GL1800 in Ireland

First riding impressions

By Steve Saunders

Finally, seven months after paying a hefty deposit for my new Goldwing, April 28th, 2001 had me arriving at Capital Motorcycles in Dublin to collect the first GL1800 (the ABS model) officially brought into the country by Honda Ireland. After the usual banter, I had a closer look at the beast. A number of Goldwing owners were there to compare notes. This was my first time to see one of these machines in broad daylight as it were, my only other time to see the 1800 was at the Birmingham NEC show late last year. The "illusion red" paintwork did it's stuff in the early afternoon sun, changing colour from a gold/rust shade right through to a deeper red (almost reminiscent of the old wineberry red) as I walked around the motorcycle.

I still have to say that (in my opinion) the late GL1500's look a lot nicer than the GL1800, the two-tone candy red of my previous year 2000SE which was standing near the latest incarnation looked really well, especially after Paul Madden (the SE's new owner) had gone over it with the polish. The GL1500 is unmistakably a Goldwing, even if you never actually saw a Goldwing in your life, the first time a 1500 wafts by you on the street you will know what it is. That is the sheer presence of the model. The GL1800 doesn't scream "Goldwing" at you at first glance but closer inspection shows that this is indeed a motorcycle which has evolved from the original of the species, over 25 years apart. The similar looking flat multi-cylinder engine, the well appointed fairing interior and the saddle, this time a really huge one quite capable of swallowing even the most ample of well padded rear ends-all help to reassure the traditional Goldwing enthusiast-while the sporty modern look of the machine will appeal to the younger rider (although the price may not!) I have no doubt that when the owners of their 1800's have added a few accessories (as we all do) the family resemblance will be even closer.

While looking at the style of this machine, I could not help but notice a few odd touches, like the chromed plastic strip that sits between the rocker cover and the base of the upper fairing. It seems that making the fairing fit closer would have been a better idea, especially as this plastic strip comes away from it's mounting very easily. Also, the welds on the sides of the frame (the visible one in front of the side panels) has a piece of cheap looking plastic covering it, held in place with a bit of double sided tape. Grinding the weld smooth would have been a nice touch on such an expensive bike, plus it would have blended in well under the painted finish. Bare black painted handlebars seem a bit skimpy compared to the covered item on all of the the GL1500's and many GL1200's. While I am bitching, why on earth are intercom pigtail cords still fitted to the Goldwing? Surely we should have cordless intercoms on this machine by now, after all the technology has been around for at least ten years now. Even if we have to have a corded hookup, I feel the plug-in socket should be mounted into the dash area and this would make it easier to hook up the helmet cords one-handed. If Honda really did start developing the GL1800 way back in 1994 like we have been told, then it seems the styling and some other items were left until last and were finished rather hastily, with some details seemingly added as an afterthought. Perhaps BMW's effort provided the push?

After checking for scratches or damage, I started the engine and was struck by the similarity of the exhaust note to that of the Honda F6C. Gerry Ward (who had bought an 1800 from Appleyards in the UK a few weeks before,) immediately turned the radio on but I didn't want any distractions on my first ride so I turned it off again. I tested the lights and the horn and there is no doubt that the noise from the GL1800's hooter should wake up even the doziest of car drivers! At this point the sun disappeared and a shower of hailstones (which had been predicted) appeared as if by magic to spoil my first ride on the 1800. Needless to say, I wasn't letting anything ruin the day! After slipping into first gear and releasing the clutch, I was surprised at how sharp the clutch is (although the lever action is nice and light) and almost stalled the engine, but managed to keep it going and save a red face! On the move through the Dublin traffic, the ease at which this monster can be handled has to be experienced to be believed. Low speed trundling in traffic is really easy, no wobbling of the handlebars (unlike previous Wings at low speed) and going around corners is a dream on this machine, no longer does one have to think about every turn, praying that someone doesn't walk out in front of the bike and force you to brake in the corner. Steering is light and positive and this adds to the impression that this bike is a lot lighter than it actually is. Traffic light stops are now a one foot down act all the time, this is one Wing that actually feels as light as many sports tourers. The gearbox action is nice and positive, none of the clunky changes which are familiar to all owners of the GL1500, although the 1st-2nd change is a tad clunkier than the rest of the gears. Second gear is a short one, noticeable on changing down from 3rd, but you get used to this quickly enough.
The engine is mounted at a similar height in the frame to the GL1500, yet the balance still seems nice and low and typical of the Goldwing. The riders toes sit further under the rocker covers (no cramped knees for the old-timers) and this short first ride in the rain seen my boots covered in road crud. The seat height is the same as the later 1500's at 29" but I felt like I was sitting higher on the bike. This may be due to the lower windshield which I found perfect for my height. By the time I reached the Naas road, the rain had stopped and I was able to ride the bike in more normal conditions. Taking off from lights on an open road showed that the acceleration was superb, no flat spots or hesitation, 0-70mph in no time and no drifting between lanes. By the time I got to the Blessington Road my confidence had risen considerably and I pushed the Wing through the bends that were so familiar to my previous 1500's, on the 1800 however, there was no wallowing, drifting or impersonating a noddy dog in a car rear window when going over uneven surfaces. Bear in mind that I had the suspension set to the default "0" setting and it soaked up the bumps a lot better than the 1500 and there were no odd rattling sounds while riding over uneven surfaces. This machine seems to emit more noise from the front of the bike, whether it is engine noise (due to the skimpier fairing perhaps) or the tyres, I am unsure at present, although I suspect that the so-called "Silent Type Camchains" may be the source. The noise is never intrusive though (perhaps we were spoilt in this department on our 1500's) and I will just have to pump up the music to compensate! Talking about noise (or lack of it,) the cooling fans came on at some point and they are really quiet, just a gentle hum compared to the roar that came from the fans fitted to the 1500. I decided to test the brakes and where there was no other traffic I hit the pedal and lever hard and from 70mph to a stop was without incident, none of the missed heartbeats that I experienced on previous Wings. This machine stops as well as it goes and the ABS brakes really do inspire confidence.

In general, the GL1800 is a huge leap forward in handling terms. The lighter weight by around 40lbs (compared to the GL1500) actually feels an awful lot lighter in all traffic conditions! I personally found that there was hardly any adapting of my riding style on the new Wing. Owners of the GL1500 will take to this bike quickly and apart from the better handling, lighter feel and great ABS brakes they will feel right at home. Similar riding position, comfort etc. all help no end. The minor niggles that I mentioned earlier do not take away from the pleasure that owning and riding the GL1800 will give me and at the end of the day I know I am riding a safer, tighter motorcycle. In all fairness to the GL1800, I have to admit that there were aspects of the GL1500 that I was none to fond of, not to mention one or two things that scared the living daylights out of me on more than one occasion. Opinion among my Goldwing associates is divided on the GL1800 but we all know that in due course (when used ones become available and the price is a bit lower) that they will be riding them too and all of a sudden the guys that don't like the GL1800 now will be the same guys that will love the beast later and all the doubts will have vanished!
I suppose the question which puts it all into perspective is; Would I dispose of my GL1800 and go back to a GL1500SE with all the trimmings and nice paint job? You must be joking.
Anyway, after 26 miles around the city, I called it a day because my son Dylan was impatient to see "his" new Goldwing, so I returned home and parked it up after he had tested out the saddle and had a short trip around the block. Longer trips for him are out until I fit armrests and footrests, Dylan has a habit of sleeping on the Wing and I want to play it safe for now.

Update on January 12th. 2002.

Not a lot to report at this stage as work commitments and the ever-changing nature of fatherhood ensured that I only managed to put 560 miles on the Goldwing in the eight months I have had it. I fitted a load of Hondaline accessories (CD player, all the rear spoilers, rotor covers, exhaust tips and lots more), plus a Markland riders backrest and Daytona wood dash. I spent the best part of a day fitting everything as I wanted to do it all in one go.

Riding in the wet I noticed that the rear tyre doesn't always grip too well and tends to follow the ripples in the road surface. This doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The ABS brakes are really great though. The CD player tends to skip on bad bumps. I haven't experienced the CD problems that other owners have, nor has my GL1800 suffered from sticky speedo syndrome, corrosion of the CO sensors, overheating or badly fitting trunk lid that some folks have complained about on various forums. When riding, the acceleration is a world apart from the GL1500 and wellying it from 70mph sees the ton come up frighteningly fast. None of the gradual climb familiar to GL1500 owners, the 1800 just gets there without effort and over the ton feels like you are still doing 70!

Update on July 2nd. 2003.

After selling my '01 a while previously, with ridiculously low mileage, I decided to get a new 2003 ABS model in Candy Red. I took the above picture outside the Honda distributor in Dublin while I was collecting parts. My work will allow me to clock up a lot more miles on this machine, so I will be able to give a more detailed report as time allows. The '03 is no different to ride than the previous models so I felt at home again very quickly. The windshield seems to be shorter on this one, although I could be wrong. But this suits me better as I am average height at 5' 10", so the low screen height suits me fine in dry weather and I can duck down a bit in the rain without having to adjust the screen in a hurry.
My first decent journey on this machine was to the UK Goldwing Treffen in August 2003. It was held in Kelso, Scotland and I opted to go by the Dublin-Holyhead ferry and ride through Wales and then head north on the M6 motorway, turning east onto the A68 for the last 100 miles of the 300 mile journey. My eight year old son Dylan rode pillion and we were accompanied by Mick Wilson and his wife Ann on their Y2K GL1500SE (which was formerly owned by me). My girlfriend Fiona followed in the car, just in case Dylan got too tired on the back. We got to Holyhead at around 1330hrs and did about 100 miles before stopping for lunch. The weather was dry but cloudy and we expected rain before long. After another 120 miles, we stopped again and it was getting dark, no doubt the cloudy weather doing away with the sun a bit earlier than usual. Rain was imminent at this stage and it was also getting a bit foggy, so I was keen to get Dylan into the car for safety sake. It took some persuading as Dylan loves the bikes and has been travelling pillion on Goldwings since he was three and a half years old, but Ann came up trumps and told him that kids were not allowed on motorcycles in Scotland after dark! So off we went again and it got very foggy, in fact I couldn't see the cars headlights in the distance behind me as the fog was so thick. This of course hindered progress somewhat, but eventually we got to about 10 miles of Jedburgh (9 miles from Kelso) where we had B&B arranged. At that point it started to rain and continued to do so until we got to our B&B.
We spent three days at the Treffen, as usual and enjoyed perfect weather. No rain, fog or cold and we had a good time. We spent lots of cash on goodies for the bikes, as is our custom every year, fitting what we could and throwing the rest in the car. Cars do have a use after all! We headed back for Holyhead on the Sunday morning, making very good time. I was reluctant to risk cooking it with my only son on the bike with me (after all I might need him to look after me when I get old!), but on one stretch of motorway with not a single vehicle in sight I opened it up and hit about 115 for a short time, before sanity prevailed and I dropped back to around 65-70. Dylan was happily chatting away the whole time and fell asleep for about an hour. The passenger armrests with a bungee cord across them ensured he stayed put, the only sound from him was a gentle snoring as we headed into Wales in the lovely sunny weather.
We stopped for a last bite to eat with about 80 miles to go and loads of time to spare, and I offered Mick the chance to take my bike the rest of the way. Mick jumped at this first opportunity to try an 1800, and Ann went with him while Dylan and myself took our old 1500. I hadn't rode a 1500 in a long time, and the difference was incredible. In comparison to the 1800, the 1500 seemed positively sluggish. I could almost feel the frame flexing and could hear things rattling in the fairing as I tried with difficulty to keep up with Mick on the 1800. Dylan remarked on the lack of pillion space but was otherwise happy enough sitting there and munching on sweets. He did very well, 300 miles without complaint (not to mention the 220 miles he did on the way up) and we got to Holyhead in good spirits.
600 miles round trip, averaging 44 mpg. No overheating, cracked frame, audio problems, sticking speedo etc. The Goldwing performed as I expected, perfectly.

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