Buying a used 2000 SE 25th Anniversary Edition?

[zeoran]

A couple of weeks ago I was in another accident on my 2002 ST1100. A woman in a van decided to try and make a right turn from a straight-only lane while I was making a right turn from the right-turn-only lane. I'm still waiting for the final word from the insurance companies, but I'm sure they're going to just write off my ST1100 since the repair costs far exceed the value of the bike. So I've been searching for a replacement bike on Craigslist again and the best thing I've found so far is the bike I wanted in the first place but couldn't afford: a Goldwing.

I found the following 2000 Goldwing SE 25th Anniversary Edition on CL and it looks almost too good to be true. It's only got 44k miles on it, looks to be in perfect condition, likely a single owner and is even my favorite color. And it's over $1,000 less than blue book value for the bike at $4,500. I'm itching to pull the trigger on it as soon as I have the money from the insurance, but I've also heard many horror stories from people who got a bike that looked great only to find lots of hidden problems once the purchase was final. I know the Goldwing is far more complicated than my ST1100 but ever since I made the grave error of giving up my '82 Interstate, I've regretted it and this seems like the perfect opportunity to get back to riding one.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/m ... 25353.html

Here are my main questions:

• What should I be looking for?
  Are there any issues specific to the 2000 model that I can be on the lookout for?
  Any bonuses/negatives to the 25th Anniversary model?
  Any specific tests I can do when I get a chance to check it out in person?
  What kind of routine maintenance should a 2000 have had with only 44,000 miles on it?
  Any other advice/questions?

Thanks and God bless,

~Mark

[joeincalif]

I have seen that bike on CL for a few weeks now. Looks nice. ask about timing belts if they have been changed, check tires for wear and production date, ask about when coolant and air filters were changed. make sure all the switches work and do not stick, a common problem, ask about service records. look at the clutch and brake fluid color to see it has been changed. Over all look for signs that it has been down or abused.
Here is another one close to you
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 812888705/

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy ... 26521.html

[joeincalif]

This one is in Bakersfield
https://bakersfield.craigslist.org/mcy/ ... 15029.html

[zeoran]

Don't know if I could rock a deep purple and get away with it...

I actually just bought new Pirelli tires for my ST1100, any chance they would fit on the Goldwing? (Front 110/80/18, Rear 160/60/17) When I look at the color of the fluid, how would I know it's been changed recently? Just looking for the lighter pinkish color?

God bless,

~Mark

[bellboy40]

The tire sizes for the 1500 is this:
Front 130-70HB-18
Rear 160-80HB-16

The tires you mentioned are the wrong size for the 1500 Goldwing.

[in2it]

In December I traveled to Palm Coast Florida and bought a 2000 Special Anniversary with 79 K ... the owner had complete service records and a separate folder for the accessories that was put on the bike... the Wing looked brand new and had a complete 77 K service ... the owner decided not to ride any more... I saw it on eBay and called and the rest is history ...if the owner has records, clean title ... and have that gut feeling about it ... I don't think you will regret the decision ... I know I haven't

[zeoran]

How often should he have serviced the bike with only 44,000 miles on it?

Since it's obviously sat around for long periods of time being 20 years old with low mileage, are there any special concerns in that area I should be on the watch for?

God bless,

~Mark

[in2it]

The man I bought mine from rode it regularly ... have you seen it ??? heard it run ??? .. ask the owner to send you a video of it running ... also take what joeincalif said in his post about what to look for and ask ... I be really careful if the tires are dry rotted don't want to ride it if they are... what a fellow Winger told me when I was looking for a Wing in my price point ... and I quote " by 1999 Honda had all the kinks out of them"

[zeoran]

I haven't seen it in person yet. It's in Santa Clarita, which is quite a drive from me. I'm still waiting for my insurance to square me away financially before I venture out to see it. No point in checking it out yet if I can't afford to buy it yet. But that should come through any day now. I've also got a tax refund that will help with that. I'm not sure I'd be able to hear the difference between a good running Wing and a bad one, but I'll have to trust my gut.

The owner said that he takes it out once a week just to keep it going, but can't ride it regularly because of back surgery last year.

[in2it]

Sounds like he has taken care of the Wing... but ask the question mention in the other post ... maybe one day we will cross path on the open road

[Happytrails]

It does sound good. These bikes are generally a steal now because they arent much money and made so well. Checking it over and service records are great. Talking to the seller can tell you a lot. If everything looks good you still wont know until you bring it home and start changing fluids and filters. Would ask about the timing belts and checks the tires. I road mine home on a really bad front tire that i didnt check closely enough and the pressures were fairly low. I just didnt know.

[Garyd]

A couple of weeks ago I was in another accident on my 2002 ST1100. A woman in a van decided to try and make a right turn from a straight-only lane while I was making a right turn from the right-turn-only lane. I'm still waiting for the final word from the insurance companies, but I'm sure they're going to just write off my ST1100 since the repair costs far exceed the value of the bike. So I've been searching for a replacement bike on Craigslist again and the best thing I've found so far is the bike I wanted in the first place but couldn't afford: a Goldwing.

I found the following 2000 Goldwing SE 25th Anniversary Edition on CL and it looks almost too good to be true. It's only got 44k miles on it, looks to be in perfect condition, likely a single owner and is even my favorite color. And it's over $1,000 less than blue book value for the bike at $4,500. I'm itching to pull the trigger on it as soon as I have the money from the insurance, but I've also heard many horror stories from people who got a bike that looked great only to find lots of hidden problems once the purchase was final. I know the Goldwing is far more complicated than my ST1100 but ever since I made the grave error of giving up my '82 Interstate, I've regretted it and this seems like the perfect opportunity to get back to riding one.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/m ... 25353.html

Here are my main questions:

• What should I be looking for?
  Are there any issues specific to the 2000 model that I can be on the lookout for?
  Any bonuses/negatives to the 25th Anniversary model?
  Any specific tests I can do when I get a chance to check it out in person?
  What kind of routine maintenance should a 2000 have had with only 44,000 miles on it?
  Any other advice/questions?

Thanks and God bless,

~Mark

I to an looking at a 2000se. On!g 12k miles. Will be watching this thread.

[RobsTV]

Seeing as the 2000 models were the final versions of the GL1500, most likely that would be the best year for bug fixes that might have popped up in prior years. That was why I specifically looked for and just bought a 2000 GL1500SE.

Hidden problems could happen to anything, but even a well maintained mechanical device can have an issue at the wrong time. Do what you can, but don't worry too much about the unexpected. My '93 ST1100 still is running the original 28 amp alternator at 55,000 miles, and it might make it to 150,000 miles before needing replaced (many have lasted that long), yet most will say something like that is an example of something you should avoid when buying. Heck, some replacement 40 amp alternators are failing at 40,000 miles...

Things like the timing belt are important on the GL1500, but even if not replaced, look at that as a good thing. You get to start off with a clean slate, do the belt yourself (2 hours?), and know it is done, so no fears later on. Same with all the other routine service items. I would rather get a discounted price and do the stuff myself, than take someones word that it was all done properly before, and end up paying more for having already been done.

Working on this bike is different than the ST. A lot more needs to come off to do stuff, but more snap on than screw on. All this stuff below went back on the bike in less than 20 minutes. Changed the filters and front speakers.

[Happytrails]

Was lookin thru craigslist and came across 1999 SE with 19,375 miles, $6000. Color looks like seamist green? Located in a posh part of Pittsburgh so probably kept in a nice clean warm garage. There are lots of nice ones out there, enjoy your hunt.

https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/d ... 18301.html

[WingAdmin]

Was lookin thru craigslist and came across 1999 SE with 19,375 miles, $6000. Color looks like seamist green? Located in a posh part of Pittsburgh so probably kept in a nice clean warm garage. There are lots of nice ones out there, enjoy your hunt.

https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/d ... 18301.html

00B0B_4P33sNjQZFr_600x450.jpg

That one is being sold by our member PITWING - you can see it here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=55473

[Rednaxs60]

Bought my '95 1500 almost two years ago with 155,000 Kms on it. Did the required maintenance, timing belts, fluid change all round, new brake pads, tires, front fork springs, rear Progressive air shocks, lubed up rear splines, high output alternator (bought when I purchased the bike - put on a year later just because), and a few other small items. Since then gas and oil, start and drive. Now have 175,000 Kms on it. Took it for a 7400 Km trip last year to Dawson City and back, planning one this year down the west coast to LA, across to the Canyon and up the east side of the Rockies, back to Victoria. Only needs minor maintenance to get it ready. Mileage has been kept down as I have a 1200 GW and 1000 V-Strom to ride as well. Just put collectors plate on bike and insurance is now down to about $200.00 Canadian. Would have liked a lower mileage bike, but these are very reliable. If you are going to have issues it shouldn't be with the drive train or the engine - in this regard, all used bikes can have ancillary issues regardless of make-model.

My recommendation, haggle and get the lowest best price you can, buy, do the maintenance required, and ride it. Good luck.

[DougEFresh1123]

First off glad you are okay after your accident.

The owner said that he takes it out once a week just to keep it going, but can't ride it regularly because of back surgery last year.

I'm not much of a mechanic but this line helps alleviate the fear of having gummed up carburetors. Not sure how mechanical you are but if I can change the timing belts, change all the filters and lube up the universal joint, drive shaft and the rear wheel then anybody can. This site has the best how-to section

One of your posts mentioned not being able to tell if the engine sounds good or bad, believe me your ears will know it when they hear the engine. Unless this bike has had major exhaust modifications the engine and exhaust sounds will be relatively quiet. Watch the RPM/Tachometer if it's jumping all over that would be a sign of fuel delivery issue. Which could be as simple as adjusting the idle, or clogged fuel filter.

I'd add changing all the filters to the list of things to fix yourself. You'll have half the stuff already when changing out the timing belts.

Doug

[Rednaxs60]

Agree with Doug, forgot about the filters - gas and air. There are a lot of good products on the market to add to the fuel such as Yamalube Ring Free Plus Fuel Conditioner - good reviews on this - have used as well. Best way to prevent carb issues - prefer fuel injection myself, but have had no issues with the carbs on my 1500 - is to ride regularly and keep the gas flowing through them. Up here in the north, one can use premium gas as it has no ethanol in it. Cheers

[zeoran]

Well, I was gloriously stupid.

I should have jumped on the bike the INSTANT I found it on CL. It was the exact year I wanted, model I wanted, color I wanted, etc. and the price couldn't be beat. I thought I could wait a little bit longer to get the money from the insurance company before buying it, since it was up for over 23 days. Turns out, just as the insurance is working to settle, it sold and for $150 less than what the owner was asking, which was already a steal at $4,500.

Now I'm back to nothing. My ST1100 is going to get written off and there aren't any other good Goldwings in my area in my price range, certainly nothing as perfect as that.

Sigh...

[DougEFresh1123]

Well that is a bummer.

Not sure if you are on Facebook, but I've had good results shopping their Market Place. Not sure if this is anywhere close to you, but it looks good from the pictures and the seems to be in your price range:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 135318298/


Good luck on your continued search.

Doug

[zeoran]

I should have jumped on this thing the INSTANT I found it. It was my dream bike... perfect year, perfect color, perfect options, perfect condition, perfect mileage, perfect price, even has the original manuals, toolkit and to-go bags. It's 1000% perfect to everything I was looking/hoping for. And as Murphy's Law would have it, the insurance company just settled with me, I'll have the money in my account tomorrow.

I was even willing to offer the new buyer extra $ to buy it off him, but the seller said he was buying it to replace one he had crashed so it's unlikely he'd take me up on my offer.

This officially now ranks as the 2nd biggest mistake of my entire life.

And I'm now without a reliable means of transportation. My car died this morning as I knew it would with the commute I have.

I've looked all over for a similar bike and the only one I could find had more than double the mileage, is in worse wear and is in Ohio.

I'm going to be killing myself over this for a long time... I can't believe I was so gloriously stupid.

[Happytrails]

Maybe this will cheer you up, a little more expensive than the other bike you were looking at but it looks pretty nice.

2000 Honda Goldwing SE, 1603 miles

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/d/ ... 92575.html

[zeoran]

Interesting find.
Is it likely to only need a carb clean with only 1,603 miles though? The others I've seen that had really low mileage all needed to have the gas tank cleaned, etc.

[zeoran]

PS - This was the PERFECT Goldwing I found in Santa Clarita. The one I let slip through my gloriously stupid fingers and it's desperately costing me. My old bike is officially being salvaged by the insurance company and my car died this morning trying to get to work as expected.

[zeoran]

I actually reached out to the seller to see if he would contact the buyer and let him know I'm interested and willing to make it worth his while by giving him $1,000 on top of what he paid for the bike. At this point, I figure I've got nothing to lose. I've searched ALL OVER THE COUNTRY and can't find anything remotely close to that. There's a 2000 White Goldwing (listed above) but it only has 1,603 miles on it and currently isn't running. The seller claims it just needs a carb job, but I highly doubt that's all it would need after sitting around unused for so long. As I've learned, there is such a thing as too low mileage. This one had 44,000 on it, just enough to keep it running in good shape but not too much to start requiring major repairs/etc. He had recently done a spark plug job, air filter and oil change. The only thing possibly in question is the timing belt, from what I've learned about GL1500's and everyone I've talked to/heard from has said that you're better off doing the 2-or-so hour job yourself so you know it's done right. Which I was very willing to do. Plus, being perfect in EVERY other way, I'd be ok with a few minor mechanical issues as it would be WELL worth the investment. It would be something I was looking forward to owning for the rest of my life.

I deep searched every state connected to CA and over half a dozen more scattered throughout the US with no luck. Although I'm not sure I could easily get a Wing from out of CA and get it registered here. Doesn't CA have stricter emissions laws and crap that make it hard to transfer a bike here?

I'm still praying there's an excruciatingly slim chance that the new owner will be willing to sell to me and make a quick $1,000. He just needed the bike for parts, which he can buy. I need a bike to start with, which apparently I can't buy.