On the move: Honda GL 1000 Motorcycles

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Since 1974, Honda’s luxury liner crossing Gold Wing on the streets of this world. Like no other bike split of the milestone, the minds of motorcyclists scene – until now.

Ironically, a Gold Wing! The name evokes. Unasked, memories of my early days in the foreground motorcycle.

In motorcycling friends then we blasphemed about Honda’s Dick ship that crossed 20 years ago as a six-cylinder GL 1500 our paths. This luxury cruise liner with a reverse and was the exact opposite of what we meant by riding a motorcycle.

For us, a detached house on wheels with built-in kitchen. Fully Dressed, fully equipped, fully silent and fully stuffy. The concept of property was given a new meaning.

Today, a Honda GL 1000 from the year 1977 in the mild winter sun Southern France before me, the ancestor of all Gold Wings. Keck stretches the 1000s its four cylinder laterally from under the dummy fuel tank, as if to say, “her look what I have to offer.”

Flashback. In autumn 1974, when Honda’s Gold Wing at the IFMA in Cologne for the first time presented, they had to offer, in fact, a lot: With its layout with water-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine, 999 cc, 82 hp, 80 Nm and 295 kilograms, they trod new ground set standards and conceptually. For the first time had a large Japanese series motorcycle shaft drive instead of chain, a Japanese four-stroke water-cooling.

Other highlights included inspiring their triple-disc brakes, a tank placed under the seat and each of a toothed belt driven overhead camshaft two.

After the 1965 CB 450 and CB 750 Four Honda constructive treading new ground in 1969 and raised an entirely new concept was launched.

And the motorcycle scene was divided whether this heavy machine that would fit into any of the then existing drawers so right. Some enthusiastically celebrated its technical progress; the other rejected it because of its opulent appearance and their high weight decisively.

I push it with a flourish from the main stand and start your engine. A wonderful note from benebelnde burned fuel-air mixture fills the atmosphere. The subdued and sonorous babbling reminds me of the boxer spontaneously to a VW Beetle.

Even the journalists fell in 1975 on the test machine, the silky smooth running machine that produced in the idling little more noise than a car engine under the hood. They attributed to the noise reducing “water mantle” to. The unusually quiet motor that just 79 dB (A) at the measurement produced by noise suggested, the driver always has a lower speed.

So he was constantly traveling faster than it allowed the Highway Code. And that too damn comfortable. Honda did at that time difficult to position its flagship model with clear messages in the motorcycle market.

The tester of the pre-series MOTORCYCLE beat at high speed on motorways and around the Hockenheimring.

The low-mounted pegs and exhaust system have left traces in fast angle changes in the asphalt. After all, the testers came to the realization that the GL 1000 “was not designed to use race-moderate driving. following the general trend rather than travel machine with reserves.” As a consumption of not more than ten liters surprised.

Bigger, stronger, more comfortable standing in Las tenheft. Enjoyable cruising motorcycling, as one would say today was the Japanese manufacturers still unknown to date. The Gold Wing was seen on the other hand on right away what it was designed: the stretched chassis, convenient for two-up seat, low-maintenance shaft drive, a service-friendly engineered boxer engine, the Bezintank schwerpunktguns TIG placed under the seat, smooth running of the engine and economical, all facts that spoke for itself.

The motorcycle scene was in the mid-1970s was not ready for the convenient Gold Wing. Asked the skeptical editor in the motorcycle 5 / 1975: “Is this the future of the colossal Zweiradbau If desirable, he goes to school?” And in issue 23/1975 predicted the author: “Honda has taken a path that begins a new era of motorcycling good old style seems to belong to the past.” The GL 1000 it ventured to put the image from the hard-core bikers in question.

While I still think about it get used, we slowly at first curves together.

From the revs she shakes her strength, elemental, bearish, and accelerates with little righting of universals. Thanks to an ingenious mass balance eliminates the otherwise typical boxer tilting about the longitudinal axis. Slightly curved track sections invite to switching lazy cruising. Moderate speeds are the lifeblood of the Gold Wing – simply scale down times the speed of everyday life, reduce stress. Travel is racing.

Advertised once in a Honda ad with the slogan “The incarnation of driving comfort on all roads.” Slowly, I begin my prejudices and understand.

Shortly after Kawasaki introduced its 1972 Z 900 Super 4, there were rumors that Honda is developing a new super bike. By a powerful three-cylinder up to a twelve-cylinder engine with 1.8 liters of displacement reached the imagination. In fact, Honda’s chief engineer Soichiro Irimajiri developed in 1972 in a short time only a prototype, codenamed AOK.

He had a six-cylinder boxer engine with 1470 cc and 80 hp, which should speed up the 220-pound projectile at over 200 km / hr. But the prototype never got beyond the experimental stage.

The theme of Super Tourer Honda was not alone. Originally, the Gold Wing for America and its designed speed-limited sprawling highways. Then came the oil crisis in between. Because the buying mood of Americans after an unattainable predicament kept within limits, the marketing strategists of Honda decided to wait until autumn with the presentation and present it at the same time in Europe.

So she stood in the autumn of 1974 at the IFMA and in 1975 in the showrooms of the dealers.

Honda GL 1979 that the successor to 1100th with step seat, wide handlebars and antlers flatter steering head, they mutated into the soft chopper. But they also spoke to comfort-oriented touring rider, especially on the other side of the pond. Later models went on with their concept.

The ancestor of all Gold Wing models, the GL 1000, Honda has not only opened a stand-alone model series, which to this day constantly developed and cultivated with six cylinders in addition, has a close-following. You must experience the old Gold Wing just for myself.

Inwardly, I turn down another path; rejoice in the gentle wind that blows around my nose. The unfaired 1000 prepared on the well-built asphalt Geschlangel a lot of driving pleasure. What then screwed the yardstick of technological change in the height, is today still an appropriate concept.

Meanwhile scares me even more is not a true semi-detached house.

And says the idea of an aged Honda GL 1000, whose driver after a long journey from the end of the world no longer seems stuffy. Or? With a little luck you might even enjoy quickly with exactly this Gold Wing, a winner of a readers’ poll, the comfort of the first Honda Super Tourer and explore the streets of the world.

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