Stuart’s GoldWing Blog

Bargain at £15,999

In a surprising development HondaUK have imported 16 US-spec GL1800s for sale through their UK dealers and four of them have been grabbed by Knustford Honda.

These bikes come in a choice of black or Topica Metallic Gold and they are absolutely standard US-Spec 2006 Model Year bikes. They have ABS but no airbag or satnav.

And they’re on offer at a staggering £15,999 with a full two year Honda Warranty, so nearly £7,000 below the list price for a 2010 model UK Airbag model.

What’s the snag – well there really isn’t one. The bikes were manufactured in late 2005 so they have been stored in crates since then before coming to UK and so it would be sensible to ask the dealer to change all the fluids before you ride them – and the dealer will have to put the bikes through an SVA Test anyway before they are sold to you, which means a few minor adaptations to make them comply with UK lighting and other regulations.

But for Wingers who want to use CB radio on their bikes this batch of GL1800s represent stunning value for money.  Knutsford Honda have only two of them left (one each colour) so if you fancy a new GL1800, don’t hang around. Ring Sean or Mike on 01925 752600 before you miss out!

Postscript: Both of these bikes have now been sold but try phoning anyway; they might be able to get you another one from somewhere.

Also useful for GoldWing rallies?

This Article develops the topic introduced by John Gratton in his recent Article, describing the cost effective solution he found in his quest for more comfortable camping.

Camping rallies of various sorts are an important part of many Wingers’ enjoyment of their hobby and many are perfectly happy camping in a tent; tents needn’t cost much and they can be small enough to pack on to the bike.  But as one Winger said to me recently, as we were sitting and chatting outside his tent in sunshine at a camping event, there comes a time when you’ve had enough of tents, even when it hasn’t been wet.  He’d reached that point and was thinking very seriously about the alternatives, even if it would mean towing his bike to the venue in future rather than riding it there.

It was this conversation coupled with seeing how well John Gratton had done, kitting himself out with a continues………

Refurbished and ready to tow a GoldWing

Editor’s Introduction: John Gratton is a long time member of GWOCGB and the Regional Rep for Staffordshire Wings.  He wanted to continue taking his GoldWing to camping events without having to pitch and sleep in a tent and this is the story of his search for an affordable alternative.

It was last August I decided that my old bones had started to tell me that my days of camping under canvas were drawing to a close. I considered buying a caravan, a lot more ‘bang for the buck’ basically and I could take my little dog Pip, with me, the downside of that option being that I could not take my beloved Wing with me so that option was quickly dismissed.

The only other option was purchasing a motorhome, so I started my research (well I logged on to Ebay) continues………

Graham and his Custom GL1100

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE FOR AN ENLARGEMENT

This Custom GoldWing is unique as well as exceptional in terms of finish and presentation because its owner, Graham Whittaker, designed and constructed it himself to create a radically modified bike; it’s fundamentally still a GL1100 but this is no ordinary GL1100.

As one of the professionals we used as judges at last year’s GoldWing Light Parade said, you can recognise some of the parts as coming from other GoldWing models and some which clearly don’t, but you can’t see the joins. The parts have been assimilated into an impressive whole and the bike looks like it was factory designed and built.  And indeed it was professionally designed and constructed; Graham is after all a very talented and experienced motorcycle mechanic and his knowledge of GoldWings, especially Classic GoldWings, is unmatched.

The actual building of the bike took less than a year but as Graham says, the thinking about how it could be done took more like four.  Its creation and its relatively rapid construction was provoked by his wife’s enthusiasm at a winter social gathering for a European Tour they were invited to join.  Graham’s objections that he didn’t have a suitable bike were swept aside: “You’ve got all this bits in the garage, continues………

Tempting but increasingly tight for a GoldWing?

I have referred to a helpful internet article written by Biker/Solicitor John Measures of Barratts Solicitors previously and this Article was provoked by another one of his.  Filtering past or through standing or slow moving traffic is common practice in UK but is it safe and is it legal?

With our busy and often traffic-clogged roads, the option to filter through standing or slow moving traffic is a potentially valuable aspect of life on two wheels, providing you have the confidence to do it and the perceptiveness to appreciate when it’s a bit too risky.

Not all GoldWing riders are confident enough to take their big bike into the relatively narrow gaps which filtering often involves but plenty are.  When I get the chance to make progress while cars and trucks are stuck in traffic I do so, with contentment which sometimes verges on smugness at my good fortune at being a motorcyclist.  Not only am I riding continues………

Selection on offer in Kissimmee

Yesterday was for hanging around, waiting for family to join us here in Central Florida from Gatwick, which fortunately was free from volcanic ash, albeit not entirely from its knock-on effects.  Fortunately their flight was delayed by only 3 hours but it did mean that a visit to Powersports of Kissimmee, a Honda, Can-Am and Suzuki Dealer, could be taken in without Grandmotherly impatience being provoked.

I’ve been under caution about visiting motorcycle dealers while on holiday in the US ever since I photographed Management alongside a new GoldWing colour a few years ago and emailed the picture home to a biker friend – who promptly posted it on the internet with the caption “Get the knobbly knees” or some such.  She was furious, so bikes only in the pictures this time.

This Dealer had four new (or at least un-registered) GL1800s in stock ranging from a 2010 model (which continues………

John Measures, Solicitor, 0800 021 3065 or 0115 931 5167

I came across an interesting internet article  on this subject by John Measures, who is both an enthusiastic biker and a solicitor. Barratts, where he works, is a firm of East Midlands Solicitors who specialise in personal injury claims for motorcyclists.

A biker who was leading a small group of bikes was prosecuted for speeding, as were his riding mates.  They were all caught riding at speeds considerably in excess of the prevailing 60 mph limit, especially the following riders who were riding even faster that the leading bike.  In deciding the sentence to impose on the leading rider the Court took into account that as leader he was setting the pace for the group of bikes and by speeding himself when leading a group he had therefore aggravated his own speeding offence.  On this basis he was given stiffer punishment than he would otherwise have got.

In his Article John Measures considers the implications for other bikers who act as Group Ride Leaders, for both criminal prosecutions and civil liability.

John makes it clear that there is no need to be panicked into refusing to lead rides; ride leaders are not continues………

Not as chaotic as it looks!

The four basic accessory circuits which were described in Part 4 of this Series can be adapted to cover most requirements on a GoldWing, so there is little need for more examples of what would be relatively minor variations on these themes.   So this further Article is about integrating accessory circuits when the opportunity arises, to avoid unnecessary duplication when several circuits are being installed.  Likewise to minimise clutter.

It’s also a collection of examples of how I or other people have tackled particular jobs, to illustrate the things that need to be taken into account and that sometimes there is more than one perfectly valid way of going about things.

Lots of accessory circuits inevitably means lots of cables and connections, so that prime locations like under the seat and under the glove boxes can get very busy and crowded.  The first photo shows the numerous continues………

GL1800 Fuseboard with an in-line fused connection on the positive Accessory Terminal

In Part 1 of this Series the concept of an accessory electrical circuit was introduced; the idea that electricity flows around a circle from the positive terminal of the battery to the negative one, passing through an accessory or lighting to provide the energy for it to work.

In this Article we develop the idea further, to help you develop a practical grasp of how accessory circuits are created and connected.  We’ll use some examples of individual accessory circuits which are adaptable to various uses and, in the next Article, how they can be combined to form an integrated approach to a safe and reliable accessory wiring system on your GoldWing.

The circuits described in this Article are the building bricks you will need in order to create more and more complex circuits, which will be covered in the next Article in this Series.

Even a simple circuit needs to work reliably and to be safe and that’s essentially what this Article is all about: choosing the correct size of cable, the correct fuse or fuses and where to put them and deciding whether or not you need to use a relay to handle the power involved, as well as a manual operating switch.

In order to work effectively and safely an Accessory Circuit needs:

1. Cable which is thick enough to carry the intended load without overheating.
2. A fuse which is small enough to blow before the cable overheats.
3. An operating switch which can cope reliably with the electrical current it is stopping and starting.
4. And if the operating switch is not big enough to handle the full circuit load itself, you will need to incorporate a relay. continues………

Fully synthetic Oil for £8.49

The Filling Stations at Morrisons Supermarkets are currently offering Havoline Oils in 5 litre containers at half price.

The offer covers fully synthetic, part-synthetic and mineral oils so there is plenty of choice.  The fully synthetic oil (pictured) is only £8.49, part-synthetic is £7.49 and mineral oil is £4.99.

You will need to check which specification of oil your bike or car takes but these are Havoline (i.e. Texaco) Oils and they should be decent stuff.

The synthetic SAE 5W-30 which I bought for my car meets ACEA: A1/B1, API SL/Energy Conserving (whatever they mean) and also Ford WSS-M2C913-B.

Thanks to John Taylor for tipping me off about this bargain, very helpful.  By the way John says he has used fully synthetic oil on his GoldWing and has had no clutch trouble.  (Fully synthetic oil has been said to be unsuitable for motorcycles which have wet clutches because they can cause clutch slip.)

To locate your nearest Morrisions Store visit their website by Clicking Here.  The search facility includes an option to check that the Store has a Filling Station; these Havoline Oils are on sale on in the Filling Station Kiosks.