Well, we took the test ride yesterday mornin' on the '07 UC. The better half had been raisin' cain all week over it, but she was a "good sport" and went on down with me. After waitin' around for it to start for an hour (!), they finally came an' told me that they didn't have an Ultra Classic for us to demo, an' offered to let us ride another. I snagged the salesman I had been talkin' with, an' he got the GM in on it. GM didn't blink an eye - "I PROMISED these folks we'd have one, YOU promised we'd have one - and we will NOT lie to them - take one off the showroom floor!" Needless to say, the better half was impressed with that kind of response - as was I!

She wasn't real happy w/the vibration (which I expected), so I kept the rpm's up just a little while idling. She's all of 5' tall (an' 105 lbs), so the bag crash bars were givin' the back of her calves fits. I think with some adjustment on the passenger boards (or just with some refabbin' on my part), we'll be past that.

Bottom line, she gave me that "oh, well" look an' seemed surprised when we left WITHOUT the new bike![8D] As I expected, they were WAY light on the trade offer on our '03 GL1800, so I put 'er up on eBay this afternoon, an' figger to have it sold by next weekend. Figger another week to get everything wrapped up on the sale of the old one, an' we should have ours shortly afterward. Now if ah kin just get it ta go quick enough, they've got THE color we want in stock already!

 

George,

Just curious... why are you moving from the GL to the Ultra?

I had an opportunity to demo an '06 Wing for about 3 hours - in all types of traffic and riding conditions. A the risk of being flamed by my fellow Harley owners, I have to say that I was blown away by the comfort, power and surprisingly enough, the maneuverability of the Wing. I really didn't expect it to feel so well balanced given its weight and size but the demo ride is seriously having me rethinking my decision to move back to a Road Glide from my Dyna.

I'd be interested in any insight you might have into the pros/cons of GL ownership.

thanks!

 

pull the pin,,, toss in towjams direction,,, and runnnnnnnnn!!!

 

You need to get her a set of these.
http://www.kuryakyn.com/products.asp?bn=harley&ci=2409
My wife is only 4 foot 11 so she had the same problem but this worked for her. I bought mine from a shop on ebay called easternpc for $127.00

 

Without a doubt, the GL1800 is an amazing bike. For me, however, the larger issue has become servicability.

I do my own wrenching - likely a throwback to my upbringin', whar you didn't pay someone else ta do what you could do yerself. As I've observed the level of competence at my local dealer, I've come to be even more determined to do my own maintenance. We're talkin' fasteners left loose/missing, improper wire harness re-connects, etc.

Now, you're talking about a machine that requires the removal of the upper shelter, ECM an' cruise control systems for a simple AIR FILTER replacement - this is, to me, simply poor design - or a desire on the part of Honda to force the average owner to seek "professional" assistance. The first thing I do with any new bike is order the OEM manual from Helm, Inc. to ensure I know how to accomplish simple tasks. I can judge best from there if it's something I'm comfortable doing myself, or if I prefer to hire it done. Having overhauled more than a few engines and transmissions in the past, there's very little I'm afraid of undertaking on my own.

I hear a lot about the heat of a HD - let me tell you, I've gotten blistered (literally) by the heat emitted by the GL1800.

As I stated in a early post on this board, I also like to run auxillary lighting (primarily strobes) on my bikes for additional visibility during emergencies/limited sight situations. The GL1500 was an excellent platform for this - not so the 1800, IMO. If you want armrests on a Goldwing....well, on the GL1500 you had "hard points" originating from the frame to accomplish this. On the GL1800, you are anchoring to the trunk (aka "tour box" a HD owner). Guess what - that trunk is PURE ABS! There is NO "hard point" back to the frame available - period.

Additionally, there have been issues with the frame on some of the early model GL1800. Honda claims to have fixed these - but to be frank, I'm not totally convinced of that. My most precious asset is my wife, and I find myself concerned when she's on board and we're hitting rough roadways that we'll have a problem. It's likely paranoia - but I find it directly impacts my enjoyment of the bike - so in my book, there's simply no alternative but to either find another bike or stop riding - and since I've ridden since swappin' hay-haulin' for an old Indian about 40 years ago (at the ripe old age of 12), I don't see me hangin' up my chaps any time soon!

 

Thanks for the feedback George. You brought up two excellent points that I've not looked into - the serviceability and engine heat.

I'm not a wrencher. But with the Harley, I don't feel as intimated about doing the brain-dead stuff (changing oil, checking the air cleaner, etc.). In fact, it's the "elegant simplicity" of Harley's design that is a primary reason I've continued to buy them. I didn't think to ask about routine maintenance on the GL when I did the test ride yesterday or I may not have even considered the ride. And the ambient temperature was cool enough here yesterday where engine heat wasn't a factor - even on my Dyna. (But for the life of me, I can't imagine an engine throwing up more heat than a stock 96".)

 

Neither could I - until I observed the *significant* blister on my shin from the heat! Took it a while ta heal, too - it was a DEEP burn. Had someone told me that it was possible, I'd have called 'em a liar![sm=badbadbad.gif]

 

Sold my 02 Goldwing back in July (actually traded it) for an 05 Ultra Classic. I do not regret it even though the WIng was a very powerful bike, and probably a better MACHINE. But it took me a while to figues out why I wanted the Harley in stead of the Wing. On paper, in my mind, everyone would buy a Wing. But I wanted a BIKE, not a machine. As far a working on the bike, too be honest, the air filter is the only real poor design on the Wing for maintenance. I will trade/sell my o5 this month for an 07 UC. Good luck.

 

Really? Ever done the plugs? How about the fuel filter? Oh - that's right - there is NO fuel filter on a GL1800 - guess they figger injectors don't plug/foul. Or adjust the rear brakes....or bleed the rear brakes. Or bleed the clutch.... Whatever ya do, do NOT try ta replace the hi-beam bulb, trust me!!

 

Compared to taking apart the complete upper shell for the air filter, all that you mentioned is easy!