Buying a Goldwing

[Uranium1023]

Hello everyone. I am new to the forums and looking for some advice.

I live near Toronto and will be starting a new job in BC in the spring. I've always wanted a Goldwing and figured this is the perfect excuse to finally get one. I'm looking to buy one in the next few weeks, fix it up over the winter, then ride out to BC in March/April. Budget is tight, I'm only working a few days a week right now and no one wants to give me job when I'll be leaving in a few months so I gotta be careful how I spend my money. I have a few listings I've been looking at but wanted some advice from people more knowledgeable. I plan to do everything myself, I have some experience working with vehicles but really just basics. I'll be spending a lot of time here I imagine. So here's what I've found so far and my thoughts.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.ht ... 1704327543 - 1983 - 18'000km - $300. Very cheap, I talked to the seller who said his uncle barely rode it, so it likely hasn't been rolled over. Problem is he said it has just been sitting outside. Last time it ran was 3 years ago. Seller claims it just needs a battery but I'm sure it'll need more to get it running smoothly. Aesthetically this my favourite, such a beautiful bike. This is my first choice currently but the seller has also been ignoring me for the last 2 days so maybe he's already sold it.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-touring/city-of ... 1702935715 - 1982 - 117,000km - $1800. It's a lot more money than I wanted to spend and the mileage is higher than I wanted but he has service records going back to 1993 and had some work done to it this year including rebuilt carburetor and new head gasket. Probably means its been well looked after. Maybe I can knock him down a few hundred. Also a close second aesthetically. It does have an issue with the suspension. From the listing "Engine runs perfectly but suspension is extremely soft and will bottom out because the air suspension has a leak. It will run and ride using the onboard compressor to fill up, but ends up going soft very quickly. The leak is audible in the control panel and may not be very difficult to fix" Thoughts on this? How easy or hard is something like this to fix.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-touring/barrie/ ... 1696945863 - 1983 - 44'000km - $1100. Low mileage, says it starts and runs well. Some rust but not too bad from what I can see.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-touring/owen-so ... 1704294155 - 1984 - 120'00km - $750. Not much to say about this one. Its cheap, comes with a trailer hitch which may come in handy. Not a huge fan of the aesthetics.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-touring/windsor ... 229270#map - 1982 - 84'000km - $700. Cheap, looks nice, seems well looked after though he says he "Overheated on ride home last weekend" so that's a little concerning.

Honestly there's a lot more I'm considering but the rest are all pretty similar. $700-$1100 range 1980-1984 and around 100,000 km. The $300 dollar one is beautiful, the only thing holding me back is how long its been sitting outside. Probably needs a lot of maintenance, which I have the time for, but not necessarily the money. The $1800 one is very tempting, if I can get some opinions here about the suspension issue, and maybe knock him down to $1300ish I could go for it. I don't wanna lowball to much but the listing has been up for over a month and maybe he just wants it gone.

Anyway thankyou for taking the time to look at these, I appreciate any and all advice you can throw my way.

[Rambozo]

For starters don't worry so much about the mileage. If anything, beware of too low mileage as that usually means the bike has been sitting for long periods. GoldWings don't like sitting. Service records are a big plus as you can see that the bike has been ridden and maintained. Parts are getting harder to come by and more expensive for older bikes. If you are on a budget, buy a bike that runs and rides, as the proverbial "just needs a ____" can be a very expensive learning experience. There is likely a reason that the bike is being sold without fixing that "minor" issue.
Also while most mechanical things are fixable, it is impractical to fix some aesthetic things on a bike that has heavy weather damage.
The second bike seems like a good candidate. The suspension leak can likely be fixed, or bypassed to a manual fill valve. It seems like the kind of repair that will be perfect for you, lots of labor to get it apart, but low cost parts like o-rings and air hose to fix. Not a big fan of all the extra chrome, but that can be removed. Might even be able to sell the bling to fund other repairs.
No idea about prices and buying power of Canukistan Kopeks.

[kwthom]

I didn't look at the listings; I'll take a stab at an answer from the 30,000ft point of view...

Do you want to ride or do you want to wrench on a ride? I recognize your financial issue, and maybe you do have a nice, heated shop and a well-equipped tool box that you are able to put in the time over the next few months to really do any one of those bikes justice, but I think that's question you really need to answer first.

Not sure there's anyone one here that can give an honest look at any one of those listings and really give you an inside look at the *real* issue why those bikes were parked. I mean, think this through - you're trying to resurrect nearly 40 year old machines and make it safe enough that things won't go south on you while you are operating it.

Now, that *could* be why those vehicles have been put up for sale - the current owners can't (or don't) want to put in the 'sweat equity' in making them operational. Again, tough to make any sort of comparative evaluation simply based on what someone has posted in a for sale ad.

I wish you the best of luck in finding an appropriate solution.

[detdrbuzzard]

personally i would pass on all of them and save my change for something with less, way less problems

[Sassy]

Good luck on your quest to find the right bike,, but.
I live in the Kootenays of BC just off hwy 3. The valleys will be ok mid March on but the passes will be touch n go. If you do make the ride out be sure to allow down time waiting for snow clearing and melt plus many times it stays frozen in the shadows. Plus gravel, the pavement on all the passes will be dirty.
Plus you may get pulled over for lack of 3 summit winter rated tires required here to May 1st.
Pics taken about 25 mins apart May 1st/22 Creston valley and Creston/Salmo pass, hwy3. #1 hwy is further north and more white!

[WingAdmin]

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-touring/city-of ... 1702935715 - 1982 - 117,000km - $1800. It's a lot more money than I wanted to spend and the mileage is higher than I wanted but he has service records going back to 1993 and had some work done to it this year including rebuilt carburetor and new head gasket. Probably means its been well looked after. Maybe I can knock him down a few hundred. Also a close second aesthetically. It does have an issue with the suspension. From the listing "Engine runs perfectly but suspension is extremely soft and will bottom out because the air suspension has a leak. It will run and ride using the onboard compressor to fill up, but ends up going soft very quickly. The leak is audible in the control panel and may not be very difficult to fix" Thoughts on this? How easy or hard is something like this to fix.

This IS actually cheap and easy to fix. Those valves are actually just schrader valves - the same ones used in your tires. You can buy replacement valve cores for a few cents, and a core replacement tool for $15, and that should take care of that leak.

Find This Item on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GZ20VE?tag=goldwingdocs-20

[Burlington]

I've owned most of the 1000 / 1100 GW years and one 1984 1200. There were some that I liked more than others in appearance or features but all worked well. I prefer the 1980 to 1983 series with the 1980 being the least favorite for some minor function reasons; the 1982 best for appearance; and, the 1983 for best function. IMO any of these are excellent but I prefer the 1983 because (for me) they finally got the gear ratios right. (A disadvantage of the 1983s is that the pin-striping didn't hold up well.)

In spite of some nice mechanical changes, I didn't care for the 1984. I think the steering geometry was changed... making slow-speed handling more difficult when riding two-up. Some 1200s had an alternator problem... if looking at one, be sure it works.

In the past several years I have purchased (3) 1100s in the 40-year range. All had under 40k miles. If they were treated reasonably well, the age creates no problem.... they may need fluid changes; some replaceable parts (brakes, thermostats, tires, etc). The largest risks are that the carbs will need rebuilding and if it hasn't been done, new timing belts. Both of those will be expensive if you don't do them yourself.

Generally, the cost of the recent GWs was around $2K... or a bit more.

Good luck / Good riding.

Bob

[Filterman]

I'm with kwthom & rambozo; they both bring up good points. One post indicated that 'some' 1200's had alternator problems. 1200's don't have alternators unless they've been modified, and ALL 1200's had stator failures at some point. I had an '84 1200. It was a great bike, but like someone in the post string indicated, parts are getting harder and harder to find and their costs are going up when you can find them. Electrical gremlins can drive you nuts too. A nice thing about the 1200 over the 1100 is the hydraulic lifters. They don't require the maintenance and periodic adjustment the 1100's do. In a nutshell, take the winter to get ready for your move, start the new job and save some canadian bucks and find a nice 1800. Mine is a 2005, so beyond the potential cracked frame years of 01/02, and when I see them posted for sale, they're very reasonably priced. Heck, they're now the old bikes and there are plenty earlier models out there with <100K miles and priced very fairly. Take Sassy's advice, you won't be riding in BC in March or April. That older bike will end up costing you more than a more reliable machine. The first cost is only the beginning. Like someone said - you wanna rench or ride!!! Ride! That's why you're buying one! Best of luck to you.....

[Rednaxs60]

Agree with the collective, an 1800 is a good bet; however, some are getting up in age. I had an '86 GW and it was great. If you are a tall person, I'm 6'2, you may find the seating a bit cramped, sitting too far forward. Just need to remove some foam from the rear of the rider seat to keep your knees away from the front fairing. I had the seat changed for myself at Rich's Custom Seats in Kingston WA. He moved me back 2 inches and up two inches, made quite the difference. 1800s aren't without there challenges. Change a $25.00 air filter, 4 hours of labour. Suspension upgrade is also recommended. Look for a 2006 and newer. The head lights for night riding are the best, light up the road nicely. The side mirrors are good in that you can see a vehicle in the side mirrors until the vehicle is starting to pass you. Also look for one that has the leg warmer, ports that open and let the engine hot air at your legs. Here's a picture of what I am mentioning. You can see the opening, arrow indicating. Heat is welcome in the shoulder seasons - picture soon:

A 1500 is good as well, had a '95 SE. Carb models but very reliable. Excellent ride on the road solo or two up. Some of these have the leg warmer opening as well, mine did. It is well suited to a taller rider, I did not have to modify the seat to ride comfortably.

If you are not a person who likes to maintain their own bike, or you will not have an area to do work, investigate what shops are available and what year of bike it will work on. Some shops are very particular. Here on Vancouver Island, not a lot of choice for older bike repair shops.

Have an '85 1200 GW fuel injected model. The 1200s are reliable, but dated. Need to be your own mechanic. These have issues as do the 1800s. Seeing more posts on different forums regarding issues. The alternator, it is called an alternator by the OEM - it's a three part alternator just not in one neat package, has issues but so do the alternators on the 1500s and the 1800s will follow as well.

Having mentioned the above, an 1800 first choice, followed by a well maintained 1500, then a 1200. Depending on where you live, you can ride year round in BC, I can in Victoria unless there is snow on the road.

Good luck

[landisr]

Two things:

The 'alternators' on the 1500s are a single unit, and EXTERNAL. That means that they can be easily removed and taken to a local auto mechanic for servicing. I have mine serviced every 50,000 miles. No worries.

The 1800s have bucket and shim valve adjustments; not something most riders are capable of or willing to tackle. Big bucks. Maybe someone can chime in with $$ experiences.

Good luck in your hunt.

Ron in AZ

[Uranium1023]

Appreciate all the responses. I understand it's almost impossible to tell how good of a deal anything is online. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to just post a bunch of listings and ask which is best. But I still got lots of great general advice so thanks. Money is tight, a while a sub $1000 dollar bike is extremely tempting, I may end up spending more than I would have if I just bought a functional one to begin with.

There's a few bikes I'm gonna go look at in person this week. So far the most likely candidate is a 1999 GL1500 SE. 100'000km $4000. Absolutely beautiful color. I will post pictures if I buy it.

The new job is seasonal and starts in May. I'm not actually moving out there, just there till August when I'll make the return trip, maybe through the US this time.

I figure if I leave in March or early April that should give me plenty of time to take it slow, enjoy the journey, and if necessary, wait out any potential issues like snowy roads.

Thanks again for all the help, I look forward to becoming and official member of this community.