I was going to buy a Goldwing.
Since I was a literal child I've wanted a burgundy 1987 GL1200. Such a niche bike for someone born 8 years later. But it had the improved seat over the 1983-1986, it was a big couch on wheels that just had a certain timeless look; it never would have looked modern, but it would always be difficult to tell exactly when it was crafted.
And the bike was there. I was going to go on Tuesday to pick up the Marketplace find. Had the cash in hand. But my friend wanted to go helmet shopping at the local bike store before she started the search for her bike, and I tagged along.
Don't get me wrong. The Rebel 500 she picked up is great. Stunning olive green, tan leather seats with matching saddlebag. Beautiful bike.
But something different caught my eye. A 2003 (Seriously? It looks like that and it's 21 years old??) ...ST1300? The heck is an ST1300? It feels great to sit on. Comfortable as hell. But I'm also buying my first motorcycle. Part of the allure to the old Goldwing is that it's cheap and if I lay it down, it's both made of the sort of magical steel we collectively complain they don't use on things anymore and it's cheap to fix. And it's not like it's going to have all of its horses anyway.
Long story short, I made this beautiful mistake of buying wayyyyyyy too much bike for my first bike (I used to ride little 150cc dirtbikes when I was a kid, but that's been 15 years or so...) and it's successfully not killed me yet. Smooth shifts, confidence in the ride, and overall great for getting my feel for riding back.
So landing in here and asking for some advice, what should I do with this thing as time allows? It came with a Givi top case with back rest; I've now successfully added an auxiliary fuse box in the case to wire in USB, the top case tail light, and a dome light inside the case. I've added a battery tender, and my GPS/Carplay module comes tomorrow, along with my CrampBuster. Budget isn't so much a concern; I want the balance of fun and comfort to continue on.
Since I was a literal child I've wanted a burgundy 1987 GL1200. Such a niche bike for someone born 8 years later. But it had the improved seat over the 1983-1986, it was a big couch on wheels that just had a certain timeless look; it never would have looked modern, but it would always be difficult to tell exactly when it was crafted.
And the bike was there. I was going to go on Tuesday to pick up the Marketplace find. Had the cash in hand. But my friend wanted to go helmet shopping at the local bike store before she started the search for her bike, and I tagged along.
Don't get me wrong. The Rebel 500 she picked up is great. Stunning olive green, tan leather seats with matching saddlebag. Beautiful bike.
But something different caught my eye. A 2003 (Seriously? It looks like that and it's 21 years old??) ...ST1300? The heck is an ST1300? It feels great to sit on. Comfortable as hell. But I'm also buying my first motorcycle. Part of the allure to the old Goldwing is that it's cheap and if I lay it down, it's both made of the sort of magical steel we collectively complain they don't use on things anymore and it's cheap to fix. And it's not like it's going to have all of its horses anyway.
Long story short, I made this beautiful mistake of buying wayyyyyyy too much bike for my first bike (I used to ride little 150cc dirtbikes when I was a kid, but that's been 15 years or so...) and it's successfully not killed me yet. Smooth shifts, confidence in the ride, and overall great for getting my feel for riding back.
So landing in here and asking for some advice, what should I do with this thing as time allows? It came with a Givi top case with back rest; I've now successfully added an auxiliary fuse box in the case to wire in USB, the top case tail light, and a dome light inside the case. I've added a battery tender, and my GPS/Carplay module comes tomorrow, along with my CrampBuster. Budget isn't so much a concern; I want the balance of fun and comfort to continue on.
