Goldwing vs Sport bike | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Goldwing vs Sport bike

Well definitely some different perspective and yes you’re all right.
I hadn’t really thought about the fact that someone might want to ride an uncomfortable race bike with a plate around at just over the speed limit. Simply for the look or feel of something raw that has no place on the street. Surprising as I used to have a 500hp Cobra replica that never saw a track day for fear of killing my self. I guess it’s the same logic.
As for ADV I feel like the elites in this genre are actually creating an image that makes the average adv rider look like a “poser”.
I don’t ride my adv like it’s a dirt bike because it is so far from that it might as well be a gold wing. But I have spent enough time on mild trail in one ride that there is no other bike I would want to ride for that. I have also logged rides on pavement longer than I did on my HD road glide so it does that too.
The road glide was mind numbing slow, horrible brake and no lean angle. I have to say.
I had the chance to ride a Yamaha R6 I couldn’t get comfortable after a very short ride. I had a chance to ride an MT09 and loved it. My only complaint was lack of wind protection after a few hours and even the Yamaha comfort seat was not comfortable. And the lack of being able to bring anything but my wallet. I felt unprepared.
I love the idea of a Super duke in my future or an s1000xr you know once I come to my senses and realize that my adv doesn’t belong in the woods.
I’m getting older and I’m probably closer to the GW than CBR🤷‍♂️
 
I've owned them all, at different times through my journey I've had preferences.

In the past I rode and drive cars on track days, for that was fun for the day but never something I was passionate about.

My knee dragging days are in the rear view mirror, now I like comfort, dependability and utility. I also love the thrill of riding vintage bikes - feeling what it was like to ride machines that were state of the art in their day.

ADV bikes give me the mix of utility and performance I need. Unlikely I'll ever own another sport bike or Goldwing.
 
I've owned them all, at different times through my journey I've had preferences.

In the past I rode and drive cars on track days, for that was fun for the day but never something I was passionate about.

My knee dragging days are in the rear view mirror, now I like comfort, dependability and utility. I also love the thrill of riding vintage bikes - feeling what it was like to ride machines that were state of the art in their day.

ADV bikes give me the mix of utility and performance I need. Unlikely I'll ever own another sport bike or Goldwing.
Wow. I could have written that. Lol.
 
Nope, an actual GW stripped down with CBR bodywork thrown on:

Very cool project. I had a 2001 1800 for 16 years. The only thing i didn't like about it was the heat from that flat 6 motor. In really hot weather it always dribbled a little coolant. Nature of the beast. I would love to see how the cooling system worked on that creation.
 
Real talk - always been an idle dream to take a GL1200 Standard to the track. I guess if I learned anything from the video at the top of the thread, is that it may be helpful to see if ground clearance can be improved at all (probably not, IIRC)
 
Real talk - always been an idle dream to take a GL1200 Standard to the track. I guess if I learned anything from the video at the top of the thread, is that it may be helpful to see if ground clearance can be improved at all (probably not, IIRC)

I've taken a sport-tourer out on the track. Clearance is one thing, the other is fast directional changes, like chicanes. Going from leaned over on one side and then having to flop the pig over really quickly on the other side can be a bit pucker-inducing.

Like dirtbikes, nobody on the track ever said, "I wish my bike was heavier"...
 
It's kind of mind boggling, but the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers racing series (Harley/Indian cruisers, complete with hard luggage) are only a couple of seconds slower per lap than the Supersport class (600cc) bikes. eg: baggers doing 1:24.5 versus supersports doing 1:22.4 in qualifying. The baggers are as far from stock as you can get though, and have been jacked way up to get ground clearance. It's a spectacle watching them race.
 
It's kind of mind boggling, but the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers racing series (Harley/Indian cruisers, complete with hard luggage) are only a couple of seconds slower per lap than the Supersport class (600cc) bikes. eg: baggers doing 1:24.5 versus supersports doing 1:22.4 in qualifying. The baggers are as far from stock as you can get though, and have been jacked way up to get ground clearance. It's a spectacle watching them race.

Lot of fast straightaways in New Jersey that favour straight-line speed.

Compare that to a short, twisty track like Laguna Seca, the baggers are doing 1:29 there, but the lap record is 1:15, which is a *huge* margin considering it's only 3.6 kms long. That's probably more indicative of the bagger vs sportbike comparison.
 
Even Laguna is relatively open, with the exception of the corkscrew and the last corner, so they seem to do okay there too. MotoAmerica Superbikes only seem to be doing 1:23 at Laguna, while Supersports are around 1:26, so the baggers doing 1:29 is still kind of astounding when you consider that the bagger's mandated minimum weight is 620 pounds. The brand stereotypes are hard to shake though - the Harleys still oil the track frequently.
 
In any case, the King of the Baggers is just an example of what you could do with something completely unsuited for the track if you wanted to chuck tens of thousands of dollars at it, and has almost no relation to what stock Harleys or Goldwings are capable of. That weaving & wobbling of the Goldwing in the original video on corner entry is not confidence inspiring, to say the least.
 
Back when I just had to find out how fast a vehicle would go, I put a GL1000 into an ugly speed wobble that I was grateful to come out of unscathed. In defense of the bike, it probably had crap tires and was definitely not well maintained.
Now, I wouldn't hesitate to ride the same bike but I'm only half the idiot I used to be.
I'm surprised no one has restated the old cliche 'It's more fun riding a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow'

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
 
Back when I just had to find out how fast a vehicle would go, I put a GL1000 into an ugly speed wobble that I was grateful to come out of unscathed. In defense of the bike, it probably had crap tires and was definitely not well maintained.
Now, I wouldn't hesitate to ride the same bike but I'm only half the idiot I used to be.
I'm surprised no one has restated the old cliche 'It's more fun riding a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow'

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
GL1000 are all shitscary above 160kmh. I have one in perfect condition, not fun when it comes on.
 

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