Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ ~ 0 u -' 0 :: ~ =; > Ol In 0 ~ 0 ... Z ~ 00 0') ,.....; ~ 00 ,.....; ~ ..-. ::s l---) Home on the Interstate: That's the Gold Wing. silky-smooth, loaded with torque, happy on the long haul. The Gold Wing's saddlebags don't detach quickly: instead they're ..aled to the rear tender ·with rubber gaskets. 26 ' complex valve which reacts to braking pressure. The left-side front disc is still operated by the traditional right-side handlebar lever - necessary for backing down driveways and other maneuvers which require a hand operated brake. To answer the questions of skeptics, Honda's integrated braking system yields smooth, level and sure stops by simply applying the foot brake. The heaviest panic braking could break the rear wheel loose but then only slightly. Now personally, I prefer to own a motorcycle where I'm in control of the front and rear brakes via separate controls. But fact is, no matter how hard I tried -and I really tried - to confuse tlte system, the integrated brakes on the 1984 Gold Wing worked flawlessly. Why has Honda equipped their flagship motorcycle with such a controversial braking system? If integrated brakes are so good, then how come other Hondas - such as the Interceptor series - aren't equipped with them? Good questions. Frankly, heavyweight touring is different from other kinds of motorcycling. It's entirely possible for a touring cyclist to enter an Interstate highway, travel 1,000 miles stopping only for gas, and use his brakes less than 50 times in the course of a day. That's an incredible figure... especially considering that a Canyon Commando would use his brakes as many times in the space of a few miles! Fact is, most touring riders lack the expertise to properly operate their brakes. On a motorcycle like the Gold Wing, if a rider clumsily locks his rear brake during a panic stop, a half-ton motorcycle will very quickly go horizontal and begin chasing him down the pavement. In response to this, and without pointing the finger of blame, Honda has removed the .responsi9ihty. o~ learning ROW. to properly stop a motorcycle. Since the Gold Wing won't be ridden in the same manner as an all-out cafe racer, iptegrated brakes can be designed to cope with the riding conditions likely to be encountered by the bike. Integrated brakes for Interceptors? For sport bikes? No way. Taking every corner at the limits of tire adhesion demands a fine-tuning of braking pressures front-to-rear that only a skilled rider can provide. Should a Gold Wing owner prefer to control both brakes separately, a competent mechanic could disarm the integrated system with minimal effort and expense. Moving back from the front suspension we come to the steering head, which supports the triple clamps with tapered roller bearings. The steering head itself is mounted lower than last year's Wing, a move which results in quicker steering. The lowering trick also moved the position of the steering head closer to the swingann pivot. This shorter distance served to decrease the leverage for frame flexing on this heavyweight motorcycle, and has thereby improved the handling. • At the rear of the frame, the swingarm was also the target of some major revisions. The new unit is 55mm longer than those of previous Wings, and the driveshaft LUbe is 7.2mm larger in diameter for increased rigidity. The swingarm is also wider, providing an additional 5mm tire clearance on each side. The rear suspension is supported by twin airassisted shocks, rather than a fashionable monoshock suspension. The reason for this is iwo-fold: heat and clearance. Heat is the enemy of shock absorbers: heat generated within the shock as well as that from outside ources. Within the shock, a heavyweight motorcycle places enormous stresses on ~he.dampingmechanism - which generates heat. While a lone monoshock fights to control this weight and suspension movement, a duaJ rearshock system distri butes the load over two units. We're not talking about theoretical handling advantages for a sport bike; we're talking about keeping a heavy motorcycle under control. Heat is also a factor when it comes to the placement of a monoshock. Current designs call for placing the shock behind the engine, where the engine not only heats the shock, but guarantees that practically no cooling air will reach the unit. A monoshock also translates to increased seat height, and heavy tourers are much more manageable when the seats are closer to the ground. Secondly, the Gold Wing series has always carried its gas tank under the seat: smack dab where a monoshock would have to be located. The '84 Wing is no exception, and installation of a monoshock would dramatically reduce fuel supply. Relocating the gas tank would mean a higher center of gravity - again resulting is a less manageable touring bike. Everything considered, a traditional twin shock rear suspension seems to be superior to the trendy monoshocks. Superior when applied to a big, heavy touring bike, that is, As long as all the suspension components had been targeted in the revamp of the '84 Wing, Honda opted to change both the front and rear wheels. At the front is a massive - I!l0/90-16 tire; at the rear an even larger 150/90-15 tire. Since the load on a motorcycle is supported by the volume of air in the tires, these larger skins mean increased load capacity and cooler tire temperatures, The tires are mounted as tubeless, and a removable panel over the rear makes changing a roadside flat reasonable. Now - onto the stuff most important to touring folks: the fairings, saddlebags and creature comforts which determine whether a long touringday will end in comfortoragony. All these items have been substantially changed for the 1984 Wing, and virtually all are improved. As before, the fairing is constructed of injection-molded ABS plastic. The shape has been substantially redesigned - with the goal of improved rider protection and comfort. The rear-view mirrors have been moved down into line with the handlebars, and now afCord a noticeable amount of wind protection. The headlight is now rectangular, with white parking light panels to either side. Curiously, this assembly last made its appearance on the not-so-touring Honda Turbo. Overall, the fairing is also broader, and its wind creen has prouted a pair of "wind wings" at the sides for increased wind protection at the rider's arms and shoulders. The height of the windscreen is adjustable over a range of 27mm, and when properly adjusted will spill air smoothly over its top with minimal bu(£eting. Integral with the Cairingdesign are lowers, which are vented at the sides to direct engine heat away from the rider's shins. For whatever reason, these vents don't work: even on cold days the heat through the lowers is uncomfortable. This is not a minor consideration - the thought of thi set up for a mid-summer desert crossing is frankly unthinkable. Gold Wings have alway been bad in this respect, but the 1984 version is by far the champion of shin-cooking. Moving back from the fairing is a redesigned seat, adjustable to three positions fore-and-aft to suit the rider. The new saddle is more lavishly padded than the seats of years past, but long-day touring comfort of this new seat is a debatable issue. I found no particular discomfort to this year's saddle - but then there are more than a few owners who have replaced this seaton Day One. The passenger's backrest has been enlarged for 1984, and apparently the accommodations to the aft of the Wing are far better than those up front. All passengers commented favorably on the comfort of the newest Wing. Undeniably improved for '84 is the storage space in the saddlebags and travel trunk. The trunk now boasts a whopping 6!l-liter capacity, up 18liters from last year's Wing. Saddlebags are also larger; !l8-liters capacity each, up from the previous !l!l-liters. Styling aside, touring riders seem to agree that the ideal shape for saddlebags is a large rectangular box... exactly the shape of the new Gold Wing saddlebags. Soft-luggage "dufflebags" which match the interior dimensions are included, and prove handy for loading the Wing since the saddlebags aren't detachable. The saddlebags aJso sport a new system of weathersealing. In years past, the lids had a tendency to pull the rubber weatherstripping from the edges of the saddlebags, and the lids clip down tight into the seals. The new design is sturdy and waterproof. While the saddlebags and trunk are huge on the inside, they've been sensibly styled into the rearofthe motorcycle. The new Wing has a clean, integrated look: a complete motorcycle, rather than a cobbled-up nightmare of boxes, racks and windshields. The saddlebags tuck in tight, and \Te trimmed with a wrap-around lil:lf:1t bar for the turn signals and SIde marker lights. • (rom inued. next.wee,k)

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