[silverbird]

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Wondering if honda is going to increase the power of there bike, being an ex-ZX14 rider and sportbikes in general find the goldwing lacking. The comfort is great but sure would like a bit more juice. Even thinking of moving over to a beemer but passenger seat seems not to be as good as the wing which might make the wife complain. So is honda going to step it up when the finally come out with a new model??

 

[Silverfox]

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Hi Silverbird,
Over all the years of it's production, from Japan to the USA and back again, Mother Honda have been masters of keeping a lid on what they are doing. We have had people speculating about all sorts of changes that Honda are apparently going to make every year and rarely are the rumours even remotely accurate.
We have had folks saying that Honda were issuing a 2 ltr engine and they have been going to do that, since around about when they brought the 1800 out in 2001.

So really, your guess is as good as anyone's, personally I doubt there will be major change, but that is just my guess and I would not have been able to guess the changes for the 2011 model that we now see.:?

The BMW is indeed an amazing machine, blessed with power and packed with goodies, but then again I have heard some less than favourable reports filtering through, more about the BMW supply chain and service, than any particular fault with the bikes themselves.
I guess though that the end of the day, it is good that there are bikes around to suit everyone. The 1800 Goldwing is more than quick enough for me, it out accelerates most four wheeled vehicles, so can hardly be considered lacking and where it is legal to do so, it has a very fast top end, if you need more, then I doubt a touring machine is for you, sports tourer comes to mind more. :?
Do let us know here if you do get involved in trying out the Beemer, we would always welcome the report.


:waving:

 

[silverbird]

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I do like the goldwing, just like I said coming from a ZX14 power is lacking. Although I like the power that the new beemer has, my opinion its over the top with electronics to a point where if something goes wrong with them how do you find it. Already has to replace the amplifier on my wing stereo with it blew up and that wasn't cheap. As for a 2 litre wing, why?? I'm sure honda could squeeze a lot more power out of the current engine if they so desired. I did try the a couple of sport tours, yes they are lighter and quicker but lack capacity of the wing and comfort. With all the ponies they can squeeze out of a litre bike I'm sure they could find a few more ponies in the wing.

 

[JerryH]

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To me the Goldwing is a 2 wheeled motor home, and power is not what it's about. It will cruise all day at highly illegal speeds just above idle. It has plenty of power for what it is designed for. I want comfort above everything else. That's why I like the 1500 better than the 1800. IMO, if you want a sportbike, get a sportbike. Besides the super expensive BMW, the ST1300, FJR1300, and ZG1400 Concours fills the sport touring niche. To me, sport and touring are two totally different things, and aren't really compatible.

 

[Silverfox]

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I can see how the raw power of a sportier bike, might be missed by someone moving to a Goldwing, since the Wings have always been about smooth power delivery, with masses of torque, something normally seen as ideal in a touring bike where effortlessness is seen as king. Not seen normally with a sportier model, the revs will usually be seen to go up to maybe twice that of a Wing and it will usually demand much more gear changing, unlikely then, that something like the BMW would be happy to be in top gear at under 30 mph and then to be happy to accelerate smoothly to it's top speed without a gear change.
It is all about what one is used to or favours and we aren't all going to be alike, just as Jerry has stated that he prefers the 1500 to the 1800 and I am the other way round.

 

[DaveO430]

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They sure could increase the power if they wanted to and if the beemer starts cutting into the goldwing market they might. The Honda civic with the same 1832ccs (4cyl) has 144 HP, about 26 more than the GL1800 and the car gets about the same fuel economy as the bike. All they need to do is redesign the heads and put in 4 valves with the VTEC system. If they put it in the new 2012 body I will still pass though. They sure ruined a good looking bike IMHO.

 

[hummer5205]

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Silverbird There is A guy that makes a Turbo system for the gl1800 I would google it & You should be able to come up with his page He was boasting about 30% increase in Horse power I think he said something like 145 hp @ 7 lbs of boost ! Im not sure Id want to ruin the reliablity of the goldwing but then again its free will brother I had asked him if he made a Turbo unit for a gl1500 Like I own & Like I said Im not really sure Id want to Ruin the reliability of the wing although It would be nice to pull my Little guy Up mountain passes with no effart oh well you win so & lose some but once again my gl1500 has 95 almost 96,000 miles Id like to see the new beemer go that far with nothing other then an alt going out at 41,000 miles so I would really consider your thought about moving over to a bmer !

 

[Glide99]

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I guess there is always somebody that has the need for speed. I don't see the Wing lacking but its not my ZG1400 but I don't expect it to be either.

 

[riffraff]

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Sounds like ya need two bikes, if ya don't already have M.B.S. The wing may not be as quick as you would like, but it's also almost a half ton. It's as quick as it neds to be!:whoops:

 

[valkmc]

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Just got off a C-14 and bought a Wing. The C-14 was fun...but wife could not stand to ride on it for more than an hour. I rode it from Florida to Alaska and now that I own a wing I may have to make the ride again. The 1800 has enough power for me as is..but I would never turn down more.

 

[wingsam41]

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DaveO430 wrote:

They sure could increase the power if they wanted to and if the beemer starts cutting into the goldwing market they might. The Honda civic with the same 1832ccs (4cyl) has 144 HP, about 26 more than the GL1800 and the car gets about the same fuel economy as the bike. All they need to do is redesign the heads and put in 4 valves with the VTEC system. If they put it in the new 2012 body I will still pass though. They sure ruined a good looking bike IMHO.

I agree with Dave. I don't care much for the look of the new 1800's. Don't like the grey sides and seems to me if they re-designed the saddlebags they should have re-designed the top case. I am not much for add on chrome with a few small exceptions. I thought the 2001-2010 wings had just the right amount.

Anyway you drive a white one now don't you? At least the white 2012 color looks the most balanced for when you roll over 400,000 miles and have to replace yours (in about 6 months from now at the rate you're going).

 

[JerryH]

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That VTEC thing is a disaster. I read the valve adjustment procedure in the manual for the VFR800. That is one job I wouldn't touch. It costs about $600 to have a dealer adjust the valves, and since I don't have $600 to throw away like that, and don't want a dealer near my bike anyway, that is one bike I would stay away from.

I have never owned a 1500 or an 1800, my experience has been limited to fairly short rides on my former supervisors bikes. But it was obvious that the 1500 was more comfortable, in a '70s Cadillac kinda way. Handling is not really important on a touring bike, as to me they are designed for long distance highway riding. At least that seemed to be Honda's intention when they named the first full dress Goldwing "Interstate"

I just want them to start making things smaller and less complex, to get back to more of what the first "Interstate" was. Honda has already lost my business by taking the Goldwing too far. I know this is a sore subject around here, but since the Goldwing has been compared to the BMW, Honda also needs to be concerned about losing sales to Harley. They make several models of the Electra Glide which are way simpler, and just as capable of 2 up cross country travel.

I love my 1200 (when I can keep it going) but if I were looking to spend a ton of money on a new touring bike, the Harley Electra Glide Classic for only $20K would sure get a lot of consideration. So would the Kawasaki Vaquero, if it weren't a blatant Harley copy. Then there is the V4 Yamaha Venture S, also for only $20K MSRP.

Honda made such a bike about a decade ago, called the Valkyrie Interstate. Unfortunately it is no longer here to consider.

 

[Bernieswing]

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JerryH wrote:

Honda also needs to be concerned about losing sales to Harley. They make several models of the Electra Glide which are way simpler, and just as capable of 2 up cross country travel.

Very comfortable for the passenger too. But they still can't make them keep oil inside the engine where it'e needed most. Most of the ones I see parked have a few drips of oil under the engines.

 

[JerryH]

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I have since sold the Rebel. I realize what I really want is a brand new 1980 GL 1100 Interstate, with no options. Harley offers a basic no frills version of the Electra Glide, called the Classic, which sells for under $20K. I would even accept a fuel injected 1100 Intestate, but please leave off the linked brakes and make ABS optional. Oh, and please put a 10 year warranty on all electronics, which shouldn't be a problem if they are that reliable. My new Trane A/C unit has a 10 year warranty on everything. But my experience is that they eat a PC board about once a year.

 

[wexy]

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Horses for courses , and that is what Honda Build , the wing is an out and out tourer with excellent handling and comfort(1800) the BMW is a sports tourer , a sports bike with boxes thrown on , ugly as hell IMHO and having quiet a few problems , the new honda cross tourer fills the need for speed with boxes thrown on , Honda don't try and compete with BMW or Harley, Honda set the standard and others follow ,

 

[JerryH]

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Honda definitely does not need to compete directly with BMW or Harley. The BMW is a SPORT touring bike. I cannot ride a sport touring bike. I need to sit upright, on a comfortable seat. Harley is not quite what I want either, but comes closer than the BMW. The main problem I have with the Goldwing (the current Goldwing) is it's overall size, and it's complications. Oh, and it's price. The original 4 cylinder Goldwings fit my needs perfectly, and I have one. But it won't last forever. I would like to buy a new one something like it, but Honda has gone way too far for me.

I keep looking at that $19K Harley Electra Glide Classic, with no gadgets (well, it does have a CD player and 2 speakers) no ABS, a simple TBI injection system that can be remapped to make it richer so it will run right, and pretty much nothing else but a motorcycle. Replace that air cooled v-twin with the original Goldwing flat four, and you'd be almost there. But of course Honda WAS there, way back in 1980. Harley now has an oem trike. I expect Honda to follow suit.

Honda has done the same thing with cars. I remember the first Civic. Neat little car, and very simple. Look at the Civic now. But. Honda now has the Fit, to replace the Civic as th low end model in their lineup. They need to introduce a lower level Goldwing, for those who want a smaller, simpler, and less expensive touring bike.

As far as the standard, Honda, BMW, and Harley all set their own standards, based on their own criteria, and no one follows. Having those 3 models available provides a touring bike to fit most peoples needs.

 

[FM]

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Mo-Power?

Since hardley now has the "147", called "The 1500 Killer", obviously Honda will counter.

Hummm, let's see....
2 Liter with mild cams, possibly change on the fly cams.
Fitted with a hidden 6-to-1 exhaust. (It'll look like 6 to 2)
A powered "Ram Air" scoop. (I made one on my mini pick-up, wooo, worked so nice)
It'll have a 6 speed trans married to a two speed rear axle.
___ #1 for normal riding and #2 for off the line, aka: 147 Killer.
No doubt there will be a wider rear tire option. YAH!!! :yelling:

Ohhhh I can hear "Tim Taylor the Tool Man" grunting now. :smiler: