Considering a "B"

[Blk6bgg6]

Have to agree with 53 driver.I have ridden many and this is most versatile for sure.I can get sporty and later 2 up with wife in comfort..I had friend who worked at a dealership who told me once that when the guys would take bikes to special events,promotions etc. It seemed they would all want to take the f6b,and these were crotch rocket young bucks.As for cruise I installed kaoko and works well.Best thing I can ride all day and my back don't hurt.Do it!

[pilotguy299]

My '16 is the first bike that I have ever had cruise on, and I use it every time I am on the highway, or even on longer backroads when there isn't a lot of traffic.

As far as the funds issue, that's up to you to figure out what you are comfortable with doing or not. I'm pretty much a penny pincher, except when it comes to important things that matter. I've spent so many years giving to others such as family, friends, coworkers, and not so much for myself.

I now only have so much life left before my time is over. That made this bike worth it to me.

[willtill]

My '16 is the first bike that I have ever had cruise on, and I use it every time I am on the highway, or even on longer backroads when there isn't a lot of traffic.

As far as the funds issue, that's up to you to figure out what you are comfortable with doing or not. I'm pretty much a penny pincher, except when it comes to important things that matter. I've spent so many years giving to others such as family, friends, coworkers, and not so much for myself.

I now only have so much life left before my time is over. That made this bike worth it to me.

Yes. We must be good to ourselves as well.

[MarkF]

I've never had cruise control on a bike. I've had throttle locks and wrist rests in the past but not on my last two bikes/ten years. I went to Nova Scotia last summer with long days in the saddle and a lot of highway. Never had a problem so I guess cruise control is not a big deal for me.

So far I see barely used 13/14 for $13,500, brand new 15 for $17,500 and 16 with ABS for $21,500. While I can afford $23,000 it's a lot of money just for cruise control and ABS.

[53driver]

I've never had cruise control on a bike. I've had throttle locks and wrist rests in the past but not on my last two bikes/ten years. I went to Nova Scotia last summer with long days in the saddle and a lot of highway. Never had a problem so I guess cruise control is not a big deal for me.

So far I see barely used 13/14 for $13,500, brand new 15 for $17,500 and 16 with ABS for $21,500. While I can afford $23,000 it's a lot of money just for cruise control and ABS.

Quick story:
I see myself as a slightly above "average rider", maybe a 6 on a 1-10 scale.
I was doing the Advanced Rider Course last week on the F6B and part of that training is learning/practicing "threshold braking" - applying the brakes firmly and with purpose and more specifically - just to the point before locking the wheels.
When I made one pretty impressive stop, the RiderCoach clapped his hands and said "great stop!" and then went looking around my front tire area. I asked him what was wrong. He said that he couldn't see my tone ring. I stated that I didn't have ABS and then he said "This is a GoldWing, right?" I responded yes, but no ABS. He then thought my quick stops were very impressive.
Moral: ABS is NOT required on these bikes to stop properly.
Many people swear by ABS, others think it is a crutch for underdeveloped braking techniques.
To me it's another tool in the tool box, but like cruise control - I never had ABS on a bike before either, so I am not missing it.

Not sure if this helps or not, but writing it out helped me drink my coffee....
Cheers,
Steve

[Jimmytee]

Quick story:
I see myself as a slightly above "average rider", maybe a 6 on a 1-10 scale.
I was doing the Advanced Rider Course last week on the F6B and part of that training is learning/practicing "threshold braking" - applying the brakes firmly and with purpose and more specifically - just to the point before locking the wheels.
When I made one pretty impressive stop, the RiderCoach clapped his hands and said "great stop!" and then went looking around my front tire area. I asked him what was wrong. He said that he couldn't see my tone ring. I stated that I didn't have ABS and then he said "This is a GoldWing, right?" I responded yes, but no ABS. He then thought my quick stops were very impressive.
Moral: ABS is NOT required on these bikes to stop properly.
Many people swear by ABS, others think it is a crutch for underdeveloped braking techniques.
To me it's another tool in the tool box, but like cruise control - I never had ABS on a bike before either, so I am not missing it.

Not sure if this helps or not, but writing it out helped me drink my coffee....
Cheers,
Steve

+1 Exactly how I feel.

[shooter]

+1 Out of all the bikes I've ridden in my life this thing has the best brakes I've encountered. Lack of abs has not been a factor. I've had several pucker factor encounters riding two up and Shay-Shay has always been up to the task with a little in reserve.

[shooter]

OK. +2 Jimmy beat me to the +1. He's quick.

[53driver]

+1 Exactly how I feel.

JimmyTee! You like story telling with coffee too? Cool!

[pilotguy299]

I've never had cruise control on a bike. I've had throttle locks and wrist rests in the past but not on my last two bikes/ten years. I went to Nova Scotia last summer with long days in the saddle and a lot of highway. Never had a problem so I guess cruise control is not a big deal for me.

So far I see barely used 13/14 for $13,500, brand new 15 for $17,500 and 16 with ABS for $21,500. While I can afford $23,000 it's a lot of money just for cruise control and ABS.

There are no 16's with ABS in the US. Outside of the US yes, but we only get linked/combined braking systems here for some reason.

You have to do what is comfortable for you. Every time I've tried to save a few $, I've only ended up disappointed and spending more in the long run to try to get to what I wanted.

No more.