When I found out that I was going to review a touring motorcycle, I shuddered. -Ugh! "Golda" Fu-fu-fu!
All this pursuit of comfort and safety only takes away from the meaning of the trip - adventure. We took bikes for the wind, adrenaline of road situations and speed. In the two-wheeled world, it is customary to respect those who have the skill of driving, and not the skill of using ABS, cruise control and other bells and whistles.
Why do I need protection from what I love, protection from what I travel for? It's like having sex with your loved one using a condom. If you need to protect yourself from something with a woman, then this is the wrong woman.
I'm glad that this spendthrift helped me grow up a little and change my shoes. I didn’t stop loving what I loved, I fell in love with something else.
I’ve never understood the point of reviews of a motorcycle created for long-distance travel, shot in a couple of hours “in the area” and riding around a local square with a bunch of road bikes in good weather. And then the authors categorically declare something like: it’s a cool motorcycle, but I don’t like the button here or the color is wrong. The opinion of such “experts” is devalued for me. They may be honest, but they are lazy. Or they were paid not for the review, but for advertising. It's their business.
Charismatic, leaving no one indifferent, the “Golden Wing” from Honda got me to fly to Kronstadt, St. Petersburg and ride around Moscow and the Moscow region. Test it in heavy city traffic and on the highway.
As a rider, I was unlucky with the weather. But for the purity of the experiment, this is what is needed.
The point of the review is not only to share impressions of the rides, but also to make sure that the stated technical characteristics really work, and are not just listed in the manual.
001_MOTO_0910_054
I have always been impressed by American muscle cars with their insanely brutal beauty. Huge, with compressors sticking out of the hoods, with a power of up to a thousand horsepower, with a bass roar and crazy dynamics. However, we are not in America, and the motorcycle has half as many wheels. But we also have our own national dishes. To be honest, the idea of adding agility to the “Golda” had been brewing for a long time - having appeared a year after buying the motorcycle, it grew and became stronger, taking up more and more space in the brain. When critical mass is reached, it breaks through, as expected. No, tell me, isn’t it a disgrace - a six-pot motorcycle with a level of engine boost similar to that of a Zhiguli (and this is not a joke). And those who drive Goldwings will say in unison that the engine has amazing traction. Yes, but not at high speeds. And so, having read on the Internet materials on boosting gasoline engines, I unsuccessfully brainstorm the Americans from DynoJet about the Power Commander in gold, and also draw in my head various schemes for expanding the channels in the heads, increasing the compression ratio, boring the throttles and other nonsense . (Why nonsense, you will understand later, just as I understood it.) At the same time, I was working on the idea of installing a multi-throttle intake from the “Rune” (NRX1800 Valkyrie Rune), which has the same engine as the “Gold”, only it breathes after six 32 mm dampers, and not through two 40 mm ones, as on the Gold. And with a sinking heart I look at the power curves of the “Golda” and “Rune” - and I fall into a stupor: it would seem that the Goldwing engine, strangled at the inlet, turned out to be... 5 forces more powerful (the power data is on the wheel)!!! Immediately, motorists Sanya and Vitya from Multipass Moto, having gotten into the swing of things and having listened to my sorrowful story about plans for boring channels and throttle bodies, did not, as I expected, mock and giggle at me, but at my quote from “What to do?” They answered briefly: “Blow.”
Driving performance
The motorcycle is simply excellent for the track - you can ride it, ride it and ride it, enjoying peace of mind, comfort and safety.
The maximum speed given in the specifications is 201 km/h . But according to unverified information, the filling of recent years of production reduces the performance at around 180 km/h . The developers do not deny this fact, noting:
“It’s unlikely that anyone will rock out on this model, but to make a stopi or a wheelie? Well, let them try to lift a bike weighing 400 kg on one wheel!”
Acceleration (dynamics)
Comfortable cruiser - 120–150 km/h .
Despite its by no means pocket size, the wing accelerates quite well. 100 km/h mark is crossed in 4.1 seconds . True, when racing at traffic lights you will have to give up the palm. The traction control here cannot be switched off, and is tuned for a tourist , not a racer.
003_MOTO_0910_054
Lev Garyaev: tuner maniac, MAI graduate.
Lev Garyaev: tuner maniac, MAI graduate.
Indeed, as I realized later, it is not possible to radically increase power with the help of head porting and chip tuning alone: a maximum of 5–7%, which will hardly be noticeable. That's how I came up with the idea of installing a supercharger. But which one? Turbo or drive, positive displacement or centrifugal? With or without intercooler? Again, sleepless nights on the Internet, sifting through heaps of literature on engine building, at the same time dismantling the motorcycle and searching for possible installation locations... Just when I was slowly starting to go crazy, a solution was finally found: the Rotrex C-series drive centrifugal, according to its characteristics, ideally matched the “Goldyrev” one. motor: its own lubrication system, high efficiency and ultra-compact size. And away we go: while the compressor was sailing from England, it became clear that they couldn’t help their grief alone - they needed other “brains” (since there is no Power Commander for six-cylinder engines), an intercooler, new sensors, throttles and a bunch of other little things. Realizing the volume of alterations made me feel sick. And then a box arrived with the inscription Rotrex Supercharger. Of course, she didn’t come herself, but the postman brought her. But still there is serious excitement.
And again, a lot of trial and error, nights at the computer in AutoCad and MathCad, dozens of drawings of drive shafts, adapters and other accessories. All this was accompanied by brainwashing of the turners, milling machines and welders of the MAI aircraft plant, which was unlucky enough to be next to my garage. However, after a couple of weeks, a bunch of aluminum shavings and tens of meters of welds, the supercharger took its place above the engine, the liquid intercooler was located on the intake manifold, and the stock Keihin “brains” gave way to the new DTA s60 racing. The liquid type of intercooler is determined by the layout of the entire system and the desire to minimize the volume of sub-throttle space, since the throttle valve is located in front of the compressor, and not after it (this way the compressor consumes much less power from the crankshaft). The heat exchanger is located under the engine: there is good airflow with incoming air flow. At the same time as installing the supercharger, I dug into the transmission and "lengthened" all gears by 8% so that the increased power was used more efficiently. The motorcycle now has two additional hydraulic circuits: the first is the compressor oil cooling system, the second is the intercooler cooling system. To describe all the modifications and technical solutions used in this installation, three issues of “Moto” would not be enough space, but the main thing was that I wanted to preserve the appearance of the motorcycle as much as possible, so that no one on the road would know about a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And now, after a month spent on the dyno, the result is: plus fifty “horses” on the wheel and a third more torque! And this is at a “children’s” pressure of 0.55 bar! Moreover, the motor acquired a very smooth performance, without dips or snags at all. The use of a centrifugal supercharger had an effect: leaving the low end at the same level, it greatly “inflates” power and torque at medium and, especially, high speeds (see graph). That is, when driving quietly and starting from a stop, there is no “arrival”; at low gas the character of the engine remains the same.
The behavior of the device on the road led to complete delight: no uncontrollable or wild “stupidity”, the motorcycle is still smooth and soft, but at the same time not just fast, but very fast: in terms of acceleration dynamics it has become comparable to a 600 sports bike. And on the “cruiser”, the engine began to spin less due to the longer main gear. But as soon as you let the tachometer needle cross half the scale, such acceleration begins that your eyes fall into their sockets, and the steering wheel naturally leaves your hands. And what about the sound from the air filter area when the engine switches from atmospheric mode to boost... The most important thing is that the entire installation turned out to be reliable and balanced. As experienced motorists explained to me, this is very rare in engine tuning. I was frankly lucky that the standard clutch, gearbox and cardan survived. I'm lucky that the performance of the standard cooling system is enough. It was lucky that the “golda” wiring was 100% compatible with the new control system. And the fact that the engine simply withstood all the modifications and bells and whistles is reflected by a large margin of safety. As a result, not only did I achieve the desired goal, but the motorcycle also received what it so lacked - a massive supply of traction, which in fact is found in every “Gold”. You just need to know where to look.
Features of Gold Wing GL 1800
The Honda Gold Wing is an ideal motorcycle for two-up riding, and is even more comfortable for the passenger than the pilot.
Considering that the entire family of wings is special in itself, any detail of the representative can be classified as differences, but the main ones include:
- Engine - 6 cylinders provide fantastic power and torque, which in turn has a beneficial effect on traction and dynamics.
- A full-fledged on-board computer displays all information about the operation of the motorcycle on the color OLED display of the instrument, although some parameters are indicated only when driving.
- Start-stop is a switchable electronic engine control system that turns it off at traffic lights or long stops and starts it when you start moving (control on the right remote control).
- An airbag (!!!) has appeared on models since 2006 (previously, an additional glove compartment was located in the same place).
- The second 12 V socket is in one of the cases - a smartphone or camera lying there can be charged from a standard battery along the way.
- HSA (Hill Start Assist) - an electronic system that helps keep the motorcycle from rolling away when starting off a slope.
ABS and CBS are mentioned separately . The first setting is made in such a way that when it is triggered, the bike immediately turns on the hazard warning lights, indicating to other road users that it has problems. The second balance is adjusted so that you can control the wing with one right hand. Gas, brakes, robot shifting (if any) are within finger reach.
004_MOTO_0910_054
The list of additional equipment looks more like a clipping from a magazine about auto tuning:
|
MGOLD20018_B
The hydraulics of the fork are unusual: one feather works for compression and rebound damping, the second for “anti-dive.” The feathers have different internal structures and different oil volumes (left feather (peck) - 520 cm3, right feather - 460 cm3, recommended viscosity - 10W). Already after 40 thousand km, a decent amount of wear forms in the moving pipes, causing torsional rigidity to become even lower. By 100 thousand, the chrome on the supporting pipes wears off in places, which already requires replacing the feathers.
007_MOTO_0910_054
The copper intercooler heat exchanger is a docked heater radiator from VAZ.
And to make it ventilate better, additional slots had to be cut in the plastic. If Soichiro Honda knew about this sacrilege, he would probably want to strangle me. The copper intercooler heat exchanger is a docked heater radiator from VAZ. And to make it ventilate better, additional slots had to be cut in the plastic. If Soichiro Honda knew about this sacrilege, he would probably want to strangle me.
MGOLD20018_C
When purchasing, you need to place the motorcycle on the center stand and have someone press the center case to release the front wheel. The play felt at the ends of the feathers is a signal to replace at least the moving pipes.
Fork overhaul (including seals, guides and oil) - 8-12 thousand rubles.
PROGRESSIVE RELIABILITY
The rear suspension is very reliable, but you should not neglect inspecting the rear linkage “progression” for play in the bearings and changing the lubricant, especially if the motorcycle’s mileage exceeds 50 thousand km.
013_MOTO_0910_054
To the question “can you do more?”
You can safely nod your head. But then the problem of the viability of the transmission and clutch will become more acute. And catching detonation even on 98-octane gasoline is clearly a below-average pleasure for the engine. To the question “can you do more?” You can safely nod your head. But then the problem of the viability of the transmission and clutch will become more acute. And catching detonation even on 98-octane gasoline is clearly a below-average pleasure for the engine.
Dimensions and weight
The weight of the vehicle including fuel reaches 413 kg. The rear tire dimensions are 180/60 R16 (74H), and the front tire size is 130/70 R18 (63H). The tank volume of the GL 1800 is 25 liters, which is quite a lot considering the relatively low average consumption per 100 km of road - only 6.5 liters.
015_MOTO_0910_054
The exhaust hasn’t started to “shake” much yet - they just removed the neutralizers, as the most choking place in the system.
The exhaust hasn’t started to “shake” much yet - they just removed the neutralizers, as the most choking place in the system.
COMPARATIVE POWER CHARACTERISTICS
In the first three graphs, the “before” characteristics are indicated in blue, and the “after” characteristics in red.
MGOLD20018_F
On devices manufactured after 2006, there is a defect in the 5th gear: the shift paw is sometimes fixed in the non-engaged position, which leads to wear of the fork due to incomplete meshing of the gears. The consequence is the disappearance of top gear, a crunch when switching from 4th to 5th. Unfortunately, it can only be cured by completely disassembling the engine - replacing the fork and gearbox gears. So when buying a used Golda, you should carefully check the box while driving.
graph-4-no_copyright
And this is what a comparison of the power characteristics of the “Golda” and “Rune” looks like: the multi-throttle engine has more thrust in the middle and gives up at the top.
And this is what a comparison of the power characteristics of the “Golda” and “Rune” looks like: the multi-throttle engine has more thrust in the middle and gives up at the top.
I thank megamotorists Sanya Shklyarik and Vitya Ivanov from Multipass Moto for setting up the motorcycle on a dyno stand and providing advice, Gena Makhankov for providing “Rune” for measurements, as well as all those who sympathize with this crazy project.
Gold Wing Muscles: Honda GL1800 supercharged
For whom
Here are the main features of the Honda GL 1500 Gold Wing:
- six-cylinder engine with a huge resource;
- greater smoothness of engine operation, as well as reduced vibration;
- ability to move in reverse.
All this makes the model a very interesting choice for those who love long trips of hundreds and thousands of kilometers. A motorcycle will allow you to carry a lot of provisions, clothes, in a word, everything you need. At the same time, it will not look ridiculous. The model ceased production in 2000 because it was replaced by a new bike.
MGOLD20078RE
Over time, the plastic may begin to crack due to shaking, especially around loose fasteners.
Often the ears that attach the “muzzle” break off (they are under the rubber bands of the rear view mirrors), but the rear case is most susceptible to disease. Shaking often causes cracks to begin to creep around the silent blocks securing it to the subframe, and the hinges of the cover also become loose. It is better to simply change the hinges every 50,000 km - the price of a hundred dollars per pair is not comparable to $500 for a case cover. The case itself “in color” will cost from 600 to 900 evergreens (depending on the color). ROCK!
