"all bikes lead to a Goldwing"

After 5000 miles I have developed some likes and dislikes of the Goldwing.

Likes:
Very comfortable- stock seat works great, bar reach is perfect, pegs are in a good spot that do not cause any unusual discomfort. I'm 5'9" with a 30" inseam for reference. I can easily flat foot the bike at stops.
Great wind protection - The adjustable screen (F4 Custom 20" tall and 4" wider) works great for blocking wind. Also, the OEM upper air-deflectors work very well.
Apple Car Play - works great once you figure out the correct start-up sequence with the bike. Easy to use music, maps, communication. I like it way more than I thought I would.
DCT - Overall, I like the DCT for a touring bike. It is very easy to live with. I'm not sure I'd enjoy a DCT on any other bike......maybe.

Dislikes:
Ground clearance - Part of the comfort comes as a result of this being a low bike. This thing is LOW. I drag pegs when doing mundane things without trying (i.e. on ramps). On a road in Wisconsin, I drug the Traxxion Dynamics belly pan on the bottom of the engine while going around a curve at about 50 mph. Glad I had the belly pan since it now has some gouges down the middle. Dragging pegs is not something I enjoy. I'd much rather ride a bike with enough ground clearance to NOT drag pegs when riding spirited. My preference.
Fuel - I can't believe any engineer thought it was a good idea to open a locked compartment in order to push a button to open the fuel compartment. Surely there is a better way of getting to the fuel filler. However, that is not the worst part of fueling. I've never owned a bike that is so difficult to fuel. If you hold the nozzle in the tank until shut-off, you will have put about 3.5 gallons into a 5-gallon tank. You have to lift the nozzle and fill the rest of the way. This is possible, albeit slowly, with fuel nozzles that you can modulate the flow down to a small stream. It is damn near impossible with the nozzles that are either on or off. Fuel comes up the filler tube inside the tank so quickly it overflows. I usually have a nice wet spot of fuel beneath the bike after filling. Very frustrating to the point of almost being a deal breaker for me.
Cruise control - Cruise control works well except for one little gripe that I have. A hypothetical: If you set the cruise at 70 mph and accelerate to pass and go up to 77 mph let's say and let go of the throttle it will catch your speed at 70 mph.....great. If you have to brake or disconnect the cruise for some reason, I usually try to not hit resume until I've reached 70 mph and try to hand off the bike back to cruise. Here's the problem that frustrates me: When I speed back up to 70 mph and try the hand off, the bikes slows about 5 mph (in this case down to 65 mph) before accelerating back to 70. I've never owned a bike or vehicle that worked this way. If I've just passed someone, I'd prefer to NOT slow down right in front of them after the pass.

These are my likes and dislikes and solely my likes and dislikes. If you own a 2018 -2024 Goldwing you will surely have different likes and dislikes. I'm trying to provide my honest opinion for the benefit of others that might be looking at purchasing one in the future. I'm not married to any brand and not a kool aid drinker. I've owned many brands and styles of bikes in the past, some I've liked and some not so much.

My overall assessment is that the Goldwing is a pure touring bike and NOT a sport-touring bike (this should piss off some of the GW enthusiasts). When I hear the GW referred to as an ST1800, I agree only so much as they didn't replace the ST1300 and shrank the old Wing. IMHO, it is not a sport touring bike equal to the ST1300. My GW weighs 804 lbs stock with full fluids. I can argue that it handles well for an 800 lb bike but it is still an 800 lb bike.

Will I keep the Wing? For now I will. However, my passion for riding is on sport-touring bikes. I can't get it out of my blood. I prefer the ability to tour and enjoy the twisties along the way. I enjoy the touring part of the Wing but not the twisty riding part.

That is my honest opinion,
Mike
 
Well, I reckon 5K miles is plenty to give you enough personal experience to qualify for a bike review.
Thanks for taking the time, I've sat on GoldWings but never actually ridden one. I know lots of folks who have scraped the pegs, but I didn't realize it was quite THAT easy. Makes it sound like some Harley models in that regard.
The DCT is still a mystery to me, having no wrist-time with it, on any bike... how is it at low speed, and what are the drawbacks compared to the old-school clutch and throttle combination?
 
Sadlsor said:
Well, I reckon 5K miles is plenty to give you enough personal experience to qualify for a bike review.
Thanks for taking the time, I've sat on GoldWings but never actually ridden one. I know lots of folks who have scraped the pegs, but I didn't realize it was quite THAT easy. Makes it sound like some Harley models in that regard.
The DCT is still a mystery to me, having no wrist-time with it, on any bike... how is it at low speed, and what are the drawbacks compared to the old-school clutch and throttle combination?
Click to expand...
I would say that there is a learning curve with the DCT at slow speed. You can learn to maneuver the bike pretty well at slow speed with very few if any drawbacks to not having a clutch.
Mike
 
I agree that the bike is NOT an ST1300. It is a compromise between the two. It is not the rolling couch Wing of previous generations, but it certainly is not a SPORT-Touring bike. I would classify it as a sporty touring bike with all the compromises that that would imply.
 
I'll keep my thoughts less eloquent than Mike.

Like & dislike: DCT. Still trying to figure out when is best to use each mode & setting. Trying to find a sweet spot to make it less jerky when the Mrs is on the back. The throttle by wire can be very touchy for both getting on the throttle and letting off it.

What I wish they'd change:
TPMS delay in reading on the tft screen until you're going. Would rather see the PSI when you turn the bike on.
Don't like toggling thru the different settings for temp/ cruise set speed & remaining range, psi front tire, psi rear tire. Rather the dash show most of this data simultaneously.
Small fuel tank - 19L (and yes the opening procedure, recessed filler neck and splashing is a PITA)
Rear passenger floorboards hit me in the back of the legs when they are down and I'm trying to walk the bike when sitting on it.
Rear direction signal lenses on the later models are red. Should be amber/yellow/orange!
Apple CarPlay is a PITA to get going. Should be wireless (like with the Carlin kit you can add) Especially with the airbag model which forces you to put the phone in the trunk.
ACP should also work without having to have a headset, realizing some functions like voice input related stuff wouldn't really work.
Panniers are small inside and not removable.
Top case is designed for 2 helmets but molded for that purpose. It doesn't allow the best use of the volume for luggage storage.
Have the e-brake on the DCT work like the kickstand and kill the engine if you put it in drive. You can still drive off and not notice the flashy light and burn up the parking brake pads.
Very little under seat room for wiring etc.
Seat can't be easily removed like every other bike I've had. You have to open the panniers, remove side panels, remove hex bolts, remove heater wiring, pop the 2 front plastic pivot pins, slide the seat forward...
Top speed limiter, wish it was a bit higher, not that you should need that on any current highway in North America....

Dragging pegs is a real thing. I've done both sides on turns & off ramps. I've had the old 1300 over much farther. It's unsettling when you're not sure just how far you can lean it.

Love the acceleration, DCT braking in auto & sport, & overall looks. DCT in slow traffic is super.

It's no ST though.

Oh. and I have no regrets about buying it.
 
Thanks Obo. I absolutely forgot about the PITA seat removal and the weak real lights.
Mike
 
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Bug Dr. said:
Thanks Obo. I absolutely forgot about the PITA seat removal and the weak real lights.
Mike
Click to expand...

I added a DIY flashing brake light & reflector where the OEM reflector goes. Signal light upgrades are coming after @Art Franz mentioned at WoodSToc they were hard to see with the running & brake lights.

rrr.jpg

Looking at other rear light options including one for the top case and lower area of the panniers. Aftermarket part costs are expensive!

1725990971109.jpeg
 
Obo said:
I added a DIY flashing brake light & reflector where the OEM reflector goes. Signal light upgrades are coming after @Art Franz mentioned at WoodSToc they were hard to see with the running & brake lights.

rrr.jpg

Looking at other rear light options including one for the top case and lower area of the panniers. Aftermarket part costs are expensive!

1725990971109.jpeg
Click to expand...
There's also hyperlites 3-way led pods which are very noticeable... those lights above are very cool though.

3 Way | Hyperlites, flashing LED motorcycle brake lights

hyperlites.com hyperlites.com

20240628_031846.jpg
 
Bug Dr. said:
Not yet. I still have the Versys that will be getting some use in the near future. I never thought the Goldwing was a terminus, just a waypoint :biggrin:
Mike
Click to expand...
Understood.

I had 2 previous gen goldwings and a lot of your non-tech comments apply... since it didn't' really have any tech other than a CB... lol

It was also a bit low and had to watch out for speed bumps but I had to do that on the ST1300s too.

Filling was also awkward, needed to use the key to open the fuel door then a cap that you had to put somewhere, the next owner of my wing left that on top of a gas pump lol

I found I had to purposely look over/beyond the mirrors in order to provide a little body lean and not lean the bike as much but some of those 20 mph curves were still a bit tight.

I did update my rear shock to a progressive, can't remember the name, shock which helped quite a bit.
 
I'm about at the same mileage 5000+ and I concur it is low and it's not hard to drag the pegs compared to about any other bike besides a cruiser. I tend to drag the outside edge of my boot sole instead of metal but it does still surprise me at times. I did put 57,000 miles on an '06 Wing so I guess I've gotten used to hanging off the bike a little to gain a few degrees of clearance in tight turns. Also servicing the rear shock preloader and setting the preload for my solo weight helped.... or else I'm just used to cornering this bike differently from the RT and NC. I was in the mountains last week and had a great time on those roads. It's more fun in the sweepers than the switchbacks but with the wheelbase of a Greyhound bus and the low chassis it's expected. Riding twisty roads it's in and out of Sport and Tour, manual or Auto and overriding the algorithms as I see fit. It can be stuck in auto then twist and go but it really responds to learning to manage the options and I find very satisfying, like learning to master a standard manual transmission all over again. New set of skills to polish. I've had DCT since 2015 and 900 miles on a 2018 demo so it's not so new for me. Like I've said elsewhere it takes a lot seat time to get the most out of it. A demo ride around the block is more harm than good IMO. DCT walking speed mode of the GW, is for me, a must for this big heavy bike. The low powered NC is more forgiving in the friction zone and doesn't need it but I've grown quite used to relying on walking mode to move the GW around the garage or in out in close quarters parking situations. My inseam is about 28" and I cannot flat foot this bike. Slow speed U turns, circles and 8s requires dragging rear brake against engine thrust from a steady fast idle.

I did remove the white neck-down portion of the fuel fill so I don't have splash back or spilling gas at the gas pump. I also turned the latch under the fill door 180 degrees to defeat that Rube Goldberg button-under-RH pocket door fuel fill door drill. The door remains flush and closed without the latch, just catch the edge with a fingernail to open it. I saw both these mods on the 1800 forum. I was going to 'trim the latch to a C shape mod' but probably won't bother with it.

I have an aftermarket Ultimate seat and it's easy to remove and install but what I did do is remove the two bolts at the front. The seat slips in place and isn't going anywhere w/o the bolts.

I don't use CarPlay that much because it's plug-in only and too limited on the fly. If Honda had allowed use of additional functions on the fly that I'm used to in our Mazda instead of only when the bike is stopped I might use it more. I haven't been on the bike in cold weather yet but so far I like the short stock windshield just fine. I am going to add wind deflectors under the mirrors for cooler weather and auxiliary LED lights up front. The previous owner added a Signal Dynamics Back Off box for the rear lighting upgrade. I don't dislike the Honda GPS but I did add a Garmin 396 on the left bar. On the trip last week I tried to use the Honda GPS as primary and did not find it particularly lacking for my needs but the routes I installed in it did not have a ton of waypoints and so uploaded successfully from a thumb drive carried along. I also preloaded before the trip a number of destination cities/towns in the three state area to get around the hunt-and-peck entry method of entering destinations.

I probably benefit from the speed limiter.
 
I did gravitate to the manual mode for the tighter stuff which helped tremendously. I toggled between touring for sweeping curves and manual for the tighter stuff. All in all, I was happier with this arrangement. It does take time to figure out the nuances of the DCT. Dave, you are correct in your assessment of a short ride on a DCT might leave one more confused than a longer ride. I ended up not using sport mode at all in Wisconsin.

The Wing will get a rest next week for ArkanSTOC as I planning on putting some miles on the Versys. It will be nice to toss around a bike that weighs 325 lbs less than the Wing.
Mike
 
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