buying my first Goldwing
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Hey STALSALOT :waving:Welcome to the best Goldwing Forum on the net. :clapper:The most important thing to look out for is, :baffled:dont buy any of those US Wings because they are all left hand drive. :stumped:I think you guys in New Zealand are like ourselves you drive on the the lefthand side of the road. :clapper:If you dont then there is no problem with the US wings. :weightlifter:
:leprechaun::18red::leprechaun:
Hey STALSALOT :waving:Welcome to the best Goldwing Forum on the net. :clapper:The most important thing to look out for is, :baffled:dont buy any of those US Wings because they are all left hand drive. :stumped:I think you guys in New Zealand are like ourselves you drive on the the lefthand side of the road. :clapper:If you dont then there is no problem with the US wings. :weightlifter:
:leprechaun::18red::leprechaun:
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STALSALOT wrote:
The SE has all the bells and whistles on, including reverse, which unless you are built like a brick out house, is very handy. Others will chip in with ideas of what to look for, but just take care that one you might buy has everything working, they get expensive if things like air compressor or cruise control are faulty. Once you find a bike or two that you might be interested in, take time to go over it with a fine tooth comb. Ask away, here if you want to know specifics.
If you take a look back a page or two, you will find that the same question was asked recently. also do a search ( at the top of the page ) and you will find various posts on the subject of what to look for.
Good luck with your looking for a Wing and we look forward to hearing from you often, hopefully not about problems, more about the enjoyable rides!!:goofygrin:
Pete
STALSALOT wrote:
Hi STALSALOT, and a warm welcome from the UK. :clapper::waving:
The SE has all the bells and whistles on, including reverse, which unless you are built like a brick out house, is very handy. Others will chip in with ideas of what to look for, but just take care that one you might buy has everything working, they get expensive if things like air compressor or cruise control are faulty. Once you find a bike or two that you might be interested in, take time to go over it with a fine tooth comb. Ask away, here if you want to know specifics.
If you take a look back a page or two, you will find that the same question was asked recently. also do a search ( at the top of the page ) and you will find various posts on the subject of what to look for.
Good luck with your looking for a Wing and we look forward to hearing from you often, hopefully not about problems, more about the enjoyable rides!!:goofygrin:
Pete
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STALSALOT
:waving:Welcome to the Best GoldWing Fourm on the World Wide Web! :waving:
This is a really great community and you will find lots of useful information and have lots of fun. Just do yourself a favor and stay away from the Deer Alert thread.:grinner:
Any of the wings will give you many years of enjoyable riding. Just buy one, fill'er up and have fun!
P.S. If you want to keep Redwing happy, make sure it is RED and has BRIDGESTONE tires.:goofygrin:
STALSALOT
:waving:Welcome to the Best GoldWing Fourm on the World Wide Web! :waving:
This is a really great community and you will find lots of useful information and have lots of fun. Just do yourself a favor and stay away from the Deer Alert thread.:grinner:
Any of the wings will give you many years of enjoyable riding. Just buy one, fill'er up and have fun!
P.S. If you want to keep Redwing happy, make sure it is RED and has BRIDGESTONE tires.:goofygrin:
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Hey Stals,
Congrats on your choice. I'm on my third wing, and nothing else compares. What hasn't been mentioned above is that Honda lowered the seat height on these behemoths in 1995. If you're like me (all of 5'6"), that can make a real difference!
Dave
P.S. Three wings, I've yet to have one with the lower height
Hey Stals,
Congrats on your choice. I'm on my third wing, and nothing else compares. What hasn't been mentioned above is that Honda lowered the seat height on these behemoths in 1995. If you're like me (all of 5'6"), that can make a real difference!
Dave
P.S. Three wings, I've yet to have one with the lower height
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Hey Bren,
My first wing was an 1984 1200 Aspencade. The only problem I ever had with that bike was that cassette player stopped working about 4 weeks before my accident. I ran into a car that was coming the other way turning left (left turn bandit) at an intersection.
The bike was totally destroyed, I managed to get away with 3 stitches on my upper lip (open face helmet), and one truck-load of bruises. I read once that 45% of all motorcycle accidents are caused by left-turn bandits. Lesson learned, if there's no evidence the oncoming car has seen me, I stop!
Other than that one problem though, the bike was a dream.
Had to learn a few tricks though. First, not having reverse, I had to learn to back the bike into any spot I couldn't drive through. I wasn't thinking one time and nosed into a single space that was inclined down with a curb at the end. I spent 45 minutes getting that bike out of that space (5'6" 150lbs).
At really slow speeds, all three of the bikes have a tendency to fall into a turn (e.g. during U-Turns), you can help this a lot by riding the clutch and keeping some power to the back wheel all the way through.
When this fails or your foot slips, learn the proper way to pick up one these bikes. I dropped my latest one two weeks ago (u-turn, wasn't paying attention :gunhead and boy does picking it up the right way make a difference over the brute force way I used to. It was actually easy (5'6" 150lbs). You can find information on the right technique here or elsewhere on the web. LEARN IT! Eventually you will need it.
The 1994 Aspencade was great. Never had a single problem with it. The reverse was a godsend (5'6", 150 lbs).
One thing I noticed though, if you do a lot of commuting especially over grated ashphalt, tires make a big difference. When I swapped the original Dunlop Bias Plys for a set of Micheline Radials, the handling of the bike changed drammatically for the better. That and a few oil changes, was the only money spent on the bike for the five years I had it.
I wish I could have had the 1995 instead for the lower seat height, but alas, I bought the bike in 1994, before the 1995 was announced. Sold the bike in 1998 because I wan't using it :gunhead:.
Fast forward to 2005, and I've recently picked up the 1985 GL1200LTD. I can't afford anything more right now, and I've always said if I couldn't afford another 1500 or higher, the LTD was the only prior bike I would consider.
Its got issues, when I bought it the stereo didn't work. I've got it working now, but the autovolume controller doesn't work, so that's a pain I can live with until the snow flies. http://www.sierra-mc.com will do repairs for $85, so that's alright.
I've recently picked up a CB Radio for the bike, but Change Box I got with it is toast, once again Sierra will fix it for $85.
The LTD also has an autoleveling feature, which doesn't currenly work on my bike. I can adjust the pressures (front and back) by running a hose from the onboard compressor, but adjusting things internally isn't work right now. Again a problem I can live with until the winter.
Other than that, the bike works as it should, and is a realy joy to ride. I thought I would miss the 1500 and find the 1200 a real step backwards. Maybe its just the fact that I've gone 5 years without one, so this this current machine feels better than it is, or maybe because its all I can afford right now, I've talked myself into being a fan of this bike. Whatever - I'm back on a Goldwing where I belong!
One thing for sure, when I'm done with this bike, it'll be because another Goldwing has taken its place!
Good luck in your search Bren, I know you'll enjoy your new machine whatever you get.
Dave
Hey Bren,
My first wing was an 1984 1200 Aspencade. The only problem I ever had with that bike was that cassette player stopped working about 4 weeks before my accident. I ran into a car that was coming the other way turning left (left turn bandit) at an intersection.
The bike was totally destroyed, I managed to get away with 3 stitches on my upper lip (open face helmet), and one truck-load of bruises. I read once that 45% of all motorcycle accidents are caused by left-turn bandits. Lesson learned, if there's no evidence the oncoming car has seen me, I stop!
Other than that one problem though, the bike was a dream.
Had to learn a few tricks though. First, not having reverse, I had to learn to back the bike into any spot I couldn't drive through. I wasn't thinking one time and nosed into a single space that was inclined down with a curb at the end. I spent 45 minutes getting that bike out of that space (5'6" 150lbs).
At really slow speeds, all three of the bikes have a tendency to fall into a turn (e.g. during U-Turns), you can help this a lot by riding the clutch and keeping some power to the back wheel all the way through.
When this fails or your foot slips, learn the proper way to pick up one these bikes. I dropped my latest one two weeks ago (u-turn, wasn't paying attention :gunhead
and boy does picking it up the right way make a difference over the brute force way I used to. It was actually easy (5'6" 150lbs). You can find information on the right technique here or elsewhere on the web. LEARN IT! Eventually you will need it.The 1994 Aspencade was great. Never had a single problem with it. The reverse was a godsend (5'6", 150 lbs).
One thing I noticed though, if you do a lot of commuting especially over grated ashphalt, tires make a big difference. When I swapped the original Dunlop Bias Plys for a set of Micheline Radials, the handling of the bike changed drammatically for the better. That and a few oil changes, was the only money spent on the bike for the five years I had it.
I wish I could have had the 1995 instead for the lower seat height, but alas, I bought the bike in 1994, before the 1995 was announced. Sold the bike in 1998 because I wan't using it :gunhead:.
Fast forward to 2005, and I've recently picked up the 1985 GL1200LTD. I can't afford anything more right now, and I've always said if I couldn't afford another 1500 or higher, the LTD was the only prior bike I would consider.
Its got issues, when I bought it the stereo didn't work. I've got it working now, but the autovolume controller doesn't work, so that's a pain I can live with until the snow flies. http://www.sierra-mc.com will do repairs for $85, so that's alright.
I've recently picked up a CB Radio for the bike, but Change Box I got with it is toast, once again Sierra will fix it for $85.
The LTD also has an autoleveling feature, which doesn't currenly work on my bike. I can adjust the pressures (front and back) by running a hose from the onboard compressor, but adjusting things internally isn't work right now. Again a problem I can live with until the winter.
Other than that, the bike works as it should, and is a realy joy to ride. I thought I would miss the 1500 and find the 1200 a real step backwards. Maybe its just the fact that I've gone 5 years without one, so this this current machine feels better than it is, or maybe because its all I can afford right now, I've talked myself into being a fan of this bike. Whatever - I'm back on a Goldwing where I belong!
One thing for sure, when I'm done with this bike, it'll be because another Goldwing has taken its place!
Good luck in your search Bren, I know you'll enjoy your new machine whatever you get.
Dave
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Thanks Davefor going to all the trouble to provide me with valuable info.. At present I am looking at a 1999 Gl1500sey it appears to be loaded with extras... At the very least it sure is a pleasure to just look ....
Regards Bren.
Thanks Davefor going to all the trouble to provide me with valuable info.. At present I am looking at a 1999 Gl1500sey it appears to be loaded with extras... At the very least it sure is a pleasure to just look ....
Regards Bren.
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