Not My 1st Rodeo! Back In The Saddle Again!!

In September 2010 after returning from the Tomahawk Fall Color Rally with my 2008 Harley-Davidson Road Glide (made into an Ultra Road Glide), I decided it was time to return to a Goldwing!  Not my first Goldwing either.  I had purchased my brother-in-laws 1984 Honda Goldwing Interstate back in the early 90's.  This Pearl Siren Blue was a well balanced Touring Machine!  It's 1200cc 4-cylinder motor cranked out about 94 horsepower and 77.4 ft lbs of torque.  After about a year or so and having two very young children at home, like so many riders, it was sold.

After several years had passed and owning a half dozen Harley-Davidson's, it was spending the weekend with a few police officers and their Goldwings at Tomahawk that got me thinking again!  You see, unlike my wonderful wife of 33 (soon to be) years, I get bored with motorcycles!  I have owned a Yamaha 750cc Virago, 1993 Heritage Softail Classic, 2000 Electra Glide Standard, 2000 Electra Glide Ultra Classic, 2008 Ultra Classic, 2008 Road Glide and next a 2008 Challenger Brown Metallic (Titanium) Honda Golding.  I purchased the 08 'Wing from a dealer in Wildwood, Florida by the name of Lucky U Cycles.  I later flew down and rode my newest motorcycle home.

After owning the 2008 Titanium Goldwing with Navigation Package, I succumbed to peer pressure at the local Harley-Davidson dealer and traded the Goldwing in (after 6 months and 3,000 miles) for a 2011 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Limited.  The Limited was a great motorcycle, but as luck would have it, I tasted a rocket this summer, a 2006 Yamaha FJR 1300!  Wow, what a motorcycle!  Liquid cooled, shaft drive, ABS and linked brakes, electric windscreen, fixed fairing and nearly 150 horsepower!  I owned this bike for the summer and added closed to 3,000 miles on it while the Harley Limited sat in the garage.  A trip to Tennessee to ride the Tail of the Dragon got me thinking of the Goldwing again!  You see, I looked at the GL1800 as an FJR on steroids!  

Upon returning home, the FJR was sold with intentions of buying a new (leftover) 2013 next spring and keep the Harley Limited as strictly a Touring Motorcycle for my wife and me.  Thinking more about having two motorcycles I started "really" looking into a new/used Goldwing.  This late in the season no one was willing to give me what I thought my Harley was worth.  Well almost no one!  On the way to Marshfield one weekend, we passed a Powersports Store just south of Wisconsin Rapids called Country Powersports.  A quick stop I saw they had a 2012 Goldwing on consignment and a new 2014 solid black with Audio/Comfort Package.  My hopes were diminished when I found out they would not take my Limited on trade for the consignment 2012.  The next day I called and spoke with John the owner of Country Powersports.  After a brief conversation he asked me to send photos of our Limited.  Within 30 minutes I had sent him several photos and later that day he got back to me with an offer of $16,000 for our Limited (28,000 miles) and he would take $2,000 off the 2014 Goldwing having Audio/Comfort Package (MSRP $23,999).  On Monday, I was able to get John to throw in an additional 3 year unlimited mileage warranty!  Our NEW Wing is under warranty until October 2020 again with unlimited mileage!  Five days later I was at their front door with our Limited and later rode our new 2014 Honda Goldwing home!

It's been almost 3 weeks since we purchased the Goldwing and back to one motorcycle.  But what a motorcycle it is; over 1800cc, just a tad under 112 cubic inch, around 118 horsepower and 125 foot pounds of torque, this plus;

• Fixed Mounted Fairing
• Reverse Gear
• Shaft-Drive
• Linked Brakes
• 6.6 Gallon Gas Tank
• Adjustable Windscreen
• Center Stand
• Adjustable Clutch and Brake Levers
• Liquid Cooled 6-cylinder engine
• Heated Grips
• Heated Driver Seat & Heated Passenger Seat/Back Rest
• Heated Floor Vents

Don't have many friends that ride Goldwings, but those that do love them!  They ride a 1994 GL1500 SE Trike, 2008 GL1800 with Navigation and a 2012 GL1800 Audio/Comfort.  So do I miss owning a Harley-Davidson?  I would be lying if I said NO!  Of course I miss owning a Harley, I live in Wisconsin and about 55 miles west of the Motor Company and Museum.  But I got a taste of the Yamaha FJR with all the power and ease of maneuverability and decided to get back onto a Goldwing.  I can't wait for the next ride to The Smoky Mountains and carving through the Dragon's Tail conquering that Beast once again.  This time it won't be on a Harley, or Yamaha but on a huge, heavy, Touring motorcycle that has all the likeness of a smaller motorcycle.

If you don't like Goldwings, I bet it's because you never rode one!  Don't make a rash decision without knowing the facts.  You are correct when you say, it's not American Made.  Well it was up until 2010 when Honda moved their Ohio Plant to Japan.  I wonder how much of these "American Made" motorcycles are actually made here in America.

Keep in mind, "It's not what you ride, it's that you ride!" and "You ride Safe, Sober, Straight and Skilled".