One year ago we hailed the new millennium and some of us glowed in the good fortune bestowed on our Irishness and proximity to the Celtic feline economy. The motorcar industry strained under full order books and ship timetables. People started their conversations with complete strangers via ‘Do you know how long I have to wait on my new car?’ rather than the normal ‘Grand day!’ the weather relegated to an also-ran.
Meanwhile, in the land of motorcycles, dealers were also having a torrid time in keeping up with the demand for both commuter transport and recreational motorcycles. Without so much as whimper motorcycle sales have gone skyward. The buzz of the moped is now a nationwide phenomenon, encompassing freedom and dread depending on your perspective. There is little doubting the freedom bestowed by these brightly coloured, hi-tech commuters and no doubting their vulnerability, especially when in the charge of the young and the brave.
On the upper end of the motorcycle domain lurk the machines that are the lure of the enthusiast. Broken into three segments they are the Super sports, Sports Tourer and the Grand Tourers.
Sports motorcycles could be classified as the supreme athletes as they generally carry the rider in a ‘head down-tail up fashion’ tucked in behind eye-catching graphics. Their slim profile hides alloy frames, multi-valve fuel-injected engines delivering their power to the road through multi-adaptable suspension and tyres individually tailored to each machine. The rider’s ability to withstand the rigors of riding prolonged distances on these radical machines is surpassed only by the limpet like ability of their passengers to ‘hang on’ as they perch on a saddle designed by a chap called De Sade. Current favourites are Yamaha’s R1, Aprilia’a RSV Mille, Kawasaki ZX 9, Honda Fireblade and Suzuki’s GSXR 1000.
The Sports Tourer carries more protection and comfort for rider and passenger alike. The models listed also carry more power and weight, which tend to gain them notoriety. They have a less radical riding position, softer suspension and steer slower due to having a longer rake, i.e. the angle of the front forks places the contact patch of the front wheel further away from the point of steering. These can be fitted with after market luggage, as can the Super Sports, which enable the touring element of its design to come to the fore. Buyers in this segment tend to go for Honda’s Blackbird, Suzuki’s Hayabusa and Kawasaki’s ZX 12R.
Grand Tourers have to be seen to be believed. Big, imposing, two-wheeled limos, which will carry you and the pillion of your choice trans global. As distinct from the other motorcycles mentioned they make the corners of onlookers mouths curl up, their eyes widen and their hearts lift. The visual spectacle of a heavy weight touring motorcycle, whose combined weight of driver, passenger and luggage place it in excess of 1,000lbs. place it high on the ‘unforgettable list’. The class leader of this Sumo-sized segment has since its introduction in 1974, been Honda’s GoldWing. Introduced then as a water-cooled flat-four 1,000cc, shaft-drive the GoldWing was smooth, quiet and refined. It was also heavy and reminds you to behave should you forget its design intent was touring and not sport riding. The passing of the year 2000 also heralded the introduction to the world of the latest manifestation of the Wing. As an indication of how far we have come in terms of cohesive design matched to function and reliability, Honda’s flagship motorcycle is here, the truly awesome GoldWing GL1800/6.
Yes, you have read it correctly. Honda have stretched their ‘old’ 1500cc flat six to 1832cc, added their tried and tested fuel injection system to make available 117bhp and more importantly on a tourer, 123ft lb of torque @ 4,000rpm. Housed in a new twin-beamed aluminium frame with a single-sided swinging arm at the back, and 45mm front forks, the rider is now sitting on board a motorcycle of mammoth proportions with the malicious intent of sports bike. As with all super tourers the Wing is fully dressed, that is it comes complete with full fairing with a manually adjustable windshield, integrated panniers and top-box, all of which are centrally locked courtesy of remote control. There is even a remote boot release on the zapper.
The list of extras on the GoldWing reads like an Argos catalogue. To the non-believer it’s over the top. To the faithful it’s exactly what’s required, just point me where I can learn how to tune the fingers of my left hand to master the some 35 switches in that domain. The standard Wing comes with just a radio, a six-disc CD changer can be had for extra and is stored neatly in the base of the top-box. Rear speakers are also an optional extra, a bit harsh on a motorcycle that is listed at £22,500. Driver to passenger intercom is standard, as is the center LCD console that not alone can greet you when you switch on the ignition it can also acknowledge your departure, this is a friendly motorcycle. When it’s not greeting you the console also tells you the current outside temperature, whether the panniers are shut secure, and display the air suspension settings, two pre-sets being available. It also displays when activated the various radio/CD settings, intercom volume and is probably best left to be fully understood by the play station guru in your house.
Like many more I drooled over the GoldWing when it was unveiled at the International Motorcycle Show in Birmingham last year. When prices were announced it was still a shock that the 20,000 barrier was broken. The fact that the assembly plant for the Wing, since 1981, is in Ohio, U.S.A. and the strength of the dollar playing an influential role.
So, it was with no small amount of inner hysteria that I accepted an invitation from my fellow county man Maurice Roddy, (the other R with Mr. Rice and Renault, Dundalk), to share the company of his very own GL1800, the first in the country. The visual spectacle of the Wing as you approach is seriously impressive. Four headlights lie inside the fairing with enough candlepower to turn any roadway into an operating theatre. Each panel flows neatly into the next, the finish of paintwork and fixtures beyond reproach. Driver and passenger sit into seats of sumptuous comfort, the rear passenger now able to use the top of the rear speakers as elbow support. Footboards adorn the rear while the driver‘s feet sit atop wider than average footrests.
As mentioned the left switch cluster is home to a myriad of controls. The normal high/low beam selector is where you would expect, as is the indicator and horn warning buttons. Honda could well institute night classes on the remainder, such is the range on offer. In reality anyone taking the GoldWing out should seriously spend time familiarising themselves with the locus and function of what’s on offer. The right switch cluster has a couple of extra features also. Cruise control is activated with the right thumb as is reverse gear, a vital aid to the driver health and ego. Picking up an over balanced 800lb mega motorcycle is not a recommended past time. By selecting reverse, (only from neutral), the Wing can be guided back gently via thumbing the starter button, another mouth curling experience.
Sitting astride the motorcycle I entered the world of the Wing as to the manor born. The engine fired up on the first prod and the flat six emanated a civilized whirr through the dual exhausts. Clutch action, hydraulically assisted, was light and easy with first gear engaging without fuss. The act of moving off on a two-wheeled vehicle that has a combined weight i.e. oils, fuel plus rider, of +500kg. can redefine the term intimidation. It is a true testimony to Honda’s design engineers that it is such an easy task. The road is smoothly served up to you as per throttle requirements, the water-cooled six transferring its power silkily to the rear wheel courtesy of Honda’s proven shaft drive. Anyone who still believes that motorcycles are unrefined, anti-social chariots of the demon inspired, should sit astride this road-going penthouse and let it convert your soul and lift your heart as you revel in the spendour of life ala Honda fresca.
Traveling through Dublin’s fair city, the Wing, while not nimble, was surprisingly agile and with due respect paid to its size, posed no problems. Fueled via Honda’s proven PGM-FI fuel injection, the engine ghosted the bike through the mayhem, leaving me time to sample Tony Fenton giving it the big one on 2-FM. (Maurice having fitted the extra speakers and the CD player, it would have been rude not to partake.)
Having mentioned the bulk of the Wing, it is all the more reassuring to know that it comes equipped with Honda’s ABS/TCS and CBS system. This ABS/TCS, CBS, (anti-lock brakes, traction control, combined linked braking systems), have been fitted to Honda smaller tourer, the super Pan-European, to the everlasting relief of many riders. Having had the pleasure of riding the previous Wing I can say without fear of contradiction that these features have found a good home. Human error is the cause of more than 90% of traffic accidents. While the addition of safety systems such as ABS/TCS/CBS will not make bad drivers better, they will none the less take the fear element out of reflex hard braking and accelerating, any of which can lead to a loss of control and a serious laundry problem.
The CBS system has long been a Honda creation. Available on certain models, it operates brilliantly if the rider knows how it functions and uses both front and rear brakes in the proper manner. Stay with me on this. Applying the front brake on its own activates the two outside pistons on the front right caliper and the center piston of the left front caliper and courtesy of a secondary master cylinder on the fork leg, the two outside pistons of the rear caliper. Applying the rear brake activates the center piston on the rear caliper, the center piston on the front right caliper and the two outside pistons of the front left caliper. In real road terms if you are intending to brake use front and rear together, at the same time in a 60/40 ratio. Traveling in stop/start traffic the use of the rear brake on its own, bar the emergency situations, should suffice and add smoothness to the drive.
Taking the GoldWing out of the city environment is where the unleashed ability of Honda’s twenty-five years of research and development can be sampled. What is immediately felt is the new frames tautness and the engines willingness to pull hard in top gear from 30mph. This thing could pull your average caravan. On normal national routes the Wing disposes of most of the road irregularities without complaint. Boosting the rear suspension preload (all done courtesy of the onboard compressor) when carrying a passenger plus luggage ensures a comfort level of indecent proportions.
One aspect of the Wing that sets it apart from the former is its ability to ‘forget’ that it is a Winnebago and much to my delight has a sporting edge to its repertoire. Indeed there are times that it thinks that it is a Fireblade, Honda’s super sports motorcycle. In motorcycle parlance, through the twisties it behaves itself in a manner that hides its bulk. The steering and grip available from its 130/70.18 front and 180/60.16 rear was always reassuring, albeit wise to remember that the ground clearance, while better than the 1500, is not sports bike quantity and tipping the Wing into a bend to find mid-corner the rear wheel lift off the ground would conjure a major religious experience. Keeping within its capabilities the GoldWing is sure-footed and serene.
When parked it provokes comment and double take. The disbelief of its design is sometimes matched by the stereotypical comment ‘You could buy a car for that’. The fact that the owner of this particular ‘Bicycle’ has a whole garage full of them is beside the point. Motorcycles like the GoldWing, BMW’s K1200LT and Harley Davidson’s Ultra Classic Electra Glide 1450, are two-wheeled testimony as to how far we have come in the final hundred years of the last millennium. Harley-Davidson’s carry their nigh on 100 years of heritage as they go, never forgetting their Milwaukee roots. Honda and BMW are more future orientated, boasting leading edge technology to woo their buyers. All face into the 21st century with individual high wizardry and if our green isle could be towed a tad further south, where the sun is not always liquid, we would certainly enjoy their company all the more.
In America the Harley replaced the horse while we were still reliant on the Jerusalem two-stroke (the lad with the long ears). The world has since become a smaller place. Now can some point me to a continent, any continent? Have Wing, must fly.
©2001tonytoner/irishcar.com
August 2001
by Tony Toner