Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

legs. Although th e warmth is on ly slightly noticable, a ny kind of warming on a cold night is welcomed. When it 's a lrea dy warm outside, though, riding th e Gold Wing can get uncomfortably hot, even with th e "heaters " turned off. On real hot da ys, the heat com ing orr th e engine is almost unbearable on the rider's feet and shins. The SE's 25-watt autoload AMlFM casse tte stereo system sounds extremely good a nd clear, better than many first ra te ca r stereos. So me of the sou nd system's features in clude ra d io sta tio n p rese ts, auto-reverse, ta pe m usic search a nd seek/scan. Most of th e stereo's control button a nd knobs are located on the mock gas tank (as well as th e controls for the optional rider-topassenger intercom ), whi le pertinent buttons (fas t forward, reverse, m u te a nd tu n in g ) are a lso located next to the ri der's left thumb on the ha nd leba r. The stereo's digital reado u t is on the instr ument p ane l, sandwiched between th e speedometer and tachometer. The two speakers are mou nted in the fa iring a nd a imed at the rider, while the re are spaces a vai lab le for afterma r ket s peakers o n the p a ssenger's backrest. The integrat ed luggage com partmen ts are well designed. Access to or securing of the central " tru n k" and two side co mpartments is contro lled by o ne lock. That lock is located on the back of the trunk. It controls (u n locks or locks) three latches; the center o ne controls the trunk lid, the others th e corresponding side " bags." H ard to explain, but once used, th e la tches prove their worth, perhaps even more so when yo u consider that a potential thief would be foiled by their "hidden" position. There's also plenty of storage spa ce in each compartment, especially the trunk. Featured on the SE model only, is a slick- looking rear spoiler/wing on top of the trun k. It no t only enhances th e SE'sstyling b ut also acts as a mount for a brake/running light. The SE's suspension is extremely p lus h, especia lly up front, and combined with a wide seat and lower back su pport, ma kes the Gold Wing very comfortable for those long days in the saddle. The rear suspensio n rideheight is air-adjustab le, simply by pushing a few buttons on the right side Instrumentation is easy to read and provides p lenty of info. The vent in the windscreen improves airflow and red uces turbulence. o f th e low er fairing. An inboard aircom p ressor does all th e work for you . A 6.2 gallon gas tank, centrally located underneath th e sea t, will carry the SE a good distance before hav in g to refu el. It averages approximat el y 250 miles to a tank, which calculates to ab out 40 mi les per gallon. Of course, thes e figures will vary d epending on different riding conditions. There's a fuel gauge indicator on th e instrument panel. The SE carries its approximately 850 pounds (wet) well, though its lowspeed stability is a lit tle shakey. Bu t considering that it 's one o f the heaviest production motorcycles on earth, it gets around town p retty well. Slowing th e big Gold Wi ng down for th e stop ligh ts is ' no problem. Aggressively apply th e i n teg ra ted doub le-piston trip le-d isc brakes (o ne disc in tbe rea r and two up front) and the front end will dive considerably, There's plenty of storage space on the SE. One lock controls the rear trunk an d the two side cases, whil e the latches to each are located underneath the trunk. Very nice. bu t nei ther tire will lock u p and ski d. That 's somethi ng you def ini tely don 't want to happen on a big mot orcycle like th e Gol d Win g. Instead, th e SE's br ak es a re strong, p rogressive and p redictab le. . O th er features on th e SE incl ude adj ustab le passenger £I oor bo a rd s, easy -to-adjust headl ight beam, cornering lights .on the lower fairi ng, a nd a removable seat cover th a t zips OUt to enclose both th e rider's an d passenger's sea t a nd backrest. Overall, the SE does everyth ing it 's intended to do , and does so to nearpe rfection, which is no su rprise to us. T he o n ly th in gs we rea lly did n 't like was the wa y it shi fted a nd th e way the cruise con tro l surged. O the r th an th at , th e SE is simply a wesome. Oh yeah, if the orr-the-s helf SE isn 't luxurious enough for yo u , don 't fre t, because H on da offers a ton, and we mean a ton , of Hondaline accessories for not only th e SE , bu t all the Gold Wing models. It's amazing wh at a little bit of ch ro me will do . C'l Specifications Honda GLl500SE Gold Wing One tester described the passenger seat as being so comfortable that he almost wanted to take a nap, adding that the only th ing missing wa s a TV se t mounted to the back of the dri ver's helmet. Engine type Liquid-cooled , horizontally-opposed, SO H C, 6cylinder, four-stroke Bore x stro ke 71x64mm Displacemen t 1520c c 9.8:I Compression ratio Carburetor 2 36mm diaphragm-type CV Starting system Electric Ignition Solid state digital Final drive Shaft Transmission 5-speed w/ reverse Front suspension Telescopi c fork 41mm Fork tube diameter Front wheel travel 5.5 in . Rear suspension Dual shock. swingarm Rear wheel travel 4.1 in . Front brake Dual disc, twi n-piston calipers' Rear brake Sing le disc, twin-pis ton calipers Front tire Dunlop 130170H-18 Dun lop 160/ 80H -16 Rear tire Claimed dry weight 809.2 Ibs Wheelbase 66.9 in. Fuel capacity 6.3 gal. 30.3 in. Sea! height. Colors Metallic teal Retail price $14,199 (Abo ve) The cruise co ntrol buttons, as well as the starter/ reverse button, are located next to the throttle. (Righ t) The stereo and intercom controls are within eas y reach. Close by is the gas cap co mpa rtm ent. 11

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