[SquareHead]

Hey Folks,

I have read hundreds of pages on this forum and am really, really impressed. Sure am glad I found this before my purchase.

Anyhow, I have been trying to decide which year/model to focus my search on for buying. The newest post I could find about this topic was last year on page 65.

I am looking to buy a used 1800. I am not so concerned about the price I just don't like paying for new vehicles and their depreciation. I was hoping you all could give me some opinions, advice, etc. on which model years I may want to focus on. Anything to watch out for? I understand that there are hardly any problems with the Wings, but I figured there may be some years and models to key in on.

Must have's for me are Heated Seats, Heated Grips and Cruise Control. What year and/or model did these become standard?

Not new to motorcycles. Have several in the garage right now and have been riding since 1974.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Chris McCarthy
Upper Sandusky, OH

 

[budoka]

If it was me looking to by a used Wing, I'd be looking at a 2006 or newer, just because of the equipment you mention. The GL1800 comfort/audio package came out in '06. You can research this and some more info on Wings and their history on Steve Saunders' www.goldwingfacts.com. He's devoted an entire website and a whole lot of time and work to his site for our benefit. There were a few small issues with the early 1800s, most notable the frame recalls from '02-'04 but that is still covered by Honda if a certain bike hasn't been repaired under the recall. Other early bumps were some rad issues, kill switches and pulse generators, and I believe there was a rubber boot on the rear drive that was prone to failure on some early 1800s. As to the '06 and newer ther hasn't been too much to ponder. Some bikes exhibit a 'surging' in neutral or with the clutch lever pulled in, but mostly it get's cured with a simple reset, and some head shake if you let go of the bars under decelleration (30 mph or so), and the fix seems to be replacing the steering head bearings with tapered sets. Personally I keep my hands on the bars, especially when slowing down, I mean, why in tarnation would you let go anyway? Another option you might consider is searching out a new 2010 or possibly '09 if there are any left around, some pretty sweet deals on them now that the '12s are here (Honda made sure to have plenty of 2010s to cover the lag time in delivery of the 12). Godd luck to you and hope you find a Wing that floats yer boat!

 

[Dookoo]

I'm with Budoka with 2006+ because of the options you are looking for. The Wobble is a no brainer unless you like to deccelerate with your hands off the bars. Youtube Goldwings at the track and you will see just how stable they are. Now after you get one all you will think about is your next ride. Enjoy your search.

 

[Doctoss]

I also have been looking for about a year for my first wing, and was planning on either buying it already triked or converting one to a trike. I had not ridden in 15 years and then nothing as huge as a goldwing. I thought I might buy it used then have to ride it or ship it to the trike dealer, so I repeated the motorcycle safety course. I enjoyed the course so much I decided to go ahead and buy the wing before I converted it and ride it on two wheels for a while. I also was looking for a 2006 or newer and wanted the abs. To make a long story short I looked and looked, and remembered how many times in the past I had not gotten what I really wanted due to cost, and then regretted not getting what I really wanted. So since this hopes to be a long time investment I just went ahead and bit the bullet and bought a level 3 2012 red wing. Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do but I am enjoying it for now. One thing I did not expect is how much I use the on board gps, so I am really glad I got that feature. I had my doubts when people always told me that it rides like a smaller bike, but now I can say they were right.

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

The first year that heated seats and grips were "standard" was 2009. I believe they were an option prior to that. I would agree that model year 2006 and up would be a good choice. Lots of them out there. Check our "for sale" section of the forum. Also eBay and Craigslist are places to find a used Wing.

Hope you find the one for you.

 

[detdrbuzzard]

hello chris, welcome to GWOF. i was just in upper sandusky yesterday at thiel's wheels

 

[SquareHead]

hello chris, welcome to GWOF. i was just in upper sandusky yesterday at thiel's wheels

Small world! I have been a customer of Thiels for 35 years or so. They used to sponsor me in motorcross in the lates 70's, early 80's. Do you come to Thiel's often?

Chris

 

[Jimmyjohn]

Welcome to GWOF! My wife (who has only sat on a wing - never ridden yet) and I looked almost bought a 2010 about 8 months ago & looked recently at both the leftover 2010s and the 2012s. We ended up getting an '08 Level III (premium audio, heated grips & seat, ABS) with just under 18K miles, that was on consignment at Wingworks. It was US$10,000. less out the door than a 2012 equiv. (although we didn't get to the point of negotiating or looking for a best price on the 2012).

I think I'm going to retake the MSF course also. I'd recommend 2006-2012. I didn't even test drive - just bought, as it is my 4th wing & so many friends said it was awesome. No regrets at all so far.