The Latest Acquisition - Goldwing

So, I got back from my trip around Lake Michigan, and was telling my wife how lovely it was; the small, quaint lakeside towns and winding roads, and she told me how she wants to go on 'those trips.'

I was equal parts thrilled and furious. She specifically told me her long-ride days were over - which is why I got my Honda ST1300. Although capable of two-up touring, that bike was for me and for solo riding. But I was excited to have my favorite riding partner back. The happiest time in my married life - aside from kid stuff - was when we use to take long trips on the 97 Goldwing. It was us against the elements and world and life was good.

Well, with that dynamic now here again, I wasted no time and found a 2005 GL1800 Goldwing. As usual it seems, I save a couple of grand if I buy used and from Tenessee or just South of Illinois for some reason. Sure enough, on CycleTrader.com, I found the requisite GW outside of Little Rock, Arkansas and made the deal. Oh, and I sold my ST1300 in one day on Craigslist - for what I paid for it.

The bike: 2005 GL1800, 12k miles, dark charcoal, runs perfect and no cosmetic issues. In addition, it has some feature and farkles I would have wanted to add anyhow: hwy pegs, lower chrome accents, vented windscreen, luggage rack, CB, center stand assist, drink holders, beefed up horn and trailer hitch.
The only things I want to add was a Utopia backrest (done) and get a comm system for driver-to-passenger and bike-to-bike talking. Other than that, I am set. I paid $13k even....which I think is a not a steal, but a good deal, and certainly worth $300 to go and get it.



I recently hooked up with a groups of riders who go out every Sunday morning for rides. Many GW's and they seem like a great bunch of people who enjoy safe riding.

As far as touring goes, here's the dealio: My wife still doesn't want to do week long trips, but 3 or 4 days trips are good. So, perhaps one weekend jaunt in the Spring, one in the Fall to see the trees change in Michigan or Wisconsin, and we both are happy.
I still will do my Summer, solo long trip. So now, I have the best of both worlds - and imho, the best touring bike imaginable to ride.

Going Around Lake MIchigan

I had to squeeze in a trip during the Summer before I started work. My buddy suggested going to Traverse City, MI, and I convinced him to just continue and go around the big Lake.

From the burbs of Chicago, we got onto I-80 just to get past Gary, IN where we didn't really have the urge to get into a gunfight, but before Michigan City, darted onto Red Arrow Hwy and hugged the coast as much as possible.

The West coast of Michigan is just beautiful. We made it to Traverse City on the first day - which was a lot of riding. Harbor Springs - just north of TC - is a very nice, quaint resort town.

*be sure to ask around and go through the Tunnel of Trees.

We crossed the Mackinac Bridge - which I always wanted to do on a bike - and it was nice and uneventful. Hwy 2 on the North end of the lake was nice as the road is right next to the beach much of the way.

I wasn't as impressed with the Wisconsin side of the lakes although there were some nice roads. We stayed outside of Oconto, WI with a layover in Lake Geneva for lunch, and made it home that day.

So, 3 days to get around Lake Michigan.

Mods & Farkles

So, I have had the ST1300 for a month now and put about 500 miles on it....more or less. I just did an 8 hours day ride 2 days ago, which confirmed for me two immediate things: I miss a wider windscreen, and extended riding without a backrest makes my bdoy tire out faster than having a supported lumbar region.

So, I ordered a backrest from Utopia - which I had on my old Goldwing and had no complaints. I also did some research and ordered a wider, higher WS. Many choices out there, and I do have a good history with Cee Bailey products, but this time, I went with Cal Sci for my WS. Their website is just so thorough and I have read some good reviews from ST forums and other touring forums/blogs.

This riding season I pretty much dedicated to outfitting the new tourer to suit my riding and long distance needs. I still need to find a system to rig up my GPS and I need to find a trailer, top box or cargo shelf for my gear when touring.

Right now, I am leaning towards a cargo trailer - but cost will rule the day.

The New Acquisition

I have been searching for a ST1300 for 3 months now. For some reason, I can find a 2006 with low miles, almost 2k cheaper down around Tennessee or so. Trust me, I have negotiated with private sellers up around Chgo - and there are a few - but they just won't come down in price.

I used allofcraigs.com to search Craigslist nationwide and finally settled on one outside of Nashville, TN. A 2006 Honda ST1300, 9900 miles, new tires, new battery, 1 inch risers, saddle-bag liner bags and clean title. Asking $8000. We settled on $7000 and I calculated about $350 in costs to hook up my trailer and go get it. My wife and I made a weekend of it.

It was better than I expected. The bike was exceptional in appearance. Not a single scratch or ding. Immaculate. It even smelled new. It also had a throttle rocker and a grip-lock type cruise control - two items I would have gotten anyhow.

Trailered it up and got home fine. I will post pics as soon as I can find my computer cord for my camera....geeze.

My first impressions of the bike is that it has a bias for speed. At 65 mph, it barely reaches 3000 rpm. It just wants to go fast. I am continuing to make minor adjustments, but it seems more than suitable for my long distance needs.

I do have some concerns though. I guess I am used to a more wider windscreen. This one - adjustable as it is - is not wide enough to cover my hands. Not a concern in moderate temps, but at 12k feet, winding through a mountain pass with 20 foot snowdrifts on either side, and my hands would get cold!

Also, I do dislike clamshell saddle bags - but there is no getting around that. Most ST models have them. I just hate how everything falls out of them when opened, or how hesitant you are to stuff them to max because it is hard to then close them. I would prefer a saddle bag that opens from the top.

I am now trying to think of a configuration to accommodate long trips i.e. where am I going to pack all my gear. I have narrowed it down to two choices: Get a larger rack in the back (I don't like top cases) where I can strap things down to, or get a trailer to tow behind the bike. Like a Bushtech or Unigo trailer.

Being the frugal traveler, I am drifting towards just getting a passenger backrest with an attached cargo rack to the rear of it. My thoughts are I could tie my big bag to the rear seat, and lash the tent to the cargo rack - which could also hold my big touring jacket when it gets to hot to wear. That really should be enough.

But oh the trailer. It would be so nice to not have to worry about rigid packing. Just throw it all in the trailer and hit the road. Not to have to decide whether to take extra pairs of socks instead of my travel pillow. Plenty of room in the trailer....my center of gravity would be lower and it would make getting on and off the bike much easier. But the cost.....!!!

As I take my laptop with me on trips and do daily posts here, I am jonsing for a IPAD2 which would be ideal for that purpose. So light, slim and unobtrusive. Hmmmm....choices, choices.