BlueSky Posted March 31, 2018 #1 Posted March 31, 2018 I was jacking up the front of my Kawasaki today in preparation to replace the fork seals for the 3rd time in 9 yrs. when my wife walked by and said that I should get rid of my old bikes and buy a newer more reliable one. So, I told her that I did have my eye on this 2006 Gold colored Honda Goldwing with 20k miles on it that cost $8,999. She said buy it. I then told her it's about 700 miles away and it would be a long trip. It's tempting though. I still have a numb in the front very weak knee from the shingles and I'm still not feeling normal so I have to take that into consideration too when thinking about making the trip.
Yammer Dan Posted March 31, 2018 #2 Posted March 31, 2018 HURRY!! They have been known ta change their minds!!!!
BlueSky Posted March 31, 2018 Author #3 Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) HURRY!! They have been known ta change their minds!!!! A dealer has it so I'm positive it will be sold to the first guy who comes with the cash or credit. I also don't know how many BS fees he will try to tack on to the price. I've been watching the subject GW for a while and the price just dropped from $9,999 to $8,999, which judging from the prices I see on local GWs is not a bad deal. Edited March 31, 2018 by BlueSky
CaseyJ955 Posted March 31, 2018 #4 Posted March 31, 2018 My knees get a little tender too, and one thing I realized immediately about Goldwings is they really lack legroom if you have some inseam going on. This is how I ended up on the Venture, sweet legroom and highway bars that dont make me feel like the bike is about to make a wish. If knees or hips are a thing I would suggest taking a long ride on that Wing before making a final decision. I felt cramped before I left the dealer lot so I knew the Wing was not a good fit for me. YMMV. Also with the new generation of Goldwing coming out I do believe that the deals on the previous generation are going to get quite good as the hardcore Wing guys seek to trade up to the new model, should soon be a buyers market on previous generation Wings. If I could fit on one correctly I would own one, they are fantastic bikes and I have a lot of respect for Honda.
JDaniel Posted March 31, 2018 #5 Posted March 31, 2018 I own an 07 Goldwing. I love the power and agility of the wing. The low center of gravity makes low speed cornering much easier. I am 5' 11" with a 33 inseam and have no problems with legroom. I also have highway pegs on the engine guards for long hauls. My wing has ABS, navigation, heated seats and grips. The better half loves the comfort of the heated rear seat. As mentioned earlier, I would take it for an extended test ride to make sure you like the seating position which is different than my 99 RSV was.
Mike G in SC Posted March 31, 2018 #6 Posted March 31, 2018 I was jacking up the front of my Kawasaki today in preparation to replace the fork seals for the 3rd time in 9 yrs. when my wife walked by and said that I should get rid of my old bikes and buy a newer more reliable one. So, I told her that I did have my eye on this 2006 Gold colored Honda Goldwing with 20k miles on it that cost $8,999. She said buy it. I then told her it's about 700 miles away and it would be a long trip. It's tempting though. I still have a numb in the front very weak knee from the shingles and I'm still not feeling normal so I have to take that into consideration too when thinking about making the trip. Not trying to spend your money, but sounds like, from your words, you should be thinking trike. And a GW trike makes a great trike. We got one (2008 GL1800 with Champion kit) as our two up a couple years ago and sure takes away stability issues for me and her. But also, the GW is more mechanical akin to going out and starting my car, with lot's of power. But, I still got a RSTD as my solo.
BlueSky Posted March 31, 2018 Author #7 Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) My knees get a little tender too, and one thing I realized immediately about Goldwings is they really lack legroom if you have some inseam going on. This is how I ended up on the Venture, sweet legroom and highway bars that dont make me feel like the bike is about to make a wish. If knees or hips are a thing I would suggest taking a long ride on that Wing before making a final decision. I felt cramped before I left the dealer lot so I knew the Wing was not a good fit for me. YMMV. Also with the new generation of Goldwing coming out I do believe that the deals on the previous generation are going to get quite good as the hardcore Wing guys seek to trade up to the new model, should soon be a buyers market on previous generation Wings. If I could fit on one correctly I would own one, they are fantastic bikes and I have a lot of respect for Honda. I wish I could ride a GW for a while first but I haven't had the opportunity. I test rode one for a short distance in 2010, a gold 2006 that I haven't been able to forget about. The dealer wanted $17,500 for it and I wasn't ready to pay that much for a bike at that time. I think that gold is the perfect color for a Goldwing. I used to be about 6' tall but now I'm closer to 5'10" with my flat back discs. I have a 29" inseam. I've been reading some negative posts from current GW owners about the new GW. Some don't like the smaller seats and smaller luggage since it is supposed to be a long distance tourer. Edited March 31, 2018 by BlueSky
BlueSky Posted March 31, 2018 Author #8 Posted March 31, 2018 Not trying to spend your money, but sounds like, from your words, you should be thinking trike. And a GW trike makes a great trike. We got one (2008 GL1800 with Champion kit) as our two up a couple years ago and sure takes away stability issues for me and her. But also, the GW is more mechanical akin to going out and starting my car, with lot's of power. But, I still got a RSTD as my solo. 6 weeks ago, I was doing sets of 50 squats as part of my exercise program. So, I'm assuming that in a few more weeks, the shingles nerve damage to my knee will be healed and my knee won't be a problem. Hoping! It is very slowly getting stronger and the numbness is going away very slowly. I also decided that I was going to lose some weight so I cut back on the calories. I'm losing weight and that single thing will help many areas of health, arthritis, blood pressure, cardiovascular, energy, probably everything. Yeah, I'm 74 but I refuse to give up! Middle finger to age!
CaseyJ955 Posted March 31, 2018 #9 Posted March 31, 2018 I wish I could ride a GW for a while first but I haven't had the opportunity. I test rode one for a short distance in 2010, a gold 2006 that I haven't been able to forget about. The dealer wanted $17,500 for it and I wasn't ready to pay that much for a bike at that time. I think that gold is the perfect color for a Goldwing. I used to be about 6' tall but now I'm closer to 5'10" with my flat back discs. I have a 29" inseam. I'm about a 36" inseam so I felt a bit folded up. It was disappointing as I really wanted the big flat 6 in a touring bike. My guess is with less inseam it's a very comfortable ride. No doubt they are nice bikes. If your not in a huge hurry to buy then maybe keep an eye on prices and market saturation over the summer. Prices are going to drop and choices are going to become more plentiful. Also we will need pics once you get one!
Yammer Dan Posted March 31, 2018 #10 Posted March 31, 2018 6 weeks ago, I was doing sets of 50 squats as part of my exercise program. So, I'm assuming that in a few more weeks, the shingles nerve damage to my knee will be healed and my knee won't be a problem. Hoping! It is very slowly getting stronger and the numbness is going away very slowly. I also decided that I was going to lose some weight so I cut back on the calories. I'm losing weight and that single thing will help many areas of health, arthritis, blood pressure, cardiovascular, energy, probably everything. Yeah, I'm 74 but I refuse to give up! Middle finger to age! I wish I could do the leg stuff. My stupid leg keeps me from any of that but I have been sneaking on the Leg Press lately for a few light reps. Very light and I still pay for it but the thing ain't getting any better so I'll see what happens. You are making me feel guilty as I've had a rough week and used it as a excuse to skip the gym this week!! I KNOW, I KNOW!!! Cain't start that crap! I'll have to make it up. Just been feeling really rough. And loosing another Trike didn't help. I WILL NOT get myself in that position again!! SCREW TRIKES!! Hope the Shingles is GONE!!
zagger Posted March 31, 2018 #11 Posted March 31, 2018 The new goldwing does have more legroom since the engine appears to have been moved forward a few inches. I sat on one at the Chicago show and it seemed pretty comfortable. At least for the 15 seconds or so that I had to experience it. Of course, if the engine doesn't stick out to the sides, you have all the legroom you could want. zag
cowpuc Posted March 31, 2018 #12 Posted March 31, 2018 Because my passion for bikes borders on the insanity level, I have been following the new Wings development and release with a HUGE amount of enthusiasm, been over on the Wing forum about it in comparison to the '32's (the new one is an 1833cc so I call the old one a '32,,,, that said and just being upfront - if I ended up with one of the new ones I will be naming calling it "33" ) and even just got to sit on one as it was being put together in the back room of our local Honda shop and I gotta say = WOWZY WOW WOW WOW!!! That said,, I can honestly say that if part of the concern of swapping into a new bike has anything to do with the weight of the bike causing issues because of knee weakness or whatever = Sky,, you GOTTA go sit on one of these new ones!!!!! TALK ABOUT LITE AND NIMBLE FEELING!!! Coming up off the side stand = felt like a bicycle compared to my 1st Gens - UNREAL!! For all the new release bikes that we have test rode and looked at - IMHO,, Honda is the only one who, thru RnD - investment - being willing to step out and make some huge improvements by using technology for something other than electronic gadgets actually earned the right to hang a $27,000 price tag on a motorcycle.. It's neither here nor there probably Sky and actually none of my business but cause I love ya as a brother I think I will share something about the '32's (even the O6 like you are looking at).. This is just coming from following the release of the new one and something I learned along the way.. Apparently Mom Honda made a slight engineering mistake on the '32's by placing the gear drive for the alternator inside of the engine cover so if it fails = huge job.. This part is known as the ADG and, on the pre 06's it was mechanical and had a high rate of failure.. 06's up to 17's had an updated version of the drive that apparently consists of rubber or something making them less vulnerable to breakage BUT - even those are known to fail.. Keep in mind that a failure of that little drive gear constitutes removal of the engine = sounds like 3 grand of work easily.. If I were looking at one I would cover my butt with a 1500 dollar discount offer (50/50 split of repair) on the bike unless the owner/seller could produce verification of a recent update.. Another thought,,, I think @TheTooch is now riding a CTX1300.. I mention this because while playing around at another dealership I noticed they had brand new left over CTX1300's for 10k and after talking to the sales manager there - I have a hunch one of those brand new left overs could be had for a lot less if cash was involved.. If we can get Daves attention here, maybe he could give us some thoughts on that bike
Yammer Dan Posted March 31, 2018 #13 Posted March 31, 2018 One of the reasons I became a 1st Gen Fan was the 1st time I sat on one it just felt like home!! My old Pan was comfy but Hardtails are a Killer. Only Bigger bike I had much time on. Ride 1/2 hr cain't walk. But I came from 750 Yammy to the Venture and told myself. "You won't like that!!" But I made that switch with ease. Couldn't believe it!! Haven't sat on many new ones but 1st Gen still a great fit if not so heavy!! Things heading the way they are those price tags would stop me anyway. I do have a quieter exhaust I could put on Lil Red (750 Maxium) Yeah Spring is peeking round the corner and I'm rambling!!!!
BlueSky Posted March 31, 2018 Author #14 Posted March 31, 2018 It's neither here nor there probably Sky and actually none of my business but cause I love ya as a brother I think I will share something about the '32's (even the O6 like you are looking at).. This is just coming from following the release of the new one and something I learned along the way.. Apparently Mom Honda made a slight engineering mistake on the '32's by placing the gear drive for the alternator inside of the engine cover so if it fails = huge job.. This part is known as the ADG and, on the pre 06's it was mechanical and had a high rate of failure.. 06's up to 17's had an updated version of the drive that apparently consists of rubber or something making them less vulnerable to breakage BUT - even those are known to fail.. Keep in mind that a failure of that little drive gear constitutes removal of the engine = sounds like 3 grand of work easily.. If I were looking at one I would cover my butt with a 1500 dollar discount offer (50/50 split of repair) on the bike unless the owner/seller could produce verification of a recent update.. Another thought,,, I think @TheTooch is now riding a CTX1300.. I mention this because while playing around at another dealership I noticed they had brand new left over CTX1300's for 10k and after talking to the sales manager there - I have a hunch one of those brand new left overs could be had for a lot less if cash was involved.. If we can get Daves attention here, maybe he could give us some thoughts on that bike $3k for an alternator failure sounds like BMW territory! Yikes! Thanks for the tip! The CTX1300 didn't sell well and I think was only offered for the year 2014. I'm not crazy about the style of it either. And they neutered the ST1300 engine before putting it in the CTX. Maybe it was because of the cruiser chassis design and that design is not made for performance handling in the twisties. I'm sure it's plenty fast still but. I'm not sure what I will do. I wish that GW was close by. If so, I might not be able to resist. It would be a 2 day trip to go buy the one I want. Where I live the only new bike dealers are the Harley of course and the Honda/Suzuki. And the owner of the Honda/Suzuki dealership is one of the biggest buttholes I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. I used to take my Hondas to the Kawasaki/Yamaha/BMW dealership (now defunct) to get my bike inspected and buy stuff. The price of used BMWK1600GTLs is coming down!
Godlover Posted March 31, 2018 #15 Posted March 31, 2018 They deliver —- make offer —- I’ve heard great things from guys who have bought Spyders from imotorsports. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Wing-ABS/132561995799?hash=item1edd4f8817:g:pBMAAOSwFHZavfYc&vxp=mtr
BlueSky Posted April 1, 2018 Author #16 Posted April 1, 2018 Thanks Godlover, but I'm sort of set on a gold or red GW if I buy one. And some improvements were made in 2006 such as better cooling as I understand so I want a 2006 or newer. I think 2006 is the only year for a Gold colored GW. I just checked out the drive to the dealer. It's 855 miles and supposedly would take 12.5 hrs to drive it. Fuel and tolls would be $400 or so to make the round trip plus a motel room. Wish it was closer. I suppose I just need to get off my arse and fix the things I need to fix on my 89 Venture. It only has 6k miles on it.
CaseyJ955 Posted April 1, 2018 #17 Posted April 1, 2018 I wish I could ride a GW for a while first but I haven't had the opportunity. I test rode one for a short distance in 2010, a gold 2006 that I haven't been able to forget about. The dealer wanted $17,500 for it and I wasn't ready to pay that much for a bike at that time. I think that gold is the perfect color for a Goldwing. I used to be about 6' tall but now I'm closer to 5'10" with my flat back discs. I have a 29" inseam. I've been reading some negative posts from current GW owners about the new GW. Some don't like the smaller seats and smaller luggage since it is supposed to be a long distance tourer. Ive read some interesting things too, like reduced fuel capacity and range. It looks like they were trying to knock some of the stodginess out of the GW. Honda had to return fire somehow, the introduction of a bike like the K1600 could absolutely not be ignored by any world class touring bike mfr. Honda had to do something. I might have voted for a less dramatic revamp of the GW and introduced a new heavy hitting sport tourer to compete with amazing machines like the K or RT bikes. In any event it will be interesting to see how buyers react to the new generation of GW and where that puts the older generations in the market place. The existing model looks great to me, stodginess aside it has all the right stuff for a dedicated touring machine.
Mike G in SC Posted April 1, 2018 #18 Posted April 1, 2018 I just checked out the drive to the dealer. It's 855 miles and supposedly would take 12.5 hrs to drive it. Fuel and tolls would be $400 or so to make the round trip plus a motel room. Wish it was closer. I suppose I just need to get off my arse and fix the things I need to fix on my 89 Venture. It only has 6k miles on it. Last August I saw a "time capsule" RSTD that was 1000 miles away (SC to SW Missouri). It was fair priced so I told the owner that it would cost me about $400 in gas and two nights of motel, would he come down that much. He said SURE (right away I knew I should have asked more, but good). As that paid for the trip, I Paypal'ed him $200 down to hold for my week to come get it. Glad I did, just what I wanted.
bongobobny Posted April 2, 2018 #19 Posted April 2, 2018 Back in '09 when I had the great electrical fire on my '84, the wife said to me "Why don't you just buy a new one??" Within 24 hours I had my '09 RSV...
Yammer Dan Posted April 2, 2018 #20 Posted April 2, 2018 Back in '09 when I had the great electrical fire on my '84, the wife said to me "Why don't you just buy a new one??" Within 24 hours I had my '09 RSV... I should listen Bob.
BlueSky Posted April 2, 2018 Author #21 Posted April 2, 2018 Looking thru craigslist this morning and saw a nice 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 1000. Anybody on here have one of those and if so, how do you like it?
BlueSky Posted April 2, 2018 Author #22 Posted April 2, 2018 Never mind on the Vstrom 1000. I just read enough on the internet to warn me off. Turns out that they don't run right because they are way too lean to pass the emissions testing and Suzuki can't legally fix them so they will run right.
Yammer Dan Posted April 3, 2018 #23 Posted April 3, 2018 You know you want a NICE low mile 1st Gen.....
BlueSky Posted April 3, 2018 Author #24 Posted April 3, 2018 You know you want a NICE low mile 1st Gen..... What I need is a good mechanic to fix my nice low mileage Gen 1!
leroy Posted April 3, 2018 #25 Posted April 3, 2018 I was jacking up the front of my Kawasaki today in preparation to replace the fork seals for the 3rd time in 9 yrs. when my wife walked by and said that I should get rid of my old bikes and buy a newer more reliable one. So, I told her that I did have my eye on this 2006 Gold colored Honda Goldwing with 20k miles on it that cost $8,999. She said buy it. I then told her it's about 700 miles away and it would be a long trip. It's tempting though. I still have a numb in the front very weak knee from the shingles and I'm still not feeling normal so I have to take that into consideration too when thinking about making the trip. Sounds like you have a keeper for a wife. Not many that encouraging.
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