1985 Honda Gold Wing

I bought an older bike not knowing how often i would actually use it and wanted to know before i invested more $$$. Honda's are known to last forever, at least mechanically.I love the features that the bike has and the performance.Cosmetically, its a neglected 24 year old vehicle. Finding quality parts and someone to work on it has been difficult. Most shops won't work on anything older than a '95. But, it does the important thing...gives a great ride.

awsome motor cycle.truly the finest engineering in the world today. excallent quallity and above all reliabilty. of all the motor cycles i have owned, this is the ride to the sun expience for sure. god bless honda motor cycles.

This "old bike" was ahead of it's time. Honda has always made reliability a top priority. I am glad I bought this bike. It still runs and handles like it's just been broken in. This bike is fuel injected, has a very informative instrument cluster and a trip computer that tracks distance, MPG and Time. There is plenty of storage and this bike looks and handles great for a 700+ lbs machine. My only disapointment with this purchase is the small but disapointing left out details from the EBay seller about COSMETIC FLAWS and MISSING standard OEM equipment that came with this bike. I bought it sight unseen. Creative photos can hide details that might be caught by seeing the vehicle in person. My advise ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS about conditions of items you are buying. Not all sellers disclose items of concern up front. It's the old DON'T ASK DON'T TELL sales pitch that I got caught with on this purchase. That being said, the small detail fixes required on this machine give me the oportunity to have a project through the winter and get to know this bike better. It's still a great machine and worth the price I paid for it.

This 1985 Goldwing Lmt. Edition with EFI was all one could expect and more. It is fully dressed, CB radio, Casette Player and am/fm radio with four/way toggle controlled surround sound, passenger to rider intercom (in helmet, on board computer and all the bells and wistles. On top of that, it is in mint condition, (no bumbs or bruises). It rides really sweet with the capacity to adjust the suspension while you are rolling and the cruise control (available in forth and overdrive) just adds to the comfort of the ride. She is all she was advertised to be and more. With only 22,900 original miles and being garaged when not riden, she acts and looks like brand new. The 41-49 mpg rating is real on the highway and she is also good on the short trips around town. I enjoy her on the daily ride and look forward to a long summer cross-country cruise. Kudos to the seller as he did right with his representation.

Well, I can only compare one of these MC's to a Modern Cruiser or a 1986 Yamaha Virago so perhaps I am "jumping the gun" by writing way too much for now except that I am very impressed with the unit that I was sold by a local cycle shop Ebay'er.

I would have to say very impressed only because this type of a MC was advertised this Year, 2008 as a "rough" idling 1985 machine with 20,000 Miles on it, with 6 carbuerators and 4 cylinders and a "weak" battery, and upon further inspection It worked pretty good in fact just as well or better than my 2007 Honda 750 Shadow or My old 2008 Yamaha XV650A. I may be a Nieve but I think that having the extra power and hardware onboard like 4 cyl's and 1200 cc's and 6 carbs and a larger alternator system seemed to at least equalize the usual starting problems that plauge the V twin MC's like the ones that I mentioned and the usual cold weather warm up problems that smaller cruisers have in common. It may sometimes seem to Idle rough, like it would really need to Idle for a few mins. at 1100 rpm's instead of 800 rpm's but I really did not notice anything terribly wrong with It's roughness in this respect in relation to It's actual performance.

I have noticed that it was hardly rode more than approximately 4000 Miles in 5 Years and this is usually about half of what Gold Wing Aspencade riders usually ride them for in that length of time, and the MC was really well cared for, although very dusty and It was carrying a new inspection sticker. I cannot say much if anything negatively about this type of a Bike except that it will take a little bit of getting used to.

The Honda GL1200 Aspencade has a different stance for the riders feet positioning than a Virago or a Cruiser in fact much closer together and You really need to watch Yourself when You first try to reach the gearshift and brake levers because of the faring or plastic front panels. They can and will block Your feet if You are not in the right spot and the Front Brake must have been dampened a little bit so that You won't throw this kind of a Bike by accident, therefore You will always need to use the rear brake.

In respect to Safety, This Machine is so comfortable that it can be compared to a conversion Van in It's ride possibly giving You an illusion that You are going some 15 Miles per hour slower than the actual speedometer says that You are travelling. I would advise You to keep an eye on the Speedometer because it is a quick accelerating and a quiet machine with some power so It could possibly get You into a position where You are breaking the speed limits fairly easily.

It's a little bit weird steering it around corners as well, if You are not familiar with a Bike that has a faring on it because the windshield and the gauges etc. are pointing straight ahead while You are turning the handlebars and banking while in a turn. You should'nt stall one of these Bikes panic while beginning a manuever with something this heavy or it will eat You up I guess. That said, It would probably be a Good Bike for experienced riders. You should'nt be distracted by all of the convieniences of this kind of a Motorcycle.

I Loved the Radios, the AM-FM and the CB, because they are fun but of course they are always building these better every Year, and that was old 1985 class C audio equipment with the Low efficiency speaker systems so a simple power amp. mod and and I POD connection would make a really nice difference.

This MC is a realy Good Bike

I spent roughly 1 1/2 years watching and bidding for this specific model. The one I ultimately purchased for $4200 was not exceptional but was certainly worth the wait. All systems function with the exception of cassette player. The bike was well maintained and cared for by the two original owners as these bikes generally are. The LTD, offering fuel injection, digital displays and an info packed onboard trip computer, is without question the most sophisticated of that era and manages a respectable 41MPG overall. Aspencades and Interstates are great cruisers too but this is truly the coveted model for 1985. This is a heavy bike with a relatively high center of gravity as compared to later models. Not for the inexperienced rider to be sure but is a very well-rounded machine and was a profound leap in the Goldwing generations. I have made some minor improvements (Kuryakin Iso Grips, highway pegs and tuning) on the bike and am pleased by the essentially stock condition it has retained over its life. Some of the roughly 5300 LTDs produced have been heavily adorned with a plethora of aftermarket accessories that were available and many that are still produced. I prefer it clean and original without excessive lights, chrome and murals. but that's just my preference. Timing belts are a key maintenance item that warrants replacement if there is any doubt on age or replacement status. This motor will grenade (valve collision with pistons) if a belt breaks. This is not a condition you'll want to suddenly experience at 65 mph. Overall I am very pleased by Honda's leadership and excellence in the touring segment. The 85 LTD is becoming a relatively rare unit as they are now 23 yrs old. I often wonder how many are left despite the obvious pride and care that they provoke in their owners. My Ebay purchase experience was a good one and I flew to AZ (Show Low area) to pick her up. The 1200 mile ride home via the Grand Canyon and southern Utah was a mere 48 hrs to Boise including two hotel overnighters enroute. Yes, it was a memorable ride that convinced me I purchased the right bike. I now use it as a daily commuter at less than a third the fuel cost of my Ford Explorer. Recently it seems good units are commanding 4 to 5K with one exceptional unit fetching 7K. Not bad for a $10K (1985 dollars)machine that riders drooled over in showrooms. There's a lot out there on the internet on this one. Do some googling and make your research payoff for the shopping. For the sellers: go big on the photos if you've got a good one. A few scrawny pix will cost you significantly on bidding. If it's worth it, do it right and show it all. Enjoy the ride!
P.S.: Thanks Dave - she's happy.

i bought this bike on the sellers recomendations. i paid top dollor for item.later i found the engine overheats, at this point still cant find out why- the front fork bolts were sdtripped out. the righ inside flaring is total destoryed., i paid 4000 dollars for a 2500 dollar item. Never take the sellers word on conditation of an item. i bought item, because the out side apperance was great. the under side is what fooled me.

I have had many motorcycles in the past 35+ years, mostly opting for sport or sport touring machines, came upon this 1985 Goldwing and was looking for a more long distance touring bike that I could also use as a daily commuter. Had never really considered a Goldwing before this one but after about a day in the saddle I was convinced I would never own anything but a Goldwing. (Did I mention that after the "better half" climbed on behind me it would probably be fatal if I came home with anything else! She loves the comfortable ride as I do and living in West Virginia there is plenty of some of the best two lane mountain blacktop in the U.S. just minutes from our back door! The bike handles very well (I am told the 1500's & 1800's handle even better). I highly recommend the Goldwing to anyone, it took a little getting used to due to it's size but after a short while it's get on it and go! The Honda has proved to be very reliable and easy to maintain -- our's has about 83,000 miles on it and we plan to put many more on it before shopping for an 1800 to replace this wonderful machine with. Being a 23 year old motorcycle I it has a few scratches and flaws, but I feel an old motorcycle is like on old man -- we both have character!!! Overall, a great ride!!!

There was a couple of items that were not mentioned in the description of the motorcycle. The cruise control doesn't work. The front tire was a white wall, with the back tire being a black wall. The windshield has several scratches that wasn't mentioned either. Other than this, the motorcycle runs good. Most of the negatives were cosmetic. Overall, I would rate it 4/5.