I had a nice, long conversation with speckfisher yesterday, and he was reminiscing about his first experience on a Goldwing. It reminded me of mine...
I had been riding a new Sportster 1200C for about 9 months when I started to consider a touring bike. My SO had unexepectedly become interested in riding on the bike (and even got her own bike for awhile). The Sporty was just too small and uncomfortable, so we began looking at Ultra Classics. I was active in a HOG chapter, so that was a natural progression. We rented an Ultra for a weekend trip to West Texas and I was more than disappointed in the performance, brakes and the heat coming off the engine. One night I was looking on eBay and came across a 2005 Yellow Goldwing (Level 1) that was being auctioned off by a local car dealership. It only had 1800 miles on it, so just for grins, I put in a ridiculously low bid. I can remember going back into my office at 11pm and seeing that I had won the auction! My initial feeling was buyers remorse, I never expected to win.
The next day, we drove to McKinney to pick up the bike. It was already getting dark when I rode out of the parking lot. I was more than a little intimidated by the size of the bike, but was amazed at how balanced it was and easy to handle compared to the Ultra. As soon as I got on 121 heading back to Carrollton I knew I had made the right decision. I could not believe how smooth and powerful this thing was. It took me a couple of weeks before I was comfortable to get the SO on the back of the bike, and then we were both hooked. I kept my Sportster for a few months to ride around town, and to the HOG events. But, more and more, I found myself just riding the Wing. I eventually sold the Sportster and the Wing has been my primary form of transportation ever since. I have not even owned a car since 2006.
My last HOG ride was when I showed up to a 4th of July ride on my Wing. They made it clear that I was not welcome unless I was on a Harley. Oh well, another chapter in the book. I sold the 2005 a year later and bought a new 2007 with ABS and a Bushtec trailer. I now have a 2012, and the same Bushtec. We have ridden to more than 43 states on a Wing, and hope to add a few more this summer.
What's your story?
I had been riding a new Sportster 1200C for about 9 months when I started to consider a touring bike. My SO had unexepectedly become interested in riding on the bike (and even got her own bike for awhile). The Sporty was just too small and uncomfortable, so we began looking at Ultra Classics. I was active in a HOG chapter, so that was a natural progression. We rented an Ultra for a weekend trip to West Texas and I was more than disappointed in the performance, brakes and the heat coming off the engine. One night I was looking on eBay and came across a 2005 Yellow Goldwing (Level 1) that was being auctioned off by a local car dealership. It only had 1800 miles on it, so just for grins, I put in a ridiculously low bid. I can remember going back into my office at 11pm and seeing that I had won the auction! My initial feeling was buyers remorse, I never expected to win.
The next day, we drove to McKinney to pick up the bike. It was already getting dark when I rode out of the parking lot. I was more than a little intimidated by the size of the bike, but was amazed at how balanced it was and easy to handle compared to the Ultra. As soon as I got on 121 heading back to Carrollton I knew I had made the right decision. I could not believe how smooth and powerful this thing was. It took me a couple of weeks before I was comfortable to get the SO on the back of the bike, and then we were both hooked. I kept my Sportster for a few months to ride around town, and to the HOG events. But, more and more, I found myself just riding the Wing. I eventually sold the Sportster and the Wing has been my primary form of transportation ever since. I have not even owned a car since 2006.
My last HOG ride was when I showed up to a 4th of July ride on my Wing. They made it clear that I was not welcome unless I was on a Harley. Oh well, another chapter in the book. I sold the 2005 a year later and bought a new 2007 with ABS and a Bushtec trailer. I now have a 2012, and the same Bushtec. We have ridden to more than 43 states on a Wing, and hope to add a few more this summer.
What's your story?