Took a little loss, but it was worth it. I won't be on the hook if it fails on the next guy. Next one will be be another new Gold Wing. 2023, 2024? IDK. I'm in no hurry at the moment since we're going to be seeing snow here soon.
@@DeluxeChimp so far I have been very happy with my 22 GW, but the first thing that went on it was a skid plate to help that not to be a problem but anything a person can buy you may or may not know of the level of protection you need or if it's going to be problem child... but Honda has a good reputation of being a reliable. Good luck on your next purchase and if it another GW I'm sure it will serve you well.
The day I took delivery, I ordered the skid plate from Traxxion dynamics. Terrible oversight from Honda. But every bike I have ever owned has needed something updated.
Great video. All I can say is Traxxion Dinamics! They make an awesome skid plate. Very easy to install , very beefy and you can't see it after it's installed but it is there to protect your engine.
...Just ordered mine, ~300 seems like a lot for a few pieces of aluminum and some bolts/screws, but compared to ~12k-13k & many months down... it seems like cheap insurance.
@@MotoMengy Not sure I like the fact that Traxxion's plate bolts to the engine case. If you hit the plate you may damage the engine case anyway.......I opted for Windstuff's design which is independent from the case.
I bought the Traxxion Dynamics skid plate for my 2018 Goldwing Tour 6 speed. Rode this past summer 3000 miles with no issues and no impact on engine cooling! Inexpensive insurance regardless of whether you put this one on or the one from Wingstuff!
Since every point has pretty much been discussed, I’ll just add that one additional factor could be to adjust suspension settings. I was on single rider for a long time, and switching to single rider with luggage made a huge difference and made my suspension more stiff and therefore less of a dip when going over dips in the road or other types of obstacles, and of course slow down. The Traxxion plate is the best in my opinion, and no one knows when you might encounter that one situation that takes your bike out if you don’t have a plate.
I always ride in "single rider with luggage" mode, unless I'm with Dear and then we're in "two up with luggage" mode. I just think the bike feels better with the stiffer settings.
So ride slowly over speed bumps. Better still, avoid them altogether. It’s not a “design flaw” - that implies you could have just designed it out. But anyone who designs highly tuned systems knows that when you change one thing you change everything so doing so would involve a bunch of compromises that would almost certainly make the Goldwing not the engineering marvel that it is. Far better to think of this as a “potential vulnerability” as you said. And vulnerabilities are fine once you’re aware of them because now you can take appropriate action(s) to take that vulnerability out of play. Thanks for taking the time to make this video and increase awareness.
True, but I do think it might have been prudent for Honda to put a skid plate down there from the factory seeing how exposed it all is. The oil filter especially.
I'm a new GW owner, on the first ride with a passenger I heard the bike "bottom out" riding through a road construction area. Then I learned about this issue and the massive cost. I immediately ordered a Wingstuff skid plate... I didn't want to put $200 into the bike but I figure its cheap insurance against the $12-13k repair and likely loss of a riding season....
I put a 1/4 inch stainless steel plate under my 2003 wing,another design flaw in those years was the coolant tank,not the radiator,was subject to damage from rocks flying and hitting it from the front tires,also when you hit a parking lot speedbumb it scraped the bottom of bike.very unsettling.now have piece of mind😊
I think it is unreasonable to fear essentially totaling a $30K bike when riding parking lot speeds over a speed bump. Many years ago, didn't car manufacturers come under some sort of gun to redesign front and rear bumpers to perform better? I get it that a skid plate resolves this? but of all the wings on the road what percentage have installed a skid plate? Great video! Awesome quality all round.
Yep definitely a belly pan needed. I have a 2015 and put one on. Had one on my 2002 and it saved me when a big piece of road was kicked up buy my front tire. It hit the bike so hard it knocked off my belly pan. So I'm a firm believer in them. I wouldn't say necessarily a design flaw because it's been a problem since the GL1500s from my understanding
I agree with the belly pan. But it is NOT just a Goldwing issue. It really is a any cycle issue. Your engine is right there on bottom, just a few inches from the road. It has happened to many bikes. Just so happens that the Goldwing has a large engine as a target.
Wow Mengy, sorry to hear about what Chimp went through, but it got me thinking. I have had to ride through a fair amount of dirt and gravel roads on my Victory Vision Tour. Although I have a higher ground clearance, and my bike is a V-Twin, I have some vulnerabilities also. I found a steel skid plate made for my Victory and it is reasonably priced. I am going to purchase one tomorrow!
Yeah, the engine and frame design leaves a lot to be desired when looking at impacts to the casing. As you mentioned, there are skid plates, I installed the traxxion dynamic one on my GW. Bought the widest one, I would warn against that. It works good, but, if you do a lot of slow maneuvers and really tip the bike when doing them, the plate will make contact with the ground. No biggie, but it makes me worry about the stress on the mounting brackets that are bolted to the engine as well. So far no issues, but i have ground the plate down pretty good. LOL. Perhaps, I should do a follow up video on how the plate is working for me. Say, have you hit 24k on yours yet? If so, did you do the valve check? I am at almost 34k, and still have not done it. Wondering if I should even worry about it.
I'm at 28K now, and I haven't done the valve check yet but I'm doing it this winter. I'm not hearing any tapping or noises from my valves so I'm not overly concerned about it. I've read a few guys on the Goldwing forums saying they've gone 50K without touching the valves with no issues. I won't be doing that, but Honda builds solid motors for sure! 😁
Just had a bad accident with my new GoldWing 2024. Over a bump, a gate rail mounted in the concrete I hit the bottom of the frame. 5km/h but the heals for the mid stand just hooked and halted the bike causing the airbag to explode. The frame was cracked and it's clear this is a design flaw. not only that, the airbag sensor is mounted just behind the heals for the mid stand. I have contacted a law firm now as this must be addressed.
A viewer once told me he had a similar accident, ran over something on the road which didn't give and it caught his center stand and did some serious damage. Dang scary, glad you are okay though.
It is not the flaw. It is the rider pushed too hard and did not realize it's impact was beyond the Threshold designed by its engineer. Same thing like cars or trucks. I would not say it is the flaw. May be it is too comfortable so the rider did not realize it and thought it was a normal bump. Well, every design has its own limit. Nothing is perfect.
I have been riding for 30 years now and had many bikes by now. I own 2020 DCT Tour. I never ever had any issues as you mentioned. I am a high speed rider, on HWYs only. I am aware that it takes one hit and it might be done, however it never cross my mind. I always…..always keep distance from cars and watch my roads. I don’t ride on gravel roads. I will consider belly pan, but it’s not an emergency for me. Maybe yes, Honda should have thought about it.
@@MotoMengy You can see on RU-vid that indeed, the casing is a thinner aluminum and its scarry a bit. In regards to road speed bumps, I always A) ride super slow over them, feet down and walking speed. B) I avoid the high area of the bump by riding all the way to the right or left of them. It always tapered down a lot on the ends. Happy and safe ride.....!!!!!
BTW the part of the manual shifter linkage that gets damaged by stuff flying off of the front wheel is the same on the DCT case. The DCT doesn't have the shaft part but where the casing sticks out is the same. It is on the left side just in front of the oil filter. It is a boss in the casting that sticks out a couple inches. Stuff flying up off of the front wheel can hit it in the right situation and either snap it off or crack it at the base. Either way the engine will dump the oil leaving you stranded. I bought one of the skid plates from Wing Stuff but the front mounts suck. I was so pissed I took it back off due to how it fit. I may make my own mounts for it while the bike is parked for the winter. I really liked the one that Traxton makes but I didn't like how you have to pull a bunch of bolts out of the front of the engine at the same time causing it to break the gasket seal and leak some oil out before putting the mount on and new bolts into the engine. Chances are it will re-seal fine, but I don't want to be the one that ends up with a weeping gasket making a mess all over the bottom of the bike going forward.
@@MotoMengy If you go on the site he has an install video and also made a special video addressing people that were concerned about oil leaking out during installation.
Update ... now there being recalled due to a bolt breaking off inside the transmission and locking it up , potential problem if it happens at speed .... Talk about disturbing ... Thats why I just keep riding my 86 Interstate and have no desire for a new wing .... I still love it after 38 years
I did hit something on the road. It came straight up and put a hole in the oil filter. We were going into the sun, so I didn't notice anything until it was too late. Found a engine from a collision bike. I now have a stainless steel belly pan. If you have a Goldwing and NO belly pan, do not wait. Put one on. They are easy to install and much much cheaper than engine damage.
I do not consider it a design flaw,......if the rider runs off the road and causes damage to the engine cylinders sticking out, is that also a design flaw? I"ve ridden 800,000 miles, some of those on 6 different Gold Wings including a 2019. There is always the possibility of serious damage to any type of vehicle.
Great video. I've owned 3 Goldwings in the past and can remember buying a protective shield for the coolant reservoir under the bike because rocks would hit the plastic bottle, and some of them would leak. It's been a while but I think I am correct on this. I'm sure the design has changed by now. Now have 2 Harley Davidson CVO's in the garage, but can't say anything bad about the Wing. Just got bored with it... Enjoyed your video
You own two CVO'S? Wow, congrats! I've never bought a CVO, the frugal side of me just can't spend that much on a motorcycle, though there have been many I would have liked to own.
That's very interesting. I had a 2001 goldwing and it used to bottom out all the time on speed bumps. I loved the motorcycle but it didn't have enough ground clearance even then.
I did the same thing with my 2005 GL1800 but didnt break my engine case, but when I stopped to look I was sure I would be seeing oil running out on the ground. so its not a new thing at all...........................................................JB..
Like week I went over a speed bump, quite slowly, and was surprised when it bottomed hard on the bump. The yellow paint and scraps were confined to the Traxxion Dynamics engine protection plate. Pretty sure I would have had Deluxe Chimp's issue without the plate. The Traxxion plate is scuffed, but not bent or otherwise damaged.
All GW owners should know about a Belly Pan that's needed on the Wing. Get the Traxxion one. Heck I ride a Harley and I know about this. Yes Honda should have designed and installed one. Prob add $300 to purchase. Back in the 70's and before Harley had a skid plate and should have one now.
Thanks for the awesome info.!! Of topic but, could you please clue me in to how you're not getting wind noise with your GoPro setup? I have a 7 and a 10 and havn't used it for any audio due to riding with an open face helmet. As always, Thank You for all your content. 👍😊
I have the wind protection feature enabled on the Hero 8 itself, but I also have a piece of foam (deadcat material) taped over the mics on the Hero 8 and this does most of the wind blocking. I used to think the big windshield helped a lot but when I test rode the Harley Livewire (no windshield) I didn't notice hardly any more wind noise.
Hey Moto Mengy! I'd have to say the experience was a let down all the way around. The next new Wing will definitely be getting the skid plate added - first thing. The 23's are rumored to be hitting the floor in November, but I'm not jumping right back in. Not this time of year anyway. Going to enjoy my Harleys and Kawasaki for now. ✌😎
Well, I purchased traxxion dynamics upgraded shocks and also put on a belly pan in the chance that I may get something bouncing up underneath the wing. Shocks are amazing btw.
Oh geez, I thought they were perfect...yep, I was hoping you were going to mention Deluxe. He definitely had a bad time with that oil pan. I have thought about adding a skid plate, they do sell one on Wing Stuff. He got rid of it, I'm pretty sure. Thanks for the video, MM!
When I bought my 08 Goldwing, I was advised to add a belly pan, which I did and had it installed at the dealer before i picked it up, for that very reason. I have sold that one but intend to get a trike next year.
@@MotoMengy I wouldn't. I don't like the way it uses the existing engine case holes to install it. A good impact on their belly pan could affect the engine cases anyway. I fitted the Wingstuff pan which is independant from the engine cases.
Everyone has to criticize a Goldwing. If this is supposed to be such a flaw, why did you buy yours? I own a Goldwing and haven't had a problem. Anything for fame and fortune huh? I ain't mad atcha. ✌🏾
Man, that's the same way my Vulcan 800 is set up - if you go to lift it, you need a jig to keep the engine off the lift and only contact the frame rails - and it's not a "stressed member" design for the engine! I guess you can't get 'em all right all the time!
I wonder if the skid plate would improve gas mileage (reduced drag) to reduce its effective cost over the life of the bike? I would imagine it wouldn't be very much, but a quarter of a mile extra per gallon, could mean around $100.00 over 150,000 miles?
@@MotoMengy .25 of a mile per gallon would be .0057 improvement, that would be a little bit (based on my mileage of 43 mpg) I watched a video about Toyota using an underbody panel on an electric truck to get better mileage. They covered as much of the vehicle’s underbody as possible and the panels had a golf ball dimple pattern, and they were reporting 3 to 4 percent improvement. I don’t believe the material they used (lighter) would serve the purpose of protecting the engine.
On the '18+ manual 6 speed does it lower the freeway revs or are you just shifting more in town..🤔.. most 6 speeds they just shorten the ratio and it winds up being the same thing anyway
so my 1984 looks better than your new wing!? looks like there was rust already? but,, good to know about the flaw,, im thinking about getting a wing trike!
Goldwings have always had the engine as a stressed menber with no frame rails below the engine. Nothing new with 2018 + GW. And the Goldwings aren't the only bikes with this setup. Need a Belly pan.
I would say it’s a design flaw and purchase the skid plate to mitigate damage from pot holes or speed bumps….or on a positive note I look at it as a way to get better and practice swerving bcs I don’t like potholes or speed bumps either but if I can’t get a skid plate what I can do is use it as a practice moment…. Lol
Hah, yeah they look like they'd be in the way but when I'm riding I don't even notice them. It would be nice if they could mount the windshield without bars like those but I can't think of a way to do it, not while making it sturdy at least.
Clear plastic mounts instead of black plastic in windshield, easy enough!! Like dah, Honda! Your mind makes you not see black plastic in clear field, but I don't want my mind needing to play tricks on while riding! After I bring this up, your mind will be like mine an say, WTH Honda?
If you will lay down next to your bike and look at those 2 big square blocks that house your center stand, I managed to hit one from a piece of debri on the road and it tore one off. That crossmember that holds the center stand also on the backside of it holds the rear suspension as well and it busted all the way around to that. Needless to say after months of shops not wanting to touch it I had one finally give the insurance company an estimate which required a total frame replacement of a cost of over 13K and totaling it was around 10 soooo my 2018 DCT was done. I eventually went back to Goldwing but went with an older Gen (2016) and I love it even more than the 2018, I do miss the DCT though, but until I see they made changes to those square blocks that stick out like a sore thumb I can't invest in another one like that.
It’s a design flaw and complete BS that you have to spend an extra $200 for a skid plate after spending 30k on a bike. Honda knows it’s a vulnerability, they should put the plate on at factory.
I hit something on the road on the way to work. This was several years ago on my 2007 Goldwing. Got a nice hole in the crank case. My bike insurance covered it but it was an older one so not just the newer ones. BTW I traded it in on a 2018 DCT. The '07 did fine for several tears after the repair.
Well that explains why the new Goldwing is 90Lbs lighter than the older model.. They left off the protective steel plate that goes on the bottom of the bike..
If you own a new styled goldwing 💵 YOU NEED TO GET THE drag plate 🥇 Installed on your motorcycle 🏍️ It should come as standard equipment ❓ In my Opinion 😷 Love from Mississippi USA 🇺🇲
@Moto Mengy do spend the extra and get the real heavy thick one. Will make a difference. And one that is two piece so can drop the front only for oil changes
Gotta wonder how fast all these cases your talking about were riding? I hit a very need pothole, to the point where is lifted the back end of the Wing way up and all that happened to mine was a light bulb. I'm riding an 07 Wing though. Not a new one.
You made no mention of adjusting your shock preload. I am a heavy man of 320 1 up on any bike is usually for 165 pounds. Therefore I have my bike adjusted for 2 up even though I ride solo. It does make a difference. The tour can be adjusted from the dash panel but the std GW is a manual adjustment.
I love how easy it is to adjust the preload on the new Wing. I usually ride "one up with luggage" when solo even when I don't have luggage, I find it just rides better that way.
I installed the case guard from Traxxion. Very easy to install and No Oil leaks. Taken it off twice now. I've also got dings in it from rocks already. The 2001-2017 also had similar issues and it too also needed a belly pan to protect the engine case and coolant overflow bottle. There have been many Goldwing's (new style) ridden many miles without this protection without issue. Design flaw... eh... But given the after the sale (real world) issues, maybe Mother Honda could rethink and provide some sort of OEM case guard for the newer releases. They provide one for their Off-Road bikes. There are also issues in the front Radiator area too, where sicks and road debris kicked up by cars in front of you, can damage the radiators. Just received a set of intake screen guards to protect that area. I don't blame Honda for either but nice piece-of-mind knowing I can take some precautions. www.ebay.com/str/panical or www.amazon.com/PANICAL-Radiator-Protective-2018-2022-Stainless/dp/B0B53GMM83/ref=sr_1_68?keywords=Panical&qid=1666955552&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjYzIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-68 Really nice and heavy stainless steel you can get them in Black or Stainless . Took about 5 days to get.
Schaeffers Harley Davidson in Origwburg, PA, back in 2011. I have a video going over my jacket from a few months ago. Sadly the jacket is starting to wear out now...😔
Another thing about damaging your motorcycle in the state of NJ, due to a pothole, the state of NJ will pay for your damages and you just need a police report and it's called a PD-9 report and when I was a area supervisor before I retired I remember when I was a crew supervisor writer out PD-9's for broken car rims & flat tires and the state of NJ paid for everything. I know that the njdot pays out millions every year for damage vehicles do to potholes.
Good video. Unfortunately with out a skid plate on most motorcycle's your taking a chance. My dad bought a 1300 VTX o3 . First trip he made on it around 20mils are so. He hit some rebar and put a 4in hole in the crank case.
The '18 thru '21 is not much different underneath than the '01 thru'17 as far as bottom of the engine. Yes, I have seen more than a few cracked by road debris. Also, several oil filters damaged or knocked off. Rather than trust a Dealer mechanic to literally take EVERY piece of your broken motor and transfer them to two new, bare, engine cases I would consider a complete salvage engine/trans. Nobody can put this engine back to as good as factory new. It may be ok, but it also may have gremlins from now on. Who wants to find that out 2K. miles from home after the warranty is up?
Wow $12k and months for a rebuild that did not happen? Honda has a reputation of long backlogs for service and if you reportedly are on the road with a problem good luck finding a dealership and getting in for an emergency repair! Wow a lot has changed and i remember when I was on a cross country trip with one of my Honda's in 1984 I stopped into a dealership in the Great State of Texas in need of a service. They gave me about a week to get to my bike but a caring manager told me to be there at 7am and they'd take care of me the next day. Harley Davidson is everywhere and generally gives priority to traveling bikers. Harley Davidson engine and trans all parts readily available. I guess being #1 really mean something! Honda left off a skid plate to save $$$! Shame on American Honda they knew better and chose to shift the risk to the customer! My first bike was a Honda and 45 years later I ride an imperfect Harley Davidson who's ride and comfort is 2nd to none, sounds like a beast on acceleration and at idle. It runs strong (upgraded of course) with limitless upgrades and accessories available! Its a beauty to cast my eyes upon only second to my Queen! Shame on Honda for knowingly omitting the skid plate to save weight and $$$
I've heard many horror stories about poor Honda service on road trips. I've not needed any yet myself, but losing the HD dealership network was a very large concern of mine when I traded my Road Glide in for the Wing. If I ever experience bad service on a road trip it could possibly sway me back to riding Harleys again.
@@MotoMengy Thanks for the info . Its good to know insurance would cover this kind of expensive repair . I'm kinda surprised they do not simply replace the engine . Seems it would be quicker and maybe less exoensive .
I wonder the weight of the rider and the speed over the bump. I read a post recently of a rider and his passenger, admittedly WAY over max weight, bottoming out and damaging the Gen 6 GW. Not the fault of the bike there. I loved it, but with all the reports of engine damage and no-start issues, I lost confidence in the bike and got rid of it before I had a problem - cost me $1000 to ride it for 2 1/2 years - I call that a win. The day I picked up the ‘19 I had the chance to get a new, out of the crate 2016 model at a discount and I declined - that was a mistake.
Just me, the rider. No passenger or anything else on the bike. Speed wise not too fast for a parking lot. I would say, judging by the previous gouges on the speed bump, it was built too tall for the distance between the leading and trailing edges. Caused just enough of a crack to cause the oil to seep out. We talked about a patch job or even tig welding the case, but I decided it wasn't the right move for a new machine with only 667 miles. Still, absolute nightmare.
@@DeluxeChimp Can you imagine if you had a passenger and full bags - probably would've ripped the engine off the frame. I wonder if you would have had a claim against the parking lot owner with this damage for creating a hazard. You made the right call by not patching or welding. 667 miles - that sucks. Hope the dealer, or Honda, or your insurance policy did the right thing. Ride safe 👍
@@DeluxeChimp Did you try going down the route of claiming from the owners of the property where the speed bump was? I'm guessing there must be some sort of standard on how they are constructed? Any warning signs for the speed bumps?
The first thing I added to mine were Helibar risers, made the bike much more comfortable. Of course I didn't know the engine was so exposed until now....
Your problem isn't the bike. Your problem is that you financed a motorcycle, a fairly expensive motorcycle. We have a HUGE debt problem in America and as long as people are willing to borrow money, it will be this way. Good luck sorting things out; You won't but good luck anyway.
Inexpensive belly pan alleviates this. All Gold Wings have this issue. This generation even more so. Best $180 spent. The other is, speed bumps taken at too high a speed which we do not really know with certainty didn’t happen. Now what could have happened is, sometimes speed bumps are not painted or identified. It could be he might not even have seen it while booking through that section. Hey crap happens. I mean really, who is going admit to going to fast when they just screwed the pooch? Finally. Yes there have been reported incidences of underside damage. Not many though. I had 2 Corvettes that needed to be driven extremely cautious in any number of scenarios. The road grades here in Texas are pretty sizable for quick drainage. This creates a significant variance in driveway entry and exits, etc. Get a Belly Pan. Watch we’re your going. Knock on wood. Safe travels.
@@MotoMengy I might also add. All these underside damages are preventable. Not paying attention to details and speed, again, are the issues. Knock on wood. Pray we all have and maintain high level senses and use them. Do not become complacent on two wheels. No matter the years experience. Peace
I don't believe so, I think the bottom of the engine block is just very vulnerable. Different suspension wouldn't help at all if I ran over something and it smacked the bottom of the block hard enough.
