- Joined
- Nov 5, 2015
- Messages
- 9,708
- Reaction score
- 1,119
Thought I might fancy a Goldwing now that they’ve made the top box bigger so they lent me this for four days to try out, I really thought I was going to buy one
Put a few hundred kms on it but decided that it’s not for us
Comfort is obviously brilliant and the weather protection is just right, you can still get some air when it’s hot, it’s been up to 30 degrees here the last 2 days
Slow handling is ridiculous, at walking pace it’s unbelievably stable and you can usually stop at junctions and pull away again without putting a foot down
The DCT box is very smooth and gives lots of engine braking, I like DCTs having owned a Crosstourer
However……..
Tour mode is too soft, it’s OK on flowing A roads where the bike is really at home but open the throttle at 120kmh and absolutely nothing happens, then after a couple of seconds it kicks down a gear and very little happens
It needs a mode somewhere in between Tour and Sport,
Sport mode is just savage , the throttle response is hair trigger and the box holds every gear past the redline, yes it’s quick but it’s also deafening and sounds like it’s going to go bang very soon, it’s as subtle as a drill through the eye which doesn’t really suit this bike
Rain and Eco mode are as useful as a snooze button on a smoke alarm
The brakes are strong but it really doesn’t like late braking and bungs a big dollop of engine braking at you to let you know you should have given it a bit more warning
This is not a back lane scratcher but I suppose that should have been obvious
The GPS seems better than a lot of folks say it is but programming it is a bit archaic having no touch screen
The radio is shite, when it manages to pick up a station or two you can’t hear the speakers over the wind and engine noise, and then it looses the station after a few kms, I gave up on it
There is a home button which helps to navigate the infotainment system but they should have used a couple of the spare buttons on the center console as shortcuts to go straight to navigation and radio like they have for the heated seats and grips
Wifey liked the comfort for long distance riding but couldn’t see over my helmet and couldn’t really participate in the ride, said she didn’t feel like she was on a motorcycle and just felt like baggage stuck on the back, surprisingly some bumps are quite jarring for the passenger, probably because of the straight back position and maybe more noticeable as most of the time the ride is so plush
And finally for a bike this size and weight there is almost no room in the side cases WTF were they thinking when they decided this was OK ??? Better pack some soap and deodorant ‘cos you’re not taking many clothes with you
Oh well, never mind, that’s saved us a giant wad of wonga
Put a few hundred kms on it but decided that it’s not for us
Comfort is obviously brilliant and the weather protection is just right, you can still get some air when it’s hot, it’s been up to 30 degrees here the last 2 days
Slow handling is ridiculous, at walking pace it’s unbelievably stable and you can usually stop at junctions and pull away again without putting a foot down
The DCT box is very smooth and gives lots of engine braking, I like DCTs having owned a Crosstourer
However……..
Tour mode is too soft, it’s OK on flowing A roads where the bike is really at home but open the throttle at 120kmh and absolutely nothing happens, then after a couple of seconds it kicks down a gear and very little happens
It needs a mode somewhere in between Tour and Sport,
Sport mode is just savage , the throttle response is hair trigger and the box holds every gear past the redline, yes it’s quick but it’s also deafening and sounds like it’s going to go bang very soon, it’s as subtle as a drill through the eye which doesn’t really suit this bike
Rain and Eco mode are as useful as a snooze button on a smoke alarm
The brakes are strong but it really doesn’t like late braking and bungs a big dollop of engine braking at you to let you know you should have given it a bit more warning
This is not a back lane scratcher but I suppose that should have been obvious
The GPS seems better than a lot of folks say it is but programming it is a bit archaic having no touch screen
The radio is shite, when it manages to pick up a station or two you can’t hear the speakers over the wind and engine noise, and then it looses the station after a few kms, I gave up on it
There is a home button which helps to navigate the infotainment system but they should have used a couple of the spare buttons on the center console as shortcuts to go straight to navigation and radio like they have for the heated seats and grips
Wifey liked the comfort for long distance riding but couldn’t see over my helmet and couldn’t really participate in the ride, said she didn’t feel like she was on a motorcycle and just felt like baggage stuck on the back, surprisingly some bumps are quite jarring for the passenger, probably because of the straight back position and maybe more noticeable as most of the time the ride is so plush
And finally for a bike this size and weight there is almost no room in the side cases WTF were they thinking when they decided this was OK ??? Better pack some soap and deodorant ‘cos you’re not taking many clothes with you
Oh well, never mind, that’s saved us a giant wad of wonga