2001 Honda GL1800 Goldwing

This fantastic looking 2001 Honda GL1800 was brought to SUB for consignment from a long-time friend who used to be the service manager at the Renton Honda back in the 80’s.  He picked it up in January 2021 with around 101,000 at that time.  He and his wife had some great road trips on it but they have decided it was time to downsize.  Since purchasing it he has had a chance to make sure all the maintenance is up to date and then focused on making sure the suspension was serviced and upgraded to really make sure the bike still handles and performs the way it should.   He started with the front end and installed a Traxx-Rite billet triple clamps and, Progressive Suspension’s state of the art Monotube Cartridge Fork kit.  The rear shock was updated and serviced, along with adding a progressive suspension spring and steel braided preload adjuster line.  All pivot points on the rear suspension were gone over, cleaned, and repacked with grease. January 2023 new tires went on, new brake pads and battery to prepare for the summer’s excursion that didn’t end up happening.  Valve service along with new valve cover gaskets was done at 125,000.  The previous owner had a new water pump and other maintenance items done at 100,000. service records were provided as well.   This Goldwing goes down the road feeling stable and well-maintained.  It looks great for its age and mileage.  It also comes with a bike cover, stock seat, some heated gloves, a jacket, and pants.

We have a service manual, some service records, lots of keys, and a clean WA title.

PRESS

Welcome to Monday morning, day four of our nearly transcontinental get-acquainted session with Honda’s 2001 Gold Wing. The plan going in was simple: ride from the GL’s Marysville, Ohio, home (and location of the bike’s press launch) to ours in Los Angeles. It is here, right in the middle of said proceedings, that I-40 narcosis kicks in. Sort of a four-lane rapture of the deep. The mind floats ahead, taking various exits on a freeway all its own. Is there really a Helium Museum in Amarillo? Does Elvis know they transplanted the Cadillac Ranch? Then, splat! An ill-fated bumblebee free-associates us all the way back to Arkansas.

If the GL1800 feels lighter than the previous six, it’s because it is. At 898 pounds complete with a full 6.6-gallon fuel payload and eight pounds of optional ABS braking hardware, the 1800 is still 13 pounds lighter than our 1999 GL1500SE. Reduced frontal area contributes to improved aerodynamics and that smaller feel. However, most of the perceived compactness comes from moving the rider two inches closer to the steering axis (which somewhat explains the close-cropped riding position). Every aspect of riding the motorcycle thus becomes more direct, more exact, and for us at least, much more fun than anything with a Gold Wing badge has ever been.

Turn the key and a wiry version of the illustrious Gold Wing Eagle materializes in the cockpit’s central LCD display in what Honda calls the “opening ceremony.” That little number goes from cute to annoying to switched off before we leave the lot. The engine boots up with the instant precision associated with Honda fuel injection, settling into an edgier rendition of the familiar GL idle. Honda’s flat six has always been receptive, but this one wants to go. Now. Slipping into traffic, that responsiveness–especially right off idle–triggers a twinge of driveline lash in low gear; the softish fork amplifies any unsmooth throttle antics during takeoffs and slower riding. Shifting during slower speed work felt a touch notchy, too, though things smoothed nicely once the miles added up. Once underway, you know you’re aboard a Gold Wing; the gear-whine of the flat-six engine, the seemingly unalterable straight-line stability, the calmness behind the fairing.

Just as the first 1500/6 was in 1988, the new 1800 is just far enough ahead of its time to bother certain less-progressive segments of motorcycling society. Sporting traditionalists will recoil at a Honda motorcycle with almost as many part numbers as a Honda Civic, and deem it the harbinger of a mini-van apocalypse. Good Sam tourists in sack cloth and ashes will whimper on about Honda abandoning the multitudes in pin-encrusted vests and “Hi, My Name Is” badges who made the Gold Wing what it is in order to court the performance-addled Lexus set. We say that kind of talk encourages random drug testing.

We also say the 2001 Gold Wing does just what its ancestors have done for 25 years, and better than anything else: define and redefine the art of luxury motorcycle travel. Before the GL1800, sporting performance enforced an uncomfortable minimalism on the motorcycle traveler, while luxury motorcycles displayed a distressing resemblance to Mom’s ’70 Chrysler New Yorker. Honda has changed all that. The fact that it has done it for a base price of $17,499–$100 less than a 2000 GL1500 SE–leaves us with only one bit of bad. If you’re not already in line to put a 2001 Gold Wing in your garage, it may already be too late.

Deposits

To secure the purchase of a motorcycle, we request a refundable $500 deposit, which will be applied towards the overall purchase price. When you make a deposit, we will hold the motorcycle for you for up to 5 days, to give you time to visit SUB and complete the transaction. In the event multiple people are interested in the same motorcycle, the order of priority goes to the date/time stamp your deposit is made. And if you do not purchase the motorcycle, your deposit is fully refundable.

Financing

For our European and American made motorcycles, Seattle Used Bikes works with FreedomRoad Financial – a national powersports lending company who are motorcycle enthusiasts and understand the rider lifestyle.

Credit Cards

All major credit cards are accepted.

Fine Print

Prices for motorcycles do not include sales tax, any applicable finance or licensing fees, and up to a $200 documentation charge may be added – to cover our costs for processing the paperwork involved in the purchase of your motorcycle. All prices, specifications, and availability subject to change without notice. Please contact us for the most current information.