Ride Review: 1983 Honda Goldwing GL1100 Standard (aka “Light Wing”) - Owned
1983 Honda Goldwing GL1100 Standard (aka “Light Wing”) Review (owned) : This was the bike that defined my early 20s to early 30s passion for long distant touring replacing my ’80 Suzuki G850G that was written off in an accident in Austin Texas in 1982 part way through a North American tour that began in Vancouver, BC. followed the west coast through Baja & central Mexico, then north to Texas. I had actually bought an ’82 GL1100 at the Motorcycle Show, but when delivery rolled around a few months later they gave me the updated ’83 model (last year of the GL1100) instead that came with mag wheels vs the Comstar steel units, revised suspension w/TRACS anti-dive & fork brace, revised transmission/gearing, Honda’s 1st combined brake system & a dry weight of 599 lbs for the non-Interstate Standard model devoid of farings, top box, bags, air compressors, stereo/cb & crash bars. The liquid cooled flat four w/5 sp trany & shaft drive that began life in 1975 at 1,000 cc,