Gold Wing update....any news?

[hppants]

On price point alone, I would declare the FJR and the new Goldwing as apples and oranges.

But after reading El Toros informative details, its way beyond price. The new G/w has more in common with a H/D touring bike then the fjr. The new venture would be a closer comparison IMO.

 

[El Toro]

As a big v-twin, the new (delayed release) Venture is a cross between Victory and Harley.

I think the new Goldwing is a cross between K1600 and Accord.

 

[Uncle Hud]

hppants posted: The new G/w has more in common with a H/D touring bike then the fjr.

Dude! That's a really cutting statement! Give the Honda engineers a little credit for keeping Gold Wings at the forefront of moto-touring since 1975!

Sure, early adopters are rolling the dice .... but comparing it to a Harley!?!?!? I expect there will be a few issues, but I also expect that Honda will stand behind their product and make things right.

I'll be looking seriously at this rolling sofa before 2020.

 

[El Toro]

hppants posted: The new G/w has more in common with a H/D touring bike then the fjr.

Dude! That's a really cutting statement! Give the Honda engineers a little credit for keeping Gold Wings at the forefront of moto-touring since 1975!

Sure, early adopters are rolling the dice .... but comparing it to a Harley!?!?!? I expect there will be a few issues, but I also expect that Honda will stand behind their product and make things right.

I'll be looking seriously at this rolling sofa before 2020.

That's for sure. Honda has always been good about support and there are dealers everywhere.

One thing is that this will require serious training for their technicians. They've never done anything like this before. If you've ever worked on one, you know that Goldwings are quite complex. They're quite reliable and do not require much maintenance, but when you do have to get in under the tupperware, its tedious and can be like dealing with a Chinese puzzle.

Nevertheless, if it turns out that the bikes are solid through the first year, I'll be looking for a leftover next Fall. I had planned on buying one of the first ones, and I'm not going to do that now. I will take them up on the test ride though.

The honest truth is that the leftover 2017s, which are clearly proven, are looking pretty good.

You had mentioned in an earlier post that you thought the full blown Wing would be better than the F6B for long tours, and I indicated that the F6B is actually pretty nice for that purpose.

As I've learned more, and as I've tried to understand why I have never been attracted to the full blown Wing, I've realized that the issue is the seat. And others have pointed this out too. I'm not the only guy with a seat fixation.

On the full blown Wing, the rider's seat is compromised by the close proximity of the pillion's seat. At least for me.

I have a genuine "Princess and the Pea" level of sensitivity. And I like to wear kevlar lined jeans, which are horrible on most seats due to the stupid way they sew the kevlar jeans together at your butt.

Any seat that will let me ride all day in those kind of jeans is a good seat. So far, in my history of motorcycling, there have only been a few great seats. There were two Corbins (one on an ST1100 and one on a V-Strom). There have been many custom made Russells that were up to the task ... but some were not. Even a Russell could not save the K1600 for me, and I was not as happy as I'd hope with my Russell on my FJRs. And now comes the Honda F6B stock seat, which is like sitting on a nice firm, pillowed bench with a large seating area. It is nothing like the full blown Wing's seat, and for me, it is the better choice.

For me, the seat is always a make or break deal.

If I were giving myself advice, it would be to ditch the kevlar jeans. It might be good advice. I know that my Vanson textile and leathers are more comfortable on the bike and are less seat dependent. But at the same time, when I ride somewhere, I like to hop off the bike and do my stuff without an immediate wardrobe change. Maybe an Aerostitch suit would be a good solution, except wearing more clothes in our climate isn't always comfortable. I like the kevlar jeans and either a textile mesh, or leather jacket.

Back to the Goldwing, if I buy a leftover 2018 Wing, it will be the model that replaces the F6B, and not the full blown Tour model ... but for me, it will be the better touring choice.

YMMV

 

[Uncle Hud]

El Toro posted: <snip, snip> Maybe an Aerostitch suit would be a good solution, except wearing more clothes in our climate isn't always comfortable.

<whispered> My climate isn't very different from yours. The Aerostich one-piece can be warm, but has plenty of ventilation openings. It does come off in

-- no kidding -- so it's easy to jettison it for the shorts and t-shirt I wear underneath in the summer. If you switch from boots to flip-flops, you'll be mighty comfy when you walk in the restaurant door.
If I DO get a Gold Wing, will I have to sign a document obligating me to wear a vest with all those Gold Wing pins?

 

[El Toro]

El Toro posted: <snip, snip> Maybe an Aerostitch suit would be a good solution, except wearing more clothes in our climate isn't always comfortable.

If I DO get a Gold Wing, will I have to sign a document obligating me to wear a vest with all those Gold Wing pins

I sure hope not. That would be a deal breaker for me.

I have never been a fan. The Goldwing came out two years after I'd left the Honda dealership where I'd worked through undergraduate studies.

I had friends who I'd left behind, and I headed for Georgia Tech.

The friends would give me reports. The whole idea of the Goldwing just boggled my mind when it was released. Who needed that much engine and who could possibly even think about that much weight?

But here we are 42 years later, and it's a model that continues to survive. I think that those vests and pins are sort of Harleyesque, but I don't know much about either Goldwings or Harleys.

I'll have to consider the Aerostich solution. I'd not thought about wearing shorts and a T shirt under. If there were good ventilation, that might help.

Incidentally, as bad as our climate is in the summer ... I remember yours as worse. So you do know what you're talking about when it comes to riding in hot weather.

 

[Bounce]

First Gen GL1800s had teething problems that took concerted efforts by those who experienced frames breaking along the major welds to get resolution. Once this hand full of people pushed long and hard enough, others benefited from the recall frame fix (which meant tearing the bike down to the frame then reassembly once it was re-welded).

During that gap, all the owners with broken frames had to pay for the fix, deal with the down time, and so forth.

I'll say again, wait 3 years for others to mess with those headaches.

 

[El Toro]

Yeah, it was the frame recall that was bugging me.

I did not know that Honda stiffed the early failure victims until they were forced to make good.

That sucks.

 

[hppants]

I wasn't "dissing" the G/W by comparing it to a Hardley. Everyone knows about the reliability of the G/W and anything that last 40+ years is surely loaded with reliability that speaks for itself.

My comment was directed in comparing the upcoming G/W to the FJR, or any sport touring motorcycle. I do not think it is anything resembling a S/T bike, and if Honda is thinking that this will take the place of the (now antiquated) ST1300, or even the FB6 (or whatever it's called), then they are going to miss the mark.

The new G/W will attract the same buyers as the old one. People looking seriously at the FJR won't give it 5 minutes of their time....

 

[El Toro]

The new base model is an ST type bike, like the K1600GT, for guys that arent bothered by the extra weight.

The new Tour model is more in the class of the K1600GTL, ie a true luxury touring bike.

Honda is doing like Yamaha ... the bikes for other countries may include features that are not available on the US models.

For example, the US version of the base model does not include the (in)famous GW starter motor driven reverse. In other countries it is included.

American Hondas decision to force people who want the air bag to also buy the DCT is rubbing some the wrong way too.

 

[Old Guy]

Yeah, it was the frame recall that was bugging me.
I did not know that Honda stiffed the early failure victims until they were forced to make good.

That sucks.

Don't forget the overheating issue. As I remember the Internet was aware of overheating issues long before Honda was.

 

[FJRay]

The stock fans on the gl1800 blow forward so when going slow on hot days the normal air flow and the fans counteract each other and things get hot. Reversing the fans helps a lot but is a pain in the ass. The other way is to just pull over and let it idle or get the speed up and the fans turn off. 06 and later have bigger radiators but still have backwards fans. Maybe Honda changed it on the 18.

 

[user 8909]

You guys should be ashamed or yourselves, this is a FJR Forum for crying out loud!

 

[El Toro]

And this is the Other Bikes sub forum.

 

[SLK50]

They should be more ashamed for revealing their age.

 

[Old Guy]

The stock fans on the gl1800 blow forward so when going slow on hot days the normal air flow and the fans counteract each other and things get hot. Reversing the fans helps a lot but is a pain in the ass. The other way is to just pull over and let it idle or get the speed up and the fans turn off. 06 and later have bigger radiators but still have backwards fans. Maybe Honda changed it on the 18.

Honda replaced the ECU on mine under a recall. The point I was making is that my '02 had a problem that Honda didn't recognize until a lot of people griped.

Mine would overheat in slow traffic until the recall.

 

[El Toro]

I wondered how this heat issue had been dealt with. It is discussed in the 2016 owners manual.

They say that if you ride at 10 to 15 mph in extreme heat, the needle may rise toward the red. They suggest shifting to a different gear. They say that if you get to the red, stop as soon as you can and just let it idle to cool it down.

Of the four Gen 2 FJRs Ive owned, only one gave overheating symptoms. That was the first 2009. After spirited runs, it would get pretty hot on the gauge if you dropped into heavy traffic. But it never boiled over.

Supposedly the Goldwings are unlikely to boil over either. My F6B stays right below the middle of the range, in virtually all conditions so far.

 

[Old Guy]

I saw mine get pretty hot a few times before the recall, but it never boiled over. Some people said the "fix" just involved making the temp gauge read a little lower

It was addressed, but I'm not surprised at the warning in later models.

 

[jonjonboo]

Product designers from Honda America polled riders several years ago with what they wanted in a modern touring motorcycle and concluded that it would be in the best interest of Honda to produce what they have called "the best of both worlds" resulting in the new version of the Goldwing (a sportier version). Keep in mind that their design is intended for touring more than sport, one of the reasons the Honda ST is classified as a touring bike (for insurance reasons it has a cheaper rate for those of you that didn't know that some good info). I have researched the subject of touring versus sport in regards of the ST versus FJR for several years now, its a fact that Honda has chosen to be more of the touring side of the sport tour design. The 2018 Goldwing is SPORTY yet it is a tourer which is just the bike I want which meets all my needs, for those that choose a SPORT bike and like to ride long distances on it I imagine the FJR is the best choice (enjoy your impending pain)

 

[Old Guy]

Product designers from Honda America polled riders several years ago with what they wanted in a modern touring motorcycle and concluded that it would be in the best interest of Honda to produce what they have called "the best of both worlds" resulting in the new version of the Goldwing (a sportier version). Keep in mind that their design is intended for touring more than sport, one of the reasons the Honda ST is classified as a touring bike (for insurance reasons it has a cheaper rate for those of you that didn't know that some good info). I have researched the subject of touring versus sport in regards of the ST versus FJR for several years now, its a fact that Honda has chosen to be more of the touring side of the sport tour design. The 2018 Goldwing is SPORTY yet it is a tourer which is just the bike I want which meets all my needs, for those that choose a SPORT bike and like to ride long distances on it I imagine the FJR is the best choice (enjoy your impending pain)

I enjoyed that last line. I went from a Goldwing to the FJR because I couldn't take the pain anymore. The bolt-upright sitting position on the 'wing just killed my degenerative disk disease, and I couldn't go more than 100 miles or so without a back brace. The FJR leans me forward slightly, and I can do 600+ miles daily without the pain. I've not had the back brace on since buying the FJR in March of 2013. That was 63,000 miles ago.