Thinking of Goldwing for the airbag

Yes, congratulations on the new bike. Like the ST, the shock preload mechanism can lose effectiveness so if the preload motor noise doesn’t change from “0” to 1 or 2 it’s not fully effective across its travel.

fnmag said:

Congrats on your Gold Wing.
Best of luck with your ST sale

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+1 Thanks for all the info. My one complaint (of significance) is the ST's seat height. I wish it was a little lower like the 'Wings. Combined with the lower CG low-speed or engine off maneuverability is to be envied.

I've lowered my ST about an inch and 1/2, both front and rear. The Wing seat feels a LOT lower than my ST. Of course I do have a RDL on it too.

I took it out for a little ride tonight. It took me a while to recover from the pick up trip. The brakes on the ST are better, and the ST feels more powerful. The Wing is a LOT easier to lean onto a curve. I think it will be a lot less fatiguing to ride all day. I have to push a lot harder to get the ST to lean. Of course I could try raising the rear shock and it might be easier. I tried riding without ear plugs. I'm going to need to use ear plugs. I'm still working on my R foot on the brake and L foot on the ground technique. Towards the end I started doing better. I couldn't figure out how to get sound out of the stereo. I love the cruise.

Congrats on the new bike Jim! I heard from dduelin this past weekend at Georgia-STOC that you got one. Looks like a great bike and a great buy. Love that color! Will you be bringing it to KSL in a few weeks?

Thanks. Will probably take the Versys. It is a better fit for how we ride there.

jspringator said:

I've lowered my ST about an inch and 1/2, both front and rear. The Wing seat feels a LOT lower than my ST. Of course I do have a RDL on it too.

I took it out for a little ride tonight. It took me a while to recover from the pick up trip. The brakes on the ST are better, and the ST feels more powerful. The Wing is a LOT easier to lean onto a curve. I think it will be a lot less fatiguing to ride all day. I have to push a lot harder to get the ST to lean. Of course I could try raising the rear shock and it might be easier. I tried riding without ear plugs. I'm going to need to use ear plugs. I'm still working on my R foot on the brake and L foot on the ground technique. Towards the end I started doing better. I couldn't figure out how to get sound out of the stereo. I love the cruise.

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You probably figured in out by now but holding the Audio button down for a couple of seconds will power off and on the radio (audio system).

I noticed the same thing about a Wing on the first ride. It rolls into a turn easier than the ST does and once leaned over it holds the lean angle and turn radius with less bar pressure than my ST did. It's amazing how easy it handles given it's ~250 lbs heavier than the ST. I had a plastic fabrication shop trim about an inch off the stock windshield so I could look over it when lowered and still have all the upward height adjustment. I think it's much quieter than a stock ST but I still wear earplugs, always.

My daughter figured out I had the headphone button pushed in.

I have a PacTalk Bold. It looks like there is a $500 Bluetooth conversion kit that is going to have to wait until next year.

Do most people convert to BT or do they use wired headsets?

I’m using my phone and GPS BT to a Sena unit in the helmet and not using the OE audio system.

Which Ram mount did you use? I want to be able to use the CB but that may have to wait.

A Ram B-309-1U mounted on both switch perches puts a ball on either side. GPS on one side and the phone held in an X-Grip on the other. That’s a thing with the GL1800 and all that acreage up front there’s no good way to mount the GPS between the bars like I like it.

Wife and I have the 30k and we both have freewires. Bike is completely Bluetooth. Nav is built in. Good luck with the wing we love ours!!!

Took it out for a couple hundred miles today. Really the first time I've ridden it any distance. It was in the low fifties and cloudy. With the heated seat and grips I didn't get cold. I pumped the front up to 41psi and rear to 43. Both were low. We went on one very twisty road and it didn't seem any less capable than the ST. That is probably a function of how I ride; I've never really pushed the ST. It was much easier to ride because of the ease of tip in. I'm still working on my stopping technique. Seat seemed fine after 4 hours or so, but I was wearing my Moto-Skivees. It has one of those aftermarket backrests by Kuryakyn. Initally I thought it was too upright. After riding it a few hours, I realized the PO had it so upright to reduce the reach to the bars. I'll keep it like it is for a while. Ultimately I'm going to get a Madstad Windshield, a RDL and Helibars, but I think I can wait until next year or the year after that. I'm going to experiment with the windshield by putting in its lowest position and installing my clamp on X-creen tour windshield airfoil. I have a clamp on Ram mount that I borrowed from the motorhome. I just used the IPhone and my Pactalk Bold for music. I have a Sena bluetooth transmitter (mono) that I'm going to try to install so I can use the CB and continue to use my Pactalk Bold. I can sync it as the second phone. The mirrors are a huge improvement over the ST. I am going to have to figure out how to get power to the phone from the cigar plug in the glove box. I wonder if a flat cord would work.

Overall I am very happy with it. Today was a pretty good shakedown cruise. I need to ride it for 8-10 hours for the true test.

The PO of my Wing cut a small nick in the bottom right hand corner of the gasket of the left hand storage pocket and repaired it with a dab of silicone sealer. A standard phone cord lays in that nick and when the door is closed the silicone compresses and it seals out weather. I use a cig lighter adapter in that outlet and a standard phone cord.

I found a flat lightning cable in the motorhome. Glovebox door shuts fine. I put in a mini something or other plug in the glovebox for the Pactalk. I can put the bike on acc and charge it if I'm away from home.

I'm leaving tomorrow for KSL. After some indecision I decided to forgo my usual trailering (sleeping in the tow vehicle) and ride the Wing and sleep in a tent. I imagine I'm going to have to be careful where I park the bike. I don't want the kickstand to dig in and tip the bike over.

You're leaving tomorrow but there was a recent thread about various pads and attachments for your kickstand to prevent Pisa Syndrome. Maybe a trip to Lowe's or HD today?

jspringator said:

I found a flat lightning cable in the motorhome. Glovebox door shuts fine. I put in a mini something or other plug in the glovebox for the Pactalk. I can put the bike on acc and charge it if I'm away from home.

I'm leaving tomorrow for KSL. After some indecision I decided to forgo my usual trailering (sleeping in the tow vehicle) and ride the Wing and sleep in a tent. I imagine I'm going to have to be careful where I park the bike. I don't want the kickstand to dig in and tip the bike over.

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Have a great trip sleeping under the stars.

jspringator said:

I found a flat lightning cable in the motorhome. Glovebox door shuts fine. I put in a mini something or other plug in the glovebox for the Pactalk. I can put the bike on acc and charge it if I'm away from home.

I'm leaving tomorrow for KSL. After some indecision I decided to forgo my usual trailering (sleeping in the tow vehicle) and ride the Wing and sleep in a tent. I imagine I'm going to have to be careful where I park the bike. I don't want the kickstand to dig in and tip the bike over.

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Glad you worked it out.

Boy, I wish I was going to KSL tomorrow.

The KSL trip brought a nerve issue between my spine and my shoulder to a head pretty quickly. 3 full days of riding make it pretty easy to get to know a bike. I determined I would need to get the Wing Helibars. Got them put on and went for a ride for a short ride this afternoon. I explained my situation to the installer, who is about my size. He set them up for himself; apparently he has the same type pain I do. They are pretty high up. My forearms are not level. They go slightly up from my elbo. Not exactly apes, but higher than what I am used to. First ride today was good. Bike seems easier to handle at low speeds Some of that may be due to the Helibars, and some to the height of the bars. No nerve pain, but it is hard to tell from such a short ride. The current setup makes the "Master Yoda" riding position very easy to achieve. Everything is in the right position for it; the backrest and the bars are right there. I may lower them a little, but I am happy with the reach. I'll need to figure out how to do that.

On my ride today, I rode into a rain deluge. Cars in front of me were pulling over. I have the windshield as low as it would go and the MRA X-Creen touring windshield extension up all the way so that there is a largish gap between the top of the windshield and the bottom of the X-Creen. It worked out pretty well. My legs didn't get wet hardly at all. I had to go around a guy who was stopping early at a red light. I didn't want to sit in the rain and be the last vehicle in the line. I downshifted, hit it, and discovered the Wing doesn't have traction control! I slid a little but nothing scarey. The rear didn't kick out or anything. I may replace the 4 YO tire earlier than I thought.

The 3 day trip didn't reveal much of a problem with the seat. I wore my usual Moto-Skeeves (cruiser) and stopped every hour, hour and 1/2. I can at least get through the riding season with this seat.

The kickstand pad turned out to be a non-issue. I took one of those pads they give out at rallys, dropped it, and positioned it under the kickstand with my foot.

Luckily I have found a mechanic that only works on Wings. He works out of a garage behind his house. Just what I was looking for. He is in Southern Indiana right off the interstate. It takes me about an hour for to get there. I can live with that.