Hiya BestBuddyBob!BigBob said:
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2018 Honda Gold Wing Unveiled today
- Thread starter mebgardner
- Start date
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fredz43
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It's nice to have a part time retirement job at my local Honda/Yamaha dealer. I'll take one out on a private ride as soon as they have one (unsold, that is). First delivery is scheduled for January and it might be a bit cold here in IL though. ;D
Dogdaze
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As Yamaha has gone and almost made the Nxen three wheeler, I'll expect Honda to soon follow with the Neowing, now that is something I could buy.
This is not even a crowded day where I park and when people park their CanAm Spyders they take the room of three bikes. Three wheelers are NOT appreciated by the rest of us for commuting.
hawk281
started on a "enduro" now riding another 46 years
Where in Illinois, I grew up in the Edwardsville area and rode my Honda SL175 to school there.fredz43 said:
Checkswrecks said:
It's hard for me to think of the Spyders as bikes. How does MD classify them? I know Florida, and some other states, does not require a motorcycle endorsement/license for them. At least the Niken would be about the same width as a "regular" bike.
fredz43
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Hi Hawk,hawk281 said:
The dealer is Niehaus Cycle Sales in Litchfield. I am 10 miles east of there in Hillsboro.
The new Gold Wing and the new Yamaha touring bike both look nice. I stopped reading about the Yamaha when I got to the air cooled V twin part. It will be interesting to see what the magazine comparison tests turn up. Neither one really interests me now...maybe when I get old. I'm only 61 years young!
Sierra1 said:
I've seen them with m/c plates.
mebgardner
Active Member
What I think about the new Yamaha Venture is, Yamaha figured out they have just this one remaining market (USA) where they can sell something that has that 1850cc air cooled motor.magic said:
"Oh, well it saves weight to be air cooled". I call BS! "Oh, you mean it does not meet Euro4 standards? No Sale Here! Go sell in USA..."
Such a shame Yamaha spent what they did to bring this machine to our shores, and it's an air cooled motor. Too Bad...
That, and I'm supposed to be impressed with what? about 80 HP to move this 900 lb. machine around with? Nope, not me!
OTOH, this Honda machine. Hmmmm, wait, it's heavier than our Tenere? Oh. If I was planning for a heavier cycle than what I've got now, I'm leaning towards the Gold Wing.
But, I'm Not! So, maybe I should just be Thankful I can Handle the Handful I Got (the Tenere).
If you did not catch my drift there, I'm looking for something lighter, and this year promises to be The Year of the Middleweight ADVs.
Yay!
They also have Indian!!! Nice to get stuff close to cost.Checkswrecks said:Hiya BestBuddyBob!
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hawk281
started on a "enduro" now riding another 46 years
I was back there in May, didn't bring my bike, but I think I found the old farm I grew up on. Its only been 40 years. Good to meet you. the dealer I dealt with in the past for my Triumph and Honda was Granite City Honda/BSA. Been a long time.fredz43 said:
Cycledude
Well-Known Member
So far I’m very impressed with the new wing ! Really looking forward to seeing one in real life and hopefully taking one for a test ride.
Not your Daddy's Wing for sure. I like what I see and imagine it will be an awesome ride. I'll rent the standard model since my wife doesn't ride. I'd like to rent the DCT also that walk and reverse button would be nice parking and moving around in shop. Rented Wings before and never thought of owning one but you only grow old once ;D
Dirt_Dad
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Always had a mild curiosity for the Wing. My wife refuses to ride on the back of a bike, so I just can't justify getting one. She has offered to ride me around on a wing...I'm not ready for that yet. ;D
Dogdaze
Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, a couple of posts mentioned liking the idea of the reverse gear, in Europe the GW has had reverse for a long time, a friend of mine had one, an early 1800 2003/4 and it had reverse. Even the BMW LT had one..........
whereisbobl
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RANT ON
My biggest problems with the last model gold wing were the poor range and the relatively small trunk (compared to Harley). I could not even get two helmets into it and with it's slanted surface, packing a bunch of crap on top was a no-go. Plus, it's surprisingly low cargo weight limit. The bags, while they looked huge, did not pack all that well but were tolerable. And the lack of ABS without buying the top end model was a killer for me. The weight of the bike was not a big concern as it handled it well. The passenger seat was great, the rider seat was all wrong for me, but that is ergonomics, that might be able to be changed. The pegs had my feet hitting the engine, and my knees hit the fairing, both of which seems to be better now, but would have to try one.
The new bike has ABS. Everything else seems to have gotten worse (Except the windshield). Honda keeps saying it shed 90 pounds, but I am calling BS, from my calcs it is more like 63 #
Using numbers from their website:
2017 bike: - 904-933 pounds, depending on option packages selected (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel-ready to ride)
Fuel Capacity 6.6 gallons
2018 Bike, base tour model: 833 #
904 - 833 - 8# (gas weight) = 63#
Still, a significant improvement, and I suspect it will feel more like 100# lost with the other improvements.
For me, I would like to see a truly base model. All of the comfort and luggage capacity and none of the electronics other than ABS. But then, no manufacturer has ever designed anything for me. (They would go broke) They go for the "Average". If they polled people who had hundreds of thousands of miles on their wings, who have bought more than one, I bet they would have heard the following: More range, lighter, bigger trunk, longer lasting tires, electric windshield (got that right), more cargo weight capacity, and maybe more comfort options.
It's funny that they said that "Most" of GW riders trips are short and they don't fill the luggage or whatever the wording was. With that logic, since most people I know with Pickup Trucks do "Most" of their trips with nothing in the bed, they should just do away with the bed entirely. Forget that there is an occasional need to put bikes, tools, firewood, etc in the back. We don't necessarily buy vehicles to support "Most" of our use, we buy them for the ability to support ALL our intended uses.
Anyway, I have been on the fence on GW's for a while, but I guess I will have to keep my ST1300 for a bit longer.
RANT OFF --- for now 8)
My biggest problems with the last model gold wing were the poor range and the relatively small trunk (compared to Harley). I could not even get two helmets into it and with it's slanted surface, packing a bunch of crap on top was a no-go. Plus, it's surprisingly low cargo weight limit. The bags, while they looked huge, did not pack all that well but were tolerable. And the lack of ABS without buying the top end model was a killer for me. The weight of the bike was not a big concern as it handled it well. The passenger seat was great, the rider seat was all wrong for me, but that is ergonomics, that might be able to be changed. The pegs had my feet hitting the engine, and my knees hit the fairing, both of which seems to be better now, but would have to try one.
The new bike has ABS. Everything else seems to have gotten worse (Except the windshield). Honda keeps saying it shed 90 pounds, but I am calling BS, from my calcs it is more like 63 #
Using numbers from their website:
2017 bike: - 904-933 pounds, depending on option packages selected (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel-ready to ride)
Fuel Capacity 6.6 gallons
2018 Bike, base tour model: 833 #
904 - 833 - 8# (gas weight) = 63#
Still, a significant improvement, and I suspect it will feel more like 100# lost with the other improvements.
For me, I would like to see a truly base model. All of the comfort and luggage capacity and none of the electronics other than ABS. But then, no manufacturer has ever designed anything for me. (They would go broke) They go for the "Average". If they polled people who had hundreds of thousands of miles on their wings, who have bought more than one, I bet they would have heard the following: More range, lighter, bigger trunk, longer lasting tires, electric windshield (got that right), more cargo weight capacity, and maybe more comfort options.
It's funny that they said that "Most" of GW riders trips are short and they don't fill the luggage or whatever the wording was. With that logic, since most people I know with Pickup Trucks do "Most" of their trips with nothing in the bed, they should just do away with the bed entirely. Forget that there is an occasional need to put bikes, tools, firewood, etc in the back. We don't necessarily buy vehicles to support "Most" of our use, we buy them for the ability to support ALL our intended uses.
Anyway, I have been on the fence on GW's for a while, but I guess I will have to keep my ST1300 for a bit longer.
RANT OFF --- for now 8)
whereisbobl
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The DCT Model has a reverse and forward walking mode gear powered by the engine. The previous models and the 2018 manual transmission models use the starter motor for reverse. In my opinion, with the new front suspension a reverse is a must. You cannot bounce the front forks to reverse the bike like you can with standard forks. BMW telelever has the same issue.Dogdaze said:
fredz43
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My local small town dealer, who happens to have a large following of Gold Wing customers, told me today that he has 6 already presold, all of them DCT.
R
RonH
Guest
Very sad day when motorcycles are offered with any form of automatic transmission. Leave that crap in a Buick in my opinion. I like my 2008 Goldwing immensely, but DCT is not ever going to happen in my life and smaller cargo capacity is a deal killer for me. Wife and I take off on a trip, the old GL1800 barely fits the bare essentials, the new one no way.
ABS I don't want, so was happy the older ones were available without ABS. Of course we all have ABS on our super teneres, but if I had choice I would not have ABS on the tenere.
Just my views. I like most what they did, and hope the best. It looks like it will be a big hit. For a long distance solo bike it should be perfect for a lot of riders, two up I think the bike has lost a lot vs the previous GL1800.
ABS I don't want, so was happy the older ones were available without ABS. Of course we all have ABS on our super teneres, but if I had choice I would not have ABS on the tenere.
Just my views. I like most what they did, and hope the best. It looks like it will be a big hit. For a long distance solo bike it should be perfect for a lot of riders, two up I think the bike has lost a lot vs the previous GL1800.