Mrs HG and I rented a White Gold Wing last week while on vacation. The 2 day rental was because RUBY was in the shop for work.
During the 2 days, we rode a little over 800 miles in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. About 350 of the miles were solo with the balance of 450 miles 2-up riding.
Here are my observations and opinions on the Gold Wing. These observations are from the seat of the rider, and not from the text book (for example, the seat height is listed on the WING as taller than my HD – no way is that accurate to me based on my riding – I preferred the WING height).
So……….. Here goes………..
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Throttle power and response – top notch (HD should be ashamed of themselves). Great for passing trucks, etc. – the acceleration from 65 to 80 (105 twice without Mrs HG – my bad) was outstanding. Plus, no downshifting when passing quickly was nice. Because I don’t rocket off the line while riding, the from the line acceleration was not that noticeable.
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Windshield – great idea for adjustable height, however you could hear the rattle at slow speeds. To my surprise, the lower windshield vent was not as obtrusive as I always thought. Plus, on both days the vent was useful given the 90+ degree heat.
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Wind turbulence – frankly, no matter what height I placed the windshield, the wind caught my ears, so by the second day, I had to wear ear plugs to save my ears (half helmet). Other than the ears, the wind turbulence was fine; however the lack of more adjustments for cooling the rider was disappointing The HD has better cooling tools (redirecting air flow) for the rider.
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Cockpit Controls – plentiful, but bulky looking – plus I would like a little more sizzle in the look – dull black bars and controls could be improved. The tiny (in comparison to HD) rear brake pedal was at times awkward to find (I kept kicking the plastic around the engine compartment) at slow speeds. I did miss the HD heal/toe shifter versus the toe only on the WING.
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Leg room – very tight on the WING, which my knees did not like one bit. The rental did not have highway pegs, which probably would have helped.
Mirrors – wish I could take them with me onto my bike. The size and placement (farther away from the rider) were outstanding.
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Agility – In the morning of day one, I found myself over steering into both sweepers and twisty’s. You have to muscle the HD into turns more than the WING. After some get-acquainted time, the balance of the rental was fantastic for riding. The ease of pushing the bars was very noticeable and made the ride fun. Frankly, the bike was light on its shoes, at all speeds. Very nimble bike for the size. I can see why the WING is the bike of choice for many "older" folks.
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Seats – I now know why the WING is called a BARCO- LOUNGER. Gigantic seat width. Comfortable – yes, but also too big for my skinny (and Mrs. HG’s) backside. Because of the seats, rather than just swamp azz, we both had swamp back of the legs as well (it was over 90 degrees both days)
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Gearing – 5 speeds – smooth, not a problem. Initially, I kept looking for 6th gear because of what I was accustomed to. Used reverse gear only once, for the heck of it. It worked fine. Wish my HD had this as it would occasionally come in handy.
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Storage – ample and about the same as my HD. Good job.
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Radio – sound was excellent (no headphones) and could be heard at all speeds. We did not use the CB or Intercom tools.
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NAV/GPS – good stuff and easy to use. Kicks butt when compared to the HD feature.
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Side clearance – much to my surprise, the twisty clearance was not ample enough. I dragged the foot pegs probably 12-15 times and my left foot twice (it was under the shifter waiting to shift up coming out of turns – I learned quickly not to do that). In a year and a half, I have only scraped floor boards a half dozen times on the HD.
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Plastic – lots of it – I prefer a little less of it – rattles were noticeable at slower speeds, but this could be because it is a rental.
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Gas mileage – 48 to 50’ish by my imprecise mental calculations – pretty good.
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Riding in the rain – yes, it happened 3 times (all less than 10 minutes each) – The rain coming over the windshield kept hitting my helmet, just above the glasses, rather than going over my helmet (windshield height issue most likely). The bike handled fine in the rain as the tires had lots of tread.
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Washing the bike – yes, I washed it near the end of the 2nd day as we had some more riding to do. A breeze to wash as the plastic was easy without a lot of crevices, etc that the HD has.
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Bike sound – very quiet, but IMO, doesn’t sound like a motorcycle. My HD has quiet stock exhaust, but with a better sound.
Cappuccino maker – never did find it on the bike. It must be only on some models (sorry folks, had to throw one joke in).
All in all…………………… a fun two days riding the WING…………. We enjoyed it and are glad we did it!
I still like my SEUC better than the WING ...................... The Harley has SOUL!
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Topic: Test drove a used 2008 Goldwing (Read 12127 times)