[MisterEd]

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I would like to know from any and all about companies that provide aftermarket parts and accessories for 'Wings in general. My research has shown (so far) that those who do offer such items tend to run heavy on the goo-gaws and useless chrome goodies rather than hard parts. A member related in a previous post about how he "rebuilt his bike from parts obtained on Ebay" While scrounging and swap meeting is a fun thing to do occasionally one has to hit the catalogs for the new parts. Anyway I could be wrong but I am afraid I am not going to have the aftermarket availability with the 'Wing as I did my Harley. Please correct me if I am wrong and steer me in the right direction!

Thanks!

ED

 

[FitzAl]

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I assume you are talkning about mechanical parts instead on chrome and accessories Ed. It's true that there isn't much in the way of aftermarket carburettors etc., but I think that's because the Goldwing is basically a very reliable machine and also as a touring bike theres less need or demand for go-faster items for it. I know a few people lucky enough to be able to afford new Harleys in the past and they all came away with the new bike plus a list of parts to make it better, they all seen their new steeds spend more time in for repair than on the road aswell. One of my mates was given a price list of aftermarket carbs, brake calippers etc to make it stop and go better than it did from the factory, he was gfiven this list as he collected his new Fatboy. I thought that was really laughable that the salesman could keep a straight face when doing this!

If you go out and buy an early GL1500 1989 model with around 100,000 miles, it's a fair bet that it will still have it's original starter motor, carbs, alternator and that the engine will never have had to be stripped for major work or even for head gasket replacement. That's why theres no aftermarket mechanical stuff Ed, there's just no demand for it and any manufacturer making say starter motors for a GL1500 would lose his shirt on the deal while his products lay gathering dust. That's why the likes of David Silver Spares in the UK ends up with all the unsold new Honda stock of mechanicals, even Honda can't shift the stuff! I'm not in any way trying to slate Harleys by any means, its just that the Harley and the Goldwing are completely different bikes with different marketing practices built around what they need.

 

[Guest]

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FitzAl wrote:It's true that the Goldwing is a very reliable machine. I know a few people lucky enough to be able to afford new Harleys in the past and they all came away with the new bike plus a list of parts to make it better, :shock: I thought that was really laughable that the salesman could keep a straight face when doing this!

If you go out and buy an early GL1500 1989 model with around 100,000 miles, it's a fair bet that it will still have it's original starter motor, carbs, alternator and that the engine will never have had to be stripped for major work or even for head gasket replacement. I'm not trying to slate Harleys by any means, its just that the Harley and the Goldwing are completely different bikes.

Ed, There is no comparision between the two machines. I think FitzAl is just being nice, he is actually slating the Harley(breakdown)Davidson and I agree with all his comments.

 

[MisterEd]

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Fitz, thanks for the reply and after making my original post I began to consider basically what you said in your reply. In the world of Harley you are correct. It has ALWAYS amazed me how many buyers of new HD's wind up with 2K+ of extras - and not all of it chrome add-ons! Or how many HD owners are continually spending and wrenching to make it "run better". The truth is a good percentage spend more time wrenching than they do riding. Another fact is a lot of money and time can be spent for what is often no more than a 5-10% gain in actual usable power and in the case of Harley a 10% gain in power through modifications can result in dramatic loss of reliability, or motor life. I know many who rebuild their motors at 7-10K miles! Also the fact remains that HD has been around Longer than Honda and essentailly from 1936 forward there is a certain amount of interchangeability of parts. I guess I will have to wake up to a new reality that yes, Goldwings run fine as they are, are reliable and do not need the constant "wrenching" to keep it running. You can understand that as a HD owner that has been my reality - always wondering or thinking of what I need next or what is going to go wrong with it. You make a good point with your statement about "marketing practices". I have often considered Harley continually espousing their "tourque is where the power is and a single crank pin is the only way" cornerstone. I finally realized (actually always knew) while for the want of the sound and the look one gives up much in comfort and reliability.

 

[englishted]

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Ed, I was at the UK treffen where there were about 1200 Wings. Apart from a couple of punctures and flat batteries I don't think there was a single breakdown. Thats why all the big vendors at the event only sell goodies, the sort of things that Harley guys have to upgrade with better items (carbs and stuff) just don't need attention let alone upgrading anywhere near as often, so no-one stocks bits.

There is a lot of aftermarket Goldwing people supplying such things as wheels, saddles, trike & sidecar kits, shocks & springs and the like. There isn't a demand for any of the hard stuff. Any of the parts that did give trouble (GL1200 stators for instance) were well catered for by aftermarket ones. Someone mentioned starter motors on the GL1500. I've never heard of even one GL1500 starter that packed in!

 

[MisterEd]

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Thanks for all the input! like I said I am waking up to a new reality. Heay, I have had both my kicker and "electric leg" go down within one week! And I have had to trailer two HD's in the past! My "life" with HD's has been fun (sometimes not so fun) but I am moving on - much to the chagrin of my HD bretheren! I will probably "bend the ear" of you all for more 'Wing info in the near future!!

 

[wingdawg101]

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Hey Bro,

Type "old honda man" in a seach engine for parts, sometimes he's got alot, it's hit and miss!

And try 'old bike barn" also!

 

[BenMC]

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Welcome to the world of Goldwings Ed. I was a Harley man too and spent hours before each ride prepping the beast and hours afterwards picking up the pieces, fixing oil leaks and so on (you know all this as a fellow Harley man). The difference with the Wing is hard to describe, but for one thing you just get up in the morning and stat the thing and go, without fretting whether it will start or just fall to pieces before you get a few yards.

Goldwing owners who complain over small problems they might occassionally have (even with really old bikes) don't know how lucky they really are, they never lived the Harley experience.
Just being able to forget about the wrenches and tools for once is a good feeling. Enjoy your Goldwing and your Harley if you decide to keep it.

 

[MisterEd]

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Ben, thanks for the reply. No, the last Harley is going. Like I said I have enjoyed my years with my HD's, built two from the ground up, had lots of fun rides but I've just have seemed to grow out of whatever it "was" that was so important in owning one. Looking back there has probably been as much pain as pleasure in owning them. I seemed to have reached a "revelation" and decided I no longer require the look, sound, attitude, Etc. that seems to be the prevailing factor in owning one. I had more fun Taking the Goldwing out for a couple of hours on a test ride the other day than I had the last time I rode my Low Rider which ws last summer!! Yes, I have not ridden it all summer!! A big part of it is my 10 YOA daughter loves to ride but has never really liked the HD. She would reluctantly get on but was never really excited about it. Too loud, rough and poor supension have taken the toll on her backside! (mine too!) I took her for a ride on the 'Wing and now she cannot stop saying "Dad, please buy it!" I'm gald to hear from another "former" HD owner who understands. As far as the small problems I'll take a saddlebag full of small problems over the constant, standard HD stuff!!

 

[exavid]

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MrEd,

My 1986 Oldwing has 58,000 miles on the clock and still running strong with no leaks. As far as I can tell, the crankcase has never been opened, and still has the original clutch, stator, and starter. I know of one guy who has an '85 with over 85,000 miles with no engine work other than the usual preventive stuff, plugs, filters, etc.

 

[Marky]

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2 Goldwings over 3 years so far. 14000 miles on both with only expenses being tyres & brake pads (plus the normal service items). No problems at all.

 

[MisterEd]

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Yep, I get the picture. Had a long conversation with one of my Harley cronies last night and he (of course) is trying to talk me out of this and stick with my HD. He disagrees with the fact I am simply not going to experience the problems and breakdowns I/he has with our Harleys. He tries to tell me about "all he has done in the past year on his HD is this or that and everything has been fine" but then starts to talk about how "last weekend I rode it out to (wherever) and suddenly it did (this or that) and wouldn't start and then I had to take (this and that) off and fix it and finally it seemed to be ok" It suddenly occured to me after years of riding with him he has come to accept the intermittent breakdowns and stoppages as normal and they do not bother him. I however find them to be frustrating and stressful and this has inhibited my enjoyment of riding.

 

[Renegade]

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Wouldn't it be something great if Honda came out with a two lunger (cylinder) that sounded like a quiet Harley and was oufitted like a Goldwing? We would have the best of all worlds.. The sound, dependability, power, comforts and pizzazz!!!

_____________________________________________________

All Gave Some,, Some Gave All

 

[wingnut]

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Ed, without dragging the topic out I'll just pop my view in here. I must admit I think that dressed Harleys are the nicest bikes in the world to look at (along with Wings of course ), the 50's styling is something I always liked. I had a Fatboy for a while in 1990 or thereabouts and it's a funny story how I came to own it. A friend of mine had Fatboy and I would never have bought it except that except that the guy who owned it was expecting to go unwillingly on avery longvacation (4-7 years according to his solicitor/lawyer), courtesy of the states Circuit Courts! So I got the FB for about half what he had paid new only 9 or 10 months before as he had legal fees to stump and a Fatboy was of no use in Port Laoise prisons small excercise yard. I didn't have loads of grief with the bike, but it never did start on the button, leaked oil all the time and never went as fast as I'd like or stopped as fast as I really expected for such a machine that had been made by a company which had been around longer than mother Honda. After fixing cars all week long in work, the last thing I wanted to do at weekends was pick up tools to repair my own vehicles, so after about 10 months I sold itfor almost the same price my friend had bought it for when new.That was a real surprise, the resale on Harleys was amazingly good (much better than Goldwings then) and the phone never stopped ringing with buyers looking to get hold of a FB.
My friend had in the meantimemanaged to evade hisimminent enforced holiday because he had a really good (and expensive) Barrister (don't know what you call them in the US) who had managed to convince a jury that his client was entirely innocent of any wrongdoing and so he was now a free man, pillar of the community and all that.With the bit of cash he had left over from all the legal fees, he bought a 1981 GL1100 with about 20k miles and he allowed me to take it for a few spins. That was the turning point for me and I had to have one.

The point of all this is that I noticed a change in the catalogues of bits for HD and Goldwing bikes. I had several aftermarket catalogues for mechanical bits for the FB as Harleys are the kinda bike you always want to improve, whether it be brakes, carbs, exhausts etc. With the Goldwing the emphasis is more on accessories because the repair & upgrading mechanicals culture doesn't apply as much. I suppose they are just different breeds of bike with different requirements from the parts suppliers.

Pity you aren't in a position to have the Harley and Goldwing, but good luck whatever you do.

 

[wexy]

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REMEMBER MISTERED 95%of allharleys ever builtare still on the road....THE OTHER 5% MADE IT HOME ? I COVERED 35000 MILES ON MY 1500 IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS AND NOT AS MUCH AS A FLAT BATTERY.......CHEERS ...CIARAN

 

[MisterEd]

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Steve, Thanks for the insight. While I am in the position to have both I choose not to. When I makechange in my life I tend to to do it all the way and not try to hang on to the past, be it woman or machine (kinda like divorce!) I want to bid my HD an eventual goodby and look toward new times and fun (and maybe a few "small" problems) with my 'Wing. Like I stated before I finally realized that for the want of the look, sound, attitude one gives up the realiability, capacity and comfort. If you read my previous post about the conversation with my HD friend last night I finally realized after all these years HE has come to accept all the problems he has with his HD as a normal consequence of ownership. Many times I, as well as others have had to sit around a wait while he fixes something so we can go on the planned ride only to leave late and miss something planned along the way or abbreviate the ride to the point where it was a "putt" down to the tavern for a few cold ones. I on the other hand finally realized., while I enjoy "wrenching" on anything I prefer to do it at my disgression and not as a necessity prior to a ride. I mean if it is no longer fun or becomes stressful why do it? As I said before I had more fun on the 'Wing for an hour test ride the other day than I have had with my HD in the last few years.

And to Wex, I almost fell out of my chair on that one!! I'll have to remember it but will have to be careful where I use it!

 

[wndsnd]

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I have to admit i have a 2002 HD Road King. The low center of gravity and the great balance make it a nice ride. That being said, it has been mostly reliable, having Fuel injection seems to have smothed things out. However, After I purchased it things did start falling off :shock:. First it was the shift lever, then mountings for the luggage rack, then the pins that hold on the luggage bags, etc. I quickly learned that I needed to keep a tool kit with me at all times, and a tube of Blue Locktite. Now things seem to be sorted out for the exception of if it gets wet, it will blow ignition fuses for days, and will not start. WD40 has helped.



I would like to own both, my wife likes the HD culture, but I am working hard on her to get that GL1800 in the garage!

 

[glennuk]

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ed

fitz is right about goldwings lasting i run a 1988 1500 with 100.000miles

all weathers every day shes never let me down things that need replacing

are service items ie brake pads/filters etc pattern parts are avalibil brakes are my bigest thing and if a big bit gos normaly you can track a second hand bit

 

[AZgl1800]

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Fess up time.

I just had to know what is the oldest thread on the Forum?

This might not be it, but it is very close. At least it is the oldest one in the General Discussion forum.

:waving:

 

[Matt G]

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1988 GL1500, 138,000, one fuel pump replaced, other than tires, brakes. I did go thru 2 clutches, but I was on a drill team and was very hard on them.