Honda GL1000 Gold Wing
DCP 725S
I was using my black 500 Four as my main bike and had a sidecar on my GS850 shaft drive. I had a friend with a Gold Wing Executive outfit, which is where my Squire sidecar came from, when he bought a Wessex. The Executive Gold Wing was a numbered limited edition, and my friend's bike was No 1.
Steve Rhodes Motorcycles in Bradford had got Executive No 2 in their second hand stock and I was interested in buying it but couldn't agree a price with them. I took the sidecar off the 850 in preparation for a trade-in and then when I went to do the deal it had gone. Someone gave the asking price!
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Plans for my next outfit were ruined but they had a later model, a K2 Wing, that was a reasonable price so I did a deal for that instead.
I ran it solo for a while and much to my surprise I actually enjoyed it. Once you get used to the weight and learn to ride within its limitations they are ok. I had problems with roundabouts and lightened the centre stand and exhaust during my solo riding by grinding it away on the road.
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It had always been my intention to put the sidecar on it but I wanted a proper outfit this time so I bought a full EML conversion for it. This meant I had 15" car type wheels and leading link front forks. I also made a matching 15" wheel for the sidecar. It ended up a good handling setup, nice and low with plenty of power.
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I used it as much as I could but found it to be a bit thirsty so I always tried to get a passenger for long runs. When I went to the Elephant rally on it, in Austria at the Salzburgring, we came close to bankruptcy on the way home due to me trying to keep too high a cruising speed.
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After a few years I took the sidecar off and converted it back to solo trim. I didn't clock up many miles on this one, maybe 40,000 or so but I had started to have problems with head gaskets blowing so it was time for it to go.
I had heard good reports on the Kawasaki GT750 shaft drive bikes so when I saw a low mileage one in Rhodes' I traded it in.
I have since ridden all the various different versions of Gold Wings and am always amazed how such a big heavy bike can handle so well and be so nice to ride but I have never been tempted to actually buy another one!
- Ted Trett