We’ve seen very few Goldwings on The Bike Shed, but probably because it’s a big old beast to bring into a custom culture that is all about stripping things back and raw simplicity. It’s also a bike that was never meant to be seen naked, but this didn’t put the Wrench Monkees off having a go at Honda’s giant touring mile-muncher.
“Getting around a Goldwing is both a challenge and a sweet treat. A challenge because it is so massive and bulky, with very little sophistication. A sweet treat because most builders stay away from this ugly dugly of a Jap beast. So there are not many expectations or style guides to be compared to. No ‘Dos & Don’ts’ …We always love when we can move with out limitations.”
“The old Goldwings are steady steamers built for long hold cruising and the feel is quite special. Its just over sized. You think you jump into a big roaring beast, but driving it is smooth and surprisingly gentle.”
“Jakob, the local Copenhagener who ordered the bike originally fell in love with our own garage bike #43 – a scrap bike built from what we had on the shelves (despite its scruffy look this wing has been rebuilt and cared-for all the way inside out). Jakob is quite a huge Fellow and around 1m95 tall, so he needed a bike with some proportions. The Goldwing is, despite its massive volume, not really a natural match for a tall guy, but we fixed that by stretching the length of the tank and mounting a more stretched out handlebar.”
“The bike was not sketched-up before the building. Jakob gave us a good long time to build it. We love when we get that option. This way a bike can mature and go through a series of experiments. The tank came in late in the process. It was one-off, hand-built in aluminium for a Ducati 900ss private race project we are playing around with after hours for ourselves, but when we got the tank in, it just did it on the old ‘Wing. Along the way it grew into an odd mix of styles we don’t even really know how to give a name. Can’t get any better then that!”
The frame and swingarm have been left as standard but repainted in dark grey/green metallic paint, and the front forks have been lowered. The wheels were rebuilt with stainless steel spokes on 3,00″ x16″ rims front and rear, powder coated in semi-gloss. The Coker Classic tyres re 5.00×16″. To stop the beast the guys have fitted a Honda CBR1000 front brake master cylinder and steel braided hoses with the standard calipers on EBC discs. The rear setup is standard but aldo upgraded with S/S lines.
The engine and carbs have been fully rebuilt, running K&N filters and cafe-style endcans fitted to the standard headers. An Odessey battery runs the electrics from a new position under the swingarm with new wiring. Along side the one-off custom tank are a one-off seat, aluminum rear fender from the WM catalog and Tarozzi footpegs. The rear lamp, front 6 1/2″ headlight and fairing are also from WM, as are the black WM handlebar wears black Biltwell grips and the rear shocks.
The end result as an intimidating beast, but she looks good. We can only imagine what it looks like with 2 metres of great Dane on board, tearing up the asphalt. Thanks to Andreas and the guys at WM for sharing. See more from theWrenchmonkees on their website, or here on the Bike Shed.
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