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2018 Gold Wing Eye Opener

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Yeeha! Stephen

Yeeha! Stephen

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[ame="https://youtu.be/TTpskmEWSVQ"]2018 Honda Gold Wing front shock sags onto bumper! It's sad... - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://youtu.be/DnMhiTiikdQ"]2018 Honda Gold Wing Steering Head bearings severely loose! - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://youtu.be/j7b16W725X8"]2018 Honda Gold Wing Steering bearings fixed - YouTube[/ame]
 
This is why I only ride reliable European and American motorcycles. :-P
 
Traxxion makes Gold Wings handle like sportbikes, OK close er to them. Max can be a jerk sometimes but his shop does quality work.
They always find the OEM weakness to fix and improve but that stocker has issues. Imagine riding your new GW to California and negotiating the Rockies with that production quality.
 
Stocker has issues according to Max. Imagine that!
 
Loose steering head bearings would be an issue for anybody. I wonder if dealer prep has the responsibility, they should be right from the factory me thinks.
 
For the record, a motorcyclist should know loose head bearings are critical. You will hear it while riding straight, feel rubbery in corners and they will wear out very fast. A wear item that's easy to check, replacing a set is not fun. Nothing to do with suspension mods or Max, if they make that sound when shaken, it's not right.

Dealer prep should have caught that, Max could have loosened stuff to make Honda look bad.
Good looking bike, I want to ride one and see how the new front feels.
 
Hotboot said:
Dealer prep should have caught that, Max could have loosened stuff to make Honda look bad.
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Yea, and unless he's going into the steering head bearing business that doesn't make much sense. Definitely some interesting engineering decisions going on there.

Max could benefit from a scope cam. :rofl:
 
gixxerjasen said:
Yea, and unless he's going into the steering head bearing business that doesn't make much sense. Definitely some interesting engineering decisions going on there.

Max could benefit from a scope cam. :rofl:
Click to expand...

Borescopes are so cheap nowdays it makes no sense not to have one in the tool box.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0778XT2VN/?tag=twowhetex-20

The GE units with the steerable heads get expensive. On the order of 13 grand.
 
A poster on GL1800riders.com gave his opinion on his new 2018 Wing's suspension and gave some praise to Max's suspension components. Another member of the forum then PM'd the original poster of "who was he to be making those kinds of comments" so the original poster responded on the forum. I about popped a gut when I read it and then discovered who the poster (ldrdr) is. :rofl:

"I know suspension is a passionate issue here, so I was asked "who am I to comment on suspension?!" Wow... wasn't ready for that dig. OK, well, I am a 17 year Wing rider, that alone should be enough, but also the first person to ride a BMW GS with the new Telelever suspension to Prudhoe Bay (I had special press permission from the Alaska government to legally be on the Haul Road before it was open to the public) to give it a real world GS style workout (before there was even a mile of pavement 40 miles north of Fairbanks bank then - all dirt the other 470 miles or so), as well as the guy that broke the Showa shock on one of the first BMW R1100RSs in the USA (the Telelever suspension itself was not harmed) when doing what Craig Vetter taught me how to test components, find some old railroad tracks and ride in the center. The pounding sends shock fluid temperatures soaring in less then mile and things start breaking quickly from there - that is how they tested Windjammer mounts out behind the shop when developing the mounting systems. So why was I doing all that testing? I was one of the feature writer for years at Road Rider magazine and later on Motorcycle Consumer News.

Oh, like Ed, have ridden the 11 days Iron Butt Rally a couple of times, 10,300 miles in 1986 and 11,655 in 1987. So while I commented as just another Wing rider, I do have some basis for commenting.

So on that note, if you like your plush 2018 suspension, enjoy it - don't even waste reading another word about suspension. But if you are close to Atlanta, you should consider taking Max up on his offer and try the new suspension he came up with. I have followed his career enough to see he knows what he is talking about, so while I go out and break them, Max is the guy I would ask the why and what can be done about it."

Michael Kneebone
President, Iron Butt Association
 
If you follow the full story on the Goldwing forum, yes Max is trying to show a need for improvement and comes across as a jerk sometimes when he calls the baby ugly.

However, on the steering bearing thing....the conclusion is that the races weren't fully seated from the factory and they settled / seated during the 300 miles. As such, they were tight when they left the factory and when the bike was sold and subsequently loosened up. It's not good....but it's also a really easy fix and is the only one reported so far with probably over 50 owners on the forum with the new Wing not having the issue.

So... yes...Honda made a mistake...no...it's not the end of the world.

As far as suspension....Honda has once again made the stock wing super plush with really soft springs. They do this on purpose and most Wingers like it.

Max is trying to set the bike up for performance where you get real road feedback and the bike is properly suspended to ride it a bit more aggressively. There's no right or wrong here...but the design requirements for Honda and Traxxion are quite different.

Traxxion makes a great product for riders that want their Goldwing to perform a lot better than a 900 pound bike should. I have their stuff on my GSXR and my Goldwing. They make a great product and for me, they make very good motorcycles perform even better.

PS... my steering head bearings loosened up on my KTM Super Duke GT after about 800 miles. It also was an easy fix. It was disappointing, but I didn't decide that KTM makes a horrible product because the steering bearings got loose. It's a pretty minor hiccup that is easily noticed and fixed.
 
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I just got home from having my Traxxion upgrade done on my 2002, 145,000+ mile Gold Wing. I had held off on this for a loooong time, just based upon the expense and the miles I have on the bike.

Now I'm kicking myself for not doing this sooner. Brenda's biggest complaint about riding pillion is the jarring sensation when we ride on uneven pavement or hit the transition strip between the slabs of concrete; she says it feels like someone is kicking on her tailbone. She is really going to like this change.

We have a 6,000+ mile trip coming up in a couple of weeks; some slab between San Diego and Jacksonville, and then lots of nicer stuff in the GA/SC/NC/TN/MO/AR area so I'll have plenty of opportunity to wring this out and see if it really was worth the money.

One good thing about this is that if/when I buy a "newer" Wing, my installer can just swap my Traxxion stuff over to the newer bike.
 
That's a long wait T, most say the same thing. I think the longer you amortize the expense the faster you forget how expensive it was. Something like that.

Enjoy
 
Hotboot said:
That's a long wait T, most say the same thing. I think the longer you amortize the expense the faster you forget how expensive it was. Something like that.

Enjoy
Click to expand...

My friend Jim just bought a new in box 2016 and sold his older Wing with 246,000+ miles so they do tend to last if you take care of them. I am hoping to get another 100K out of this one before I have to shell out money for a 2017 or earlier model with low miles.
 
There are some great deals out there right now on 'new, old stock' Wings.
I saw a new '16 online the other day for about 18k.

It's tough to find a wing-rider who doesn't love them...
 
I had an 03 wing for 12 years and whilst it was a nice bike, I changed it for a 2015 super tenere and really like the change!! The wing is a heavy old girl and not that quick, but it just felt more like a car than a bike, I don't regret the 12 years, but am really happy to have changed for something lighter and more sporty!! they are great bikes, but like everything, you get used to it and a change is nice!!

Gary
 
Texas T said:
My friend Jim just bought a new in box 2016 and sold his older Wing with 246,000+ miles so they do tend to last if you take care of them. I am hoping to get another 100K out of this one before I have to shell out money for a 2017 or earlier model with low miles.
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TT...what is that latest generation one that they just unveiled? Was it last year's or 18 I forget. Wouldn't you want to go for the latest generation. I read where it is leaps ahead of its previous generation. You would be well deserving with the kind of use you get out of these highway machines.

Ahh, I see in the title ...its the 18'. Save your pennies.
 
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Thrasherg said:
I had an 03 wing for 12 years and whilst it was a nice bike, I changed it for a 2015 super tenere and really like the change!! The wing is a heavy old girl and not that quick, but it just felt more like a car than a bike, I don't regret the 12 years, but am really happy to have changed for something lighter and more sporty!! they are great bikes, but like everything, you get used to it and a change is nice!!

Gary
Click to expand...

Pretty sure I bought you friends bike for a friend of mine. We've upgraded / rebuilt the suspension and done a few other fixes and are hoping to get another 100K miles out of it.

StromXTc said:
TT...what is that latest generation one that they just unveiled? Was it last year's or 18 I forget. Wouldn't you want to go for the latest generation. I read where it is leaps ahead of its previous generation. You would be well deserving with the kind of use you get out of these highway machines.

Ahh, I see in the title ...its the 18'. Save your pennies.
Click to expand...

The 18 is the new one. It is lighter and a big leap forward in technology but many believe it's gotten a bit too sporty and small and others are worried about the first year bugs from the new design. The biggest complaint seems to be that the saddlebag space and the gas tank is smaller. A lot of the guys still like the old, proven model for eating up the road miles. (and you can get a great deal on them too)

I have a friend with the 18 and it's a great bike. I have a 13 and I won't be upgrading anytime soon, but I've already got some lighter, faster bikes in the garage so I'm ok with keeping the big girl for 2UP touring with my wife.
 
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*IF* the majority of my riding was solo rally riding, then yes, the new ST1800 would be my bike of choice. But until she can't do it any longer, Brenda will be sitting behind me as much as I'll allow her to do it, so the 18 doesn't fit the bill for us. Shorter is good, narrower is good, but not at the expense of less luggage space. We tend to fill both side bags, the trunk, the trunk luggage rack, AND a Pak-It Rak mounted to the tail of the bike when we do a 7+ day, 4,000+ mile trip.
 
18...Sportier true. Just more appealing to me

18-Gold-Wing-lead.jpg
 
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