76 Goldwing...
Discussion
I can't explain it but I keep getting drawn to the classics that I grew up with.
One of my favs was the original Goldwing, a friend's dad had one in yellow when we were haring around on our first road bikes and I always loved it. Seemed so cool, big, classy and just ran so well. Trips on the back were always an occasion.
So this little beauty has popped up local to me and I'm seriously tempted, especially as I might have sold the Black 1098S so there's room in the garage.
Or is it a case of never meet your hero's???
One of my favs was the original Goldwing, a friend's dad had one in yellow when we were haring around on our first road bikes and I always loved it. Seemed so cool, big, classy and just ran so well. Trips on the back were always an occasion.
So this little beauty has popped up local to me and I'm seriously tempted, especially as I might have sold the Black 1098S so there's room in the garage.
Or is it a case of never meet your hero's???
Edited by Steve Bass on Wednesday 30th April 15:35
MrAndyW said:
The only concern would be the exhausts. See ifthe carbs have been jetted to suit,if needed.
original exhaust are very,very rare and expensive.
They are just like an old car (or woman) Need a little bit of tinkering with,every now and then.
I might pop along and give it a look over and gauge the sellers flexibility.
I suspect I'll be visiting the model specific forums but at least I have relatively easy access to the US market where there's lots of support for these bikes......
I'd get it...how to pay for it? How to justify it? ...easy get rid of one of those grossly overrated Ducati thingy mi bobs you have.
........now ..you've picked yourself up!...you should have a baseline of how much you want that Gold Wing....
I've added a smiley face, some hearts and an angel...just that it's impossible to do it on this site
........now ..you've picked yourself up!...you should have a baseline of how much you want that Gold Wing....
I've added a smiley face, some hearts and an angel...just that it's impossible to do it on this site
Triaguar said:
I'd get it...how to pay for it? How to justify it? ...easy get rid of one of those grossly overrated Ducati thingy mi bobs you have.
........now ..you've picked yourself up!...you should have a baseline of how much you want that Gold Wing....
I've added a smiley face, some hearts and an angel...just that it's impossible to do it on this site
Too late me thinks!........now ..you've picked yourself up!...you should have a baseline of how much you want that Gold Wing....
I've added a smiley face, some hearts and an angel...just that it's impossible to do it on this site
I've gone right past the justification phase to figuring out spares sources, common problems, carb rebuild kits etc... I even have eastern ontario's best bike painter around the corner...... Hmm, I feel a rabbit hole approaching.
Now for the chilled Barbour riding jacket, hipster goatee and impossibly cool shades...
Go for it, at 23.000 mls this is just properly ridden-in, looks well-kept and has good Honda basic quality.
I would not renew the paint, those classic candy lacquers fade and it does not look bad for almost 50 years,
all part of the bike´s history, there is only one paintjob done in the factory.
Wheel refurb reads OK, I would do some subtle upgrades that do not change the looks,
check out if there are new springs & internals available for the fork, maybe drill the discs 70s style,
new headstock bearings, swingarm bearings & shocks ?
Those floating brake calipers need to be cleaned, lubed and looked after, but it seems the previous owner knew that.
The seat foam ages sometimes, although Hondas of that age had Bridgestone padding with India rubber content.
I would not renew the paint, those classic candy lacquers fade and it does not look bad for almost 50 years,
all part of the bike´s history, there is only one paintjob done in the factory.
Wheel refurb reads OK, I would do some subtle upgrades that do not change the looks,
check out if there are new springs & internals available for the fork, maybe drill the discs 70s style,
new headstock bearings, swingarm bearings & shocks ?
Those floating brake calipers need to be cleaned, lubed and looked after, but it seems the previous owner knew that.
The seat foam ages sometimes, although Hondas of that age had Bridgestone padding with India rubber content.
Steve Bass said:
Too late me thinks!
I've gone right past the justification phase to figuring out spares sources, common problems, carb rebuild kits etc... I even have eastern ontario's best bike painter around the corner...... Hmm, I feel a rabbit hole approaching.
Now for the chilled Barbour riding jacket, hipster goatee and impossibly cool shades...
Justification works itself out.I've gone right past the justification phase to figuring out spares sources, common problems, carb rebuild kits etc... I even have eastern ontario's best bike painter around the corner...... Hmm, I feel a rabbit hole approaching.
Now for the chilled Barbour riding jacket, hipster goatee and impossibly cool shades...
I just bought a really beautiful little Amal TT type carburetter for a 250cc engine. It's tiny but lovely, rare and suitably expensive.
I was talking to my old man last night about it and he asked why I wanted it. I said I'm going to build another engine for the MOV Velocette, but I plan to build it as a faster engine. Get it ported, higher compression, different cam etc.
Great he says, how much of the engine have you got?
Well, soon I'll have a carburettor...
That's how justification works
srob said:
…Great he says, how much of the engine have you got?
Well, soon I'll have a carburettor...
That's how justification works
I’ve got 2 Corgis (OK, one’s a Papoose) but I’d really like a Welbike. I’ve managed to find a genuine Welbike brake pedal…it’s a start.Well, soon I'll have a carburettor...
That's how justification works
I quite like the early Gold Wings. Very advanced for the time. Seemed very big in the day, but now they could almost pass as a middleweight. The 70s was my memorable biking era, so I’d go for it
srob said:
Justification works itself out.
I just bought a really beautiful little Amal TT type carburetter for a 250cc engine. It's tiny but lovely, rare and suitably expensive.
I was talking to my old man last night about it and he asked why I wanted it. I said I'm going to build another engine for the MOV Velocette, but I plan to build it as a faster engine. Get it ported, higher compression, different cam etc.
Great he says, how much of the engine have you got?
Well, soon I'll have a carburettor...
That's how justification works
I swear we must be related!!I just bought a really beautiful little Amal TT type carburetter for a 250cc engine. It's tiny but lovely, rare and suitably expensive.
I was talking to my old man last night about it and he asked why I wanted it. I said I'm going to build another engine for the MOV Velocette, but I plan to build it as a faster engine. Get it ported, higher compression, different cam etc.
Great he says, how much of the engine have you got?
Well, soon I'll have a carburettor...
That's how justification works
I bought the 998 track bike because I had a set of Ohlins forks going unused!!
Beautiful bike
I saw my first in 1975 when I parked my Honda SS50 next to one.
I got into cars but after university where I dabbled with a CB175, I got a job selling motorcycles, passed my test in a CB250RS and was going to buy a metallic red CX500A.
It was not to be. I saw my dream red Gold Wing, PRR 580R fitted with a large perspex screen, rear panniers and a superb custom King and Queen seat that was the most comfortable seat in earth and passengers were similarly enamoured by it.
Long story short, I bought it and spent 2 years using it every day. It was sublime and turbine-like in its power delivery, supremely comfortable and it would do about 40mpg. It came to an end on a gloriously sunny New Years Eve when the rear shocks faded, the bike went into a tank slapper at 80 -90 mph and slid down a dual carriageway for some distance before I eventually let it go. The flat door protected me and I had no injuries.
I rebuilt the bike on very limited wages and then the clutch went so I was forced into moving it on.
In short, what a bike! OK, a bit of wallow in the corners and the only bike I've almost opposite locked back into line. I later had a CBR1000, in later years but though a great bike, it wasn't a Wing.
I saw my first in 1975 when I parked my Honda SS50 next to one.
I got into cars but after university where I dabbled with a CB175, I got a job selling motorcycles, passed my test in a CB250RS and was going to buy a metallic red CX500A.
It was not to be. I saw my dream red Gold Wing, PRR 580R fitted with a large perspex screen, rear panniers and a superb custom King and Queen seat that was the most comfortable seat in earth and passengers were similarly enamoured by it.
Long story short, I bought it and spent 2 years using it every day. It was sublime and turbine-like in its power delivery, supremely comfortable and it would do about 40mpg. It came to an end on a gloriously sunny New Years Eve when the rear shocks faded, the bike went into a tank slapper at 80 -90 mph and slid down a dual carriageway for some distance before I eventually let it go. The flat door protected me and I had no injuries.
I rebuilt the bike on very limited wages and then the clutch went so I was forced into moving it on.
In short, what a bike! OK, a bit of wallow in the corners and the only bike I've almost opposite locked back into line. I later had a CBR1000, in later years but though a great bike, it wasn't a Wing.
In 1973 I was just working Saturdays before going ful time at a small motorcycle shop, mostly second hand British bikes and just starting to sell some new Japanese bikes. The owner asked me to get a bike out of the back of the van, an old rusty Commer . Opened the rear doors and saw this fantastic looking bike, a brand new Honda GL1000 in a bluey green colour, it made all the other bikes in the shop look small and drab.
The owner had bought it as his own personal bike and told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to " borrow it " !
In the early 80s I had just finished a contract in the U.S. and with a couple of months to the start of a new contract myself and two other contractors bought used Goldwings, I think the engine was by then 1100cc, and toured around the U.S. , Goldwings really are suited to the highways there, saying that one of the other contractors eventually imported the one he had bought over to Holland where we were now working and used it as a commuter for two years.
I would have one of the early naked ones again but I think the nearly 300kg weight would be too much for me nowadays.
The owner had bought it as his own personal bike and told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to " borrow it " !
In the early 80s I had just finished a contract in the U.S. and with a couple of months to the start of a new contract myself and two other contractors bought used Goldwings, I think the engine was by then 1100cc, and toured around the U.S. , Goldwings really are suited to the highways there, saying that one of the other contractors eventually imported the one he had bought over to Holland where we were now working and used it as a commuter for two years.
I would have one of the early naked ones again but I think the nearly 300kg weight would be too much for me nowadays.
Keep the 1098.
Honda Lead Wing, utterly Hideous things, but each to their own.
My abiding memory of one of these boat anchors is of a guy in our old biker group in Loughton Essex, in 1979 called B.J.
He worked for London Underground as a tube driver and was earning ££ bundles. He turned up one day on his brand new black Lead Wing, which we all thought hilarious. Serious money back then.
One Saturday morning we all set off for the Silverstone British Grand Prix. A few of us had arrived and had set up our tents when B.J. pulled up. As he rode onto the grass the thing suddenly went over. A large crowd watched for a good 5 mins as he repeatedly tried to pick the thing up, until a few of us went over.
Honda Lead Wing, utterly Hideous things, but each to their own.
My abiding memory of one of these boat anchors is of a guy in our old biker group in Loughton Essex, in 1979 called B.J.
He worked for London Underground as a tube driver and was earning ££ bundles. He turned up one day on his brand new black Lead Wing, which we all thought hilarious. Serious money back then.
One Saturday morning we all set off for the Silverstone British Grand Prix. A few of us had arrived and had set up our tents when B.J. pulled up. As he rode onto the grass the thing suddenly went over. A large crowd watched for a good 5 mins as he repeatedly tried to pick the thing up, until a few of us went over.
SS427 Camaro said:
…As he rode onto the grass the thing suddenly went over. A large crowd watched for a good 5 mins as he repeatedly tried to pick the thing up, until a few of us went over.
Yea, but a quick google suggests an early ‘wing was only 265kg, and that would be carried low (flat four and tank under the seat). I’d guess there’s some ‘middleweights’ around these days not far off that. My Roadmaster is 425kg 
…and Freddy Mercury cavorted on a stationary black on in the Crazy Little Thing Called Love video. tvrolet said:
SS427 Camaro said:
…As he rode onto the grass the thing suddenly went over. A large crowd watched for a good 5 mins as he repeatedly tried to pick the thing up, until a few of us went over.
Yea, but a quick google suggests an early ‘wing was only 265kg, and that would be carried low (flat four and tank under the seat). I’d guess there’s some ‘middleweights’ around these days not far off that. My Roadmaster is 425kg …and Freddy Mercury cavorted on a stationary black on in the Crazy Little Thing Called Love video. Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff