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 January 2015 Newsletter
The Impact of Impact With the frantic Christmas holidays behind us and my bikes tucked away for their winter slumber, I was having a bit of a struggle coming up with an overall topic for this month's newsletter. I started browsing through the GoldwingDocs Forum looking for some common themes, to see if there were one or two topics that were generating a lot of interest. I didn't have to look far. That common theme: crashes - from several different angles: A couple members who have suffered major crashes recently, talk about ways to make you and your bike less likely to be involved in a crash, and methods to mitigate injury when crashes did occur. Motorcycling carries with it inherent risk. Anyone who denies this is fooling themselves. There are two major aspects of risk: the fact that as motorcycles, we are hard to see on the road, and drivers (for many reasons) fail to see us. The other is that when we are involved in a crash, we have significantly less protection against injury, compared to a regular passenger vehicle. It is important that we mitigate these risks in every way that we can, to tilt the odds more in our favor. Basically, first do everything we can to try to prevent the crash, and second, be prepared as best we can in case the crash does occur. Back in 2009, member propstop reported that a driver had pulled out in front of him while riding his 1983 GL1100. He swerved and ended up sideswiping the driver. He managed to stay on the bike and keep it upright, ironically thanks to the impact itself. The driver, as usual, claimed he had never seen the motorcycle. He wrote a post entitled "The Invisible Motorcycle" asking what we can do as riders to make ourselves more visible to the drivers who seem to be blind when it comes to motorcycles. Five years later, people are still reading and posting to this topic. Some things are changing, however: Recently it was announced that Tennessee has now banned trucks from the infamous Tail of the Dragon. This will go some ways toward reducing accidents on a road that has a very high ratio of motorcycle traffic. I've also noticed a trend in the US over the last couple of years toward high-visibility clothing, something that is all but ubiqutous in Europe and Canada. The standard uniform of the US motorcyclist, black leather jackets, T-shirts and jeans is slowly being replaced by high-visibility ballistic nylon gear. Now if we can only get people to start wearing helmets, which is unfortunately seen as "not cool" by a large majority of riders. We have no end of stories of riders who have been saved by their helmets. Another major method of mitigating risk is training. Riding a motorcycle is a perishible skill that takes considerable training and experience to do safely and well. Watching the skilled motorcyclists in England, where training and experience requirements are strict and involved, and comparing them to the skill shown by the average rider here in Ohio shows that the level of training offered (and required) here in the US has tremendous room for improvement. Here in Ohio where I live, a 16-year-old kid, who has never ridden a motorcycle in his life, can take a 20-question multiple choice test, and is then issued a "learners permit." This permit makes it perfectly within his legal right to hop onto a 1000cc superbike and go screaming off down the road. This too has come up in discussion, comparing the licensing standards from different parts of the world: Licensing of riders. Let's face it: if you come into a hairy situation and your training and experience amounts to a buddy helping you figure out which is the clutch and which is the brake, you are going to fare far, far worse than a rider who took a training class to learn to ride their bike, and continues with recurrent training to help sharpen their skills and practice emergency maneuvers. The other way of mitigating risk has very little to do with training, skill or experience, and everything to do with preparation. Once the crash has occurred, your fate is now no longer in your hands, and how you come out the other end is going to depend on the quality of your safety equipment, the environment, your velocity, and let's face it: a whole lot of luck. Sometimes you need that luck: member seelyark1 recently encountered a slippery pile of grass in the middle of a blind corner, and the next thing he knew, his helmet was scraping along the ground. He got away with a broken ankle and a few broken ribs, and is waiting to be able to ride again. So how can you mitigate the risk of injury from an accident over which you have no control? The GL1800 air bag was a huge step forward in motorcycle safety. Many people have escaped serious injury thanks to this impressive device. However it is expensive, difficult to maintain (and makes regular maintenance and repair of the bike more difficult), and was not adopted by other motorcycle makers - or even by Honda for other models. A few years back a company came out with an innovative air bag built into a jacket, that was tethered to the bike. Whenever the rider came off the bike, the tether would pull a trigger on the jacket, and the air bags would pop out of the jacket, protecting the most common areas of serious injury: the shoulders, neck, and torso. Of course, if you forget to disconnect that tether when you dismount...an expensive surprise awaits! Other companies have improved on the designs, with arming now being done by the action of zipping up the jacket, and triggering being done by sensitive electronic acceleration sensors. The stratospheric prices of these systems is also beginning to come down, to the point that they may actually become a reasonably common safety item. But expensive gadgets aside, the simplest and best way to avoid injury is to be wearing the proper equipment in the first place. This is yet another one of those long-running topics: Started three years ago, this topic is a discussion of the safety gear worn by various riders, and how it works/has worked for them: Distinguished Attire. And work it does: reading through the Motorcycle Accidents topic, Goldwing owners relate accidents they have had, and how the gear they were wearing helped prevent or minimize injuries. Unfortunately, for some riders (and I count myself amongst them), the education as to the requisite safety gear comes the hard way, only after bones have been broken and skin removed via asphalt. Non-Goldwings Knowing that a great number of us own (or have owned in the past) motorcycles other than Goldwings, last month I mentioned the new section dedicated to discussion of non-Goldwing bikes: Other Bikes I'm thrilled at the number of people who have posted information about their other rides, along with pictures: everything from dirt bikes to scooters. Very few of us bought a Goldwing as our very first bike. So check out the Other Bikes forum, and post what led you to the Goldwing. If you have pictures of your old rides, even better! We especially like these older pictures with you ON the bike, particularly if you're sporting some cool period fashion to go along with it! Of course, the gentleman in the picture to the right has taken things to a whole different level... Popular Member Pictures I'm sure everyone has at one time or another checked out the Member Pictures section of the site. This is the area where everyone can upload pictures of their bikes, trips, repairs, outfits, whatever you wish to share with the others. As of this writing, there are 8532 pictures, all uploaded by users just like you! It's fairly simple to see who has the most pictures - just sort by number of pictures: Largest number of pictures. Right now, member Sempai is in the lead with 146 pictures, followed by billzbub with 125 and Greg_C with 120. However, did you know that every time someone views one of your pictures, it counts it? Try it out, go view one of the pictures, and at the bottom of the picture, you'll see something like this: "26 views" So, which are the most viewed pictures on the site? There's no simple way to tell on the site. But I can tell you now! Here are the top ten most viewed pictures in the Member Pictures section, as of the moment I wrote this:
Omron G8MS-H30 Relays for GL1500's I talked about the replacement GL1500 relays I have for sale for a couple of months, and figured I would give it a rest last month. And what happened? I had several people contact me asking if they knew where I could find these relays now that I wasn't selling them anymore. Sheesh! Goldwings, particularly GL1500's and GL1800's, are filled to the brim with relays. These electromagnetically-actuated switches are used to switch all kinds of circuits, from headlights to radios to even the starter. However, they are a mechanical device, and after some time they will fail. I definitely still have many of these relays left, and if need be I can place yet another bulk order from my supplier. So if one of the many relays in your GL1500 has failed, or if you'd like to have a few on hand to carry around just in case one does (to avoid being left stranded!) - and you'd like to take advantage of my quantity purchase, now is the time to buy them for less than half the retail price. Check out our GL1500 relay store page: Goldwing GL1500 Omron G8MS-H30 Relay Of course, we still have our other products as well: GL1000/GL1100/GL1200 7 volt regulators, and GL1500/GL1800 GPS Input Devices. Product Reviews Are you aware of the extensive product review section on the site? With over 120 reviews posted in the past three years, it is an excellent repository of information and real-world tests (by real-world people) on Goldwing and motorcycle-related products - some of which you might not have even heard of before.
I would like to sincerely wish everyone the best of the new year. Thanks for being a part of the site! |
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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: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Mystery of the Disappearing Clutch Fluid With the advent of the GL1200, Goldwings switched from a cable-operated clutch to a hydraulic clutch. This is a closed system: it consists of a reservoir on the handlebar, a master cylinder on the handgrip that pumps the hydraulic fluid down to the clutch, and the slave cylinder at the clutch, which actuates the clutch. Pressing the clutch lever in and out simply moves hydraulic fluid up and down the clutch line as the clutch is actuated. In theory, the fluid level in the reservoir should never change. If it starts going down, there is a problem: it indicates a leak. If you have obvious evidence of a hydraulic fluid leak, either at the master cylinder, one of the line fittings or at the slave cylinder, then you have your smoking gun. However, if clutch fluid is going away with no apparent leak, you've got a serious problem. This indicates that the clutch fluid is leaking from the slave cylinder into the crankcase, where it intermingles with engine oil. This is very bad: hydraulic fluid in the engine oil can destroy crank bearings...which will destroy the engine. We had a GL1500 owner on the site not too long ago who had to replace an engine for just this reason. So if your clutch fluid starts disappearing with no visible leak, don't just fill the reservoir and call it good: get the problem fixed before your engine is turned into expensive scrap! Read more: Clutch issue, time to find problem |
How do you check your oil level? What, you're kidding, right? Seriously? How do you check your oil? Surely everyone knows that. Actually, everyone doesn't. And a large number of people were very surprised to learn that they were doing it wrong - and as a result, either underfilling or overfilling their crankcase. Either way it's not a good thing. Wonder if you're doing it right? Want to make sure? Check out this topic: How do you check your oil level |
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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 (including F6B) 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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Goldwing GL1500 Omron G8MS-H30 Relay The Goldwing GL1500 Omron G8MS-H30 Relay is a relay used for quite a few different functions in the GL1500. The GL1500 is filled with relays - there is a box full of them, next to the fuse box! These relays are mechanical devices, and have a limited life. When they do fail, critical systems can be affected, leaving you stranded! It's always a good idea to carry one or two spare relays with you. Honda sells replacement relays, Honda part number 38380-MN5-003, for over $25 each! These are the exact same relays, brand new, from the original manufacturer. Thanks to a quantity buy from the original manufacturer, we are able to offer them at a much reduced price. Stock up now and make sure you never end up stranded because of a failed relay! |
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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 thkat 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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Newest Product Reviews The best ear plugs I have ever used on a motorcycle: Fit-Ear custom molded ear plugs A great alternative for GL1800 owners: 30 watt LED driving lights/fog lights Windshields are personal: You really need to fit them to your needs. This is a good review of several types: Windshields This is a neat product for those who park on soft surfaces: SafeTkick Motorcycle Kickstand Pad Support Is there anyone who doesn't yet have a Battery Tender? If so, you should read this review: Battery Tender Jr. On the other hand, if you're considering a Harbor Freight Automatic Battery Charger, you definitely need to read this review: Harbor Freight Automatic Battery Charger The Schampa Double Layer Fleece Neck Gaiter is fantastic for cold-weather riding! I'm in love with my new all-weather/cold-weather jacket from Olympia: Olympia Ranger Jacket Everyday protective over pants that work great in wet and cold weather: Olympia Ranger 3 Over Pants Great gloves for cold and wet riding conditions: Alpinestars Valparaiso Drystar Gloves I revisit the condition of my Spidi Jab-R gloves after two years of use: Spidi Jab-R leather/textile summer gloves I'm very impressed with the quality and functionality of Olympia's Horizon Rain Gear |
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 8,300 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. - 75 GL1000 Intake Manifold Conversion - How to remove and reinstall your (GL1200) headlight - Antitheft alarm installation with trunk release (GL1500) - How to winterize your motorcycle - Installing a 2006+ heated seat in a pre-2006 GL1800 - How to Predict Catastrophic GL1200 Stator Failure - Retrofitting LED Brake, tail and turn signals to GL1500 - GL1200 Poorboy Alternator Conversion Video - How to keep from losing your side covers - GL1200 Ignition Switch Overhaul - How to replace your steering head bearings - GL1500 Projector HID Headlight Install - How to open a GL1500 trunk when keys are locked inside of it 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 8,200 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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