[chuckedwards]

Have been riding '96 honda ace 1100 for some time now and have decided to upgrade to a goldwing- have found 2 that I'm looking at but I need some input about goldwings. the first is a 1990 with about 40,000 miles very clean looking bike, the second is 2002 with about 130,000 miles on it, mostly highway miles- both are in the price rage I can afford, but I don't know about problems I may run into- not knowing the Goldwing- does anyone have any advice?????

Thanks in advance for your help
chuck

 

[BladeRunner]

Both would be a nice step up, on the '02 1800...check if there is an "X" stamped on the frame after the vin#. I'm not sure,but, I "think" 02~03 & maybe some 04's had a recall on the frames..some were cracking and the "X" is a mark Honda put on the one's that were checked/repaired.

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

First, welcome to the forum from Pennsylvania. Where do you call home?

Boy, talk about 2 different ends of the spectrum... One has years (21), with low miles. One has less years with more miles (130k). The 1990 was 3 years into the 1500 run of Goldwings. The 2002 was the second year of the 1800's. The 2002 had issues with frame cracks and radiator fans. (Both were taken care of by recalls, which you can check at any Honda dealer if you have the vehicle Vin#).

Some questions you have to ask,
1. How long do you intend to keep the bike.
2. how many miles do you expect to put on it in a year.
3. are you handy and able to do maint on the bike.


Have you taken either bike for a test ride? They are different handling and you should see which one you are most comfortable on. Depending on your riding style either bike can serve you well. Many Goldwings are on the road after 35 years and many go well over 200k miles.

Good luck on your decision...

 

[chuckedwards]

Thanks for the info - I was wondering about the high milage on the 2002 or is that not a major concern, and the other are parts still readily availible for the 1990?

 

[chuckedwards]

This will probably be the last bike I buy- age hitting 60 wife not to crazy about me riding since I ride about every day- and my distance to work and back are about 100 miles 6 days aweek

 

[chuckedwards]

as far as maintenance- I work on every vehicle I own from drag boat to motorcycle, so maintenace or repairs should not be a problem.

 

[chuckedwards]

I,m backwards when it comes to forums- I live in High Point, North Carolina, and Our shop is in Liberty, North Carolina

 

[tfdeputydawg]

Thanks for the info - I was wondering about the high mileage on the 2002 or is that not a major concern, and the other are parts still readily available for the 1990?

Parts availablity for 1500. Fairly good. Problem is finding a dealer willing to work on a bike that old! If you can't do the normal maintenance and R&R parts that will need replaced, I'd make sure I had a dealer close that would before I'd buy it.
Even though it may be low mileage with that age several things, such as hoses, fuel lines, timing belts may need updated, even the carbs may need rebuilt, etc. At least ask to have it taken to a dealer willing to do a good inspection to see what items need to be done and pay for that check up. If the tires are more than 5 years old-they probably need replaced.
As for the 1800-Most go at least 200,000 miles without major problems if normal maintenance is performed as suggested in the owners manual. But anything mechanical can have problems at any time! As already noted-make sure frame recall has been done.
Link indicates VIN's of Wings needing the recall:
http://www.motorcycle.com/news/news1403.html

 

[BladeRunner]

Hey dawg..that's for that link! Now I can almost say I might know what I'm talking about.