1977 Honda Gold Wing

GL13013780

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1977 Honda GL1000 GoldWing The Honda Goldwing first saw the light of day at the Cologne Motorcycle Show in October 1974, as the flat-four cylinder, 999cc GL1000. While this first production version of the now famous Goldwing was ultimately deemed to be a success (it was after all the birth of a legend), it's place in the world of motorcycling was not entirely cast in stone at the beginning. Part of the reason for this was the fact that the GL1000 didn't really fit properly into any particular motorcycle class, even though it was officially tagged as a tourer. Weighing in at 584lbs dry, it was far too heavy to be called a sports bike and the upright sitting position also helped to kill of any such sporting pretensions. The rear coil spring suspension wasn't up to the job of handling all the weight when the rider was pushing it through heavy going, such as the winding country roads that all bikers love (at least occasionally) to tackle. The total absence of touring kit fitted as standard didn't help the official touring image either, although Honda did offer a top fairing as an accessory throughout the production life of the GL1000. Nevertheless and in spite of all the confusion about the Goldwings role in life, the GL1000 proved to be a very reliable motorcycle, quite capable of going very long distances without missing a beat and after a while the aftermarket fairing & pannier suppliers started to cater for the requests of those who wanted to use the GL1000 for more than just popping down to the shops or Sunday morning posing at the local meet. This is what finally gave the Goldwing it's place in the motorcycling world, it became a touring motorcycle more by accident than design and Honda, always keen to keep an ear to the ground, listened to what the customers wanted and started planning the next incarnation of what has turned into a legend in the world of touring motorcycles. In the meantime, 1976 saw the standard GL1000 unchanged, apart from a badly needed grease nipple on the driveshaft, but a limited edition LTD model was rolled out alongside it with nice badges, pinstriping and a better seat, flared mudguards, gold coloured wheels and spokes and some more nice but otherwise unimportant cosmetics, all at a fairly hefty extra cost of course. The LTD version of the GL1000 was only available for that one model year. 1977 saw the first changes based on customer feedback to Honda (hands up all those who can remember filling out those early questionnaires at rallies) and the Goldwing got higher handlebars with neoprene grips, dual contoured saddle and chromed heat shields on the header pipes. What an opportunity to own an excellent early example of the production super-bike that changed motorcycle history. This GL 1000 in its beautiful classic style with wire-wheels and candy-apple-red paint will set you apart from the daily seen motorcycle fare and provide tons of smiles per mile going to road. It is certainly a conversation starter, whether its in your garage, a bike-event or anywhere you stop for that matter. This bike has been well kept and maintained, only 52,xxx miles on it, with excellent tires and all around nice condition. It maintains even the factory stock Candy Antares Red Special paint except for 2 repainted tank side panels. Original seat- no tears or splits, nice chrome, original exhaust- no rust. Original side reflectors, turn signals, grab rail, mirrors- etc. Though not a museum piece it is very presentable. Here are any quirks I have found: Neutral light will stay on through all gears intermittently, tach is slow to ascend- comes with replacement that has not been checked out. Will run rich and smoke on start up if it has been sitting for several days- which is common for even the later model wings. Original 764A Carbs have been rebuilt with Randakk rebuild kit, points and condensers have been replaced with NOS Honda parts. After blipping the throttle, the idle will linger at approx. 1500 rpm for a few seconds before settling down- and idle in general will be erratic. It is suspected that the butterfly shafts are letting “phantom” air in due to deteriorated felts around shafts. This bike has been just sitting in the garage. Owner has lost interest and is selling as is. A great looking- and except for the idle issue- great running bike. Collect it, ride it, or invest in it - this bike will serve you well and never lose its value. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or if you need additional pictures. It is available for inspection locally in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bike is also for sale locally and seller reserves the right to end the auction at any time. Thanks for looking - and happy bidding! On Mar-22-13 at 08:55:20 PDT, seller added the following information: 3/22/13 The Goldwing is being re-listed because a bidder from Malaysia with zero feedback hit buy it now and was a non contact.