Topic: Why do Goldwings Sell so Cheap

[glenncal1]

As I peruse CL looking at used Honda's I am struck by how little older Goldwings seem to sell for. What look like decent bikes are priced as low as $500. Is there some inherent flaw with the bikes?

[ekpent]

 Might be a supply and demand. No shortage of them out there and not everybody is looking for a land yacht.

[strynboen]

they all need a new belt and vaterpump..and vaterlines..and kaburator resturation for a safty ride..så a thepy bike get a bit more costy..before yoy can ride it.

..the erly naked ones vith spoken hveels holds a heigh preis...

[madmtnmotors]

In the last 8 months I have gone from zero Goldwings in the garage to a total of now four Goldwings:

1-1983 GL1200S
1-1984 GL1200S
1-1984 GL1200I
1-1984 GL1200A

The only reason I have a 1983 is when I inquired about it the guy said "come and get it"! I have less than $1000 invested in all four bikes so far. Of course, none of them run and will all likely require a "frame off" inspection/restoration. These are rather large bikes and there is a good bit of effort required to making proper repairs and maintenance. LOTS of electrical components that can be daunting for those that struggle diagnosing electrical issues. The engines are typical Honda rock solid performers, I think the extra effort required for any maintenance or repairs has a huge impact on resale value.

When I found the first two I was actually looking for a pit bike and this guy was selling two 1984 GL1200's (one "I" and one "A") that fell within my $500 search criteria ($250 each), both of which were mostly complete but one had sat up for 2-3 years while the other had sat for 5-6 years. I think I now have enough projects to get me through until retirement! 

The goal is to get two of them on the road and have two left over for parts.

[simon#42]

I have just bought an early one for not much money ,but it does need all the parts that srynboen mentioned . I still think they are a bargain though . Not ridden it yet but am loving it so far !

[innovativems]

Gold wings get a bad wrap on their charging systems and carbs.  Buddy of mine ran a shop and always #$%*ed that the cost of carbs and a stator were more then a gold wing cost.  They are great bikes.  Love those motors


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[Stev-o]

I'd rather drive a convertible so I dont have to put my feet down!

[754]

Its like a luxury car say Lingcod Continental...
 Those that can truly afford them, buy new and upgrade often.
 The car and bike are usually loaded.l that means more stuff to go wrong as it ages, and that does happen. It can get pricey if a dealership does the fixing..

 Look at  a group of late model Gold Wing riders, or Ultra Classic riders... do you see many 84  or 85 models in there..
No you usually dont. 

[Desert-SOHC]

I loved my 75 all dressed up and Markland out, it was truly a road couch and would do 80-100 mph all day long.

[madmtnmotors]

Its like a luxury car say Lingcod Continental...
 Those that can truly afford them, buy new and upgrade often.
 The car and bike are usually loaded. That means more stuff to go wrong as it ages, and that does happen. It can get pricey if a dealership does the fixing..

It can get pricey even if you do your own repairs! Have you seen what a leaking master cylinder can do to the abs plastic of a Goldwing fairing? I have, and it ain't pretty. There's no way I could afford to have a dealership do repairs, and that's IF you could find a dealer to work on an early 80's Goldwing. 

Look at  a group of late model Gold Wing riders, or Ultra Classic riders... do you see many 84  if 85 models in there..
No you usually dont. 

I'll do my best to change that once mine are on the road! 

[Bankerdanny]

I see $500 GL's now and then, but almost never one that qualifies as decent condition. Cheap Goldwings are like most other 'cheap' bikes in that they will require hundreds of additional dollars to be rideable. And if you don't like cleaning SOHC4 carbs you really won't like the carbs on a 4cyl GL, they are very fiddly and hard to get fully sorted.

If you are willing to make the effort though they are supreme long distance machines and I can tell you from personal experience that the early bikes, even when fully dressed, are surprisingly nimble.

[Stev-o]

It can get pricey if a dealership does the fixing..

...and that's IF you could find a dealer to work on an early 80's Goldwing. 

My buddy inherited a big wing from his father a couple years back.  The bike needed service after sitting for a few years and my buddy brought it to an ex-Honda tech that had a small independent shop.

The tech got the bike running but said he would never work on the Wing again!

[754]

 That is part of the problem, owners of cheap bikes can I'll afford the going rates for service.
 New bike owners spend 500 to 1000 for major service and perhaps mods to a15 K blike..
 Guysvthat buy a bike for 800 dollars, don't want to spend 300 dollars a lot of the time..

 And the tech's know this when they pull up..

[HondaMan]

That is part of the problem, owners of cheap bikes can I'll afford the going rates for service.
 New bike owners spend 500 to 1000 for major service and perhaps mods to a15 K blike..
 Guysvthat buy a bike for 800 dollars, don't want to spend 300 dollars a lot of the time..

 And the tech's know this when they pull up..

...then there's the SOHC4 lovers who send me their engines/bikes and just tell me what they want.
These will still be running out there when the gWings are rust. That's my prediction.

[madmtnmotors]

...then there's the SOHC4 lovers who send me their engines/bikes and just tell me what they want.
These will still be running out there when the gWings are rust. That's my prediction.

You may very well be right. As for the GL1200, the motors are probably mechanically capable of 250,000 reliable miles (properly maintained), but crankshaft main bearings are NLA from any source that I am aware of thus insuring their eventual obsolesce. 

[scottly]

As for the GL1200, the motors are probably mechanically capable of 250,000 reliable miles (properly maintained)

In 1982, I met a gentleman who had racked up 250,000 on his first 'Wing, and only bought his second because he was going to retire soon, and then he and his wife were going to spend a lot more time touring.

[becken]

http://goldwingdocs.com/forum/index.php?sid=086b1353ed23999856e79e7ebb690c35

Lots of good information here.

[madmtnmotors]

http://goldwingdocs.com/forum/index.php?sid=086b1353ed23999856e79e7ebb690c35

Lots of good information here.

+1

I signed up over there the day I brought the first two home.

[palepainter]

I have a 75 & 76 in the garage now.  The 76 is almost done.  They can be a bit daunting to work on if you plan on keeping them in stock form. But the availability makes them great candidates for customs with great performance after you go through them.  They are becoming ever more popular to pimp out and the joy of riding a naked wing has led  me away from other platforms to build customs out of.   


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[Don R]

 A few years ago I bought a 79 GL from a pic on facebook for $400. The ad had 30 or so offers of pay on Friday, can you deliver, can you fix it, trade for a snowmobile, etc. I told him I'd bring cash, a helper, a trailer and come when was good for him. It needed all the usual things, I spent another thousand on it and rode it to Sturgis that year.
 Last year I was offered a nicer one for a cool hundred, (gift) so I sold the 79 for a thousand and ordered all of the parts needed to refresh the blue 78. I left the vetter bags and fairing on and rode it to Sturgis again. It's called the 20 year sleeper or old blue. They do sell better naked, my wife likes riding it better than the cb's so it's my two up and long ride bike.

 I like them and don't get why they are so cheap except, most guys can't or won't learn to work on them themselves and it's too expensive to hire it out. 

[simon#42]

they are not particularly difficult to work on , the carbs are easier to do than a normal 4 cylinder bike and most other things are straightforward .
i have the engine out of mine now and its on the bench , getting it out was simple but putting it on the bench  was neither easy or straightforward !

[Don R]

 Oh, and as far as I'm concerned Palepainters GL is nominated for the other bikes DUAL SOHC4 bike of the month (new category) as soon as it's done.

[HondaMan]

...then there's the SOHC4 lovers who send me their engines/bikes and just tell me what they want.
These will still be running out there when the gWings are rust. That's my prediction.

You may very well be right. As for the GL1200, the motors are probably mechanically capable of 250,000 reliable miles (properly maintained), but crankshaft main bearings are NLA from any source that I am aware of thus insuring their eventual obsolesce. 

They are absolutely some of the longest-lasting bikes from OEM, if the carbs are kept up (or just run weekly or better) and the timing belts changed on time. Heck, a bottom-end with bearings bigger than SOHC4 but loads only 1/3 as much on them can't be a bad idea for ANY engine! The 750 bottom end will hold up 90 HP for 100,000 miles of non-racing use, I've seen that before. And the gWing bottom end is almost twice as strong in load numbers as that!

[palepainter]

Oh, and as far as I'm concerned Palepainters GL is nominated for the other bikes DUAL SOHC4 bike of the month (new category) as soon as it's done.

Hehehehe.  Thanks Don. I can’t wait to get back in it.  I have been in Florida for 5 weeks taking care of sick parent.  Fortunately, there is Daytona bike week this week and a vintage Japanese show and swap right down road. 


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[Don R]

 What is it about the gl1000 that makes it so fun to power out of a corner? I love the way they turn in and then roll up out of a turn. It's something I don't experience as much on my 750's or kz's. Maybe it's the bulk and low CG.