[Promethius]

One of my pet peeves is a vehicle that rattles and has noise where it shouldn't. The 2010 Goldwing has just under 5,000 miles and makes more noise than my 2002 Kawasaki Concours with 48,000+ miles. For a $20k motorcycle to have this issue really doesn't say much about the quality of the fit that you "think" would be there.

I have also found the 40 mph front end shake that I've read about. It was actually there from the start but seems to have progressively gotten worse. As other's have noted, the dealers just say that is the way it is. So, in this respect service in standing behind a product doesn't seem to be there. Tire pressure is maintained and checked weekly, but the front tire is starting to cup (wondering if the front end wobble makes this issue worse).

Overall the GW seems to be an "ok" bike, but if I could do it over again, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't go the GW route. I probably won't recommend the GW to anyone, unless they are weekend touring riders only since it does not seem to be a good everyday bike.

I know this post will upset people that love their GW, but to me, the front end issue is unacceptable and a rattle trap does not make riding enjoyable. I expected a lot more in regard to quality. You should not have to fix problems that the manufacturer knows about that spans the GW line as I understand it.

 

[MFox]

Sounds like you got one of those bikes built on friday just before knock off. My 2005 doesn't rattle at all. All I hear is the whine of the alternator at idle and engine pull noise at speeds. Almost all bikes have some sort of front end woble suome are even designed to have as they say aceptable movement. As long as you c an hold it straight with atlest one hand on the grips it should go away. If not there is soemthing wrong, like bearing too tight on the fork assembly. Although you should not either issue with a new bike from the stealer I mean dealer. You might have to do the repairs your self

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

One of my pet peeves is a vehicle that rattles and has noise where it shouldn't. The 2010 Goldwing has just under 5,000 miles and makes more noise than my 2002 Kawasaki Concours with 48,000+ miles.

When you say "rattles", exactly what is rattling, where and when? Is it someting in the front pockets, in the trunk, under the seat??? Give us some idea of where and maybe we can be of some assistance..

 

[Eric]

I am sorry to hear of your problem. I am by no means an expert but I do 90% of my maintance. With abike that shakes it head I would be looking at the rear end. At 5000 miles the rear tire should still have life left in it, but you will be amazed at the differance a different tire brand can make. I have had bikes where they shake their head at lower speed and haven't been able to get it out. To me a bike that the angle of the rake is inceased the more likely it is to shake its head at low speed. As the speed increases it then should be more stable than a bike with a tighter angle. A bike with a tight angle will give better response at low speed but can move around and be twitchy at speed. Every bike has its strong points, and the wing on the open road should be as stable as a rock. If it is then it's doing what it's designed to do. Low speed it maybe a little difficult to handle. Never be worried about expressing a concern, that maybe how a problem is solved. In your case that could be a difrent style of bike but I would be trying a new brand of rear tire.Eric

 

[budoka]

Sorry to hear of your woes, but it does surprise me. The front end thing is almost always tyre related and if not, steering head bearing torque or wear is usually the next culprit. That isn't to make light of your problems, just sorry you are not having the 20 year 200,000 mile bliss of the majority of Wing owners. This is my third Wing, and they have always been more than a weekend tour bike for me, and for many years we did our summer vacations on the Wing as well as me commuting to work 40 miles a day (still do) as long as the Wx permits.

 

[Chopin]

I agree with your complaints . I am learning to accept some of them as the nature of the beast. There is a lot of plastic on this bike but not where it really matters, I hope. It's big, it's heavy, it flexes. It is the curse of riders that we are extremely sensitive to what we are on. To echo Eric's feeling, when I'm cruising down the interstate at 85mph all my complaints seem to fade away.

 

[dirtdobber]

I have a 2010 wing. Went on my first trip this last September, 2,600 miles. When I returned from my trip I noticed the dreadful wobble. I had around 8,500 miles at the time.
I did not notice it when on the trip. I think why I did not notice it is this:
It is a gradual thing that happens and since I was riding around 400-550 miles everyday it just was not noticed until I got home and did not ride for a couple of days.
At 9,300 miles I replaced my tires. I kept 40psi in the front and 42psi in the rear.
My local dealer had E3's in stock and had them on sale. My wife and I noticed how smooth the bike was as soon as we left with the new tires. It was a 100 mile ride home.
The bike handled perfectly in every aspect. Slow speed, sweeping curves/twists. It was day light and dark differences.
My GW never rode this good and was never this smooth. I now have over 1,500 miles on the tires I am still impressed.
I was like you, I was very disappointed in the Goldwing. I have a 07 Ultra Classic and before the tire change my Ultra would smoke the GW in handling and comfort.
I now have changed my mind. Although the seating is better on the Ultra, it fits me perfectly, The GW is now my choice when we ride. Unless of course it is really warm and we are only going to do several hundred miles then it is my XC.

just a thought

dd

 

[Promethius]

When you say "rattles", exactly what is rattling, where and when? Is it someting in the front pockets, in the trunk, under the seat??? Give us some idea of where and maybe we can be of some assistance..

The rattles are mainly in the front fairing area, and some come from behind me. There is nothing except my registeration and insurance in the front pockets (paper and plastic inside an envelop). I have heard some behind me but I don't know the exact area - my hearing is bad and I can't wear the hearing-aids while riding (helmet/glasses issue). The trunk lid also has an issue with chaffing, and I've seen what appears to be rubber bumpers to correct that - again something I really didn't expect to have to do, but will.

Performance of the bike is very good, and when it gets over 40-45 it becomes very stable. On a smooth road it is good to ride - KS roads are seldom smooth for very far though.

 

[chrisgl1800]

Wow, I have a new 2009 with only 1400 miles on it. I had to replace my rear tire due to a dang nail at around 1000 miles, and replace the Dunlap with a 'Stone. I did not notice any noise before and no noise after the replacement. No shimmy shimmy.....if it were me, I would take it back to Honda and see what they think after riding it. It does not sound like a 'normal' Honda Goldwing thing. You may have a serious problem. If not a Honda dealer, an independent motorcycle repair shop, and let them test drive it and see what they say. Maybe even let another Goldwing rider test drive it, or you try driving a different Goldwing???.
Good luck...

 

[cloud09]

Personally i believe the shake (wing wobble) after reading lots about tires/pressure in tires/braces/front end suspension travel or the lack of it! and so-on i do think all play a part in this problem along with conditions of road type! constant crossing of steep driveways that continue to bottom out forks or even hit the tires/rims/forks pretty hard as we know there is a lot of weight and pressure on these parts!
I hear exactly what your saying 'you should not have it in the first place' and i agree totally! some say new tire.......new brand of tire.........fork brace.........centramatic balancers.......the list will go on.
I say get to know or have one of your fellow Wingers close by that knows his stuff and let him try the ride and see what he or she says. Hope you get this sorted
ps - have not yet come across a Aussie bike with this problem yet (im sure there out there but out of 9-10 GW bikes i know of 'not one')

 

[budoka]

Nearly all motorcycles will shake their head to a slight degree, especially heavier (read touring) bikes with fairings. My Vulcan would oscillate something fierce under trailing throttle. That's why I keep both hands on he bars 95% of the time.

 

[Carl334]

Popups

Since we are on the disappointing subject. Do all the rest of you have a bunch of "pop-ups" everytime you all try and rear a thread? If not, how do I get rid of them,, My pop-up blocker is on, and it still does it. Thanks in advance for any help Larry

They are call Accelerators and they argrevated me also, I think I turned them off under Tools; Manage Add Ons

 

[BadgerFn64]

I thought it was just me. I have a hollow echoing whine in the front end when I am leaning on it to the left and only to the left. Straight ahead and upright nothing. To the right, nothing. On top of it, when slowing down from about 45 when coming to a stop I get the shimmy (slightly)...

I started noticing after getting on the Goldwing Owners Website... I, too, took a long trip this past summer, about 4500 miles. Didn't notice anything like it until I picked up a nail and changed the rear tire. I think it is time for a new front, 8800 miles.. I'll let ya know what happens..

 

[chrisgl1800]

Before you get really disappointed', please let someone with some experience look or ride your bike. It could be just an adjustment. The Goldwing is too good a bike to be disappointed with.

 

[Promethius]

Before you get really disappointed', please let someone with some experience look or ride your bike. It could be just an adjustment. The Goldwing is too good a bike to be disappointed with.

I can only hope an adjustment is all that it takes after talking the wife into getting the GW. It may be my inexperience in riding touring/cruiser type bikes vs the sport touring setup of the Concours. I've never had a wobble with the Connie or any major problem except for the rear brake caliper sticking. The stearing on the Connie is a LOT stiffer.

The heated seat and grips on the GW have ruined me though. I will be putting heated grips on the Connie for this winters riding - be nice if I can find a heated seat.

 

[LarryinSeattle]

If the mechanic knew you were waiting for the bike, then he made a big mistake. The customer service manager should have been aware of the situation...... as most look for opportunities like this to provide good customer service.

When shorted like this, I always give that business an opportunity to see things from my prospective so that there is a mutual understanding of what I think should have occurred. I never leave without giving them the opportunity to learn from me about this.

No, I am not a chronic complainer, but not all people look at things from the other person's perspective. That skill takes practice. Sometimes they need a nudge to get it.

 

[chrisgl1800]

Promethius,
Please keep us updated on what you do with the problem. We on this forum are all here because we care quite a bit about the Goldwing, and any problems a brother has with it. I only wish we were closer to each other, I would let you try my bike for a day, and we could then see if it feels wobbly [Sp] too. Don't give up on the dealer either...if your not happy, they need to know about it and why. Do a paper trail too....

 

[ptwingmn]

Wow! so many opinions and so many speculative responses. The 1800 has an inherent wobble in it and it is always around the 40 mph mark +/-. Some bikes do it some don't. However, most do at some point.
I have 81K on my 02 and my bike does not wobble. It did at one time, and it drove me crazy. Honda will not do anything about it and the dealers don't really don't care. It is not the tires, it is not the psi. or the roads. It is a design flaw. I changed my steering head bearings, put in tapered ss bearings. (stock bearings have nylon races) the bike is too heavy for them. I also installed progressive springs in the front forks and use a heaveir fork oil. (Amsoil). Problem solved. I recently changed the rear shock and put in the progressive shock and that made the bike handle even better. I travel a lot, load the bike up heavy and ride two up, pull a trailer occassionally and the upgrades have made a tremendous difference. I ride fairly aggressive because the bike is designed for it and I get between 12-17k miles on my tires. Dunlops or Avons. same milage, Avons are quiter and handle better. There are some rattles when hitting hard bumps but nothing unusual, they have always been there from day one. Its a motorcycle not a car. Over all, It is the only bike to travel and do long hall rides on. Oh, I also modified my seat and had closed cell foam installed and covered it in all leather. You have to set the bike up to your liking and style of riding. I did the same thing on my 1500's and 1200. Good luck, safe riding and enjoy life.

 

[Promethius]

I appreciate the responses and I won't give up on the bike, but I will hunt down what is causing the rattles. The front end wobble will be addressed similar to what ptwingmn did in all probability - starting with the head bearings.

Right now I don't have to worry about riding anything for a few days due to an abd muscle strain (sucks getting older). Road for two weeks with it, finally listened to my wife, now I've got to do what the Dr says. I will use the time to clean the bikes and see if I can find something loose that shouldn't be.

 

[lakecharles]

I have a 2010 wing. Went on my first trip this last September, 2,600 miles. When I returned from my trip I noticed the dreadful wobble. I had around 8,500 miles at the time.
I did not notice it when on the trip. I think why I did not notice it is this... I kept 40psi in the front and 42psi in the rear.
My local dealer had E3's in stock and had them on sale. My wife and I noticed how smooth the bike was as soon as we left with the new tires. It was a 100 mile ride home.
The bike handled perfectly in every aspect. Slow speed, sweeping curves/twists. It was day light and dark differences.
My GW never rode this good and was never this smooth. I now have over 1,500 miles on the tires I am still impressed....
dd

Same thing for me... and I am having E3s installed with the Centramatic balancers - pick it up tomorrow. I am looking forward to the same experience you are describing!