Buying used: Honda Goldwing GL1500 and GL1800

Fully Six Mate!

Honda made its entry into the exotic world of six-cylinder bikes in the mid 60s with its RC165 247cc racer. Then, in the late 70s, came the elegant and lovely CBX1000 road bike. 1988 saw the GoldWing, a flat-four since its introduction in 1975, become Honda's six-cylinder contender as the GL1500. In this Hindsight we'll put it and its successor the GL1800 under the microscope.

HISTORY
In 1988 the GL1500 was unveiled in all its six-cylinder glory. It produced a reasonable 100hp at 5200rpm and about 15.3kg-m at 4000rpm, drove the rear wheel via a five-speed gearbox and shaft drive, weighed in at 356kg and could happily whistle along at 190km/h all day long. 23 litres of unleaded resided in the fuel tank, which, at a not unreasonable 15km/l, meant that over 300kms could be undertaken with ease. There were deep and sumptuous seats, massive panniers and top box, a vast fairing, air-assisted suspension and, of course, a sound system. So the lucky rider and passenger could relax and enjoy the view in the kind of comfort normally only found in front of a TV.

In 1990 (the same year the Goldwing series turned 15), when the GL1500A arrived in Australia, it cost $23,000. It was also the year that the rest of the world got the SE which came with two-tone paint, extra lights, foot-warmer vents and cam and carb mods to improve low-speed response. Here in Australia we had to wait until 1997 for the SE to land or go to a grey importer. You shouldn't cross a good grey import off your list but you'll find the spec may not match the years shown at your local Honda dealer. However, the base models available in Australia benefited from some technical changes.

For 1995, the Wing's 20th anniversary, all the models received a nice shiny badge to commemorate the event. Of greater interest was the fact that the soft and wallowy handling finally improved with lower but stiffer suspension as well as a reduction seat height.

In 2000 the GL1800 had made an appearance at the German Intermot show to the great joy of Wing nuts everywhere. Personally, I reckon the 1800 is more of yer "eagle's wing", whereas the earlier version might be considered the "wing of lesser fowl". The new 1800 featured an improved alloy chassis with just 31 parts compared to the131 utilised by the 1500. Attached to the chassis was a Pro-Arm swinging arm and Pro-Link monoshock air-controlled via a button on the 'bars and available with two memory settings. Brakes were ABS and Dual-combined ensuring drama free stopping. It was narrower, lighter, made more grunt and was arguably better looking. The new fuel-injected six potter made 118 horses at 5500rpm and a whopping 17.3kg-m of torque at 4250rpm. It's great for those long European high-speed freeways and equally great for lugging large people up long Australian hills. There is of course a raft of gizmos for when the riding gets boring like an integrated intercom and a CD/MP3 player. There's the cruise control, satnav facility and, if that's not enough, there's a colossal catalogue of other stuff some of which have no purpose at all. The list goes on and on - Ohh, goody!

ON THE ROAD
Starting with the 1500, it almost goes without saying that it's no road racer. It's big. It's bloody heavy. And it can be a pig at low speed, especially for those more suited to planting spuds than picking cherries. An awful lot of Wings have laid down at low speed. Added to the weight there's the soft suspension that, unless it has been upgraded, will be okay for keeping the seat off the bitumen but almost useless at controlling the ride. Power is okay, but the crucifix of weight is no less of a burden and the 1500 feels livelier in the Valkyrie cruiser. But that's not really an issue for most Wing owners. They want the smooth and non-intrusive engine to play sweetly with the pillowy suspension in order to waft along the highways listening to talkback radio while discussing the upcoming membership of the bowls/tennis/golf club. Truth is you don't see many ratbag wingers. Anyway in the chosen mode, the 1500 Wing is perfect. The brakes work without fuss, the gears shift a little noisily but easily, the fairing keeps the wind and bugs off and the seats actually have some degree of lumbar support ensuring an athletic dismount at journeys end. Well maybe.

The 1800 is more of the same only hugely better. Why? Well obviously there's the extra power and torque that always makes life more entertaining. There is of course the fabulously comfy ride and the cruise control. But, best of all, this big baby handles. Yep - you read that right. With the pre-load jacked up and a mischievous spirit with a firm hand, hustling the big six is massively entertaining. Sure things will scrape, but once the "smooth-in using a gear higher than normal and then whoosh away" technique is mastered the 1800 Wing is as exciting on twisty roads as any machine on the market. Most people don't believe it, but it's true.

I'm not a huge fan of ABS but once again the march of technology has caught and passed me by. It has to be said that the brakes on the 1800 are excellent and brilliantly suited to the job. I've tested them with emergency stops from slow to silly speeds and couldn't really fault the system of combined ABS and Honda's own Dual-Combined system.

Of course neither of these bikes is a good commuter. You'd be far better off cutting through the traffic on a scooter.

Naturally pillions love the thing, although some of the people I know have said they'll walk rather than ride on what they see as an over-upholstered commode. Personally, if I had to choose a bike to be a pillion on, the Wing would be top of my list.

IN THE WORKSHOP
We went to GoldWing experts Jeffrey Honda in Ferntree Gully, Victoria for advice on service costs. Wings need a service every 6000km which seems a bit frequent and I must admit I thought maintenance would require the sale of offspring until I realised that most people don't do 6000km a year. Even so I laughed when I heard the cost of a minor service - a mere $170! An intermediate service costs around $320 plus parts, while a major every 24,000km comes in at $450 plus parts. In truth this means that annually running a Wing might be as cheap as a couple of hundred bucks assuming you don't need tyres that year.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Okay, the GoldWing is an amazingly reliable machine. Of course there are a few issues but websites like www.goldwingfacts.com have an exhaustive list of everything. Anyway, I'll run a through a few that you can check easily. Obviously check for any damage from low speed drops and have a look underneath for evidence of kerbing. You're bound to see a bit of scraping from cornering, but don't worry too much. If there's a bit of noise at idle on an early model don't worry too much, later models switched to needle-roller bearings on the rockers to make things quieter. Any other rattles can often be the result of poor carb synchronisation. Flat spots in the delivery on the test ride are a dead giveaway in that regard.

On the test ride, make sure the bike steers well with no oscillation at the 'bars. If they do, check the wear pattern on the tyres both front and rear. Sometimes the front will be ridden under-inflated because the bike is ridden irregularly. Other times the rear tyre will be squared off through upright highway riding. Both will affect the steering and the price you want to pay. Another cause of wayward steering is the steering-head bearings, which need checking and re-torqueing from time to time. Put the bike on the centre stand with engine running and check for panel noises and fit. The earlier the bike the more the plastic gets brittle and the more times it will have been on and off. Look for missing fasteners.

If the battery is flat and doesn't appear to be charging (lights brighten and dim as revs rise and fall) suspect the alternator which can give up by burning out the commutator under the work load of extra lights and gizmos.

Naturally you'll expect to see a service record on a bike like a GoldWing as only the very enthusiastic do much more than bolt on the latest enhancement or facility. If you're buying privately be prepared to spend three times longer than you would normally, because the owner will want to talk a bit.

MODIFICATIONS
I mean this most sincerely. Any 1500 should have the suspension worked over by a specialist. You stand to lose nothing in ride quality and gain everything in feedback and control.

WHICH ONE?
If you're budget-limited to a 1500, then the later the better and try to get one with all the accessories you want, as the price of accessorising can be crippling. Even with reverse fitted remember to park by backing into the kerb. Your back will thank you!

Personally I'd pay the extra to get an 1800. Depreciation is minimal and the bike is the nearest thing to a proper motorbike since the very first GoldWing back in the 70s but with all the luxury and toys you could ever need.