A Goldwing In The Kentucky Bluegrass
By
Randy Tapp
My new Goldwing ownership came about as the result of the purchase of three motorcycles over a period of four months this summer of 2001. I have owned several motorcycles throughout my life, the last one being a 1984 Goldwing Aspencade. I rode that bike for several years and had exactly no problems with it. However, most of my friends who rode cycles began to quit riding for a variety of reasons, leaving me as the sole motorcyclist in my group. Eventually, I also succumbed and traded my faithful steed in on a Corvette.
I work for the local police department and date a female Lieutenant who decided she wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. She found a low-mileage 1999 Honda Shadow 750 ACE and purchased it without ever having had a lesson. I spent the next couple of weeks familiarizing her with the mechanics of riding which she learned very quickly. I even followed her on the public roads with my car until it dawned on me that I, too, would have to have a bike if we were ever going to enjoy the sport together.
I bought a Honda Magna 750 which I really liked but it soon became the “mistake-I-wish-I-hadn’t-made” because I missed the ‘big’ bike I used to own. I went back to my Honda dealer (West Side Honda of Evansville, Indiana) and told them I wanted a bigger bike. I had considered the new Honda Sabre 1100 but they had sold the last one in stock. I looked at the new Goldwing but thought it looked too big (and expensive). That Friday night I purchased a Valkyrie Interstate and put about $2500 worth of accessories on it. The ride home was exhilarating, as the power of the Valk is phenomenal, but I had yet to discover my biggest problem. When I got home, I rode the Interstate down the driveway and parked it, admiring the rugged beauty it exudes. The next day ‘the problem’ became apparent…I couldn’t get the Valkyrie backed up because of the downward slope of my driveway and the weight of the Interstate. The drive is also too narrow to turn the bike around so I knew the Valkyrie had been a mistake.
I went back to West Side the very next day and purchased the new Goldwing-a move I should have made in the beginning. The dealer was kind enough to ‘zero’ the Valkyrie deal as if it never occurred. The Goldwing features an electronically switched reverse that solved my problem of parking.
As for the new Goldwing, I’ve a slightly different story to tell than the glowing praise that everyone seems to place upon its doorstep. When I tried to use the CB radio with the AM/FM radio on at the same time, I encountered difficulties. Pressing the CB radio ‘push-to-talk’ switch would mute the AM/FM radio but did not allow the AM/FM to come back up to the previous listening level. In fact, the only way to make the AM/FM work again was to stop the bike and turn the ignition key to the ‘Off’ position and restart the bike. In fact, attempting to use the CB was futile as it would not transmit at all. Then the ‘self-canceling’ turn signals quit ‘self-canceling’. My Honda dealer fixed the turn signal problem immediately as a screw had fallen out of the lean detector. They were aware of the CB and AM/FM radio problems as they had been reported by several other owners. The cure was replacement of the AM/FM radio and regrounding the CB antenna. The radio was back ordered and took several weeks to come in. I had ordered the electric grip heaters which took even longer to obtain. The other problem I considered to be serious concerned the analog speedometer. I parked my ‘Wing in the lot at West Side Honda one Saturday while the weather was still warm. The sun was shining directly on the dashboard for the hour or so while I was inside visiting with my friends. When I left, the speedometer needle failed to register any speed, being stuck on ‘0’. I turned right around and returned where several of my new ‘Wing owner friends explained that this is a known problem where tolerances inside the unit are too tight and the heat locks up the mechanism. Supposedly, a fix is being prepared at the Honda manufacturing facility at this time. My dealer has installed the new radio and regrounded the CB antenna so the sound system is working great. The weather has cooled considerably so the speedometer works OK until the fix is released. My only remaining problem is that when I turn on the grip heaters, there is a loud, annoying buzz through the helmet speakers when using the intercom system. I know my dealer will get this fixed (I haven't reported it yet) as they have one of the best, most understanding service departments I have ever seen. All of the problems have been Honda-engineered occurrences that required intervention by my dealer. I’m not always the easiest fellow to get along with, especially when I spent the amount of money I did on this motorcycle. However, my dealer has been great and their service is exemplary.
As far as the ride, handling and ergonomics…what can anyone say that hasn’t already been said. A motorcycle this big should not be able to accelerate, stop and handle like it does…but it does! Don’t get me wrong-the law of physics concerning objects in motion and inertia cannot be overcome, however, Honda has rewritten the book of fine-tuning that envelope of performance. For a brief period of time, when I was having problems with bike, I was certain I had made a mistake but 2000 miles of riding has dispelled my fears. I own one of the best motorcycles on the road, even if one of my fellow ‘Wing riders is on his fifth CD player since January 2001. I would recommend the new Goldwing to anyone considering a large touring bike. I’m now seeking a trailer for the trips I plan to take next year. Has anyone had any experience with the Uni-Go trailer? If so, please let me know at drtapp@hotmail.com . Now if they can only find a way to increase the gas mileage…
Follow-Up to “Goldwing in the Kentucky Bluegrass”
December
2001
It is now just a few
days before the 2002 New Year and the odometer now indicates about 2700 miles. I
have continued to ride my Illusion Red GL1800 even though the weather has turned
cold. We consider any temperature below freezing as ‘cold’.
The ‘Wing, however, blocks the wind rather well.
Temperatures below freezing have caused a minor problem in that either
the fuel injection or the ignition system will occasionally cause the otherwise
great running engine to ‘stutter’ very badly for a few seconds. The power
and smoothness drop off as though someone had disconnected about four of the
spark plug wires. A few quick blips of the throttle and the ‘Wing quickly
clears its throat and begins to ‘sing’ smoothly again.
Before the temperature fell down into the thirties, I did notice the Fuel
Injection light come on a few times. The
indicator quickly went back off every time.
I will have the dealer inspect that at the next service.
My dealer has also informed me that Honda is finally releasing a
‘fix’ for the sticking speedometers that have plagued several Goldwings. It
consists of a complete gauge and speedometer replacement and should be out
within a month or so. I have seen
the actual Honda bulletin from the factory.
The CB radio, which
had problems because of the AM/FM radio (according to Honda), seemed to be
working OK until I got out on the road with several fellow riders.
I had to run the squelch ‘open’ because any squelch killed my
reception more than a few hundred yards. I
have heard the speculation that the poor CB radio performance is due to the
aluminum framework. Supposedly, it
doesn’t provide a good ground plane for the outgoing signal.
I had the same problem with a fiberglass-bodied Corvette.
I have begun to
notice a slight front wheel wobble when cornering around town. This has only begun in the last few days and a visual
inspection reveals nothing unusual but it is disconcerting. I will have it inspected later this week.
I continue my
‘love-hate’ relationship with this motorcycle.
My opinion remains that a bike costing so much should not be having the
problems that this one does. My
opinion also remains that there still isn’t another bike out there that will
stir the blood like a GL1800! Hope
Springs Eternal that it will one day be void of problems.
Stay safe. See you on the
road.
Goldwing in the Kentucky Bluegrass, part three.
March 2002.
Steve, I would love to tell you
and your readers, several of which who emailed me about my article that appeared
on your website, that everything has been resolved and all is well. However, I
cannot do that!
Since I wrote to you last, there have been additional problems arise. The fuel
economy continued to get worse. The bike would run poorly when first started in
cool weather, sounding like it was only firing on three or four cylinders.
Finally one morning it barely started. The starter spun the engine quite well
but the engine would not fire. I let it sit for a few minutes and it started on
the very next try.
A couple of days later, as I was leaving the police department after work, I
encountered the most serious problem of all. I was a couple of minutes from the
police station, right on top of a traffic cloverleaf, when the engine simply
quit as I was riding along at around 40 miles per hour. I coasted off to the
side of the road and turn ed the ignition off and back on and the motor started
as though nothing had happened. Whatever caused that event also caused the radio
to lose of of the station presets; the clock reset to 1:00; and the my
customized "Opening Ceremony" was lost. I rode the bike the three and one-half
miles home with no further problems.
The next morning, the bike would not start again. I called the dealer who sent a
trailer to collect the failed Goldwing. When the dealer's man arrived, it was
obvious that both of us together would not be able to push the heavy 'Wing up
the rather steep ramp. On the outside chance that it might start, I tried the
key and it fired right up. I rode the cycle up onto the trailer but stopped a
few inches short of the upright that fit the front wheel. Since the trailer was
tilted slightly rearward, we were unable to push the bike far enough forward. I
tried to restart it but this time it was completely dead.
The dealer checked the battery which was definitely low but read and tested OK
after recharging it. The charging system on the Goldwing was working perfectly
so that wasn't the problem. Constant rechecking ot the battery proved fruitless
but they replaced the battery anyway. The spark plugs were badly fouled, I
think, because of the fuel injection mapping set too rich. This makes sense to
me because of the poor fuel economy. But nothing has been changed except the
battery and the spark plugs at just under 3000 miles. The bike runs fine but did
so up until the time the engine quit.
The fact that the engine died while riding down the highway plus the myriad of
problems it has had, has caused me to lose all faith in the cycle. I was going
to take a cross-country trip this spring but now I'm afraid to go across town. I
can only imagine what would happen if I pulled out across traffic and the engine
died again.
The story isn't over as of yet. Because I've had so many problems, the dealer is
in discussion with Honda concerning taking this particular motorcycle back. From
what I've been told, that decision rests with the area Service Representative
from Honda. I have repeatedly told my dealer that I have no qualms with them. I
LOVE the Goldwing and I want a Goldwing... just not THIS Goldwing! Stay
tuned....
A Goldwing In The Kentucky Bluegrass - The Final (Hopefully) Chapter.
November 2003.
It has been awhile since I wrote to
this wonderful website. I have received many e-mails from the readership in
reference to the problems I had with my 2001 Honda Goldwing GL1800. I encourage
all of you to support Steve Saunders and his efforts to maintain a great
webpage, and, to e-mail one another where problems with your particular bike are
found and the manufacturer seems to ignore you. I know that the problems my 2001
Goldwing incurred became problems reported by many other owners which Honda
finally began to acknowledge. Apparently, the manufacturers begin to take notice
when large numbers of us consumers begin to complain about many of the same
faults we have discovered with our motorcycles-they sure did with mine.
Now, to bring my original story to a close (hopefully). Early this summer my
wife and I both traded our motorcycles in on new Hondas. She bought a new Honda
VTX1800 Retro and I traded my infamous 2001 GL1800 Goldwing for a new 2003
model. We bought the gas tank flame decals for the Honda Sabre 1100 and had them
affixed to the VTX1800 fuel tank and fenders. The ugly VTX emblems on both sides
of the tank were removed which made the flame decals fit more perfectly. She
added a Memphis Shades windshield and Leather Lyke saddlebags as well as Honda's
extra dual light bar for the front end. A lot of other chrome goodies were
chosen to accessorize her bike and it really looks great! Her bike always draws
more attention than my New 'Wing! The 2001 GL1800 I traded in was quickly
purchased off the floor of my favourite Honda dealer-West Side Honda in
Evansville, Indiana. By the time I traded for the new one, most of the problems
had been recognized and became recalls or other fixes. The old bike was pretty
much OK except for the slight mis-fire under throttle during cold weather. I
hope the new owner is a fair-weather rider!
The new GL has exhibited none of the problems the other one had other than a
chattering and vibration when the rear brake pedal was pressed. That turned out
to be only the second GL1800 in the United States to have a problem with the
linked braking system and was quickly diagnosed and repaired, according to my
dealer's service manager, Jim Brown (I'm beginning to think I can bring out the
worst in a Honda!). This machine, as well as the other one, is still the best
touring motorcycle ever built in my opinion. That's why I bought another
Goldwing instead of the other tourers out there. There are improvements to be
made and Honda will make them...eventually. Honda is a company that is not
necessarily know for radical and quick implementation of new styling and
engineering. They are, however, rock solid and steady in their developments in
most cases. One of the things I would like to see is a wireless intercom and
bike-to-bike system for us 'Wingers. I really get tired of connecting helmet
cords which eventually develop their own set of problems like broken wires. But,
on the whole, those of us who own them and ride them, know that a Goldwing is
the ultimate touring bike. And those of you who haven't ridden one will be
amazed at how agile they are around town. I often have the choice of riding my
GL1800 or my wife's VTX1800 and usually choose the "Lexus" of motorcycles-the
Honda GL1800 Goldwing! Again, please support Steve Saunders and e-mail one
another when problems arise. The internet is a powerful medium and you may
surprised at the support you will find among you fellow riders. Stay safe and
enjoy your bike, no matter what make it is. There's nothing that will cleanse a
cluttered mind like a relaxing ride on a motorcycle!
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