In 1975, the Honda Goldwing motorcycle made its appearance in history and proved to be one of the most popular motorcycles ever. Initially designed to be used as a road bike, it became known as a touring bike. The bike was first shown at the Cologne Motorcycle show in October 1974. As a flat-4 999cc motorcycle with cutting edge technology , the bike received immediate attention. Some of the features of this bike included a water cooled engine, a fuel pump, a 12 volt electrical system, a shaft drive, and a set of transmission with a more conventional layout. After this model, six other models were soon released.
In 1980, the GL1100 was released with some improvements. Even though the engine was the same as GL 1000, the bike’s engine had a larger 1085cc cylinder. The front and rear suspension was changed to an air adjustable system. One definite advantage that users had was that almost all the parts were interchangeable between the models. In 1981, the production of Goldwing was moved from Japan to Ohio which proved to be a smart move as the US was the largest market for motorcycles. This move also allowed the company to claim that the most popular bike made in the world belonged to the United States. The 1980 model and the 1981 model were practically the same. In the following two years, Honda launched the Aspencade which was loaded with more options such as an AM/FM Radio, CB Radio, floorboards, and chrome.
Subsequently, the GL1200 was released and it too proved to be a huge hit. The Honda Goldwing, at its time was a benchmark in motorcycle history and is still considered as an excellent motorbike. |
