Picture Page 10

The Birmingham Motorcycle & Scooter Show.

NEC, November 9th-19th, 2000.

This page contains mostly photo's of the new 1832cc Honda Goldwing, and a few other bikes too. Many people have posted pictures of the new Goldwing on their homepages and in order to be a bit different I decided to take lots of close-ups of various parts of the Wing because of the current absence of brochures on this major new model. I really like the new Goldwing, although there are a couple of minor niggles. If anyone wants one of the photo's on this page sent to them as a large Jpeg file (1.5 megabytes) with plenty of detail for printing purposes, then e-mail me, I wasn't prepared to upload over 30 megabytes onto my server space, but I will happily send the occasional one to a visitor, if required. This page will only be available until the GL1800 starts to appear on Irish roads and then we can all see it in the flesh! After that (probably March 2001, according to Tony Bannon of Capital Motorcycles, Dublin) I will delete this page from my server.

Click on the thumbnails to view the larger images.

Although at first glance this bike doesn't scream "GOLDWING" at you, the new GL1800 does have a distinctive character of it's own. Mind you, when I owned a GL1100 years ago I didn't really like the GL1500, that is until I rode one. From then on I was converted and couldn't get a 1500 quick enough. The model grew on me after that and I have had a total of three 1500's to date-two of them from new! Honda must have been sorely tempted to follow the traditional line with the new Goldwing and thrown such things as TV sets, cookers, kitchen sinks, more weight etc. at the 1800, but this time they have made a bike that looks less of a toy and the result is a machine that I for one will be quite happy to ride every day, instead of saving it for Sunday use only! I wouldn't mind betting that after 25 years, the 1800 is the Goldwing that will definitely appeal to the younger (25-30 year old) bikers and may even tempt many of the BMW & Guzzi touring types too. Don't worry lads, for those who like to add bits & pieces to their Goldwings, the Hondaline range for the new Wing is absolutely huge, perhaps Honda have taken a leaf from the Harley sales machine and are not going to let the aftermarket folks have it all their own way this time. Well done Honda.

Dylan was a hit with the ladies this year, I wish I had as much luck! Lisa from Solihull is in the first picture and Gineen in the second. If you look at the mirror and the screen garnish in the second picture, you will get an idea of how different light affects the new "Illusion Red" paint. Dull light makes it look similar to the candy red on the GL1500 and bright light makes it look almost rust coloured. The pictures can't do it justice and it looks really nice in the flesh. For those of us who have already ordered a GL1800, I'm afraid the price in Ireland is not looking too good at present. The sick Euro means that Honda expect the price to be at least IR£23,000, ouch!

That exhaust looks really cool and the close-up of one headlamp shows some of the detail. The second shot is a copy of the exhaust shot, and shows the colour change in different light. I did this in Photoshop and it is intended as a guide only.

Getting to sit on the Goldwing wasn't easy as there was a constant line of people. The footpegs were nicely positioned, probably a little further forward than the 1500, relatively speaking. I noticed that the over six-footers knees were rubbing against the fairing and one big guy (who owns a GL1500) couldn't get his shins away from the fairing no matter which way he shifted. I stood looking at people getting on the Wing for about twenty minutes and the folks under six feet tall fitted into the bikes shape quite nicely.

The ABS model is distinguishable by this badge and the extra brake lines. Both models have three-pot calipers. The rear lighting setup might not appear as complete as the GL1500 or GL1200, but I guarantee that the new lights will be much more visible than ever. Mind you, the cagers will probably still run into the back of an occasional 1800 and say they didn't see us!

The windshield adjuster proved a bit fiddly and imprecise in operation on the red bike. The blue one was cordoned off and out of reach so I was unable to check that aspect out. The handlebars are squarish looking and do not seem to be adjustable. I may be mistaken on this and if anyone out there has more information, please let me know. The bars are definitely shorter than the GL1500 and the rider sits 50mm closer to the fairing. Because of this the fairing is slimmer than the GL1500 and results in 10% less drag. The black painted finish on the inside of the windshield (on both bikes) was scraped off in places and the screens did not look to be a snug fit. Honda have had twenty years since the GL1100 to get this right!

No doubt the aftermarket suppliers will have a chromed ABS cover for the rough finished alloy frame, I hope it will cover the VIN plate as well. What a place to put it on such a refined machine as the Goldwing! Allen head bolts are in abundance on this machine, unlike the practice on the GL1500, which was to conceal the fastenings. The alloy frame apparently has over twice the lateral rigidity of the GL1500 and over 75% more torsional rigidity. Not only that, the new frame is made of 31 seperate components, compared to 130 pieces for the 1500's steel frame.

Close-ups of the front area and the trunk. You can see the area below the flap which houses the CD player & CB radio. You lose no space with the unit in the trunk and I think it was a brilliant idea. The trunk looks just as big (or bigger) than the GL1500. By the way, in spite of the general opinion that the US and European specifications are the same, there was no CB radio ptt switch on either of the two bikes at the show. More nightmare wiring jobs? On the other hand, there is a possibility that the 1800's coming to Ireland will have the CD player supplied as standard.

The passenger footboards are not adjustable for height but are nicely finished at the back. The grey plastic piece at the rear of the side covers rattled if you even breathed on it! I overheard a few guys saying that they thought the general design of the new Wing had been a hurried affair and this was reflected in some parts of the bike and in some absent friends, like the onboard compressor and screen vent etc. No doubt some of these things will be available as extras in due course.

Pannier space looks a little less than the 1500, but the damper on the lids is a nice touch.

Radio controls look easy to use through gloves and the side mounted radiators will probably emit more heat to the fairing vents and our cold legs because they are mounted only a couple of inches apart. The handlebar switches don't light up although apparently the switch housing for the radio/CB/CD player do.

The rear speaker housing (the speakers are optional extras) and storage pocket will feel familiar to seasoned GL1500 pillion riders. The seat looks wider and is 50mm deeper for the passenger and the riders area is sculpted nicely and allows the short legged to plant their feet firmly on the turf when at a standstill.

The longer rocker covers could have caused problems with the riders toes catching them while changing gear (it happens sometimes on the 1500's), but Honda overcame this by reshaping the rear lower area. Nice touch. The need to save space has forced Honda to ditch the timing belts and hydraulic valve adjusters in favour of timing chain and shim & bucket valve gear. Hopefully the timing gear will be better than the stuff of old, which could have been made of putty. The headlamp adjuster is handy to get at and the rear suspension buttons look less fiddly to play with than before.

Opinion on the mirror indicators was divided among visitors that I spoke to. I liked them but I think clear indicator lenses all round (as on the 1998-2000 US 1500's) would have looked even better.

For those who want to fit tent racks to the 1800, Kevin Reynolds from Dublin took this photo at the show and this is his opinion; The left hand side is quite dark but you can see the first bolt near the bottom right hand side. Believe me, there is a second bolt in that darkness. The subframe looks like the subframe on the 1500. On the 1500 I use a low tent rack that is fitted by using longer bolts in place of the two bolts that attach each pannier to the subframe. I think a similar design will be possible on the 1800. There has been a lot of talk about whether a tow bar can be fitted to the 1800 with a single swing arm. I'll be happy with a rack.

Picture Page 11

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