I may have killed my Goldwing

[sandsman]

I hit a huge pothole and damaged the rim, this is the second major fron hit on this rim and second dent. Bike rides horrible, I had to ride from Waco back to Greenville to get second bike for a group ride later. Lots of Viberation and very unstable in the corners plus it jumped out of 5 th gear twice coming home. And the kicker is it damaged my $500 radar detector. So this is what I observe, bent rim and ruined tire, likely bent forks, possible either damaged steering head bearings or bent steering head, and likey bent shifter fork. Dammit man. Bike is a 2006 with 130,000 miles and KBB value is about $8,500.

 

[jfink]

I know it probably seems bad, but based on what I see, I believe most everything is ok. Certainly the wheel is broken and perhaps stem bearings, but if it has 130,000 and you haven't changed the stem bearing yet, they were probably due anyway. The forks and triple clamps are very durable. If you didn't blow out the seals, I suspect they probably are fine. When you rode it down the highway, do the handlebars track to the direction you were headed? If not, you may have tweaked the forks which means you will have to loosen the triple clamp pinch bolts and realign. But, you may not have even done that if you hit is square.

You could get the wheel repaired, but that might cost you as much as a take off from E-Bay. Fred Harmon on the Goldwing Board has a set of free maintenance photos with a how-to on changing the stem bearings. Worst case, if you can get it to Fred, in Mountain Home Arkansas, he will fix you up good. Fred is probably THE most knowledgeable Goldwing Mechanic in the country.

Jumping out of fifth is notorious for some of the 01-17 Goldwings. Called Ghost Shifting, it happens when the dogs get rounded and don't get set all the way in the gears. I had this trouble at 85,000 miles on my '04 during the last month of warranty in 2011. Honda replaced my transmission under warranty. Additional vibration on yours, may have been enough to cause it to bounce out of 5th. Smooth out the vibration and it will likely be as good as it was before the pothole. If you need tranny work and you want to spend the money, GoldWingrGreg does undercut the dogs to keep them from popping out. It will be expensive though and may not be worth it to you.

Try not to lose any sleep.

 

[Boulder Ed]

What was your tire pressure when you hit the pothole?

 

[sandsman]

My pressure was 38 psi, I run this pressure all the time. I know it can all be fixed, some easily and some more difficult. I am a retired Aircraft Mechanic and none of it's beyond my scope, but I carry insurance for just this kind of incident. Besides, it's about time for something new in the garage. Looking at a Honda Africa Twin DCT.

 

[jfink]

...Besides, it's about time for something new in the garage. Looking at a Honda Africa Twin DCT.

I understand!

 

[Thrasherg]

I sold my 1800 gold wing after 10 years of ownership (loved the wing) and bought a Yamaha Super Tenere ES, and have absolutely no regrets, the wing is a great bike but these Dual sport bikes are so much fun and as comfortable as the wing!! Good luck whichever way you go.

Gary

 

[Drunk_Uncle]

Both good bikes, but the wind protection on the F850GSA is amazing. It nearly feels like a RT and 280-330 mile fuel range. Depending on speed.

 

[sandsman]

I know it probably seems bad, but based on what I see, I believe most everything is ok. Certainly the wheel is broken and perhaps stem bearings, but if it has 130,000 and you haven't changed the stem bearing yet, they were probably due anyway. The forks and triple clamps are very durable. If you didn't blow out the seals, I suspect they probably are fine. When you rode it down the highway, do the handlebars track to the direction you were headed? If not, you may have tweaked the forks which means you will have to loosen the triple clamp pinch bolts and realign. But, you may not have even done that if you hit is square.

You could get the wheel repaired, but that might cost you as much as a take off from E-Bay. Fred Harmon on the Goldwing Board has a set of free maintenance photos with a how-to on changing the stem bearings. Worst case, if you can get it to Fred, in Mountain Home Arkansas, he will fix you up good. Fred is probably THE most knowledgeable Goldwing Mechanic in the country.

Jumping out of fifth is notorious for some of the 01-17 Goldwings. Called Ghost Shifting, it happens when the dogs get rounded and don't get set all the way in the gears. I had this trouble at 85,000 miles on my '04 during the last month of warranty in 2011. Honda replaced my transmission under warranty. Additional vibration on yours, may have been enough to cause it to bounce out of 5th. Smooth out the vibration and it will likely be as good as it was before the pothole. If you need tranny work and you want to spend the money, GoldWingrGreg does undercut the dogs to keep them from popping out. It will be expensive though and may not be worth it to you.

Try not to lose any sleep.

Thanks for all the tips and what to watch for. I am sure the forks are bent, absolutely sure. And rim and tire are toast. I am also sure the steering head bearings will be toast (with 130,000) absolutely sure. But I am waiting to see what Geico will do with this.

 

[Boulder Ed]

38 psi is a perfect pressure. There are just some nasty potholes out there these days. I've hit a few but never had a rim problem. Maybe the spoked rims on my R1200 GSA are a bit stronger, and of course the bike is lighter; I guess survivability depends on what you hit. Lots of great DS bikes out there, but I doubt they are close to the wing's level of protection when you put on LD miles or get stuck in rain. I've also been looking at an AT DCT due to hand problems, but I'm pretty sure it will be a huge step down in wind protection/LD capability from the big GSA, and I'm just not sure I can accept that without whining quite yet. Why does everything have to be a trade off!

 

[sandsman]

38 psi is a perfect pressure. There are just some nasty potholes out there these days. I've hit a few but never had a rim problem. Maybe the spoked rims on my R1200 GSA are a bit stronger, and of course the bike is lighter; I guess survivability depends on what you hit. Lots of great DS bikes out there, but I doubt they are close to the wing's level of protection when you put on LD miles or get stuck in rain. I've also been looking at an AT DCT due to hand problems, but I'm pretty sure it will be a huge step down in wind protection/LD capability from the big GSA, and I'm just not sure I can accept that without whining quite yet. Why does everything have to be a trade off!

I am also looking at an AT DCT for a replacement bike. I also found a stock decent rim on eBay for $180, so I bought it. New fork tubes are 280, and a new Dunlop Elite 4 will be about $250. Since I am a aircraft mechanic by trade, this is a pretty easy fix, but if it's a total loss, I am getting an AT.

 

[sandsman]

Just an update.....The Wing was totaled, so the 04 R1150GSAdv moved up to the "big" bike status, I bought a new 2019 G310GS as a companion bike to the big GSA. I miss the Wing on big road trips, but I have been doing some dual sport riding and the mighty 310 is fun and light. The big GSA can knock down some miles, wife doesn't like it as much as the Wing. I did an IBA Bun Burner Gold on the GSA in October 2020 (1533 miles in 22 hrs and 20 minutes). Was it fun.....these things are never really fun though.

 

[copb8]

The big GSA can knock down some miles, wife doesn't like it as much as the Wing.

This is the reason I never took my wife out on my father in laws Goldwing! She'd never be happy again on a KTM or other Adventure bike.

I rode his GW a few times and was really quite surprised at how nimble it felt. Great bike.