NE Ohio here, future Classic Goldwing with sidecar owner

Just checking in as a new member. I recently at the ripe old age of 40 decided to indulge my lifetime desire to become a rider. So last month I took the Basic Rider Course. It was a blast and cemented the idea that riding is just so much damn fun. Could not believe how much fun it would be until I got to sit on that tiny Suzuki TU250 for 16 hours. For a mental picture I am 6'4" and 350 pounds. My instructor told me I made it look like a shriner bike

So this brings me to my membership here. I am in the market for my first bike. After lots and lots of reading on various bikes and styles I decided I was really in love with the mid to late 1970's look of the Japanese bikes, especially Hondas. And their relative lower price point (not unreasonable it seems to find one under 1K) The one that really grabbed my attention like no other is the 75-77 Goldwing 1000. So beautiful and as I understand it built like a freakin tank. I have been scouring Craigslist and a few other sites for a suitable candidate, but I am willing to wait for the prefect one that fits in my very meager budget. And that bike will also go with my second lifetime dream, to build that sucker into a hack. I have been scouring sites for Goldwing sidecar info and so far the almost universal response is its one of the best tugs out there for sidecars. So the Classic Goldwings have the looks I love, the price I can afford, are pretty darn reliable, and are tailor made for pulling a sidecar. Hmmm... seems like a no brainer to me.

So I hope to very soon (in the next few months) have my very own Classic Goldwing to show off. and sometime next summer when the weather breaks, I will hopefully be able to show off my new sidecar for it too.

Welcome to the site from New Jersey! :clapping:

So I hope to very soon (in the next few months) have my very own Classic Goldwing to show off. and sometime next summer when the weather breaks, I will hopefully be able to show off my new sidecar for it too.

Click to expand...

Will be waiting! opcorn: :wave:

Welcome from Southern California! When the right bike finds you, you'll know it. I hope you're good with tools - the 1000's are pushing 40 years old! Thankfully, wrenching on 'em is almost as much fun as riding 'em!

Welcome and yes you'll be learning a lot about wrenching and riding. With a hack riding takes on a new skill set. I prefer to ride without the hack until I need it to hold the bike up. Partly because I really enjoy spirited riding and partly because the sidecars are scarce and expensive around here.

Welcome to the forum, I have found patience can be rewarded when looking for a bike, GL come up often enough just set the money aside and look often and maybe look outside your area..sometimes it is worth traveling 100 or more miles for the right bike.
Hack equipped can more difficult to find, I recently seen a GL1100 with a sidecar for 15 or 1800(cant recall) so it happens eventually.
Hope you get a good one.

Thanks all--

I am pretty mechanically inclined, I do almost all my wrenching on my vehicles. Over the years I haven't had the extra money to take it to a mechanic, so I had to learn to do it myself. No worries about having to get down and dirty. Truth be told I kinda like it, except when you are on a deadline to get it running to be able to make it to work, then it sucks.

The plan right now is to get the bike first, then to build a custom sidecar frame and tub myself. I have been researching building my own sidecar rig for a while now and feel pretty confident in my abilities to put one together safely and for thousands less than buying a pre-fab one. Although there is a lot to understand , most of it is pretty simple in mechanical terms. Anyone who was fabbed up their own trailer could easily build a sidecar frame (essentially similar designs)

Welcome from Oz. Good luck with your quest and don't forget looking at slightly later models. My personal preference would be the 82 GW1100 as it has better brakes than the earlier ones. :good:

80 or 81 are geared low enough to be spry for their size and make good tugs for a hack or a trailer.

welcome to classic

Welcome from Washington state!

Welcome to Classics from PA!

Welcome
Ride your dream down so I can see it.
Marengo- I-71 mile marker140.

Another welcome from PA! I've been riding for a while and got interested in Goldwings when i saw one for sale at a yard sale. It's now in my garage. <- that's it in my pic) I've become fascinated by their unique design and uncanny durability. It's not like any other, but there are loads of them out there and if they aren't running it's probably just a matter of carb cleaning (or replacing with something simpler- but that's a different thread) to get them going again. Don't shy away from a non-runner, they can be a very good deal. They are also great for us larger guys. I also would like to work on a sidecar next summer, we can compare notes.

Welcome to CGW

Just an update: I can officially call myself a Classic goldwing owner :Egyptian:

I guess sometimes life hands you opportunities when you aren't even looking for them. Was randomly searching through CL, not even with any real intent and saw an ad, posted an hour before for a 77 goldwing, way overpriced at the princely sum of $400. I called expecting it to be A- a junk pile, B- a parts bike with no title, or C- gone already. The answer was D- none of the above. It had been bought as a project from the PO who wanted to- gasp- turn it into a bobber but lost interest. :shock: I have seen some tastefully done bobbers, but come on, a goldwing is by far not the ideal starting point for that kind of a project.

So I am now the proud owner of said 77 GL1000. It has carb issues, and is more akin to a rat rod in appearance (seat is rough, chrome has some pitting and such)- but I have always been a function over form kinda guy anyways so its is perfectly fine with me Tires are great, engine runs alright minus the carb sync issue, and it has a clean title.

I know- this is worthless with the obligatory pic, but it was pouring icy rain today when I bought it so I wasn't all that interested in staying outside any longer than necessary freezing my tookas off. I will try to get a picture next to the sidecar that will be attached to her this spring

Congratulations! Helluva deal!

Congratulations on your new diamond in the rough! :yahoo:

Okay less rain today so here she is- my first ever bike- and the sidecar I got earlier that will be mated to her

1977 goldwing, naked and proud- picked up for $400- needs carb work and cosmetic fixes, but runs.



And the sidecar (pic from PO, its just better than what I can get since it is already stuffed away in the garage)

Nice rig.
Should be a lot of fun!

Welcome to the forums! Nice project you have there. :BigGrin: