What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

Discuss everything about Honda GoldWing. Feel free to ask any question related to GoldWing.

Moderators: CYBORG, Oldewing, robin1731, Forum Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
zomnbvc
Tin Member
Tin Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:43 pm
Location: kent wa usa

What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#1

Post by zomnbvc »

I am new to the NGWClub community and want to purchase a gold wing in the very near future, I really like either the 78 or 79 and was wondering if any of you out there have any tips or tricks on what to look for when buying a used gold wing as well as what to avoid. I was also searching for some sort of guide to what to replace/clean/polish immediately after one purchases a gold wing but found no topic as such. I would really appreciate if any of you have any tips tricks or how to's on those to subjects. Thanks in advance!
User avatar
CYBORG
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 24537
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:52 pm
Location: Muskegon mich

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#2

Post by CYBORG »

what you buy depends on what you want to do with the bike. a long distance cruiser? custom? restore? rat bike? cafe'? if you want a CHEAP buy, and plan on doing a lot of work yourself, just try for a good engine.
1978 custom GL1000
1977 custom with 1200 engine
1985 gl1200
User avatar
Recycled Roadkill
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4053
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:21 am
Location: Garland, TX
Contact:

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#3

Post by Recycled Roadkill »

Ran when parked. Price decreases sharply if it doen't run when you're looking at it! Carbs are most suspect if it's been sitting due to very small passages getting clogged.
Bob Gill
Four wheels move the body but two wheels move the soul.
It's never too late to have a happy childhood!
I've considered joining Insomniacs Anonymous, but I decided I'd sleep on it.

'96 Honda GL 1500A Rolling Couch (Not Naked)
'78 Honda GL 1000 Gentle Glide
'77 Honda GL 1000 Black Mamba (Sold) :(
User avatar
roncar
Vice President
Vice President
Posts: 4856
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:30 pm
My Album: http://www.ngwclub.com/gallery3/index.p ... s/roncarGL
Location: Lakeland, Florida

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#4

Post by roncar »

Here's a good place to start reading. http://www.randakksblog.com/category/ho ... rs-gl1000/
"I periodically misspell words just to annoy the word police."

Image
User avatar
zomnbvc
Tin Member
Tin Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:43 pm
Location: kent wa usa

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#5

Post by zomnbvc »

Thank you for all the replies so far. I am looking to do a cafe build.
User avatar
CYBORG
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 24537
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:52 pm
Location: Muskegon mich

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#6

Post by CYBORG »

wit a cafe', the only really important things are the engine and the frame. most everything else gets changed or modified anyway. if you can find one with most of the things you will not be changing, even better
1978 custom GL1000
1977 custom with 1200 engine
1985 gl1200
User avatar
zomnbvc
Tin Member
Tin Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:43 pm
Location: kent wa usa

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#7

Post by zomnbvc »

ive done plenty of research on the 77, 78 and 79 but i found a killer deal on an 84, and i havent seen many 84 cafes out there... would they still be decent candidates?
User avatar
rcmatt007
Treasurer
Treasurer
Posts: 31305
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:48 pm
My Album: http://www.ngwclub.com/gallery/v/wingmans/rcmatt007/
Location: New River Valley, Virginia

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#8

Post by rcmatt007 »

depends.... if it is an 84 standard the VALUE is in being stock as they are rare... Interstates can be stripped down with modifications, but not a lot.... apsencades require a lot of mods
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
User avatar
CYBORG
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 24537
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:52 pm
Location: Muskegon mich

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#9

Post by CYBORG »

in my opinion any model can be converted. the wheel base is longer on the 84. by difination a cafe' is a bike for bar hopping. lighter, and shorter wheel base is better for that. however and 84 is a little beefier, if you like that look. i would ck out the photo gallery for ideas
1978 custom GL1000
1977 custom with 1200 engine
1985 gl1200
User avatar
Scottinaz
Titanium Member
Titanium Member
Posts: 375
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:14 pm
Location: San Tan Valley, AZ

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#10

Post by Scottinaz »

Personally, I go for the cheapest COMPLETE bike I can find. I have no qualms about repairing nearly anything on the bike, but individual parts start to get pricy after a while. Check that the engine at least turns over (not a bum motor) and that the frame is solid (they like to rust around the center stand) and that the wheels are true (not bent is a good thing) and the rest will fall into place. Keep in mind that you will most likely have about $2-3k in the bike to have it rideable. The more you spend on the bike the more rideable it should be. Barn finds should be cheap, but you will make it up in parts along the way.

My first 76. I paid $650 for, and it needed the brakes redone, tires, all hoses and a myriad of smaller things. Total invest on it was just over $1500, so I got off cheap, partly because the PO had just done a Randakks kit in the carbs (Yes, I saw the receipt). that alone saved me nearly $150, so was worth it.

My second (and current) 76 was bought as a rolling frame, and I have nearly $2.5K into it at the moment with all the parts that were missing, along with paint and other sundries. When done I'll have a nearly new 40 yr old bike, probably worth less than what I have into it. but I will know that everything is correct on it from a mechanical standpoint.

Point is that this is not really a super cheap hobby, and some of us get pleasure from the work involved (like myself). I prefer the challenge of the unknown, and go for what most others would call a parts bike. to each their own... :-D
'76 GL1000
User avatar
irishcarbomb
Silver Member
Silver Member
Posts: 605
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:58 pm
Location: Humble, TX

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#11

Post by irishcarbomb »

Check for rust in the frame gusset on the left side where the swingarm pivots are. Water tends to collect there from being on the kick stand.
Attachments
image.jpg
image.jpg (41.04 KiB) Viewed 508 times
1983 GL1100 Fuel Injected Turbo Build Thread
User avatar
Easter
True Blue Steel Biker
True Blue Steel Biker
Posts: 2999
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:33 am
Location: South of Houston 100 miles

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#12

Post by Easter »

An important question is how much you enjoy working on mechanical things and solving vexing problems. I enjoy that as much as riding and have built two cafes from boxes and baskets. But as others have said, this gets expensive fast, especially if your standards are fairly high (and I am not talking about a show bike).

You may be money ahead to buy the very best bike you can find, then strip off the stuff you don't need and call it quits.
Bikes at present:

83 XL 600r with a 2004 XR650L engine
And a slightly worse for the wear BMW GS adventure bike awaiting repair
83 GL in process :IDTS:
User avatar
zomnbvc
Tin Member
Tin Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:43 pm
Location: kent wa usa

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#13

Post by zomnbvc »

I realize that this hobby is not cheap, thats why i have saved up around $5,000 just for buying and modifying a gold wing to my liking. all i really want to do is strip the bike, do all the maintenance required, replace the seat with a dark wing seat and seat pad (which i have heard had many debates on weather or not it was a cafe racer seat), lower the suspension a bit, polish what needs to be polished and repaint a few items. (wheels and fairings)


and yes, i very much so like the mechanical aspect. i have enjoyed building and fixing motocross bikes since i was about six with my father.
User avatar
VintageGW's
Titanium Member
Titanium Member
Posts: 313
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:49 pm
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Contact:

Re: What to look for and what not to look for when buying?

#14

Post by VintageGW's »

That is about the right money in my experience....
Wayne
1976 GL1000 LTD #5117 "Bag Lady" is in Al’s (Dogboy) very capable hands!
User avatar
Motowalt
Gold Member
Gold Member
Posts: 1334
Joined: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:48 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country, USA

Building a Cafe Racer

#15

Post by Motowalt »

Welcome to NGW!

+1 on what Roncar said...Randaak's tips are a good starting point...and there's plenty of knowledgeable/passionate members on this site...I couldn't have built mine without tips and tricks from all the good guys here... anim-cheers1

If you are aiming for a quality build, you'll need to keep your credit card loaded and ready to fire... :mrgreen:

Check out the various build threads here.
I suggest GregForesi's White Trash as a most excellent example....
And Sunnbobb always seems to come up with creative ideas too...
Then there's HOTT's bikes...
What more can I say...there's lots of talent lurking around here...

Hey that reminds me, Easter, have you put together a pictorial thread on your bike? I'd love to see that one...
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “GoldWing Tech Discussions”