Only time I bought Harley logoed gear was if it fit just right. Their stuff is way overpriced IMHO.
A Harley Guy's Take on Converting a new GW. Thoughts and Questions.
- Thread starter PFWiz
- Start date
The title of this thread always makes me smile. A Harley guy would have no need to ask this question.
Naa.. don’t worry Scott…these threads always get sidetracked..all in fun.
Now that's funny.
google: lady riders creations
All kinds of cool stuff when you click images.
All kinds of cool stuff when you click images.
PFWiz
30+ Posts
- Thread starter
- #30
Got a test ride yesterday with the wife on a 2021 GW DCT CSC conversion. It was a good ride, maybe 10 miles. I understand that my comparisons will be against my non triked CVO Limited and therefore not always apples to apples, but I can only compare it what I know....
13) At every stop - "Who stole the damn clutch?"
14) The DCT ranks somewhere between very good and great. Shifts were crisp and fast both up and down. In Sport mode they make bike seem more powerful than I think it really is. That said 7th is geared way too high. I see it as being useless except at highway speeds (and only fast highways at that). At 60 the bike was turning about 2000 rpm and was nearly unable to accelerate without down shifting. My CVO turns about 2450 at 60 mph and has at least some useful acceleration available from there.
15) The engine - Smooth as silk, but not nearly as powerful as I expected. I must admit from all I have heard over the years I expected this thing to cause the earth's rotation to change when I twisted my wrist. Didn't happen. With the slick DCT snapping through the gears it accelerated pretty well, but it did not change my life. While the power comes on lower than my CVO I don't think that ultimately there is much if any more to be had. Pretty sure that if I put an after market cam in my bike ( about 115 hp and 130 Tq) and triked it, it would be able to eat the GW trike's lunch from a rolling start. From at standing start that DCT would be pretty hard to beat.
16) Exhaust sound - I never expected it to sound as good my bike, but sheesh... The best thing I can say about it is when cruising it is pretty quiet and that makes it harder to hear how bad it sounds. When I got on the throttle it just sounded terrible. It seriously made me not want to goose the throttle just so I would not have to hear the terrible exhaust note. I would absolutely have to put after market mufflers on it. I am not one of those idiots who believes "loud pipes saves lives", but I want an exhaust that sounds good and powerful, kinda like a purring tiger not a snarling wombat with a sore throat.
17) Where is that damn clutch?
18) Kept thinking that the bike was going fall over on it's side every time I turned. Actually seemed worse at slow speeds. I know that it won't, but you need to remember that this is the first trike that I ridden in at least 5 years. I kept telling myself that I was being irrational, but it was hard to overcome. My wife said I kept trying to lean every time we turned. I expect the feeling would go away after a few rides.
19) The foot position wasn't as bad I originally feared. On my bike the foot controls farther forwards so that is what I am used to. After a few minutes I started to get used to it and I think after a while it would probably be OK.
20) The brake pedal - did the cost of the brake pedal come out of some engineer's wallet? It is tiny! One of the first things I would have to do is pu a much larger afer market pedal on.
21) Still can't find the damn clutch!!
22) The ride - My wife (the only one who matters in this category) says in general it rides great, very smooth. She did say when we went over some RR tracks while there was very little up/down movement she felt as if the back of the bike was "slithering" (her word). Overall she was pleased. I noticed that you see the front suspension working even when the ride was smooth. I guess that means it was working.
23) The stereo - The stereo volume was totaling underwhelming. The sound quality was fair, but the stereo just could not generate enough presence even at full volume at just 60 mph. My CVO has what Harley calls the Boom 1 system. It is the first level of factory upgrade (max is 2) and came stock with the bike. Personally I think it just barely acceptable to me and it beats the GW system hands down. When I am riding in difficult situations (a mean thunderstorm on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado comes to mind) I blast Classic Rock. The worse it gets, the louder my music goes. When I was riding the Dragon 2 up, fully loaded through the rain you could hear me coming long before you saw me. I will definitively have to put some cash into the stereo system. If I can't butt dance through the rain on the highway at 75 mph I am not going to be happy.
More to come...
13) At every stop - "Who stole the damn clutch?"
14) The DCT ranks somewhere between very good and great. Shifts were crisp and fast both up and down. In Sport mode they make bike seem more powerful than I think it really is. That said 7th is geared way too high. I see it as being useless except at highway speeds (and only fast highways at that). At 60 the bike was turning about 2000 rpm and was nearly unable to accelerate without down shifting. My CVO turns about 2450 at 60 mph and has at least some useful acceleration available from there.
15) The engine - Smooth as silk, but not nearly as powerful as I expected. I must admit from all I have heard over the years I expected this thing to cause the earth's rotation to change when I twisted my wrist. Didn't happen. With the slick DCT snapping through the gears it accelerated pretty well, but it did not change my life. While the power comes on lower than my CVO I don't think that ultimately there is much if any more to be had. Pretty sure that if I put an after market cam in my bike ( about 115 hp and 130 Tq) and triked it, it would be able to eat the GW trike's lunch from a rolling start. From at standing start that DCT would be pretty hard to beat.
16) Exhaust sound - I never expected it to sound as good my bike, but sheesh... The best thing I can say about it is when cruising it is pretty quiet and that makes it harder to hear how bad it sounds. When I got on the throttle it just sounded terrible. It seriously made me not want to goose the throttle just so I would not have to hear the terrible exhaust note. I would absolutely have to put after market mufflers on it. I am not one of those idiots who believes "loud pipes saves lives", but I want an exhaust that sounds good and powerful, kinda like a purring tiger not a snarling wombat with a sore throat.
17) Where is that damn clutch?
18) Kept thinking that the bike was going fall over on it's side every time I turned. Actually seemed worse at slow speeds. I know that it won't, but you need to remember that this is the first trike that I ridden in at least 5 years. I kept telling myself that I was being irrational, but it was hard to overcome. My wife said I kept trying to lean every time we turned. I expect the feeling would go away after a few rides.
19) The foot position wasn't as bad I originally feared. On my bike the foot controls farther forwards so that is what I am used to. After a few minutes I started to get used to it and I think after a while it would probably be OK.
20) The brake pedal - did the cost of the brake pedal come out of some engineer's wallet? It is tiny! One of the first things I would have to do is pu a much larger afer market pedal on.
21) Still can't find the damn clutch!!
22) The ride - My wife (the only one who matters in this category) says in general it rides great, very smooth. She did say when we went over some RR tracks while there was very little up/down movement she felt as if the back of the bike was "slithering" (her word). Overall she was pleased. I noticed that you see the front suspension working even when the ride was smooth. I guess that means it was working.
23) The stereo - The stereo volume was totaling underwhelming. The sound quality was fair, but the stereo just could not generate enough presence even at full volume at just 60 mph. My CVO has what Harley calls the Boom 1 system. It is the first level of factory upgrade (max is 2) and came stock with the bike. Personally I think it just barely acceptable to me and it beats the GW system hands down. When I am riding in difficult situations (a mean thunderstorm on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado comes to mind) I blast Classic Rock. The worse it gets, the louder my music goes. When I was riding the Dragon 2 up, fully loaded through the rain you could hear me coming long before you saw me. I will definitively have to put some cash into the stereo system. If I can't butt dance through the rain on the highway at 75 mph I am not going to be happy.
More to come...
PFWiz
30+ Posts
- Thread starter
- #31
24) The windshield - I like the electric mechanism, but the windshield was way too narrow for me. Gonna have to buy an wider aftermarket one.
25) Buffeting - it sucked. Momma was not happy. :AGGHH: I will say that it was fairly windy during our ride and I tried to take that into account. I will also admit the all of my Harley's took a fair amount of work to get the buffeting under control (new wind shields, fork fangs, dog dish...etc). My wife was not even a little bit pleased. this was her single biggest issue with the bike. I explained to her that after market wings and things are available to alleviate the issue and I reminded her about what I had to do to get our Harley to the point it is now.Now this bike was 100% stock as far a buffeting controls go and I understand that, but there is a lot of work I am going to have to do to make this right.
26) The seat - The shape was not bad but both of us thought that it was quite hard. Hopefully it will break in after some riding, because heated touring seats are quite expensive. The CVO only seat on our bike is most comfortable motorcycle seat I have ever tried. That said I have an Air Hawk pad for long rides because it still isn't perfect.
27) Reverse - Slower than I expected, but smooth and quiet. Much better than the electric reverse on Tri-Glides.
28) Still trying to grab the clutch at every stop....
29) Color - This was the black one, except it really isn't black, more like a very dark grey with lots of tiny metal flakes. It was very pretty in the sun, my wife liked too. I swore that I would never own another black bike (Black is not a color, it is a commitment), but his one makes me want to rethink that.
30) Seating position - Compared to my bike it feels like I am seated higher and farther forward than on my bike. Not sure if this is good or bad, just different.
31) Screen controls - The controls in the center are probably better and more intuitive than the hand controls on my CVO. That said, my bike (2018) which does not have the latest model system is touch screen which makes up for a multitude of sins.
More to come...
25) Buffeting - it sucked. Momma was not happy. :AGGHH: I will say that it was fairly windy during our ride and I tried to take that into account. I will also admit the all of my Harley's took a fair amount of work to get the buffeting under control (new wind shields, fork fangs, dog dish...etc). My wife was not even a little bit pleased. this was her single biggest issue with the bike. I explained to her that after market wings and things are available to alleviate the issue and I reminded her about what I had to do to get our Harley to the point it is now.Now this bike was 100% stock as far a buffeting controls go and I understand that, but there is a lot of work I am going to have to do to make this right.
26) The seat - The shape was not bad but both of us thought that it was quite hard. Hopefully it will break in after some riding, because heated touring seats are quite expensive. The CVO only seat on our bike is most comfortable motorcycle seat I have ever tried. That said I have an Air Hawk pad for long rides because it still isn't perfect.
27) Reverse - Slower than I expected, but smooth and quiet. Much better than the electric reverse on Tri-Glides.
28) Still trying to grab the clutch at every stop....
29) Color - This was the black one, except it really isn't black, more like a very dark grey with lots of tiny metal flakes. It was very pretty in the sun, my wife liked too. I swore that I would never own another black bike (Black is not a color, it is a commitment), but his one makes me want to rethink that.
30) Seating position - Compared to my bike it feels like I am seated higher and farther forward than on my bike. Not sure if this is good or bad, just different.
31) Screen controls - The controls in the center are probably better and more intuitive than the hand controls on my CVO. That said, my bike (2018) which does not have the latest model system is touch screen which makes up for a multitude of sins.
More to come...
Notgrownup
650+ Posts
Thanks for the update. I thought the DCT was weird feeling, power was adequate but like you, not earth shattering… the sound, meh… I probably wouldn’t think of pipes on a GW but the Cobras do make it sound like a JAG or a Rune…
Burnerboy
2000+ Posts
Warning! Warning! Warning! Once you ride a Honda Goldwing, you will not "ever" want to go back to a Harley :diespam:
Just think, no more "wrenching" before and after every ride......
A much smoother'rrrr ride...
Long distance rides r no longe'rrrr just a dream, BUT it's a reality now.
No more having too wear ear plugs, during the rides..
Music will be in your ears instead of loud pipes...
I told my wife (when I switched/sold my Harley) that the next time I will ever ride a Harley again is whenigsfly:
Ronnie
11/12/21
Just think, no more "wrenching" before and after every ride......
A much smoother'rrrr ride...
Long distance rides r no longe'rrrr just a dream, BUT it's a reality now.
No more having too wear ear plugs, during the rides..
Music will be in your ears instead of loud pipes...
I told my wife (when I switched/sold my Harley) that the next time I will ever ride a Harley again is when
igsfly:Ronnie
11/12/21
More Goldwing Trike Observations
Here are my observations based on PFWiz’s comments. It’s very long-winded, but I’m bored at work on a Friday morning. As background, I have owned 3 trikes over the past 22 years (plus a couple sidecar rigs) so I think I am qualified to have a few opinions. Been riding motorcycles since 1987. Current ride is 2019 Goldwing Tour DCT with Roadsmith conversion. Last ride was a 2015 Harley Tri-Glide.
1) The trike is very pretty. Maybe a little less macho than a Harley trike, but very pretty. Kind of like comparing Dom's Charger in the Fast and Furious to a curvy Ferrari. Good comparison. My GW is not the “classic” style of the HD, but it still looks great in Darkness Black Metallic. Finally gotten over my chrome addiction and have embraced the black rather than shiny accessories.
2) All the buttons and switch's seem overwhelming. Probably no more or not much more than on my CVO, but I will have to learn them and their locations all over again. It took only a week to get used to the switches on the GW after coming from the Tri-Glide. Mostly I use the handlebar controls, with limited time using the center console switches. A few rides and the GW controls will feel very natural.
3) At first sitting on the bike bothered my hips, but that went away after a few moments. My wife was ok with her seating position. No complaints from my wife on passenger seating. My conversion is a Roadsmith (not a CSC), which moves the trunk position a little back compared to the CSC. This may help if your passenger is not small. Others have complained that the back seat could be a little roomier (unless your passenger is a supermodel or young kid).
4) Handle bars are too far forward and maybe down for my tastes. Fortunately Helibars makes a widget to correct that. Handlebar position is based on your size. At 6’0”, the handlebar reach is perfect for me. For shorter arm reach, the Helibars would be perfect for many riders.
5) Foot rests and the brake pedal seem much farther aft than on Harley. Not sure if I like that, but with the DCT I am not sure how much it will really matter. The foot position initially seems a little too far aft, but upon further consideration, the Tri-Glide foot controls were about the same in terms of knee-bend for me. With larger footboards installed and a larger brake pedal cover (the Honda stock footpegs are too small for me) the controls work very well.
6) Trunk is huge, my wife gave it her official seal of approval. Most of us would agree that the larger trunk on the 2021 Goldwing was a much-needed improvement. As mine is the 2019 version, the trunk is a little small, but still fits two open-face helmets, gloves, and sunglasses just fine.
7) I like the phone storage and the other cubby just to the right better that the fairing storage cubby on my bike. From my experience, the fairing storage on the Tri-Glide was just large enough to fit my garage door opener, and nothing more. There is a bit more room with the two cubbies on the Goldwing. While I don’t use them for much, they are there for smaller items if needed.
8) I like the adjustable wind screen, but I am not sure it is wide enough. It’s great for summer riding in Phoenix, but we replaced it with a wider screen (same height) for better coverage during “winter” riding. It may get down to 55 degrees, and I don’t want to get too cold! Will put the stock windshield back on in March when temperatures get back in the 90+ range.
9) Trying to figure out where Highway pegs will be mounted. There are several locations on a GW where they can be mounted. On a Harley the actual mounting location is the same for almost all of them. Most of the highway mounts go on the front crash bars, which are hidden by the engine covers. There’s also the Rivco option that flips out from the side of the engine covers. As a caution, none of the options are as cheap as clamping a set of pegs to a Harley crashbar. With the fiberglass running boards on my conversion, there is very little need to add highway pegs, as the running boards give me the room to stretch my legs and keep them protected from the road.
10) I will have an aux fuel tank. For me that is a requirement. I don't want to suffer from fuel anxiety and when riding with our group I don't want to be the bike with shortest legs that everyone has to keep stopping for. For long rides, auxiliary fuel tank would be nice. It would also save me the number of trips to the gas station. However, most of my riding is in-town so we opted not to add this option.
11) Having a hard time believing just how few accessories are available for the GW when compared a HD. That goes triple for performance mods. If you spend time exploring Wingstuff, Kuryakyn, Showchrome, Goldstrike, and other websites, you will find that there are a lot of accessories out there. Perhaps not the same as Harley, but plenty of place to spend your paycheck! I agree that there are minimal performance mods available for the Goldwing, but my opinion is that if it needs more power, I should have bought a different bike. After modifying multiple bikes over the years, I have found that they never end up performing as well (or as dependably) once you screw around with the factory components.
12) One thing my wife is not happy about is the lack of GW clothing, (Tshirts, jackets...etc). Say what you will about HD bikes, their clothing while expensive is extremely well made. Our HD HiVis rain suits are second to none IMO, my heavy HD leather jacket could stop zombie bites. I agree on this item. There is very little custom clothing available with Goldwing/Honda logos. Still, the cost of HD clothing is very excessive once you take the HD emotion out of it. If you look hard enough online, you may be able to find some Goldwing items. Otherwise, you can probably find some great options at one of the big motorcycle rallies around the country.
13) At every stop - "Who stole the damn clutch?" I can’t comment on this one, as I don’t miss the clutch and the gear shifting. Been riding for 30 years with an artificial leg, and just tired of shifting. I did have a Pingel electric shifter on my Tri-Glide the last two years, but it’s nowhere near as nice as the DCT.
14) The DCT ranks somewhere between very good and great. Shifts were crisp and fast both up and down. In Sport mode they make bike seem more powerful than I think it really is. That said 7th is geared way too high. I see it as being useless except at highway speeds (and only fast highways at that). At 60 the bike was turning about 2000 rpm and was nearly unable to accelerate without down shifting. My CVO turns about 2450 at 60 mph and has at least some useful acceleration available from there. The DCT works very well. Recently performed the clutch reset procedure (found on the Goldwing forum) and it shifts much smoother up and down than previously. At 10,000 miles, it’s like a new bike. However, strong acceleration at highway speeds really requires down-shifting. You can grab the throttle and wait for the DCT to down-shift for you or push the down-shift “paddle” button and immediately take off. The Sport mode really does feel like a rocket on takeoff, but the trike is never going to be a Hayabusa. If I feel the need to go that fast again, I can just remind myself that there is a reason why I have an artificial leg…
15) The engine - Smooth as silk, but not nearly as powerful as I expected. I must admit from all I have heard over the years I expected this thing to cause the earth's rotation to change when I twisted my wrist. Didn't happen. With the slick DCT snapping through the gears it accelerated pretty well, but it did not change my life. While the power comes on lower than my CVO I don't think that ultimately there is much if any more to be had. Pretty sure that if I put an after market cam in my bike ( about 115 hp and 130 Tq) and triked it, it would be able to eat the GW trike's lunch from a rolling start. From at standing start that DCT would be pretty hard to beat. The GW engine is strong and powerful, but it’s not a dragster. The new CVO Tri-Glide may be able to take it in a drag race, but the Goldwing trike does have respectable acceleration for such a heavy vehicle. The only trike that may leave the Goldwing in the dust is a Boss Hoss, and I just don’t have that much of an inferiority complex to need a V8 engine on a motorcycle.
16) Exhaust sound - I never expected it to sound as good my bike, but sheesh... The best thing I can say about it is when cruising it is pretty quiet and that makes it harder to hear how bad it sounds. When I got on the throttle it just sounded terrible. It seriously made me not want to goose the throttle just so I would not have to hear the terrible exhaust note. I would absolutely have to put after market mufflers on it. I am not one of those idiots who believes "loud pipes saves lives", but I want an exhaust that sounds good and powerful, kinda like a purring tiger not a snarling wombat with a sore throat. The exhaust note is not impressive, but it does allow the radio to be heard clearly on the highway even at 75 MPH. However, there are very limited aftermarket exhausts available, and one of them is $3,000!! I’ll stick with the stock Honda sound at that price.
17) Where is that damn clutch? I’m still loving the DCT. Forgot about the missing clutch lever by the third ride.
18) Kept thinking that the bike was going fall over on it's side every time I turned. Actually seemed worse at slow speeds. I know that it won't, but you need to remember that this is the first trike that I ridden in at least 5 years. I kept telling myself that I was being irrational, but it was hard to overcome. My wife said I kept trying to lean every time we turned. I expect the feeling would go away after a few rides. With 5 years away from trikes, it’s no surprise that it feels weird. It will come back to you in less than a week. If I ever go back to two wheels, it will take me some getting used to after being on 3-wheelers for so long. Just remember to take turns/curves slower on the trike than a 2-wheeler.
19) The foot position wasn't as bad I originally feared. On my bike the foot controls farther forwards so that is what I am used to. After a few minutes I started to get used to it and I think after a while it would probably be OK. I found the same thing going from the Tri-Glide to the Goldwing. Knee-bend is about the same and upright riding position is similar.
20) The brake pedal - did the cost of the brake pedal come out of some engineer's wallet? It is tiny! One of the first things I would have to do is pu a much larger afer market pedal on. Goldstrike makes nice pedal cover in black or chrome. Nice addition along with the small floorboards.
21) Still can't find the damn clutch!! Let it go.
22) The ride - My wife (the only one who matters in this category) says in general it rides great, very smooth. She did say when we went over some RR tracks while there was very little up/down movement she felt as if the back of the bike was "slithering" (her word). Overall she was pleased. I noticed that you see the front suspension working even when the ride was smooth. I guess that means it was working. Front suspension is always moving, even on smoother roads. The Roadsmith trike is about a foot longer than the other conversions (CSC, Motor Trike, Hannigan), and it makes the ride even smoother. At 10’2” overall, it’s the longest wheelbase and makes a difference in the quality of the ride. Not so great on the turning radius, but everything is relative.
23) The stereo - The stereo volume was totaling underwhelming. The sound quality was fair, but the stereo just could not generate enough presence even at full volume at just 60 mph. My CVO has what Harley calls the Boom 1 system. It is the first level of factory upgrade (max is 2) and came stock with the bike. Personally I think it just barely acceptable to me and it beats the GW system hands down. When I am riding in difficult situations (a mean thunderstorm on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado comes to mind) I blast Classic Rock. The worse it gets, the louder my music goes. When I was riding the Dragon 2 up, fully loaded through the rain you could hear me coming long before you saw me. I will definitively have to put some cash into the stereo system. If I can't butt dance through the rain on the highway at 75 mph I am not going to be happy. I have read that many people found the Honda stereo to be worse than the Harley. Your CVO is even better than my old Tri-Glide stereo, which was also better than my current Honda’s stereo. As with the Harley, you can spend $1000 to upgrade the speakers and add an amp, but I don’t know if you’ll get to the same level as the Harley Boom 1 stereo. One great advantage is that the radio on the 2021 Goldwing already has Sirius XM (including the antenna that was an option on my 2019) while Harley charges $400 to add this feature to its non-CVO bikes. This is a must-have if you’re going to put some miles on the bike. The stock FM antenna is terrible compared to the whip antenna on the Harley for any kind of reception.
24) The windshield - I like the electric mechanism, but the windshield was way too narrow for me. Gonna have to buy an wider aftermarket one. Narrow windshield is great for hot weather riding. Get a wider aftermarket for colder weather. Lots to choose from in this area.
25) Buffeting - it sucked. Momma was not happy.
I will say that it was fairly windy during our ride and I tried to take that into account. I will also admit the all of my Harley's took a fair amount of work to get the buffeting under control (new wind shields, fork fangs, dog dish...etc). My wife was not even a little bit pleased. this was her single biggest issue with the bike. I explained to her that after market wings and things are available to alleviate the issue and I reminded her about what I had to do to get our Harley to the point it is now.Now this bike was 100% stock as far a buffeting controls go and I understand that, but there is a lot of work I am going to have to do to make this right. My experience is similar to yours. Lots of buffeting in high winds. I think it’s the nature of the trike, especially with full running boards to catch even more wind. Thankfully, those windy days are few and far between in Phoenix. There are lots of air management options that folks have added (uppers, lowers, etc.) but a really windy day is still going to be less fun than a calm day of riding.
26) The seat - The shape was not bad but both of us thought that it was quite hard. Hopefully it will break in after some riding, because heated touring seats are quite expensive. The CVO only seat on our bike is most comfortable motorcycle seat I have ever tried. That said I have an Air Hawk pad for long rides because it still isn't perfect. Some riders love the Honda seat. Others have spent $1,000 to upgrade to the Ultimate seat. I’ve had OEM, Corbin, Mustang, and Road Sofa seats on various bikes over the years. Honda, Harley, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. None of them lets me ride for more than 80-100 miles at a time. No help for an old, worn-out ass like mine… The Air Hawk may extend my ride a little, but the best thing I’ve ever used was a set of wooden beads that strapped over the seat like the old taxi and truck drivers used to have.
27) Reverse - Slower than I expected, but smooth and quiet. Much better than the electric reverse on Tri-Glides. This is my only complaint with the Honda. Reverse can be very slow sometimes, especially on a slight incline. This could be due to the extra weight of the trike conversion (or maybe the heavyweight rider and passenger). Perhaps this was slow by design since most riders have to balance on two wheels while backing up the bike and I have the luxury of three wheels.
28) Still trying to grab the clutch at every stop.... A little time will fix this.
29) Color - This was the black one, except it really isn't black, more like a very dark grey with lots of tiny metal flakes. It was very pretty in the sun, my wife liked too. I swore that I would never own another black bike (Black is not a color, it is a commitment), but his one makes me want to rethink that. Color is up to you. I love the 2019 black Darkness Black Metallic color, which is different than the 2021 model which has a lot more satin (flat) black body pieces and not as much metallic paint. Both were available from the trike conversion company in Alabama, but the 2019 paint scheme was more attractive to me. The earlier DCT models included Red, White, Blue, Red/Black, Black/Grey (airbag model), and a few other varieties. Some have chrome exhaust and light silver frames, while others have blacked-out exhaust and darker frames. You’re already going to pay $1,000-1,500 to have the trike kit painted to match the bike, so it’s no big deal to have the rest of the body panels painted to whatever color you wish (I’ve seen yellow, green, purple, brown, and other colors done on these trikes).
30) Seating position - Compared to my bike it feels like I am seated higher and farther forward than on my bike. Not sure if this is good or bad, just different. A little higher, maybe. Still a pretty upright riding position just like my Tri-Glide was.
31) Screen controls - The controls in the center are probably better and more intuitive than the hand controls on my CVO. That said, my bike (2018) which does not have the latest model system is touch screen which makes up for a multitude of sins. I was disappointed that the Honda was not touchscreen until I realized how seldom I actually used the one on my Harley. The buttons and controls take a little getting used to, but it’s a pretty decent system. Lots of complaints from others on the Honda navigation system, but I don’t use it around town anyway, so not a big deal.
Final comments: If Harley would have made a trike with automatic transmission, I’d probably still be riding a HD. Honda definitely makes a quality product and I’m very happy with my first Honda purchase in 30 years. No shade against Harley, as I was a loyal customer for 16 years and still love their bikes.
If you go with the Honda, CSC and Roadsmith make great conversions. Motor Trike and Hannigan seem to be a little less popular but they are also available. Styling and size is a little different from each company, but they are all quality outfits that have been doing conversions for years.
Tim Egger
2019 Goldwing Tour DCT (Roadsmith conversion)
Here are my observations based on PFWiz’s comments. It’s very long-winded, but I’m bored at work on a Friday morning. As background, I have owned 3 trikes over the past 22 years (plus a couple sidecar rigs) so I think I am qualified to have a few opinions. Been riding motorcycles since 1987. Current ride is 2019 Goldwing Tour DCT with Roadsmith conversion. Last ride was a 2015 Harley Tri-Glide.
1) The trike is very pretty. Maybe a little less macho than a Harley trike, but very pretty. Kind of like comparing Dom's Charger in the Fast and Furious to a curvy Ferrari. Good comparison. My GW is not the “classic” style of the HD, but it still looks great in Darkness Black Metallic. Finally gotten over my chrome addiction and have embraced the black rather than shiny accessories.
2) All the buttons and switch's seem overwhelming. Probably no more or not much more than on my CVO, but I will have to learn them and their locations all over again. It took only a week to get used to the switches on the GW after coming from the Tri-Glide. Mostly I use the handlebar controls, with limited time using the center console switches. A few rides and the GW controls will feel very natural.
3) At first sitting on the bike bothered my hips, but that went away after a few moments. My wife was ok with her seating position. No complaints from my wife on passenger seating. My conversion is a Roadsmith (not a CSC), which moves the trunk position a little back compared to the CSC. This may help if your passenger is not small. Others have complained that the back seat could be a little roomier (unless your passenger is a supermodel or young kid).
4) Handle bars are too far forward and maybe down for my tastes. Fortunately Helibars makes a widget to correct that. Handlebar position is based on your size. At 6’0”, the handlebar reach is perfect for me. For shorter arm reach, the Helibars would be perfect for many riders.
5) Foot rests and the brake pedal seem much farther aft than on Harley. Not sure if I like that, but with the DCT I am not sure how much it will really matter. The foot position initially seems a little too far aft, but upon further consideration, the Tri-Glide foot controls were about the same in terms of knee-bend for me. With larger footboards installed and a larger brake pedal cover (the Honda stock footpegs are too small for me) the controls work very well.
6) Trunk is huge, my wife gave it her official seal of approval. Most of us would agree that the larger trunk on the 2021 Goldwing was a much-needed improvement. As mine is the 2019 version, the trunk is a little small, but still fits two open-face helmets, gloves, and sunglasses just fine.
7) I like the phone storage and the other cubby just to the right better that the fairing storage cubby on my bike. From my experience, the fairing storage on the Tri-Glide was just large enough to fit my garage door opener, and nothing more. There is a bit more room with the two cubbies on the Goldwing. While I don’t use them for much, they are there for smaller items if needed.
8) I like the adjustable wind screen, but I am not sure it is wide enough. It’s great for summer riding in Phoenix, but we replaced it with a wider screen (same height) for better coverage during “winter” riding. It may get down to 55 degrees, and I don’t want to get too cold! Will put the stock windshield back on in March when temperatures get back in the 90+ range.
9) Trying to figure out where Highway pegs will be mounted. There are several locations on a GW where they can be mounted. On a Harley the actual mounting location is the same for almost all of them. Most of the highway mounts go on the front crash bars, which are hidden by the engine covers. There’s also the Rivco option that flips out from the side of the engine covers. As a caution, none of the options are as cheap as clamping a set of pegs to a Harley crashbar. With the fiberglass running boards on my conversion, there is very little need to add highway pegs, as the running boards give me the room to stretch my legs and keep them protected from the road.
10) I will have an aux fuel tank. For me that is a requirement. I don't want to suffer from fuel anxiety and when riding with our group I don't want to be the bike with shortest legs that everyone has to keep stopping for. For long rides, auxiliary fuel tank would be nice. It would also save me the number of trips to the gas station. However, most of my riding is in-town so we opted not to add this option.
11) Having a hard time believing just how few accessories are available for the GW when compared a HD. That goes triple for performance mods. If you spend time exploring Wingstuff, Kuryakyn, Showchrome, Goldstrike, and other websites, you will find that there are a lot of accessories out there. Perhaps not the same as Harley, but plenty of place to spend your paycheck! I agree that there are minimal performance mods available for the Goldwing, but my opinion is that if it needs more power, I should have bought a different bike. After modifying multiple bikes over the years, I have found that they never end up performing as well (or as dependably) once you screw around with the factory components.
12) One thing my wife is not happy about is the lack of GW clothing, (Tshirts, jackets...etc). Say what you will about HD bikes, their clothing while expensive is extremely well made. Our HD HiVis rain suits are second to none IMO, my heavy HD leather jacket could stop zombie bites. I agree on this item. There is very little custom clothing available with Goldwing/Honda logos. Still, the cost of HD clothing is very excessive once you take the HD emotion out of it. If you look hard enough online, you may be able to find some Goldwing items. Otherwise, you can probably find some great options at one of the big motorcycle rallies around the country.
13) At every stop - "Who stole the damn clutch?" I can’t comment on this one, as I don’t miss the clutch and the gear shifting. Been riding for 30 years with an artificial leg, and just tired of shifting. I did have a Pingel electric shifter on my Tri-Glide the last two years, but it’s nowhere near as nice as the DCT.
14) The DCT ranks somewhere between very good and great. Shifts were crisp and fast both up and down. In Sport mode they make bike seem more powerful than I think it really is. That said 7th is geared way too high. I see it as being useless except at highway speeds (and only fast highways at that). At 60 the bike was turning about 2000 rpm and was nearly unable to accelerate without down shifting. My CVO turns about 2450 at 60 mph and has at least some useful acceleration available from there. The DCT works very well. Recently performed the clutch reset procedure (found on the Goldwing forum) and it shifts much smoother up and down than previously. At 10,000 miles, it’s like a new bike. However, strong acceleration at highway speeds really requires down-shifting. You can grab the throttle and wait for the DCT to down-shift for you or push the down-shift “paddle” button and immediately take off. The Sport mode really does feel like a rocket on takeoff, but the trike is never going to be a Hayabusa. If I feel the need to go that fast again, I can just remind myself that there is a reason why I have an artificial leg…
15) The engine - Smooth as silk, but not nearly as powerful as I expected. I must admit from all I have heard over the years I expected this thing to cause the earth's rotation to change when I twisted my wrist. Didn't happen. With the slick DCT snapping through the gears it accelerated pretty well, but it did not change my life. While the power comes on lower than my CVO I don't think that ultimately there is much if any more to be had. Pretty sure that if I put an after market cam in my bike ( about 115 hp and 130 Tq) and triked it, it would be able to eat the GW trike's lunch from a rolling start. From at standing start that DCT would be pretty hard to beat. The GW engine is strong and powerful, but it’s not a dragster. The new CVO Tri-Glide may be able to take it in a drag race, but the Goldwing trike does have respectable acceleration for such a heavy vehicle. The only trike that may leave the Goldwing in the dust is a Boss Hoss, and I just don’t have that much of an inferiority complex to need a V8 engine on a motorcycle.
16) Exhaust sound - I never expected it to sound as good my bike, but sheesh... The best thing I can say about it is when cruising it is pretty quiet and that makes it harder to hear how bad it sounds. When I got on the throttle it just sounded terrible. It seriously made me not want to goose the throttle just so I would not have to hear the terrible exhaust note. I would absolutely have to put after market mufflers on it. I am not one of those idiots who believes "loud pipes saves lives", but I want an exhaust that sounds good and powerful, kinda like a purring tiger not a snarling wombat with a sore throat. The exhaust note is not impressive, but it does allow the radio to be heard clearly on the highway even at 75 MPH. However, there are very limited aftermarket exhausts available, and one of them is $3,000!! I’ll stick with the stock Honda sound at that price.
17) Where is that damn clutch? I’m still loving the DCT. Forgot about the missing clutch lever by the third ride.
18) Kept thinking that the bike was going fall over on it's side every time I turned. Actually seemed worse at slow speeds. I know that it won't, but you need to remember that this is the first trike that I ridden in at least 5 years. I kept telling myself that I was being irrational, but it was hard to overcome. My wife said I kept trying to lean every time we turned. I expect the feeling would go away after a few rides. With 5 years away from trikes, it’s no surprise that it feels weird. It will come back to you in less than a week. If I ever go back to two wheels, it will take me some getting used to after being on 3-wheelers for so long. Just remember to take turns/curves slower on the trike than a 2-wheeler.
19) The foot position wasn't as bad I originally feared. On my bike the foot controls farther forwards so that is what I am used to. After a few minutes I started to get used to it and I think after a while it would probably be OK. I found the same thing going from the Tri-Glide to the Goldwing. Knee-bend is about the same and upright riding position is similar.
20) The brake pedal - did the cost of the brake pedal come out of some engineer's wallet? It is tiny! One of the first things I would have to do is pu a much larger afer market pedal on. Goldstrike makes nice pedal cover in black or chrome. Nice addition along with the small floorboards.
21) Still can't find the damn clutch!! Let it go.
22) The ride - My wife (the only one who matters in this category) says in general it rides great, very smooth. She did say when we went over some RR tracks while there was very little up/down movement she felt as if the back of the bike was "slithering" (her word). Overall she was pleased. I noticed that you see the front suspension working even when the ride was smooth. I guess that means it was working. Front suspension is always moving, even on smoother roads. The Roadsmith trike is about a foot longer than the other conversions (CSC, Motor Trike, Hannigan), and it makes the ride even smoother. At 10’2” overall, it’s the longest wheelbase and makes a difference in the quality of the ride. Not so great on the turning radius, but everything is relative.
23) The stereo - The stereo volume was totaling underwhelming. The sound quality was fair, but the stereo just could not generate enough presence even at full volume at just 60 mph. My CVO has what Harley calls the Boom 1 system. It is the first level of factory upgrade (max is 2) and came stock with the bike. Personally I think it just barely acceptable to me and it beats the GW system hands down. When I am riding in difficult situations (a mean thunderstorm on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado comes to mind) I blast Classic Rock. The worse it gets, the louder my music goes. When I was riding the Dragon 2 up, fully loaded through the rain you could hear me coming long before you saw me. I will definitively have to put some cash into the stereo system. If I can't butt dance through the rain on the highway at 75 mph I am not going to be happy. I have read that many people found the Honda stereo to be worse than the Harley. Your CVO is even better than my old Tri-Glide stereo, which was also better than my current Honda’s stereo. As with the Harley, you can spend $1000 to upgrade the speakers and add an amp, but I don’t know if you’ll get to the same level as the Harley Boom 1 stereo. One great advantage is that the radio on the 2021 Goldwing already has Sirius XM (including the antenna that was an option on my 2019) while Harley charges $400 to add this feature to its non-CVO bikes. This is a must-have if you’re going to put some miles on the bike. The stock FM antenna is terrible compared to the whip antenna on the Harley for any kind of reception.
24) The windshield - I like the electric mechanism, but the windshield was way too narrow for me. Gonna have to buy an wider aftermarket one. Narrow windshield is great for hot weather riding. Get a wider aftermarket for colder weather. Lots to choose from in this area.
25) Buffeting - it sucked. Momma was not happy.
26) The seat - The shape was not bad but both of us thought that it was quite hard. Hopefully it will break in after some riding, because heated touring seats are quite expensive. The CVO only seat on our bike is most comfortable motorcycle seat I have ever tried. That said I have an Air Hawk pad for long rides because it still isn't perfect. Some riders love the Honda seat. Others have spent $1,000 to upgrade to the Ultimate seat. I’ve had OEM, Corbin, Mustang, and Road Sofa seats on various bikes over the years. Honda, Harley, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. None of them lets me ride for more than 80-100 miles at a time. No help for an old, worn-out ass like mine… The Air Hawk may extend my ride a little, but the best thing I’ve ever used was a set of wooden beads that strapped over the seat like the old taxi and truck drivers used to have.
27) Reverse - Slower than I expected, but smooth and quiet. Much better than the electric reverse on Tri-Glides. This is my only complaint with the Honda. Reverse can be very slow sometimes, especially on a slight incline. This could be due to the extra weight of the trike conversion (or maybe the heavyweight rider and passenger). Perhaps this was slow by design since most riders have to balance on two wheels while backing up the bike and I have the luxury of three wheels.
28) Still trying to grab the clutch at every stop.... A little time will fix this.
29) Color - This was the black one, except it really isn't black, more like a very dark grey with lots of tiny metal flakes. It was very pretty in the sun, my wife liked too. I swore that I would never own another black bike (Black is not a color, it is a commitment), but his one makes me want to rethink that. Color is up to you. I love the 2019 black Darkness Black Metallic color, which is different than the 2021 model which has a lot more satin (flat) black body pieces and not as much metallic paint. Both were available from the trike conversion company in Alabama, but the 2019 paint scheme was more attractive to me. The earlier DCT models included Red, White, Blue, Red/Black, Black/Grey (airbag model), and a few other varieties. Some have chrome exhaust and light silver frames, while others have blacked-out exhaust and darker frames. You’re already going to pay $1,000-1,500 to have the trike kit painted to match the bike, so it’s no big deal to have the rest of the body panels painted to whatever color you wish (I’ve seen yellow, green, purple, brown, and other colors done on these trikes).
30) Seating position - Compared to my bike it feels like I am seated higher and farther forward than on my bike. Not sure if this is good or bad, just different. A little higher, maybe. Still a pretty upright riding position just like my Tri-Glide was.
31) Screen controls - The controls in the center are probably better and more intuitive than the hand controls on my CVO. That said, my bike (2018) which does not have the latest model system is touch screen which makes up for a multitude of sins. I was disappointed that the Honda was not touchscreen until I realized how seldom I actually used the one on my Harley. The buttons and controls take a little getting used to, but it’s a pretty decent system. Lots of complaints from others on the Honda navigation system, but I don’t use it around town anyway, so not a big deal.
Final comments: If Harley would have made a trike with automatic transmission, I’d probably still be riding a HD. Honda definitely makes a quality product and I’m very happy with my first Honda purchase in 30 years. No shade against Harley, as I was a loyal customer for 16 years and still love their bikes.
If you go with the Honda, CSC and Roadsmith make great conversions. Motor Trike and Hannigan seem to be a little less popular but they are also available. Styling and size is a little different from each company, but they are all quality outfits that have been doing conversions for years.
Tim Egger
2019 Goldwing Tour DCT (Roadsmith conversion)
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