We have been contemplating the idea of purchasing a used Goldwing for a while now. A huge concern for us is mileage. We are finding them with 50-70,000 miles or more. The question is "What is cosidered high mileage? How long can these things run before needing major repairs?" Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated. Happy riding and be safe.:)
Jeff

... HOWDY ... J64 ... MY CURRENT WING IS A 85-1200 LTD / 60k. WHEN I PURCHASED IT KNOWING THAT IT HAD A BAD STARTER AND A FEW OTHER MINOR THINGS ... THE YEAR AND MILIAGE DID NOT SLOW ME DOWN FROM BUYING IT ... KNOWING THAT THESE BIKES WILL GO OVER 200k. ... YOU WILL WANT TO KNOW IF THE BELTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED ... IF NOT THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING I DID IF THEY HAD NOT BEEN CHANGED ... ALSO TIRES MAY LOOK REAL GOOD BUT THEY DO HAVE A SHELF LIFE FOR SAFE OPERATION-6yrs. ... IF THE BIKE HAS HAD REGULAR SERVICE 50 - 70k WOULD NOT STOP ME FROM THE PURCHASE ... ALWAYS QUESTION THE OWNER AND IF YOU ARE GETTING GOOD VIBES FROM HIM AND YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE ABOUT THE BIKE BUY IT ... BUT REMEMBER BUYING -ANYTHING- USED BE PREPARED TO PUT SOME $$ INTO IT ... HAPPY TRAILS ... P.S. ASK WHAT IF ANY REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE MACHINE ...

We have been contemplating the idea of purchasing a used Goldwing for a while now. A huge concern for us is mileage. We are finding them with 50-70,000 miles or more. The question is "What is cosidered high mileage? How long can these things run before needing major repairs?" Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated. Happy riding and be safe.:)
Jeff

If the bike has been taken care of, oil changes, anti freeze, fluids etc. you can easily get 300,000 from a gold wing.

If it has real low miles, the speedo is probably broken lol

the first wing i ever test rode had 147,xxx miles on it. it was a '92 1500 aspencade and ran as good as the '93 that i eventually got

I have been told by a good Goldwing Mechanic That if the bike is taken care of services kept up with they will never Die

Welcome bauerj64 I'll put this another way, my 85 GW Limited Edition has exactly 50,992miles on it and I'll be touring the Rockies this summer into Alberta and wherever else
we feel like going.I have total confidence in my ride. Not bad for a 25 year old MC. Dependability and long life are at the heart of these bikes. With proper maintenance who knows how long they'll run.

-Robert-

Welcome bauerj64. Agree with the others, there are things you will want to check depending on the year and milage bike your looking at. After a 10 year riding lapse, I purchased a 2000SE with 84000mi, I didn't even blink, now have 109000. A wing that looks like it has been taken care of, probably has been. Besides, a low milage wing may present with problems from NOT being ridden. :D

While I was getting my last service done, the mechanic was telling me about a guy that lives in New York and travels to the West Coast on his GL1800 on a regular basis on business. He had just broke the 500,000 mile mark.:eek:

I do not know if this is a fact or just talk,But the Saleman told me that there was a person who had a GW turn one million miles,And Honda gave him a new GW and took his old one in to take it a part and to do studies on it. Like I said do not know if fact or fiction, The saleman has work there for many years and I dont think he made it up

If the bike has been taken care of, oil changes, anti freeze, fluids etc. you can easily get 300,000 from a gold wing.

The Sunrise Honda people said 300,000 was a very attainable number of miles on a Goldwing. I've heard this backed up more then once. Honda cars have long life engines. Honda small engines like on generators, etc. outlast everyone else. Why wouldn't their cycle engines be any different. I got a total of 7 years warrenty on my Wing. Does that sound like something from a company that believes in their product or what.

I had a friend that put over 500,000 miles on his 85 GL1200. My 84 GL1200 only has 135,000 km's but it runs like a new bike, very strong and reliable.

I have a friend who is a long time Honda Tech. One day I was at the Dealer and he called back to show me something...He said he had just blown some money...His Wing had a 100'000 miles so he said he would o'haul it...Told me to look at brgs and I could not believe it NO WEAR at all....Made a Wing fan out of me---Have had 5 wings since----

forever is the word that comes to mind!

I bought a 85 with 70k miles. I did some research low milage machines sometimes have with seals dry rott and carb. problems.Good luck with your search

Once you buy a wing it may take you several times of checking around to find a dealer or repair shop you like and trust. Example in my area, one charges $95 an hour shop time, another $85 an hour and since I have found an independent who is certified on most makes of motorcycles and only charges $50 an hour. I haven't tried him yet but he has developed a good reputation.

I saw a '94 on ebay a while back that said 514,000 miles and claimed would not be afraid to ride coast to coast.
Talk about an iron butt!

I have heard of many a well maintained Wing going to 300,000 miles and beyond. The owners change the oil and filter regularly, change the coolant when required and the final drive oil too.

Thanks ! Just bought a 84 Aspencade 1200 with 110,00 km , but looks and feels like new to me. First bike , since I parked my 1973 Trident in the shed in 1984, should have bought the GoldWing that day.

We have been contemplating the idea of purchasing a used Goldwing for a while now. A huge concern for us is mileage. We are finding them with 50-70,000 miles or more. The question is "What is cosidered high mileage? How long can these things run before needing major repairs?" Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated. Happy riding and be safe.:)
Jeff LOL my 1977 GL1000 still runs great compression 110 on three cyls and 130 on the other but runs like a dream and it has over 250,000 miles on it takes a lickin and keeps on tickin:)

I do not know if this is a fact or just talk,But the Saleman told me that there was a person who had a GW turn one million miles,And Honda gave him a new GW and took his old one in to take it a part and to do studies on it. Like I said do not know if fact or fiction, The saleman has work there for many years and I dont think he made it up

I remember reading this in a paper or magazine, but dont remember where it was.

I do not know if this is a fact or just talk,But the Saleman told me that there was a person who had a GW turn one million miles,And Honda gave him a new GW and took his old one in to take it a part and to do studies on it. Like I said do not know if fact or fiction, The saleman has work there for many years and I dont think he made it up

I won't go so far as to say that it's not possible but it really sounds like a line that a salesman might use to sell a new Gold Wing.

There are a couple listed here:

http://www.ncmotorcyclists.com/100,000+_club.htm

1 million sounds like a story to me without records. Not saying it didn't happen but I would have to see it. Don't know what year goldwing came out but it is mathematically possible. 35 years divided by 1 million miles = 550 miles a week.

With all the numbers being discussed, I would phrase this to say that you will grow tired of it or grow "out of it" before you wear it out so long as you take care of it.

For what its worth, I brought my Ford F150 into the dealer's for minor repair work. I had my son drive the Ford, I drove the Wing there. The mechanic came out to talk with me because he owns a Wing also. He told me that he commutes with his every chance he gets. Along with a whole host of tips, he advised me that at 65k, his is just getting broken in. By that he means it seems to run better, openes up quicker on the highway.

My 85 1200 interstate had 68,000 when i bought it this spring and now have 72,000 i ride it any chance i get!! Owner prior kept it well!

My 1200 had 167,000 miles on it when I sold it, and it was still just as sound as ever. My only regret is that I never new about the wiring fix to prevent the stator failures. Oh, I did have to replace the mufflers at about 140,000, that cost me about $400 Cdn for OEM stock replacements. Over the 8 years, I spent a whole whack more coin on farkles than I did in repairs, even with the stators and the mufflers. Spent over 5 large at Supreme Plating in Edmonton on 24 kt gold for all the chrome bits I had replated in gold to make it unique. Ah, a fool and his money.

I've had mine for about 3 years and bought it with 103000 kilometres (64000 miles) and now have 155000 klicks (96000 miles). The bike still runs great.

I've heard about Goldwings that have 300,000 miles on them. I've know that if you take care of them they will last you a long time. But through proper maintenance anything will last. I believe it's the owner's maintenance habits that make or break how long a bike or any vehicle lasts. If you abuse it and don't take care of it no matter how well it is made, it will not last long. Encouraging the use of products the company doesn't suggest (Types and weights of oil, additives not to be used with a wet clutch or not reading directions) only shorten the life. Using a product that harms rubber or aluminum will add to repair bills and cost in the end. For best results always follow the directions and always follow the information in your owners manual.

I'm not an expert, but I think there are a lot of things to consider besides just the motor..Transmissions, wheel bearings rear end gears etc..........All can last a long time, but must be considered.