmetics, i.e. no major cracks or breaks in the plastic, good paint and overall very clean. The visual condition of thes bikes is a good tip off on how they've been maintained. If it looks good and starts and runs it could be a good deal. I'd want to be sure it started easily from cold with a bit of choke, idled smoothly, didn't hesitate, didn't smoke more than a little after starting but immediately cleared up, and shifted well. I used to buy neglected 1100s and rebuild them for resale. If you have the tools and are able to do the work, these can be real good bikes. But be warned most Honda dealers won't work on a bike more than ten years old. My suggestion would be to buy the newest one you can afford. I don't worry much about mileage because any of these bikes can run over a couple hundred thousand miles if they haven't been abused. I'd rather have a bike with some mileage on it and had been ridden steadily than one that had been parked for a long time.
____________________ If you can't ride, fly or sail it, why bother? 2001 Goldwing 1800 Paul W. |
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 12:26 am | 5th Post |
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i realy cant afford much right now(wife and bills come first) so i am trying to stay on the cheaper side of the fence, this is one of the bikes I am wanting, actually got the wifes approval on this one! http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/mcy/2801301732.html
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 12:58 am | 6th Post |
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looks good check for cracks in fairing and bags the one picture had a piece of angle under it i would check it out
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 07:42 pm | 7th Post |
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The 82 & 83 GL1100 are a great bike. I brought an 83 Aspencade back to life and it was a great 1st wing. @ 49,000 miles it still has alot of life left if taken care of and not hammered. The wheels and the forks on that bike(pictured in the ad) are not from an 83, so check the left side of the steering neck for the year of manufacture/model plate. It is probably an 82 model, even if it was sold to the first buyer/titled in 83, it's not an 83 unless someone swapped the wheels. Also 82 had speedo that went to 85MPH, 83 had a speedo that went to 150MPH. The 85MPH speedos broke by going over the 85MPH limit. Here is what the 82 speedo looks like http://www.ebay.com/itm/82-HONDA-GL1100-GL-1100-ASPENCADE-GOLDWING-SPEEDOMETER-SPEEDO-GAUGE-11-/350506124138?hash=item519bcb036a&item=350506124138&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr Here is an 83 Interstate speedo http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Goldwing-Speedometer-Gauge-Pod-GL1100-GL1000-/290659089158?hash=item43aca1bb06&item=290659089158&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr The paint is repaint job. Do look for cracks. The metal under the saddle bags (w/holes) is not stock or an aftermarket part, probably a homemade something/support? Here is a pic of my 83 Aspencade I had, notice the wheels.  Last edited on Wed Feb 1st, 2012 07:45 pm by newday777 ____________________ Stu John 14:6 CMA Wings of Eagles-Escondido CA SAN DIEGO Patriot Guard Ryder 1999 GL1500 SE(@57k) The LORD provided this through a friend's wish to leave it to me I'm blown away! Dan beat me there and is enjoying the real Heaven. Remember to be there for your friends and thank them for being your friend. Previous bikes 1983 ASPENCADE(Barn find) bought 7/08 & restored from 13 yr neglect by po @ 35,595mi, now given to a pastor to enjoy the blessings @ 62,000 25 Yrs. of Abstinance(no bike) - Raising kids, now a PA PA 76 CB750K(new) w/Golden Lab Cody, rode w/me 35k miles & 5 times X country in 3 yrs sold @ 45k 75 CB750K(new) 9,000 mi http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/MC-Dispatch/Royce-Thiessen-Honda-CB750.aspx 74 CB450(new) 9,000 mi first yrhttp://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/honda_cb_450_disc_1974.php |
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 08:21 pm | 8th Post |
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Here is another one worth looking at if you prefer Yellow to bassflake red... Just for the record, I do not know this bike or its owner. I simply saw it listed the other day and thought I share....
____________________ Summer is here, happy riding and stay safe ! |
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 08:22 pm | 9th Post |
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There are deals out there. Just be prepared to make consessions. My 83 interstate needed a carb sync, and the radio doesn't work, but it only had 55k miles on it when I bought it for 1500 bucks. The inner plastic (the black stuff you can actually see when riding) seems to be made out of some sort of brittle play-doh. If you look at it wrong it cracks. Most of the ones I looked at had owner mods. Mine came with all kinds of extra chrome and lights. Just be sure to swap every consumable item out, including spark plugs and air filters. EDIT- Make dang sure that they PO did a timing belt change, relatively not that long ago. Last edited on Wed Feb 1st, 2012 08:24 pm by phlemdog ____________________ This is the internet, and this IS SERIOUS BUSINESS |
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 08:48 pm | 10th Post |
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exavid wrote:
The above is good advise, keep in mind, if you buy something that old you will probably be the one working on it. Sometimes you can find independent mechanics that will work on the older bikes. If you don't mind doing your own wrenching then it's no big deal. Not sure about that red and white one you posted a link too. Not sure if that paint job is hiding something or the owner just wanted something different. Seem a little on the high priced side. There is another from the same CL area http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/mcy/2785450186.html it's a 1200 and about the same price. There were no pictures so hard to say.
____________________ 03 Honda XR650L 84 GL1200 Aspencade |
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| Posted: Wed Feb 1st, 2012 10:19 pm | 11th Post |
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I really don't see how a magnetically linked speedometer can be damaged by going past it's maximum speed. I've done it more than once on an 1100 with no damage. Ditto on a car I used to own. The 85mph stupidity was started when the feds decreed that 55mph was the maximum speed anywhere in the US after the first Arab oil boycott which was brought on by the feds trying to 'help' us all get gasoline instead of letting the market do what it would do. The brilliant idea was that if the maximum speed was 85 it would 55mph look a lot faster since it would be past halfway up the speedometer scale just like 65mph would have been on a 120 speedo. Talk about dumb. There seems to be something real wrong with the brains of politicians. I don't know if it's that brain dead people gravitate to politics or the politics itself damages them. Last edited on Wed Feb 1st, 2012 10:20 pm by exavid ____________________ If you can't ride, fly or sail it, why bother? 2001 Goldwing 1800 Paul W. |
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| Posted: Fri Feb 3rd, 2012 01:51 am | 12th Post |
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Looks more like an '82 ... crash bars are not '83, something else... funky bracket under the bags... Trunk has been reloooooooocated faaaaar back.... driver pegs are not '83 either, more like '82.... and check thepaint... white panels are not original style (or color)..
____________________ Please consider helping Rudy at the link... LINK TO HELP RUDY --------------- Have a Gold Wing? Please take the AGE POLL HERE ! --------------- If a man speaks in the forest and there is no woman to hear him, is he still wrong? --------------- SDB/Jim 2000 GL1500SE in CA 1983 GL1100I in SC --------------- But formerly San Diego and now "temporarily" Aiken, SC |
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| Posted: Fri Feb 3rd, 2012 11:34 pm | 13th Post |
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stay with the 1500 very few problem with these bikes no matter what year
____________________ Don & marion oller chapter directors FREEDOM WINGS chapter F American gold wing association vice president TN> state director region director south east usa AGWA FREEDOM WINGS IS A CHARTERED CHAPTER 0F THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 4th, 2012 01:40 am | 14th Post |
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That is definitely not an 83 unless a lot of parts have been changed from an 82, no anti-dive forks. That seat looks like 1 I had that is real uncomfortable and that so called metal flake paint looks awful, looks like dirt on it. And the price is too high.
____________________ I am doing the best I can so don't give me any crap. Honorary Wild Rhino Darksider #304 the force is strong in this one. |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 4th, 2012 01:57 am | 15th Post |
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Two things... #1) I had an 82, and buired the needle all the time. Never broke the speedo. #2) Offer $2,000 cash, and be ready to walk away. Looks pretty good to me, and would look really good for two grand.
____________________ Gun totin', motorcycle ridin', whisky drinkin', meat eatin' American. That's who I am... Joined the Darkside-03.28.2010 IBA #38226 |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 4th, 2012 04:21 pm | 16th Post |
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well the guy never returned my email, so i guess that one wont be coming home with me anyway, but thanks for all the information and advice guys! i really appreciate it!
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