brorke
Member
We checked one out recently. VERY nice bike. Our only problem was luggage capacity. Those side bags are just too small for us. Solo trips I could make it work. 2-up there's just no way. I couldn't believe how little space there was.
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You guys will hate me for this!
- Thread starter PoorUB
- Start date
We checked one out recently. VERY nice bike. Our only problem was luggage capacity. Those side bags are just too small for us. Solo trips I could make it work. 2-up there's just no way. I couldn't believe how little space there was.
brownie0486
Well-known member
New wing=40+ liters on each pannier, 61 liters on the top box for the GW --------141 liters
New bmw rt=33 liter on each pannier, 59 liters on the top box-----------------------125 liters
I see 30 for each pannier, 61 for the top box, so 121 liters. So a bit smaller, but not enough to cry about.
It doesn't matter. My RT has a 49 liter top case and we drag a trailer with another ~140 liters.
bkkjack
Member
A few years ago, I was riding my Triumph Street Triple on the Tail of the Dragon at a moderately brisk pace and got absolutely blitzed by a guy on a red Goldwing. It was so bad, but close enough to DGMR that I found him in the parking lot and tried to apologize for not seeing him and using a pull-off. He just laughed and said in a very thick German accent that it was no problem.
jono
SlaveToCurves/Wind/Motion
Correct - Honda's brochure specs 121 liters capacity.
https://powersports.honda.com/-/med...ng/brochures/2023/2023-gold-wing-brochure.pdf
We were riding east, just coming into the pass on Chief Joseph Highway, so lots of switch backs. Riding Harley baggers and we were rolling along 10-20 MPH over the limit. In the corners we would ride close to double the recommended speed. 30 MPH corner? 50+ MPH. My buddy was leading and I had been watching head lights catching up to us. They finally caught up and we let them by. It was a later model GW and a Victory Vision. They rolled on by and we never saw them again.
My buddy and I are fairly aggressive riders, but my wife was on back and I generally hold back a bit when she is with, but my buddy chased after them. We were both on CB radios so we talked while he rode away. He eventually dropped off and let us catch up. He told me he could keep up, but it was a lot of work! Of course the Harley has very poor lean angle compared to what he was chasing, plus the HP and torque on the Harley was lower compared to the other two. i gave him some crap and mentioned the other two riders might be having a relaxing ride up the pass. If they tried harder they would roll away easily.
Similar to guys an Harley groups mentioning they were keeping up with sport bikes in the twisties and I would ask them of the sport bike riders knew they were racing. No way in hell a Harley will keep up with equal riders. I rode a Yamaha R1 for a few years and it would not be a close race. On the other hand I have seen what a very skilled rider can do on a Harley, but that rider was at the top of the game. Not many riders would keep up with him, plus he wasn't on a bagger.
A few years ago my buddy wanted to drag race his bagger against my R1. It was a joke, but we did it, doing a rolling start. i let him get ahead of me and them rolled on by. He laughed about it later and thought it was funny as hell when I rolled buy him like he was standing still, riding a wheelie.
jonnybow
Member
Yea, the GT/GTL bikes sit pretty tall. You can lower them and try but they are still tall bikes. I have a GT but I'm also 6'2" and still don't flat foot it with the RDL seat and set for 2up.
I've not ridden the new GW, does it sit that much lower?
brownie0486
Well-known member
You should watch the police drill team here in N. Az. sometime using their wings. 66.7 wheelbase vs.58.5 on my 1200RT. And many of them can turn the bikes in 18 foot circles which is not that easy on the 58.5 wheelbase RT motor. They'll out ride about everyone on tarmac. Absolutely amazing to watch the team do their drills in tight formations.
Been through two police motor schools and there's no way I'm getting 18 foot turns on a wing with an extra 8" of wheelbase while the RT can handle them well enough if you've got the skills.
As I have gotten older I have lost a bit of skill, or perhaps not as daring as I used to be. I used to do full lock turns in the grass in my back yard on my Harley baggers, dragging the foot board while doing it. Guys would give me crap for showing off because I would find an open area in a parking lot and do full lock figure eights with my wife on back while I was waiting for the rest of the riders to saddle up. I would do a circle in the width of two parking lot spaces, or about 18 feet. Lately, it hurts too much to fall down, and the bikes have gotten heavier, (or I have gotten weaker!)
I have watched police motor competitions and have watched Ride like a Pro videos so I get it, and used to be able to do a lot of it, but my brains and reflexes don't get it any more!
brownie0486
Well-known member
With a 65" wheelbase, you were doing very well to get 18's accomplished. I'm 72 in a few months, and the only way I can do 18's today is on a <60" wheelbase. 20's aren't even an effort even today with the 11RT and 16RS, though the RS at 60.2" is quite bit more effort to make the 20's. That roughly 2" of extra wheelbase makes it just that much more difficult but still able, barely.
15 years ago, 18's were childs play for the most part, so I get it. With age comes a reduction in my ability to make small instant corrections in balance needed to keep them tight circles available
brorke
Member
A trailer would definitely change things...lol. I had my RT parked side x side with it. Wing bags are long but shallow. Deeper lids would definitely help, and I wasn't aware they were offered so that's promising.
Regardless of whats on paper, the new gen. Wing's have less space. But as mentioned, buy what ya like
brownie0486
Well-known member
As PoorUB mentioned, the reduction isn't worth mentioning between the two. 4L less storage would not be a game changer but for a few.
4L's is just this much. If it were to make the difference in buying one or not, someone is really anal about volume. This is how much less you can carry in the wings.
https://www.nextadvance.com/product/4l-nalgene-bottle-quick-connect/
brownie0486
Well-known member
My panniers have had pannier liners on every full dressed motor. In this pannier liners sits 17#'s each side of always on the bike items. I'd have to remove the liners to throw a helmet in either model, but it's never bothered me to take the helmet with me or cable lock it to the seat [ most of the time if I'm leaving the motor for any length of time, it's cabled ].
Top box also has 10#'s of equipment in a top box liner, so no throwing a helmet in the top cases either.
I'm certainly not going to stop carrying the 24/7 gear in the panniers or top box so I can throw a helmet in one of them. I need the gear more than I need to put a helmet in any of the storage areas. I'm a boy scout when it comes to being prepared for situations on the side of the road while doing the inter state tours
I am not overly concerned about helmets fitting in the cases. I occasionally stuff a helmet in the pannier, but generally there is other stuff in there so it doesn't happen. If we are traveling the panniers and top case are full of other crap so the helmets get left on the bike. I carry a good quality bicycle lock to secure them.
Should you decide to make this move I hope you keep us posted on how it works out. When I bought my then new '16RT I seriously considered the Gold Wing. After decades on Harleys we were needing something with modern suspension, and I was looking to go lighter. I'd heard that the Wing's weight tends to become negligible once underway, but the overall weight thing scared me. I'd already put the best suspension I could buy on the Electra Glide, it was still OK for me, but every little bump shot straight up my wife's spine and that was unacceptable.
A couple years later my wife died suddenly.
I love my RT, but have the same complaints you've voiced here. I have a 32 inch inseam, so it's a little tall. I'm 67 years old and literally held together with screws, plates, rods, baling wire and monofilament line. My girlfriend and I tested a Road Glide not long back, because I was getting nostalgic and people kept telling me that even though the Harley suspension measurements are ridiculously short, "they really work". No, they don't. The age starts to matter. I was one of those riders to whom people would say "you can't do that on a Harley", so I would do it just to show them, but those days are over. The girlfriend is 70, it gets more and more difficult to climb up on the machine.
We sat on a new Gold Wing a few weeks ago, I've never ridden one but it certainly felt right. Much easier to get in the saddle. Seemed very well balanced etc., the young fellow at the Honda shop was more than happy to let us test it. The fact that we'd showed up on the BMW probably helped. Faye was for it, but I declined. I'm still considering it, but, well, I kind of have a history with that kind of thing. That's how I ended up with the RT. My wife had said "Look, a BMW shop. Isn't that the kind of bike you've been thinking about?" Traded the Electra Glide about 2 days later. Why 2 days? 160 mile one way to the dealer.
At any rate, please do let us know if you make the jump. And, how you feel about it as time goes on.
Looks like we are going to try take a test ride in the morning. The dealer has a used 2021 GW and I haven't asked, but I would assume they will let us ride it. They let us trash a K1600 and an R1200RT a few years back. I would consider buying the 2021. It has something like 10,000 miles on it so barely broken in.
As for the Harley suspension, we had the same complaint. Guys went on how the new shocks were so much better. I had a friend with a set of OEM adjustable shocks and I tried them on my 2016. They were not better than the old air shocks. I had put a pair of Ohlins on my 2016 and they made a very noticeable difference. I Rode a buddies Street Glide with the lowered suspension and it was like riding a hard tail. I liked my Harleys, but I don't see myself ever buying another, at least a bagger. If I wanted to ride locally, perhaps a Softail.
Still, with the Harley I am dealing with a 900 pound motorcycle. The Goldwing is 50 pounds lighter and it carries the weight lower compared to the Harley. Like I mentioned before, sitting on the GW and rocking it side to side it felt lighter than my RT and one hell of a lot lighter than the Harley baggers I have owned.
We will see!
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My wife and took a used 2021 Goldwing DCT Tour for a ride today. Mama really likes it,so no argument from her. I liked it too, but it was weird not having much to do with my left hand! It is a bet like driving an auto transmission car. . The rider pushes the "D" button and you can feel the engine pull slightly, just like a car in drive. The throttle is a bit sensitive at low speed, just a bit goes a long ways. Get on the road and open the throttle and it rolls through the gears like any car, with a slight bump with each gear change, but not a big deal.
The suspension is a bit stiffer than the RT, but way better than any Harley I have ridden. The suspension has four settings, I forget all of them, but single, two up and two up with loaded bags.
90 MPH was no issue, and was comfortable. Wind blast was minimal which surprised me as the factory windshield is fairly narrow, but plenty tall, and height is electrically adjustable.
We talked trading in my RT on this used one with 12,000 miles, but they want a bit more than what I see on NADA, and they are a bit low on the trade value. I have a color matched top case, the spendy one, like $1600 new, handle bar risers, engine guard with highway pegs and they wouldn't give me a penny more. If I trade I will strip the bike and sell on the market place here.
The suspension is a bit stiffer than the RT, but way better than any Harley I have ridden. The suspension has four settings, I forget all of them, but single, two up and two up with loaded bags.
90 MPH was no issue, and was comfortable. Wind blast was minimal which surprised me as the factory windshield is fairly narrow, but plenty tall, and height is electrically adjustable.
We talked trading in my RT on this used one with 12,000 miles, but they want a bit more than what I see on NADA, and they are a bit low on the trade value. I have a color matched top case, the spendy one, like $1600 new, handle bar risers, engine guard with highway pegs and they wouldn't give me a penny more. If I trade I will strip the bike and sell on the market place here.
