03 Goldwing with 20K miles

[kolot]

Looking at purchasing an 03 1800 wing
Anything I should look for or watch oiut for.
Frame recall has been done. Brakes are yet to be done.

[Rednaxs60]

Looking at purchasing an 03 1800 wing
Anything I should look for or watch oiut for.
Frame recall has been done. Brakes are yet to be done.

I bought my '08 1800 in the fall of 2014 with 37,000 Kms. I scoured the forums and internet to get information on these bikes. A lot of information regarding the suspension of the 1800 wearing out or in need of some form of restoration. I also noted that the air filter was also mentioned a lot considering that it takes 3 to 4 hours to change a $25.00 filter - who wants to pay a shop to do this work. The 1800 is a real trouble free touring machine, but does need to have the maintenance done. Brake pads and the pivot pins should be checked - the pivot pins because if these are seized, you could notice binding of the brakes and uneven pad wear.

I did a complete suspension upgrade with the Traxion suspension (full Monty), changed the air filter, had the seat adjusted for me, and a few other niceties that I wanted then proceeded to put 37,000 Kms on it last year.

It is a used bike and as such, you should expect to do initial maintenance, change fluids, etc. Lots of good information on this forum and others just need to do a bit of browsing. Good luck.

[Easy rider]

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[cal3san]

I bought my 2003 GL-1800 trike February of last year from a gentleman in Missouri who getting out of riding due to medical problems. Paid $15.9K for it (17K miles on it) and it was worth every penny. Nicely maintained. I trailered it home and put 400 miles on it before the U-joint busted at the driveshaft which meant $1K outlay to get it back on the road. Heck that could have happened to anyone at anytime.

Anyway, it has been a pleasure to ride and one of the first things I did was change the oil and filter (previous owner graciously gave me a case of AMSOIL oil, 2 oil filters and 1 air filter when I got the 03). Next thing was I took it to my 1800 guru and had him do a 360 check of the 1800 and he was impressed with the condition of the machine and more so with the price I paid for it.

In the 13 months I've had the 1800 I've put 17K miles on it (6K on trip to NH, ME and NE Canada- pulling a Kompac Kamp Mini Mate popup camper). I just changed out the front brake pads and in the process noticed the fork seal on one side was leaking fluid so I had both seals replaced by the guru. And, in anticipation of starting a July PNW trip to OR, WA, AK and back down to MT for Wing Ding I put a new Avon Trike Tire on the front. It was wearing well.

Highly recommend using this site's Classifieds for your search. Gold WIng Magazine Ads, and Classifieds on TrikeTalk.com.

Good luck in your search and maybe I'll pass you on the road one day.

I agree with the position that if you do the required maintenance when do and take care of any "little things" when they happen you'll have a very happy and rewarding experience.

[Fatwing Chris]

Just because the frame recall was done doesn't meen it will never crack.They're still showing up cracked and broken.The good thing is that in the States Mother Honda still seems to be looking after this issue.Up here in Canada for some unknown reason they aren't.I have a buddy right now that has a broken frame on an 04 and there was an 03 in Quebec last summer broken in half for sale.Middle of the bike was sitting on the ground.

New frame came out in very late 04 and knowing what I know now I personally wouldn't take a chance on anything older than 05.JMHO.

[Wingsconsin]

I bought a new-to-me 2002 last April with about 25,000 miles on it.
I was not worried about the frame cracks or the brake recall - I have had them done as of fall and all is well -
Honda will stand behind it for you if something develops - but not every frame cracked or will crack I believe.
I think the frames that cracked where overloaded with big Wing riders and co-riders, and under suspended with LOW pre-adjustment -
The preadjuster (preload) has been proven to be suspect in that it doesn't always begin adjusting in the lower numbers...
Someone who thought there were adjusting for a cushy ride at pre-load level 5-6 actually was riding with near zero preload.
Overloaded + no prelaod = tremendous load on frame - just my own theory .

The brake recall is no big deal - have it done and never look back.

Do NOT overpay for this bike - even though it has low miles - it will require you to bring it up to current maintenance.
Do not trust the previous owner when he says I just had it in the shop...'just' can be a long time ago and previous owners tend to stretch the truth.

I paid $7600 for a pristine bike with little extras - near bone stock except a Vstream windscreen brand new and a new battery.
I then sunk in another $3000 making it MINE with a custom seat, CB , and aux radio system MP3 player to name a few things.
All the maintenance is now up to date on mine including the valve check which needs attention every 32,000 miles.
This can be an expensive thing to have the Dealer do - but while most bikes do not need adjusting at this lower mileage..mine needed 2 valves adjusted -

Tires may be okay looking but old rubber is bad rubber so plan on a tire change.

But buy it knowing it will last you well into the 150,000+ miles category and ride the snot out of it ..

[Fatwing Chris]

I bought a new-to-me 2002 last April with about 25,000 miles on it.
I was not worried about the frame cracks or the brake recall - I have had them done as of fall and all is well -
Honda will stand behind it for you if something develops - but not every frame cracked or will crack I believe.
I think the frames that cracked where overloaded with big Wing riders and co-riders, and under suspended with LOW pre-adjustment -
The preadjuster (preload) has been proven to be suspect in that it doesn't always begin adjusting in the lower numbers...
Someone who thought there were adjusting for a cushy ride at pre-load level 5-6 actually was riding with near zero preload.
Overloaded + no prelaod = tremendous load on frame - just my own theory .

The brake recall is no big deal - have it done and never look back.

Do NOT overpay for this bike - even though it has low miles - it will require you to bring it up to current maintenance.
Do not trust the previous owner when he says I just had it in the shop...'just' can be a long time ago and previous owners tend to stretch the truth.

I paid $7600 for a pristine bike with little extras - near bone stock except a Vstream windscreen brand new and a new battery.
I then sunk in another $3000 making it MINE with a custom seat, CB , and aux radio system MP3 player to name a few things.
All the maintenance is now up to date on mine including the valve check which needs attention every 32,000 miles.
This can be an expensive thing to have the Dealer do - but while most bikes do not need adjusting at this lower mileage..mine needed 2 valves adjusted -

Tires may be okay looking but old rubber is bad rubber so plan on a tire change.

But buy it knowing it will last you well into the 150,000+ miles category and ride the snot out of it ..

Cracked frames had absolutely nothing to do with the load,it was the welding process and the thin tubes behind the footrests.Both of which were changed when the new frame came out in late 04.

[Paulcf]

14 years later and I still hear the fearmongers about the frames on early GL1800's. Give it up. If it ain't broke by now, probably not going to break. Mine was inspected, welds were the concern and it is fine. I ride solo so maybe a lighter load helps, as it would ANY vehicle of course.

I have ridden mine on construction roads so rough that it burned out both my headlights! And all was/is fine after the bulbs were replaced. Tough bike!