To buy or not to buy?

If anyone has paid attention I've mentioned buying a goldwing a time or two, for the wife/kids & to ride in the rain & when its freezing @$$ cold. Well I have this friend of mine whose wing I ride on occasion, that is having mechanical difficulties with it. The throttle position sensor is intermittently working causing it to go into a default mode & load up & run like crap. Easy fix, but Honda doesn't make it anymore. I told him I would fix it for him as I have aquired a throttle body off of a 86' Honda prelude that is suppose to have the identicle sensor in it. The bike is a 85' Limited Edition(first year EFI), he's been talking about just selling it because he doesn't really use it that much anymore. I can get it dirt cheap(just over a grand) the bike is immacualte otherwise though the miles are a little high. Do I leap or pass it up due to potential head aches??? I could always part it out & get more than my money out of it, I welcome your opinions.

 

No garage & three bikes? You got a spare bedroom for your bikes like the cold storage post a while back. I've got a 3.5 stall garage thought I would never fill it when I bought my house; seven short years later I need a bigger garage. 5 cycles(just got rid of 4), 1 snowmobile, my vintage/restored 1957 wood boat, my project truck the 60' Ford. A big @$$ snap on air compressor, a sand blast cabinet & powder coating oven, bunch of storage shelves. Kids bikes, toys & a bunch of the wifes crap she took out of storage when she moved in with me 4 years ago & hasn't done anything w/ since. Half the time I can't even walk thru it. Maybe you are better off not having a garage

 

Seems like a no-lose proposition to me. You buy it and if you get it running, you have a bike for the family/commute. If not, part it and make back your money and then some.

 

I don't know what kind of rules & reg's you have out there(from what I see Cali has too many rules & reg's for everything). But for one of those 2 stall steel building kits that is totally enclosed w/ a service door & a roll up door they run about $2500. You could build a real garage yourself w/ beer & free food workers(ie. freinds) in about a weekend. 2 to 3 stalls for under $5000)menards, home depot or lowes kit) concrete & block work would be extra, block & motar work you could do your self, the slab would have to be contracted out. The last one I helped with we didn't even pay for the lumber we found some one that had a building they wanted to tear down & salavaged all we could out of it. all we had to buy was siding, shingles, block(purchased from a contractor that over purchased for a job, got for about
$.40 on the dollar) & for the concrete; ended up w/ a 40X50 shop for under $3000. I don't imagine you'd get away w/ buying a damaged semi trailer & knocking the wheels off it & setting down in your yard(the redneck thing to do:tongue: ). I can't either, ticks me off because I could buy one about every week the way they've been tearing them up @ work lately. As soon as I can afford to buy myself some hunting land(sometime in the next two decades) I going to get two & turn them into a make shift cabin/bunk house(because that would be another decade to build a real one).

Maybe Rev could let you know what a Home Depot Garage kit runs, seeing as how he works there.

 

Wall in the patio...

Seriously though, garage prices are different through the Depots up here than down there. What I'd suggest is calling 1-800-79-DEPOT and get a quote (tell them store# 4708, then my store gets credit for the sale). The nice thing about going through them is you don't have to worry about permits and such: the Depot contractor will handle it all for you. Up here the garages are built by Tuff Shed, which i seem to recall is a nationwide company so chances are they would be the ones building one for you if you went that route.

 

Hey, this is starting to sound more like garage building 101 (good stuff). I just recently bought a 2k VFR and I also own a 94 Suzuki VS800 Intruder, and a 83 GL1100 Goldwing Aspencade. I have been riding only the VFR on a daily basis since I purchased the bike this month. The funny thing is something about the VFR when crusing on the highway reminds me of my Goldwing (maybe it is the engine whine or maybe it is a Honda characteristic thing). I love my Goldwing, but since it is so old I usually end up doing most of the work since it is kinda hard to find a good mechanic that will work on the bike (ok so I'm a little picky and frugal). Also, some parts are hard to find (new or used). So as long as you are willing and prepared to do some of the maintence and repair on the bike, go for it. There are some great Goldwing Forums and Websites that offer excellent support for old Goldwings. The 85 SE EFI 1200 Goldwing is a sweet bike and barring any stator issues it is another solid Honda bike. What color is it and are there any add-ons and of course Chrome?

 

It only came in the two tone gold in 85' it has all the bells & whistles but not to many chrome trinkets. I'm still waiting for the guy to bring it over, I offered free repair & free winter storage so I could decide if I wanted to buy it but he's dragging his feet & he stores the bike outside under a cover. If was offered free storage, free parts & free labor I'd jump @ the oppurtunity, don't what his problem is yet.

 

One concern. Keep in mind that that the more garage space you add the number of motorcycles you own goes up exponencially. I have a six car garage and unfortunately that equated to 11 motorcycles and a lift. Darn it all I had to add a furnace and beer fridge and then the cable tv and the yamaha stereo system. It is difficult but somehow I find the courage to go on with this difficult affliction!

 

I can't go any bigger, unless I go up my lot is maxed out, I don't have cable or the beer fridge yet I do have a nice Tecniques stereo system & a furnace though. I tend to buy & purge toys every two to five years or so:smile:

 

I say if you want to get an older Goldwing go for it. A couple of years back I took a ride on an old Goldwing my friend had bought locally. I loved the bike and that winter I found a 1983 Aspencade in Pa for $2500.00 with only 39k miles. I still have the bike and use it a lot in the summer to go to the beach and run errands and shopping. Women I date who like to ride with me only want to ride on the GoldWing because it is so comfortable (air suspension) and the storage space. I do not mind because I like riding my VFR solo with the seat cowl. Anyway, if you look around you should be able to find an 81 - 87 for $1800 - $4000. Personally I would suggest looking for a 1988 and above because that is the first year of the electric reverse and it helps with a big heavy bike like the GoldWing. That is the 1500cc generation of the GoldWing and it is really sweet looking. Problem is it can be a little pricey trying to find one at a good price. You can also find good deals on the Kawasaki Voyeger which is really just a Goldwing with a different logo on the bike.

 

I can pick this one for around $1200, but I want to get it running properly first, the guy hasn't brought it over yet. So I really don't know what to think about it & he leaves it outside:tsk: :tsk: covered but out in the rain/snow & all the other stupid weather we've had this year. The idea is beginning to loose it luster a bit. I've found dare I say a Pacific Coast reasonably priced( would make a great little bike to two up on but kind of like getting caught on a moped or a fat chick:tongue: I actually DO like them in an odd sort of way ) I've found some ST1100's in a acceptable price range too, I'm thinking. Probably won't buy anything as the wife has found a pimped out suburban she has fallen in love with 23" rims, TV's all over the damn place & stereo from out of this world.( it is sweet, but.....?)