[floridamtbiker99]

imported post

look at the bike on Tuesday. Took it for a ride with my wife on the back. I was not impressed with the power or lack of. Could be the carbs?
My boss told me that Goldwings 1200cc are like that. Just weird that my 750 nighthawk seems to have more power but less cc s.
It is an interstate not aspacade.
At 4,000 rpms it acted like either the carbs or timing.
He told me the carbs are mess up little.
This bike is in town.



Now I am bit leary of buy a 1984 Aspacade on the east coast of Florida. I live on the SWFL.



There is a another 1984 Aspacade in Naples for $1675. WIth 70,000 with all maintance records.



What to do????



I heard the bad years of goldwings are 1984 and 1985.



My wife likes the goldwing, especially after the test ride. She hates 1993 750cc Nighthawk.



I would like a Goldwing for the following reasons, camping trip with wife, long trips, especially for college and work to store my books and laptop and be rain proof, and most of all a radio & a smoother ride to college and work.



I average about 760 miles this fall semester, Spring semester I wiill drive an average of about 900 miles per week between college (2 different campuses) and work.



My upper budge is only $1,500.



If anyone find a decent goldwing that is 1986 or new let me know. Even if is a project bike. My nighthawk was given to me via of a barter system. I worked 20 hours on a farm and tutor thier grandson in Math.



The bike was sitting for 5 years in the florida sun.



It took awhile before I got it street legel. This year I put 20,000 on so far.



Thank you for your time and advice in advance.



Dan




Bought an Aspencade 1200 (1984). Pleaselook formy other postings because of numerous questions. :?

 

[DaveO430]

imported post

It is going to be hard to find one in good running and cosmetic condition for that amount of money. Nothing really wrong with 84-85s any more than any other year of 1200.

 

[jobe05]

imported post

You didn't say how many miles the interstate had on it, but I always look at this way. If it's a simple carb adjustment, then why wouldn't the seller do it? More $$ for him and a faster sale. More than likely they need rebuilding, not a major deal, a couple hundred bucks in a Randak kit and a weekend of cleaning and rebuilding.

These bikes have enough torque to carry you and your wife, they carry me and my wife and we are not small people..... well..... she is. 260 and 130, plus all our gear for a weekend, and we can still get 45 MPG, or get out on the highway and do 80....(and say good bye to 45 MPG)...

70,000 isn't a lot for a cared for machine, you could easily put another hundred thousand on it with a little maintenance and care.

 

[ARKnapp]

imported post

A used 1100 or 1200 that has records may be a good deal but with these records are someone that cared for the bike. Leaving a bike out in the sun will not bring praise to the body work but will require a very close and meticulous work to all fluids.

These well looked after but older 4's get different amounts of money but as said with records and a working 1100 or 1200, the bikes are worth more than $1500 but many want them but for free or as close to that.

The fact that the bike starts and runs says a lot, that it runs less than prime tells you it needs work but at the least it has compression, the starter worked at least 1x and the clutch works, all the rest needs a look at.

An old bike that works can need a paint job but that won't make it work any better, just check that the frame is not rusting out.

 

[Xtracho]

imported post

Got my '84 Aspencade with 40K milesfor less than $1500. Was sitting outside, under a tarp for over a year. Obviously it would not run. Got her home, rebuilt the carbs, new timing belts, fluids, plugs, etc. Now I would not hesitate to take her anywhere, anytime.

I would favor the bike with all the records for sure. But if budget and distance are issues, and the price is right, I wouldn't hesitate to go for the Interstate also.

As has been mentioned, these bikes taken care of are good for 200K easy. Good Luck and always remember you have your Goldwing Forum Family to help with any questions or problems you may have. That's a priceless add on to purchasing a Goldwing!

 

[BobbydSp]

imported post

People make the mistake of trying to run a 1200 at too low rpm. Being used to a H-D, I did that when I first got my present 1200. The 1200s are geared higher than an 1100 by a cinsiderable bit. Makes for effortless Interstate riding and I like it that way. You are going to find that $1500 bucks will not buy a very good Goldwing. If you do get one at that price be prepared to spend at least that much more to get it running and looking reasonably good. Luck.
Bobby

 

[sandiegobrass]

imported post

floridamtbiker99 wrote:

..There is a another 1984 Aspacade in Naples for $1675. WIth 70,000 with all maintance records.... Dan

Maybe check that out? 70k miles is nothing if well maintained.. although, like Dave said, $1500 is nota bigbudget for a good running 1200 bike...

 

[walkabout]

imported post

take your time,there are a lot of good used bikes. its just a question of finding one. i bought a 87-1200 for $700.00 last feb. spent some time and $1000.00 servicing it and its a great bike. it only had 32,000 miles on it. i saw a good looking standard 83-1100 for $500.00 just the other day. a tune up and luggage and it would make a good ride. walkabout :waving:

 

[floridamtbiker99]

imported post

Here is the email from the other bike owner.

Mileage is 150K! Motor was rebuilt at 131K. Previous owner documented every repair and maintenance on the bike, which is kind of cool. I am that way and I record maintenance and repairs, but it seems that many people do not. CB on it, doesn't seem to work, but I have never messed with it. Stator fine, charges fine, rode it last night about 50 miles with a group of bikers delivering presents to children. Will try to get some pics soon. Dash good,digital gauges, temp, tach, speedo, fuel, air all show and work good. seat good. One spot on seat about size of quarter that has been fixed.
Running boards driver and passenger, Have a set of highway foot boards that I may throw in with it, not sure, they are about $200 set. I have logged about 250 miles on it last month and it ran fine. Had the carbs all cleaned and adjusted, new plugs, oil change. Tires have good tread, but show some age. I will let it go for about $1400 if someone has cash in hand. Need to make some room in garage. Title in hand and ready to transfer. Again, very busy week, but if you are interested,I will try to get lots of pics all over the bike for you to view. Thanks and Merry Christmas, Mark

 

[sandiegobrass]

imported post

floridamtbiker99 wrote:

..Motor was rebuilt at 131K. ..., Mark

What does this mean? top-end? whole engine? by whom? Goldwing engines generally last much longer than 130k so I'd be curious what the issues were..

 

[Xtracho]

imported post

Sorry...but I respectfully disagree on $1500 not buying a good 1200. That's not very good advice at all.Mine was $1250 with 40K on the odometer. Not that it won't require some work at that price. But judging from your initial post, you brought the 750 back to life. So, you are ahead of the game in that respect.

I had never wrenched on a bike before buying my 1200 in 2008. Thanks to some elbow grease, lots of questions, and the professional answers from the members of this forum, she'll go anywhere, anytime. Price is not always the determining factor in getting an excellent bike that will last you for many years.

 

[sandiegobrass]

imported post

Sorry...but I respectfully disagree on $1500 not buying a good 1200. That's not very good advice at all.Mine was $1250 with 40K on the odometer. Not that it won't require some work at that price....

 

[Xtracho]

imported post

sandiegobrass wrote:

Sorry...but I respectfully disagree on $1500 not buying a good 1200. That's not very good advice at all.Mine was $1250 with 40K on the odometer. Not that it won't require some work at that price....

Yup....very far removed from "not getting a good bike for $1500". But thanks for helping me make the distinction.

 

[wexy]

imported post

First thing to do BEFORE buying any 1200 is to check the charging rate and make sure it is what it is suposed to be ,I have seen so many people buying 1200s thinking they got a great bargain ,only to find the battery going dead after a short time and the generator charging below par .. so bring a simple volt meter with you and check it out ,otherise you could end up spending a lot of money to replace it ,, Ciaran

 

[jwhitmore44]

imported post

If you are tight for money will you have enough for parts to do repairs? The carb kits are around $200, they are probably no harder to do than any other carbs. Do you have someplace to work n the bike? If the bike has no record of the belts being changed and it it's running ruff you would probably want to change them. Belts are cheap and doesn't take much to change them. That leaves the stator and the water pump. Water pump will run you around $200 or a little less for the parts. Stator would probably be close the same but the motor has to come out. You could go with a poor boy, but if you don't have access to welder, grinder, and other shop type tools you are left with buying a kit. The kit is a little over $200 and that doesn't include the alternator. Tires will run you about $80 to $100 a piece assuming you are willing to mount your own. They would probably be higher from a shop that will do the mounting and balancing.

Now if you find a smooth running bike that a lot of this work has already been done it saves you quite a bit. That's why most folks will tell you that they would rather see a good running bike with high miles than a low millage bike that's running rough, or not running at all.

There were some improvements on the 86-87 bikes but nothing that would make a 84-85 a deal breaker. Rear wheel bearings were probably the biggest issue as wheel bearing can get to where it spins inside the rear wheel hub. You can fix it with 86-87 parts if it happens or even go to a 1500 rear drive and wheel setup.

The 1200 probably wont feel as quick as your Nighthawk, but it should pull a whole lot better. It'll also maintain a comfortable cursing speed easier than the Nighthawk will. Load then both up wit the same amount of stuff, run them up to 70 mph and see which one feels like it has more passing power with out rapping it's guts out. The Nighthawk is awesome little bike and hard to beat for what it's for. It can do long distance duty, but not like a Wing can. I can see where a person would like to keep both around as the fit a little different niche. But if you really want the Wing you may have to sell the Hawk so you can increase your range on what you want to pay. Most folks that are getting sub $1000 wings are probably spending at least that much again in parts plus the time invested working on the bike.

 

[ceasefire49]

imported post

My Buddy bought one for 500 and it has been running fine. Its the bike not the price. You just have to know what you are looking at and for. I bought mine for 2500 three years ago and immediately took it on a trip of 5000 and another 0f 3 thou and that was just changing oil regularly. Now I am sold on the wing and have done many mods..they are keepers.

 

[Bike...and Dennis]

imported post

As much as I love my 12, these days I advise people to hold out for a 15. Parts for the 12 are becoming hard to find.

A good running GL should have a power to weight ratio similar to the 750. If it seems noticeably slower there may be a problem. Carbs are the most likely suspect.

 

[Ken Bergen]

imported post

Bike...and Dennis wrote:

As much as I love my 12, these days I advise people to hold out for a 15. Parts for the 12 are becoming hard to find.

If my bike bites the big one I'll be looking for a 1200 or even 1100.
A naked bike looks the best but local weather and age make a faring desirable and the four's with a faring are a good compromise between naked and the Ninja Turtle look of the six's.:applause:

 

[seabee]

imported post

Stick with the ones with good maintenance records. I picked up an '85 1200 with 106K miles last spring that runs great. a 2nd owner bike with records from both owners. PO replaced the stator and timing belts and had the heads rebuilt. The bike has plenty of power, but like the others said, run it at the higher rpms. Oh yeah, only cost me $2,000 for the bike. Read this link on this site for used info...
http://www.goldwingfacts.com/used1200.htm

 

[Xtracho]

imported post

Ken Bergen wrote:

Bike...and Dennis wrote:

As much as I love my 12, these days I advise people to hold out for a 15. Parts for the 12 are becoming hard to find.

If my bike bites the big one I'll be looking for a 1200 or even 1100.
A naked bike looks the best but local weather and age make a faring desirable and the four's with a faring are a good compromise between naked and the Ninja Turtle look of the six's.:applause:

I have no trouble finding parts for my 1200.



LOL...Ninja Turtle.



:ROFL: