Should I upgrade o a Big Daddy wing?

I have had my F6B for over a year now and have 14,500 miles on it. This is compared to 22k in six years on my M109R that I sold to get the F6B.

What I found out doing the Big Money Rally is I like the long distance rides. Looking at what it would costs to add, nav, xm, radar, and it would be nice to have cruise I am thinking about getting a Full Gold Wing.

For those of you who have had both, what kind of differences would I notice. Such as higher CG, front wheel wobble which I have heard about, etc?

i am also considering the "big wing upgrade" in a year or two

:shhh:

I trully enjoy my GoldWing, you won't notice much difference moving up from the F6B. Yes a little bit more top heavy but nothing to sweat about, I LIKE my cruise control and extra storage.

My Rune is the F6B's earlier sibling without cruise control .... beautiful and fun bike BUT the GoldWing is my "go to" Bike.

AND for the SMART A** out of Tejas .... I just turned 48 so kiss my :moon: :nutkick: My COUCH Rocket is NOT an old man's Bike :icon_mrgreen:

:shrug:

:old:

:poke:

:icon_biggrin:

I occasionally ride with a guy 71 and he "flings" his 900+lbs. Goldwing around like a sport bike and simply loves the thing....I would not hesitate to get a GW if my needs were such but they are not anymore...Personally, I preferred to ride my 2011 Vision Tour on the road more so than his GW, and my F6B...The Victory is outstanding on the highway with top notch wind protection, lots of room, great handling and such...Some say a little short on storage space but never an issue for me....Not as smooth as the GW, but otherwise a very nice touring ride....

I moved up to the F6B from a 2008 Goldwing. I don't think I will ever need a "Granny Chair Wing" again. :poke::cheers:

My personal opinion is Honda made this bike to get people into the Wing state of mind, so moving to the full loaded bike makes sense to me.

So, the F6B is a gateway bike?:icon_lol:

I have had both and many other kinds…they each have a purpose …….

The F6B is my first Wing however, I can see the day when I might switch to a full on Wing. As I get closer to retirement (28 yrs on the job now) I already know that I want to tour the country when I don't have a work week to worry about. I could care less about those who consider the full Wing a Couch Rocket. A Couch Rocket is what I'll be wanting when I'm finally able to tour all out.

I say if it meets your needs then by all means go get it.

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Originally Posted by WingThing

I could care less about those who consider the full Wing a Couch Rocket. A Couch Rocket is what I'll be wanting when I'm finally able to tour all out.

I say if it meets your needs then by all means go get it.

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I use the label "COUCH Rocket" as a term of endearment.
Rides like a Cadillac and runs like a Mustang ..... My kind of Bike :headbang:

Something to think about....I just bought a level 3 Goldwing and had it converted to an f6b, so now I have a bike that looks like an f6b but has ABS, cruise, heated seats, and navigation...maybe the best of both worlds (and maybe about 30 pounds lighter than the big wing).

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Originally Posted by Phantom

I use the label "COUCH Rocket" as a term of endearment.
Rides like a Cadillac and runs like a Mustang ..... My kind of Bike :headbang:

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I wasn't really offended by what you said. It's only that I've heard people in the past saying a full Wing was an old mans bike. I have never owned one till now but have always been a fan of the Wings as long as I can remember and never considered it to be an old mans bike. I never got one because I've never needed a bike with it's capabilities. The F6B gives me all the bike I currently need but like I said, I can see getting the full Wing someday. Best touring machine ever con sieved in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by WingThing

I've heard people in the past saying a full Wing was an old mans bike

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I agree many of us have heard that stupid statement also. I was given grief the first time that I showed up to my local riders weekend meet riding my newly acquired GoldWing. After all the razzing was over I gave the 45 year old Hardley Ableson LOUD mouth critic the keys and dared him to ride the bike for 2 miles and bring it back and then he could continue spewing his nonsense from experience ...... 30 miles later he returns, gets off my GoldWing, gets on his knees and bows down to the GoldWing. He was blown away by its performance and handling. He never ever thought it was a "Old Man's" bike after that Ride. It is the ultimate riding machine in my opinion.

I agree with Phantom, I really like my F6B to cruise but if I'm going to travel I'm on my Wing. I rode six laps at Road America last weekend on my Wing and I had a kid come up to me and said he didn't know a Wing could go around corners that fast. Made me feel really good. Now I got to get a new set of pegs.

If I were to replace my F6B for a more purposeful long range touring bike my first stop would be to the BMW dealer. The newly upgraded R1200RT is getting rave reviews. Check it out.

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Originally Posted by Yeahoo Whoyah

If I were to replace my F6B for a more purposeful long range touring bike my first stop would be to the BMW dealer. The newly upgraded R1200RT is getting rave reviews. Check it out.

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I actually like the looks of the latest 1600GTL, a friend of mine just added this to his stable ...

I recently bought another "Full Wing" and almost forgot how much I loved it. The F6B is an
awesome bike, but when I want to take a long trip it's definitely more comfortable on the Wing.
Like many others I've heard all the crap about it being an "Old Man's Bike", but it's still the
best bike ever made as for as I'm concerned. I just turned 41 in May and am now on my 4th
GL1800 (not including the F6B), since the age of 30. So yes I do love this bike!

Whether or not those who own them don't think it's an old mans bike, it IS KNOWN AS an old mans bike!!!

Very few look at a 6 and says 'silverback',,, Full wing??? Yup, old mans bike.

Those that ride 'em may not feel that way, but,,, with the granny chair and all the assorted do-dads,,, folks look at 'em and say 'Look, here comes gpa-gma!', and 99% of the time, THEY ARE RIGHT!!! :shock:

Still don't believe me? OK,,, how many 'full wingers' do we have here right now that are too young/don't already have grandkids??? (crickets,,,,) :icon_wink:

Nothing 'wrong' with getting older, but GL's are 100% known as old folks bikes and those that ride 'em should expect to be categorized as such.

Whether or not that bothers you is your decision.

I have owned both. The only negative thing about the full wing is, "You will be stopping more often at Dairy Queens" :yikes:"coffee"

I believe the reason you see more mature people on Wings, BMW Rt and Harley Ultra Classics is they cost over $20,000, most people raising a family can't afford that. By the way before you buy that BMW check out the maintenance cost [ valve adjustment every 6000 Mi.] and good luck if you break down in Kansas or many other states. Dealers are far and few between. The only bad thing about owning a Wing, as far as touring, there is no better bike to step up to.

I pulled the trigger and purchased a Metallic Blue new 2013 with ABS tonight and had to say goodbye to my much loved F6B.

Thanks for the input, and I am going to missed the head turning as I rode by on the F6B.

Looked at the BMW and I am a low maintenance kind of guy, and love the Wing features, even if I'm 45 on an old mans bike. Lol

Cheers

I'm not far from being an "Old Man". Some mornings I feel like I'm already there!
I could see a having full Wing in my garage, but it would be difficult giving up my F6B. I'd have to keep both. Sweetie is toying with getting her license. She'd look good driving my "old" F6B... just saying.

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Originally Posted by Dark Knight

I have had my F6B for over a year now and have 14,500 miles on it. This is compared to 22k in six years on my M109R that I sold to get the F6B.

What I found out doing the Big Money Rally is I like the long distance rides. Looking at what it would costs to add, nav, xm, radar, and it would be nice to have cruise I am thinking about getting a Full Gold Wing.

For those of you who have had both, what kind of differences would I notice. Such as higher CG, front wheel wobble which I have heard about, etc?

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ROOM..More Leg Room on F6B

I have some startling news for you wihpper snappers. When the age of 70 rolls around, riding distance tends to diminish. The F6B is one great transition to the riding time extender, the trike. The only draw back is the red is too damn fast for old farts.:stirthepot:

After two full Wings, I went to the F6B. I am definitely, at 65, in the old mans category but really enjoy the nimble handling and power this version offers over its big brother. I have not missed the heated seats, foot warmers, reverse, or cruise control. I also like the fact that I have never experienced the dreaded Wing front end wobble on the F6B that existed on my two full Wings. I will most probably go back to the full Wing when I decide to extend my riding years by going to a trike. I just hope that is many years in the future.:icon_biggrin:

I've not ridden a Goldwing, and not yet received my F6B, so can't comment from experience with those two bikes.

However, I did own a BMW R1200RT for a couple years. It's tall and a little top heavy, but rides a treat and has lots of the bells and whistles that make it a superb piece of machinery. The new 1600 is even more so, I hear. But before that I also had a BMW R1150R, nearly the same engine, less stuff, not so tall. Before I had the RT, I added a bunch of stuff to the R to make it more like an RT. Removable bags - which were great - top case, windshield, gps, etc. It was a capable touring bike that way, though lacking in some of the comfort features of the RT. I thought that was what I wanted, and I traded it up to get the RT, but regretted the decision after a few hundred miles or so. The RT was a great touring bike, but the R was a great bike. What you gain in specialization, you lose in utilitarianism.

I think (I hope!) the same can be said for the F6B, which is what drew me to it in the first place. I've wanted a Goldwing for as long as I've owned motorcycles, but always rode something a little smaller and more affordable for the budget. Not needing or wanting to ride two-up, the F6B really appealed to me. The Goldwing is a superb touring bike, no doubt about it. But the F6B can be made to be nearly as complete a touring bike as the full size wing. Everything that separates the two bikes, with the exception of the reverse gear, and air bags, can be added to the F6B if you want. Navigation, some kind of cruise control, top case, heated seats, etc. If you want it. The beauty of the F6B is that it's not so specialized that you can't make it into what you want it to be. Which is part of the fun of having a bike in the first place.

Oh My God !
What to do ?

The main reason I down/up graded to the 6 is the fact that the full wing I had was constantly wanting to stop for pie!!! I don't care for Pie!! :poke:

I ended up with my f6b because a buddy of mine bought a new level one wing and told me to ride it around the block. I came back and told him that ride just cost me a bunch of money.The very next weekend I got the f6.... I wanted a full wing but at 48 then the kid in me made me get the f6b. And I already have a trailer to go behind so I have more storage than I need.

No Big Daddy wing for me!! I love the F6B ride, has CB, GPS, Sat Radio, MP3's, Phone hookup, and enough room for my gear.......nope I'm sticking with the F6B.......just got back from a two week trip......no problems and had a great ride.

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Originally Posted by Dark Knight

I pulled the trigger and purchased a Metallic Blue new 2013 with ABS tonight and had to say goodbye to my much loved F6B.

Thanks for the input, and I am going to missed the head turning as I rode by on the F6B.

Looked at the BMW and I am a low maintenance kind of guy, and love the Wing features, even if I'm 45 on an old mans bike. Lol

Cheers

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Congrats on your new GW.

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Originally Posted by flyboy

Something to think about....I just bought a level 3 Goldwing and had it converted to an f6b, so now I have a bike that looks like an f6b but has ABS, cruise, heated seats, and navigation...maybe the best of both worlds (and maybe about 30 pounds lighter than the big wing).

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I would love to hear more about your conversion. I.e. What year did you start with? What parts did you need. Any estimate on costs? I really like the idea of a conversion of a several-year-old Wing with cruise and ABS.

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Originally Posted by JackBurns40

I would love to hear more about your conversion. I.e. What year did you start with? What parts did you need. Any estimate on costs? I really like the idea of a conversion of a several-year-old Wing with cruise and ABS.

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I had it done at Schroaders Honda in Hendersonville, NC. It's pricey at around $4000, but you do end up with basically an f6b with all the goodies. It has to be a 2012 or later model to do the conversion. I had it done to a 2014 blacked out version which looks like the black f6b and really looks good (if you like black). Got almost 1100 miles on it so far and quite pleased with it. Not quite as fast as my '13 f6b was but feels faster than my '08 wing did.