2023 HONDA GL1800 GOLD WING TOUR

[Horse]

Honda have been building Wings since 1974. Has this only just occurred to you?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Different people like different bikes, I see nothing wrong with it, I really don't care what other people choose to do with their money when it doesn't effect me.

[mangocrazy]

Not for me, but then a lot of bikes fall into that category. Gold wings have always just struck me as a piece of America-focussed corporate dick waving by Honda.

[darthpunk]

My dad has had a couple of Gold Wings, joined an owners club, never met a bunch of people that were so unlikable as them. Ended up there being a turf war between a couple of members that ended up with bikes being trashed.

Out of the bikes he had the only one that appealed to me was the mk1 - Pre gubbins like am/fm radio and reverse gears

[Cousin Jack]

When I was commuting to London in a car I used to regularly see a guy on a Goldwing slicing through North London traffic. It may be big, but if you can ride it, it will do most things a smaller bike will do. If I had the money and the space I would have one as a 3rd or 4th bike.

[mangocrazy]

When I was commuting to London in a car I used to regularly see a guy on a Goldwing slicing through North London traffic. It may be big, but if you can ride it, it will do most things a smaller bike will do. If I had the money and the space I would have one as a 3rd or 4th bike.

I seem to recall that one of the reasons you downsized from a VFR800 was because of weight concerns. How would that square with Gold Wing ownership? I'd baulk at the weight of a Mk1, let alone the tonnage of the latest monstrosity/leviathan.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My dad has had a couple of Gold Wings, joined an owners club, never met a bunch of people that were so unlikable as them. Ended up there being a turf war between a couple of members that ended up with bikes being trashed.

That sounds like most motorcycle owners clubs, though none of them are as funny as the TR7 owners club 25 years ago, having a stripper as a member led to difficulties between members, she didn't have to pay to get her car restored.

[Cousin Jack]

When I was commuting to London in a car I used to regularly see a guy on a Goldwing slicing through North London traffic. It may be big, but if you can ride it, it will do most things a smaller bike will do. If I had the money and the space I would have one as a 3rd or 4th bike.

I seem to recall that one of the reasons you downsized from a VFR800 was because of weight concerns. How would that square with Gold Wing ownership? I'd baulk at the weight of a Mk1, let alone the tonnage of the latest monstrosity/leviathan.

I wouldn't have one where I live now, but if I lived somewhere where I could ride in and out it would be fine. Not as an only bike, but for long distance cruising it would be a hoot. It is also supposef to keep you almost dry in the rain.

[Count Steer]

I worked with a chap that had 2 (back in the 80s), one for the commute into the job (on the Old Kent Road) and one for 'best'. I rather liked them. Also linked up with three people riding back from France. One was a little bloke in his 70s riding an Aspencade and when we got on this side of the water he was filtering like an eel. Absolute precision and control.

OTOH, I had a similar thing in the K12LT. It was a bit of a lark but I wouldn't want another.

[mangocrazy]

GWs have morphed from something that made a lot of sense and had its very own niche in the market to something that I'd struggle to even class as a motorbike. It's the absolute polar opposite of what a motorcycle should be, to my eyes anyway.

[Count Steer]

How about a 'slightly modified' Valkyrie version?

[Skub]

Strokes for folks. I don't mind the idea of a wing,if it was a third of it's monstrous weight.

Mrs.Skub asked me today,why is it when bikers get to a certain age they think a really heavy bike is a good idea? I think it's not so much the weight,rather they want a touring bike and the weight comes with the genre.

I don't know why that is. If they can make a sportsbike around 200kgs or less,why does what you 'need' to tour,double or triple that? What is a Fireblade with higher bars,lower pegs,panniers and a top box weigh? I bet it isn't 300-600 kilos.

[KungFooBob]

Strokes for folks. I don't mind the idea of a wing,if it was a third of it's monstrous weight.

Mrs.Skub asked me today,why is it when bikers get to a certain age they think a really heavy bike is a good idea? I think it's not so much the weight,rather they want a touring bike and the weight comes with the genre.

I don't know why that is. If they can make a sportsbike around 200kgs or less,why does what you 'need' to tour,double or triple that? What is a Fireblade with higher bars,lower pegs,panniers and a top box weigh? I bet it isn't 300-600 kilos.

To your touring Blade add a shaft drive and a 20+ litre fuel tank, then maybe some built in pannier mounts and a bigger fairing and more padded seat...

[Skub]

To your touring Blade add a shaft drive and a 20+ litre fuel tank, then maybe some built in pannier mounts and a bigger fairing and more padded seat...

There'll be a bit of weight in a shaft,true.

An extra 3 litres of fuel is an extra couple of kilos.

Being generous,say it all came to an extra 20kgs,then a touring bike ought to weigh no more than 220kgs and I bet it could be less than that,if the manufacturers didn't get away with buyer's perception that a big touring bike will be heavy.

[KungFooBob]

My GS has a full wet weight of 260kg, it's got a 30l tank.

Dry weight is 220kg, apparently.

A new Blade is just over 200kg wet, so there's only 60kg difference.

[dern]

Would quite like an extended go on the newer wings to be honest. They're supposed to carry their weight very low down. Looks like an interesting experience.

Could never justify 30k on a bike though.

[DefTrap]

I'm amazed that there's a big enough market for them as a production bike, who's buying them? They're essentially comfy touring bikes for big old fellers with big old missuses (and by Christ there's a lot of the min the biker fraternity) but you don't see many of them on the road. At least not in Europe.

And they're ab-so-lutely hideous.

I rode an early one (similar to what darthpunk posted) - moving it as a favour for a friend - and I was surprised that I didn't really hate riding it. It still looked like shit but there is some potential in a big old lazy motor like that. You would have to cut it back to it's ribs and modify the hell out of it before I would have one as a keeper.

[Skub]

My GS has a full wet weight of 260kg, it's got a 30l tank.

Dry weight is 220kg, apparently.

A new Blade is just over 200kg wet, so there's only 60kg difference.

That's a big 'only'.

[v8-powered]

You can trackday one. FE instructor did sighting laps on one

Screenshot_20230823_182524_Instagram.jpg (232.86 KiB) Viewed 562 times

[The Spin Doctor]

Out of the bikes he had the only one that appealed to me was the mk1 - Pre gubbins like am/fm radio and reverse gears

Spotted one in St Leonards a few weeks back. It was immaculate.