goldwing.eurekaboy.comHonda Goldwing

My new bike sitting at the former owner’s home in Virginia. For years I’ve liked the comfort and luxury of Goldwings. I never really gave much thought to getting one. They seemed big, expensive, and more bike than I needed. In 2006 IAdd-ons that catch my eye are: - Utopia backrest - trunk spoiler - trunk luggage rack - fog, driving lights - engine guard pegs - CB A couple times a day I would check Ebay , Cycletrader.com , and the For Sale sections at GWRRA.org and GL1800riders.com . One day I found an orange 2002 on Cycletrader. It wasn’t advertised as ABS but a very close inspection of the pictures revealed ’ABS’ on the front wheel covers. I sent the seller a message through Cycletrader asking for more information. A few days later I returned to my desk at work to prepare to leave for our Gatlinburg trip when I saw I had voicemail. The seller had called me. The bike did have ABS and his description sounded good. I returned his call and left voicemail telling him I would take the bike if it was still available. The next day (October 4, 2007) my girlfriend and I were slowing progressing through Pigeon Forge, Tennessee traffic when my phone rang. The seller, Kaya, was on the line. We discussed the bike for a while and I told him I would take it. He said it was mine. Yes! I was on vacation and now I had a trip to plan to get my new Goldwing!! A few weeks later Operation Get Goldwing was undertaken and I had a new (to me) Goldwing! Kaya, the former owner, and my soon-to-be bike. I am very excited about the bike. There wasn’t a scratch on it. We spent several hours riding around Sunday after we got back. The bike is amazing. It’s like a big, cushy electric scooter. Tons of power, handles wonderfully, quiet. I can’t even tell I have a passenger back there. I can see how people ride several hundred miles a day. It also came with about $2000 worth of accessories on it: - Kuryakyn engine guard pegs - Kuryakyn luggage rack - Kuryakyn exhaust turndowns - Hondaline fog lights - Several pieces of chrome, but not too much - Front fender extension - Chrome trunk & saddlebag wraparound trim with LEDs - Air wings - Carpeted trunk & saddlebag mats - RAM mount - Slipstreamer windshield w/vent - XM radio (which I plan to replace with Sirius) - Hondaline cigarette lighter plug-in I already have several things in mind to add. I’m sure there will be more as time goes on. Some include: - Utopia backrest - Bushtec trailer hitch - Handlebar risers - Traxxion fork brace - All Balls steering bearings - CB antenna (for looks/symmetry) - Tulsa belly pan Some maybes: - Kuryakyn ISO Wing pegs (the factory pegs aren’t that bad) - Kuryakyn ISO grips (the factory grips aren’t that bad) - trunk spoiler (for the extra brake light) - Orange air wings (a little more subtle) - Passenger arm rests When I got the bike home and rode it for awhile I noticed two problems. First, the clock would reset every time the key was turned off. Second, the bike wouldn’t go into reverse. I decided to tear into the bike to solve these problems. It would give me a chance to see how the bike works. I’ll also do some upgrades and preventative things since it’s torn apart. Some are shown below. The clock reset problem was simple. My guess was a problem with the battery backup wire. A little searching revealed the battery backup wire to the guage panel had come loose from a connector. It had had a jumper cable added in the same area so it might have came loose then. I reinserted it and things were working good again. The reverse problem wasn’t so easy to find. The reverse system is complicated and I spent a lot of time studying the system and troubleshooting. In the end it was simply a loose connection of the power wire for the starter in reverse. In troubleshooting the problem I broke the stud on the reverse switch (they break easily) and had to order a new one. I also discovered the adjuster on one of the reverse cables was broken and had to order one of those, too. Prevention Fan reversal mod Ground redundancy Coolant hose checks Upgrades Fog light wiring mod - allows the fog lights to be on with the headlights. Accessory power circuit LED voltage gauge Silver Star bulbs - while I had the front fairing off for the fan reversal project I replaced the headlight bulbs with Sylvania Silver Star bulbs. Update: On our 2009 Pigeon Forge trip both bulbs burned out within a couple hours of each other. I replaced them with normal bulbs. LED brake light Luggage rack spacers Windshield vent fix Utopia backrest Switch box Headlight modulator Light protectors Trunk lid modification - keep the trunk lid from rubbing the lower trunk Battery Tender Rear shock reservoir fill mod Hoppy trailer converter Kuryakyn ISO grips Ergo II footpeg upgrade CB radio install CB antenna install CB coax connector swap Frontend upgrade Traxxion fork brace Fork cover...