Monthly Newsletter
GoldwingDocs sends out a newsletter on the first day of each month to all of our members via email. This newsletter contains the announcement of the previous months' contest winner as well as details on the current month's contest. In addition, it includes news, reviews, information about new additions to the site, and other relevant information.
GoldwingDocs.com February 2014 Newsletter
February - Time for a Motorcycle Trip? Perhaps not. For much of the US, even down as far as Florida, the weather has been cold, with lots of snow and ice. My GL1500 sits, forlorn, half disassembled in the middle of my garage, where it has sat for almost a month. It's so cold out, that it makes it just too miserable to work on it in the garge. That said, for whatever reason, when the ground is covered in snow and the cars are encrusted in salt, my mind turns to the thought of motorcycle trips. Thinking about trips I have taken in the past, and even better - starting to think about trips to take in the future. With the miserable, wet and cold weather we experienced for much of the 2013 riding season in the northeast US, we did not get to take anywhere near as many trips as we would have liked. I did do my whirlwind trip to Florida, a trip up to Canada, and my wife and I rode our bikes around the gorgeous scenery and twisty, hilly roads in Hocking Hills, Ohio for an extended weekend. But we didn't get out camping even a single time in 2013, a fact that bothers me greatly. We are going to rectify that this coming year. My wife and I have resolved to get our trailer out and do some great motorcycle camping trips this coming year, visit some interesting places, and ride some fantastic roads. I have it on excellent authority that to make up for the miserable, cold winter, we will have a wonderful, temperate summer, perfect for motorcycle riding. And with trips on the brain, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce a new section on the site forum: Trip Reports & Gatherings. I'm not totally sold on that name yet, so if you can come up with a better one, let me know. The idea behind this forum section is threefold: first, for people to post reports about trips they have taken. People (myself included) LOVE reading about these, and the more pictures the better! Second, for people to ask for assistance with trips they are planning - destination information, ideas, what to bring, etc. And third, for people to post information about gatherings, bike nights, or any other place you want to meet up with other Wing owners. I went through hundreds and hundreds of messages in the Goldwing Chat forum, and whenever I found a trip or gathering related message, I moved it to the new forum. So there are already quite a few trip reports and stories in there that people have posted over the years, that you might have missed out reading the first time. Also, if you've got a trip you'd like to talk about, please post it! Reference Materials Easily half of my time spent in the message forum is hunting down answers to peoples' questions. A great deal of the time, someone will ask a question, and I know the answer has been covered before. I then spend five minutes searching through old messages trying to find that bit of information the user asked. At the same time, the number of "sticky" messages at the top of the Tech Talk forum containing just this sort of often-referenced information had increased so much that it was hard to find new messages in that forum. I decided the solution to both of these problems was to create a new forum: the Reference Information forum. You'll find all the stickied messages from the Tech Talk forum there, plus some new material as I compile it. Please feel free to post any information there you think is worthwhile sharing with other users. Cleveland Motorcycle Show As I write this, the Cleveland Motorcycle Show is underway, with one day left. If you plan on going out on Sunday, use this promotional discount code to receive a 25% discount on your tickets. I had to work Friday and Saturday, but will be spending the majority of my day there Sunday, and I'll be reporting back with pictures and thoughts on what I found. That's it for January! Stay warm and pray for an early spring! |
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Looking to buy a new (to you) bike, or parts and accessories? We've optimized our Classified Ads page to streamline its operation, and ensure the results are fast and accurate. There are thousands of Goldwing and Goldwing-related ads, from all over the world. If you're looking for a new bike, or maybe parts for your old bike, check us out first! |
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Featured This Month on GoldwingDocs.com: | ||
More on Electricity As I mentioned a few months ago, I wrote an "Electricity 101" article for those who look at the electrical system of your motorcycle with fear and trepidation. With the extensive electrics contained within the Goldwing, being able to diagnose and repair simple electrical problems can save you a ton of money. Since that original article was so well received, I have written more in the series, and will continue to do so. As of now, there are four articles: Electricity 101 Part 1: Voltage and Amperage Electricity 101 Part 2: Ohm's Law and Fuses Electricity 101 Part 3: Using Multimeters Electricity 101 Part 4: Circuit Diagrams Look for the next article in this series to appear soon! |
Clean Your Wheels Some people spend four hours cleaning and polishing their beloved Goldwing for every one hour spent riding. Others give their bike a perfunctory once-over cleaning each fall or spring, and perhaps clean the bugs off once in a while. Which group do you fall into? One of the worst, dirtiest cleaning jobs on the Goldwing is the wheels. Not only are they covered up by brake covers and saddlebags, making access difficult, they get coated in brake dust, road grime, grease and oil. Cleaning them off is not a task for the faint of heart. There are many products that purport to clean wheels easily. Some work great - some, not so great. Have a read through the discussion and find out what works best for Wing owners: Wheel Rim Cleaning |
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Goldwing GPS Input Device The Goldwing GPS Audio Input Device continues to be far and away the most popular product we have ever offered, and the tons of positive feedback we continue to receive really makes us happy that we're making something that people really like - and use. What is the GPS Audio Input Device? It's an American-made plug-and-play device that lets you hear the audio output of your GPS, cell phone or radar detector over your GL1500 or GL1800 intercom - so that you can hear the spoken instructions from your GPS or cell phone in your headset. It's a simple plug-and-play device that can be installed in minutes, and does not permanently modify any bike wiring. It's been receiving rave reviews - check it out today! Do you already have one of our GPS Input Devices? We've had quite a few people who want to buy a GPS with audio output that they know will work with the GPS Input Device. Take a couple minutes to help out your fellow Goldwingers by posting your GPS make and model on this forum thread. GPS manufacturers don't commonly specify audio output jacks as features, so it can be hard to decide which model of GPS to buy, unless you know beforehand what you're looking for. |
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7 Volt Regulator for Four Cylinder Wings If you have a GL1000, GL1100 or GL1200 Standard Goldwing with mechanical (not electronic LCD) temperature and fuel gauges, you've had this problem. Or...you will. It's only a matter of time. You'll start noticing that your temperature and fuel gauges are reading off the scale - the temperature is in the red, and the fuel shows full. The only thing is, the bike isn't overheating, and you know you've only got a quarter tank left. Or...even worse: your bike is operating normally, and suddenly your temperature and fuel gauges just turn off, and look like the picture to the right. How much fuel have you got left? You'll have to guess! What's causing it? A faulty, worn-out 7 volt voltage regulator. Behind the fuel and temperature gauges is a special voltage regulator that turns your motorcycle's normal 12 volts into the 7 volts on which these two gauges run. When it starts to fail, it typically starts doing so intermittently. Left in a failed state, it can cause damage - allowing a full 12 volts into your temperature and fuel gauges, destroying the delicate coils inside! That gets expensive, requiring the replacement of the entire center gauge cluster! What's the solution? For almost five years, we've been manufacturing a modern, solid-state 7 volt regulator to fix this problem once and for all. Hundreds and hundreds of Goldwing owners all over the world now have operating fuel and temperature gauges thanks to our 7 volt regulator. If you've got this problem - or you know someone who does - check out our 7 Volt Regulator and get it fixed! |
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Product Reviews Just what every Gold Wing owners needs, a set of Vessel JIS Motorcycle Repair Screwdrivers. You'll never use a different screwdriver again. The DeWalt DC020 Worklight for lighting up your bike when working on the dark recesses. I love this thing! A glowing review of Dry Heat Embroidery - for your shirt embroidery needs, club patches, etc. A review of the GL1500 Shifter Brace - an excellent high quality aftermarket device that fixes the sloppy shifter problem inherent in all GL1500's. Definitely recommended! A great testimonial in favor of EdSets motorcycle headsets - as well as their customer service. It's nice to know a manufacturer stands behind their product this way. What would you do if your trailer had a flat tire? We review the Springfield Marine Trailer Jack - a simple, light way to lift your trailer in order to change a flat. |
Pictures? We Love Pictures! Do you have pictures of your bike you want to share? Of course you do! And we want to see them! We have one of the largest collection of Goldwing-themed images on the Internet, with over 7,100 images, and it grows every day. Visit the Member Picture Gallery, view some of the great pictures, and add yours to the collection! The newest pictures uploaded each day are compiled into a single page, and if you like, you can have these pictures sent to your inbox waiting to greet you every morning. Check it out: Image Update Email |
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Regular GoldwingDocs.com Features: | ||
How To Articles Want to do some of your own maintenance but scared to take your bike apart? You're going to like this: We have tons of world-reknowned How-To Articles articles - the largest collection of Goldwing How-To Articles on the Internet! Even if you think you might not be capable of working on your bike yourself, our illustrated, step-by-step instructions make it easy - even for the beginner. Check them out today! We've added lots of new ones, and more are being added all the time. - How to install the GL1500 Shifter Brace - How to replace your GL1500 shifter oil seal - Poorboy alternator conversion on GL1200 - Improving spark plug performance - How to replace your dash lights with LEDs - How to rebuild your front forks - How to prevent cross-threading fasteners GoldwingDocs Classifieds Looking for a deal on a Goldwing, parts or accessories? Have you checked out our Goldwing Classifieds section? We have literally thousands of Goldwings and Goldwing-related accessories listed, primarily by private sellers from around the world, updated twice a day. If you're looking for a new-to-you bike, or something to add to your existing Goldwing, you should check us out first! GoldwingDocs Message Forum If you haven't visited our Goldwing Message Forum lately, you owe it to yourself to check it out. With tens of thousands of messages posted by thousands of helpful and friendly people, you can just about guarantee that you will find the information you're looking for, or find an interesting topic to chat about. Stop by and just say hello, we'd love to hear from you! GoldwingDocs Vendor Database The GoldwingDocs Vendor Database is a great place to search for sellers of Goldwings, parts and accessories. Not only do we have a huge, user-maintained database of vendors, but each of those vendors is rated in several categories, with written reviews from other Goldwing owners. Both traditional bricks-and-mortar vendors and Internet vendors are represented. If you want to check up on the reputation of an online vendor, or simply look for a Goldwing-friendly shop nearby, the GoldwingDocs Vendor Database has got what you need! GoldwingDocs Member Pictures The GoldwingDocs Member Picture Area has over 7,100 pictures, all uploaded by GoldwingDocs members. There's nothing that Goldwing owners love more than to show off their bikes - so take a few minutes and upload a few pictures of your pride and joy, to share with the world! You can search through all of the existing pictures, or just browse to your heart's content! |
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