Gold Wing update....any news?

[Uncle Hud]

an edited quote from El Toro ....
I went down to Chattanooga (Southern Honda Powersports) yesterday and studied the current generation. [ ed: of Goldwing ]

I came away quite happy with the simplicity of my F6B Deluxe.

Perhaps sir, but I'll posit that the F6B and Gold Wing have separate uses. While I really like the F6B, I'd rather not try an SS1k on it, or ride from Atlanta to the Mackinac Bridge -- especially in the cold or the rain. The Gold Wing will do it with excellent rider protection and freeway manners.

No mistake: my FJR could do it, too, but I'm guessing the Wing would be drier and warmer. And that is pretty valuable when crossing three or four states in one day.

(Yes, I know that in New England one can cross three states in 90 minutes.)

 

[Old Guy]

Pretty nice detail on official Honda site. No mention of HP or torque though. I know the old engine is supposed to be great, but usually manufacturers would be bragging on the power output, especially on a redesigned 6 cyl.

My closest touring buddy has a 2017 'wing. We were in Missouri a few weeks back, and he pulled out to pass a line of cars, and I pulled out behind him. Admittedly, he went before I did, and he may have dropped a gear more than I did. But I wasn't exactly running up his tailpipe. Those things will go.

 

[El Toro]

I dont know if youve ridden an F6B.

They look like they might not give you much weather protection.

But this is an illusion. The wind tunnel work to design the fuselage and nose was quite thorough.

I was caught in the rain a few days after Id bought it. I was on an all day ride and Id brought rain gear, but I did not expect to need it, so it was stowed.

The first of three times it started raining, I thought about donning the gear ... but I noticed that my gloves, pants, body , and boots were not getting wet. The only wet was the upper part of my face shield and helmet.

I was talking to another guy with more experience on the F6B, at mid day, and he said Yeah, as long as you keep moving, these are quite decent in the rain.

Naturally, at lunch I donned the gear, so it did not rain all afternoon.

This bike is the first and only bike Ive been comfortable on for all day rides without having to buy an aftermarket seat.

I think it would be a great cross country bike. I would readily choose it over the FJR.

But then, I met a guy a few weeks ago who has ridden his modern Triumph Scrambler from AZ to ME, so ... these long distance rides are more about the rider than the bike.

I have not done an IBA ride in over a decade. This bike stirs my interest.

 

[danh600]

Never been on a gold wing. What kind of lean angle do they have? I am guessing somewhere between most cruisers and an FJR?

 

[El Toro]

The FJR is much lighter and has more power. And it is nicely balanced for sport. The suspension is decent. Ive always loved the FJR and have found that it suited me well. Ive always been puzzled by the large number of riders who find the FJR hard to deal with at low speeds.

All of the Goldwings are much heavier,have less power, but noticeably more torque. They have a low cg too.

The Wings will lean quite well if the rider has developed the poise to deal with the weight. If you have the skills, the bike is great fun in the twisties. The foot pegs are foot pegs, not cruiser floorboards. The shift lever is a normal design, rather than the heel-toe style or that wretched design they used on the ST1X00s.

I personally think it might take more time for someone to acclimate to sporty riding on a Wing compared to an FJR.

But it happens. As an example, a few months ago I was riding one of my normal up and down the plateau 50 mile backroad loops on my ZX14R. I take it at 10 over because enforcement doesnt begin until that point.

About halfway through the ride a Goldwing came in ahead of me from a side road. He started taking it at 20 over. Out of curiosity, and knowing he would be the rabbit if there were meet and greets with gendarmes, I pitched in after him.

About 15 miles later he was still going strong, through all manner of twisting and climbing. And he turned South off to the segment of 84 that runs from Monterey to Sparta.

Anyone who knows that road knows that it is a very challenging downhill, no shoulders, many switchbacks, off camber curves, and the like. I did not follow him down as I had other plans. I cut back to the 10 over rule impressed by what he was able to do with that Wing.

In my view, the ZX14R is much more nimble than the gen 2 FJRs that I have owned. If Id have wanted to pass that Wing, I would have had to do it on a straight. He was truly jiggy in the curves.

Ive wrestled Rocket 3 Tourings around for years. My new F6B out handles and out Rockets any of the R3Ts Ive owned.

I am still not a fan of the full blown GW ... but I am developing respect for it, and may end up buying the new one when there are leftovers.

 

[Old Guy]

Never been on a gold wing. What kind of lean angle do they have? I am guessing somewhere between most cruisers and an FJR?

I could drag the pegs rather easily on my 'wing, but I had to be moving pretty good to do it.

I went on some rides with other Goldwingers in north Arkansas and could keep up without dragging. Meanwhile, when we stopped others would be talking about how bad they were dragging. I think the difference was either the lines they were taking or how hard the rear suspension was set.

All in all, my '02 model could be ridden amazingly spirited without scraping.

I had a friend, though, who would scrape the engine guards. I kept telling him those hard parts will lever the front wheel off the ground. But he's still alive

 

[El Toro]

Check out the Yellow Wolf at Deals Gap videos on YouTube.

Youll see how much the rider impacts the transit.

FWIW, Ive never thought that peg scraping made sense. My best bikes for true chicanery have been supermotos and peg scraping has never been an issue with them. If youve got the ground clearance, scraping is just for the sparks.

The GW pegs do fold up though. Someone started s thread here recently about putting GW pegs on their FJR.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Yeah, the Yellow Wolf posted a few times here. Personally, I thought he was a huge bullshitter until I saw video evidence -- and there's so much video evidence that I'm convinced it's not doctored-up.

Agree, though, that it's mostly the rider and not the bike. (If I had a nickel for every time that's been posted on this Forum, I'd already have a reservation for the new Gold Wing.)

 

[MCRIDER007]

Yeah, the Yellow Wolf posted a few times here. Personally, I thought he was a huge bullshitter until I saw video evidence -- and there's so much video evidence that I'm convinced it's not doctored-up.
Agree, though, that it's mostly the rider and not the bike. (If I had a nickel for every time that's been posted on this Forum, I'd already have a reservation for the new Gold Wing.)

Don't forget that Yellow Wolf's bike was one of the first to have Traxxion's suspension upgrades which included a rebuilt shock with a much heavier spring and Traxxion's AK-20 cartridges in the front (also with much heavier springs). Yellow Wolf was pretty candid that he couldn't ride the Dragon the way he did with stock suspension.

I went the cheap route with my 03 Goldwing and installed the Traxxion rebuilt shock and the front fork spring kit (without the AK-20s) and it was a night and day difference in ride and handling although the front end still suffered on rough roads due to inadequate damping. The rear shock handled everything, it didn't have any damping adjustments but didn't need any, the damping seemed to be spot on all the time.

 

[El Toro]

Suspension upgrades for the current Gen GW are seriously labor intensive. Fred Harmon includes this in his 34 hours of GW maintenance video set. Suffice it to say that it is not for the faint of heart.

Access to the air filter is silly stupid too.

GW maintenance makes dealing with a Moto Guzzi Norge look like a walk in the park. Even simple things, like R&R of the air filter.

Beautiful day. Im going for a ride.

 

[FJRay]

I've done Progressive monotube suspension in the front and a 2014 rear shock with a 1200lb progressive spring. The White Whale handles nice for a barge but I'll bet the new one will be much improved.

 

[danh600]

GW maintenance makes dealing with a Moto Guzzi Norge look like a walk in the park. Even simple things, like R&R of the air filter.

One of the Honda dealers I frequent use to have a sign that said "Tires bought here installed free, except for on Goldwings."

Thanks guys for the discussions on an FJR vs GW. I have always wondered about that.

I have a Honda VT1300. I ride it around Florida some, but would never take it to the mountains again. The floor boards just drag too bad.

 

[El Toro]

Ive been out riding. I ran the circuit on my Tiger Explorer first. I watched my speedo to see what speeds I was running at different points. An hour on TEx followed by an hour on JAWS (great white shark).

Jaws immediately felt smoother and more like I was in a nice sedan. I enjoyed both rides ... but the Speedo told the tale ... I was typically running 5+ mph less fast on the F6B compared to the Tiger Explorer.

I could have run faster on both bikes. But it was natural to run faster on TEx than on Jaws.

 

[Uncle Hud]

In my opinion, sir, the ride isnt always about speed.

 

[Old Guy]

In my opinion, sir, the ride isnt always about speed.

Says the guy who thinks you can't get in trouble in second gear.

.

.

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OK. You're right. But it was there and I just had to be the first one to take it.

 

[El Toro]

The ride isnt always about the speed. But if youre not pressing for speed, and two bikes are quite comfortable, and one feels more secure at higher speeds, then one might choose that one over the other.

Actually, there is no do-it-all bike. I have repeatedly tried to pare down to a single bike, and it can never be done. There are always reasons to have more if budget, spouse, and space allow.

The only real constraint is the time to ride them all.

I wont own a bike that sits for its beauty any more. If its not being ridden one year, its OTD the next.

Back to the new Goldwing. The lightest version is 787 pounds. Thats got to be around 150 pounds more than an FJR. The power plant is rated as 125 HP at 5500 rpm and 125 ft-lbs of torque at 4500 rpm. So thats about 15 HP less than the FJR. The torque figure is higher though.

The new GW has car like features. Start Stop when at idle and not moving. Hill Hold Assist. Apple Car Play. The front suspension is similar in many ways to the K1600.

They all come with navigation and 10 years of free map updates.

They all come XM capable but you have buy the antenna for $99 and subscribe if you want to use it.

The frontal area is smaller than the current Wing.

Theyve all got heated grips.

The Tour model has electronic suspension adjustment that is also tied to the traction control through Honda Selective Torque Control. It also has standard heated seats and standard center-stand. And, of course, the 50 liter top box.

Hondas Dual Clutch Transmission models have walking mode. Up to 1.1 mph in forward and up to .75 mph in reverse.

You can add a foot lever to the DCT models if you cant operate (or dont like) the paddles on the left grip, turning the Goldwing DCT into the only current model offered in the USA comparable in shift capability to a YCCS equipped FJR.

Of the discounters, Russellville in Arkansas is being most aggressive right now. Theyre actually taking deposits. Southern Honda in Chattanooga is taking names for test rides. I havent seen any action at Rockingham over in NC.

Delivery dates promised run the gamut from November to March.

Likely delivery dates will probably begin in the new year, say February.

 

[DesignFlaw06]

One of the Honda dealers I frequent use to have a sign that said "Tires bought here installed free, except for on Goldwings."

The 1500 was the pain in the ass to change the rear tire. The 1800 made it 100x easier. That's when our local shop took their sign down.

 

[El Toro]

The current model does have a single-sided swing arm, as does the new one.

 

[Old Guy]

One of the Honda dealers I frequent use to have a sign that said "Tires bought here installed free, except for on Goldwings."

The 1500 was the pain in the ass to change the rear tire. The 1800 made it 100x easier. That's when our local shop took their sign down.

Ah. That explains it. I replaced the rear shock on my 1800, and it was a nightmare. Valve checks were a snap. The air filter, as previously mentioned, was just silly.

 

[El Toro]

The owner's manual is now available as a free download for the new GW. 246 pages with a separate 85 page manual for the audio system.

I went through the 246 pages. Valve checks are now necessary at 24,000 mile increments instead of the former 32,000 mile increments.

They've included a parking brake in addition to the other car based tomfoolery that was noted above.

The Troubleshooting section is quite lengthy. Lots of things can go wrong and have idiot lights to warn you about them. Even things that would seem unnecessary, like the clutch overheating while riding ... maybe that's just for the DCT models.

The new engine is 1833 ccs compared to the current engine's 1832 ccs, but according to Honda, they share no common parts.

I would say that anyone who buys this in the first year is rolling the dice. There are a large number of untested, unproven subsystems on this bike.

The owner's manual for the new Honda is the most complex I've ever seen. It's nuttier than the manual for my first year K1600GTL.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the current model of the FJR would appeal to the target market more than the updated Wing.

Discounters are already cutting prices. If you're interested in a deal, Honda of Russellville (in Arkansas) has a very sharp pencil, and they're taking deposits for February delivery.

After reading the owner's manual, I've lost interest.