Seeking opinions about a GL1800 trike I'm thinking of buying.

librarian

Lurker
May 11, 2024
2
0
New Vienna, Ohio
Hello everyone. This is my first post. I'm thinking it's time to buy a trike. I'm a young 75 years old and I sold my last two wheeler a few years ago. It was a Harley Ultra Classic. I've also owned two Goldwings in the past. I had a 1985 Aspencade with a side hack on it. I never used my hack much because my beloved wife (God rest her soul) wanted to ride with me on the bike. Later we bought a 93 Interstate and loved it very much.

We went to the Harley because it seemed much easier to handle at low speeds. My sweetheart is gone now lost to colon cancer. I have a girlfriend though. Enough intro bs. I test rode two trikes today. The first was a Can Am Ryker rally. I liked it especially the two wheels in front layout. But it seemed pretty busy at even normal road speeds.

The second bike I rode today is a 2003 GL1800. It is a Motor Trike Conversion (IRS) with 57K miles on it. It looks perfect and that's how it rode.The owner says he had a very well-known trike shop go through it last year and the only thing they had to do beyond fluid changes and general maintenance was replace the rear u joint. The bike has an Ultimate seat on it that was new last year.

Everything works as it should except that the travel trunk open message comes on even when it is closed. I've heard that others have had that problem too. Tires are in fine shape. There are no shakes, or rattles and the bike has been raked so steering is easy.The guy will take 13K for it which includes a new sheepskin for the seat, both driver and passenger back rests, and three brand new helmets, two of which will fit me, and the other one may fit my girlfriend. At $13,000 what do you think. I'll try to post a screen shot of it too. It is Blue and the paint seems perfect.

Are there any specific things I should watch out for? I've read about the possible shift fork problem that 1800's can have. I romped on the throttle in each gear and it didn't jump out of gear. Also, no clunks during shifting. The bike seems to track perfectly and seems to steer well through corners. Any advice you might have about the price and/or about things to watch out for will be very much appreciated.

Don Williams a.k.a. Librarian

Screenshot (65).pngScreenshot (66).pngScreenshot (67).png
 
The early 2,000's had some problems with the frame cracking and with overheating in parade mode (driving in town at low speeds).
I think 2006 and above the problems were fixed.
 
Don I'm not a well informed Goldwing guy. But it sounds like a fair price. If there is anyway you could speak to the shop that did the inspection last year, that's where I would start.
The frame cracking required an inspection by Honda so if you could have a dealer run the vin to see if it was inspected that would resolve that area.

Good luck it does look great.
 
Thanks to all of you for the great advice. I'll check with the buyer to see if you knows anything about the frame recall. I don't have the VIN, but will ask for it.
 
Looks like a good price to me, especially as a starter trike. You can ride it for a while, meet people with other trikes and get a feel for other makes and models you may like better.
 
The price is reasonable. Your GF will be glad it has IRS..... much more comfortable for the pilon rider. Your test ride says it all. Suits you well. Personally, I don't believe the Can Am and Goldwing are even close to being in the same class. Go for it.....!
 
Just so you are aware, the ECU on the 01-04 models are experiencing a lot of failures and need replacing. The signs are that the check engine light comes on and shows a 26 or 25 code. This normally indicates a knock sensor error and the code number will signify if it's the right or left one. A test if code shows up is to swap right and left sensors. If code remains the same, ECU problem. If code changes, knock sensor is bad.

But if it's not showing a problem, there's a proactive "fix" for the ECU that might be something to look at. I saw the thread on another forum and will try to find it again.

Found it. It's a long thread but has plenty of info:

01-05 ECU Fix
 
I have a 22 year old GL1800 an old girl from 2001. The 2002 & 3 had weld issues. If the one you’re looking at was recalled and fixed it should be fine.

Mine never burns oil, never overheats, never causes me any issues. Everything works as it should. I think they’re a wonderful, comfortable bike and I can ride for hours without a sore butt… go for it.
 

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