Originally published in BikerTrash. By Larry Gore.
Caution!!!! If you love your motorcycle…don’t ride this motorcycle!
If you think it is the baddest, smoothest, best handling, most comfortable, motorcycle on the planet….
That’s the sign they should put on the new Honda Gold Wing!! We’ve
all read the press on this motorcycle. How it’s the Motorcycle of
the Year, maybe the decade. How its total re-design has made it
the best Honda ever built… Well, I finally got a chance to
ride this machine and all of the stories are true!
While getting new horns put on my Valkyrie at Bob Lundsford’s Northwest Honda late one evening when Ronnie Lundsford threw me the keys to a new Gold Wing and told me to keep it a few days to see what I think. (Boy, the benefits of being a bike reporter.)
See the entire Gallery of Gold Wings
Not one to turn down such an opportunity I headed out his back
door on a beautiful blue 2002 model loaded with every option available.
I should have known I was in for a good time when a Houston Bike
Cop yelled at me as I was leaving that I was going to regret taking
this test ride. That I would never stop wanting one once I got off.
Truthfully, I can’t say enough good things about this motorcycle! I have owned 16 bikes and been riding for almost thirty years and never have I ridden such an incredible machine. I cruised gently through the neighborhood behind his store to get used to the brakes and handling and was first impressed with how light this huge motorcycle feels.
It’s easy to turn around in the middle of the street and the handy reverse gear makes backing up a rare pleasure. The adjustable air suspension soaks up the bumps like riding in a Cadillac. Once entering the freeway the real adventure began. This bike will scream!! The 1800CC, 6 cylinder, fuel injected power plant flat hauls!! I gently nudged the throttle to enter the on ramp and immediately saw that I was doing 90 mph! It was so smooth that I knew the engine was capable of plenty more with no problem. My Valkyrie is fast but I believe that the Wing will walk off and leave it. Plus, the Wing handles like a dream. You can whip it around like a sport bike and it seems to love it. Once I got used to all of the buttons, I settled down for a long ride. The handlebars have all of controls for adjusting the suspension, using the incredible sounding am/fm stereo with 8 CD changer, passenger intercom, CB radio, even checking the outside temperature and operating conditions of the engine.
There were a couple of controls I never figured out (I should have
read the owners manual). The fairing kept nearly all of the wind
off the rider and the flow through ventilation system kept the riding
temperature quite comfortable. The rider’s seat has a built in lumbar
support and it felt great. You could put thousands of miles in on
this seat and not feel tired. I wished that I could sample the passenger
seat because it looked more comfortable than my Lazy Boy! As far
as touring, the hard saddlebags and trunk says basically, if you
need it, bring it, you’ve got room. You even have handy storage
in the fairing for things like change for the tollbooth! When it
comes time to stop (you hate to, but occasionally you have to) the
ABS brakes will stop you on a dime, smoothly! By the way, the horn
of the Wing is louder than my Ford F-150!!
I rode the Wing back to the shop in the pouring rain and the bike felt as stable as when ridden on dry pavement. When I reluctantly turned the keys back over to Ronnie I asked the big question….OK, how much? Out the door for under $17,000!!! Well, that says it all.. When searching for that perfect bike, don’t miss riding the Gold Wing. I think it’s the best all around motorcycle ever built. And when you’re ready for a test ride, go straight to Bob Lundsford’s Northwest Honda. They treated me like a king even before they found out I was a bike reporter. The prices for service are fair and the work done on time. Don’t try to scam him into a four- day trial ride by posing as a reporter however. Ronnie is a sponsor of the Lone Star Rally so he knows all of our reporters. I just got real lucky!!
Ron Limbock
Visit Northwest Honda and maybe they will even let you test drive the new ‘Wing.
Bob Lunsford’s Northwest Honda
10102 North Freeway, Houston, TX 77037
281-447-3476 – Fax: 281-447-9532