I agree that waiting for the new generation Goldwing to be in the market for a couple of years before buying one is rather foolish in today's world..Honda has learned a lot since the older models were introduced and I would not hesitate one minute to buy the 2018 version if I were in the market..With a 3 year warranty and option to go a total of 8 years, I am pretty sure Ma Honda is confident this new bike is a "go".!!!
My understanding of the 1800s early frame problems was that it didn't show up on the test bikes. The problem started when some one in the frame production part decided that they could make more frames if the speeded up the robots. To do that they turned up the amps (heat) to run faster. That extra heat was outside of the metal suppliers welding spec's.
As with any new product; sometimes flaws are not apparent until they have been used for awhile.
Save yourselves some grief and aggravation. Let others be the field be the unknowing beta testers for a year or two.
21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy a 2018 . If it were economically feasible , I'd already have a deposit on one.
Oh, I could do it, wouldn't be prudent at this juncture.
"Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up"
Been there, done that, paid the price and the down time. Will let someone else be the eager guinea pigs this time as well as give the aftermarket some time to catch up.Originally Posted by willtill
I am interested in how they will continue to offer 10 year free map upgrades over the lifetime of the bike. If the bike has a 10 year run, that means they will have to offer map upgrades for 10 years after that for the last production year. I have yet to find a GPS manufacturer that supplies map upgrades 10 years after the product has been discontinued.
I don't know how long in actual terms , but the Garmin I just bought has lifetime traffic and maps for whatever that is worth.
"Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up"
I believe Garmin's "lifetime" update is the "lifetime" of the unit. It is not forever. I have 2 Garmin's that still work, but upgrades are no longer available.
From Garmin's website:
"... if your Garmin product comes bundled with a nüMaps Lifetime or other lifetime map subscription, you will receive map data updates when and as such updates are made available on Garmin.com during the useful life of 1 compatible Garmin product or as long as Garmin receives map data from a third party supplier, whichever is shorter. ..."
I'm guessing the map updates are compatible with the Honda automobiles.
Garmin is flat out lying in its sales material. I have one, I like the unit. A lot. But Garmin no longer updates its software for free forever. You will get about 10 years of updated maps at most. TomTom still seems to provide lifetime updates for as long as the unit itself works. TomTom does not have the fine print that Garmin does and I updated the one I bought over 10 years ago until it died last summer.
I have to note that I don't get free updated maps on any other GPS I own. Certainly not in any of my cars units. Charts for my marine unit (SIMRAD Northstar) are updated annually. But they come from a third party company that takes government charts worldwide, coverts them to the right format for my unit, and charges me about $70 a year as a subscription. This gets me an updated map for part of the world each year. If I take my boat to another part of the world, I can get another SD card for a few months, and return it when I get back (or I can add to my subscription and keep it). Updating maps each year costs money. Someone has to pay for this work, The data doesn't get into that thing by itself. Garmin has probably figured this cost into their prices, and I'd bet they guess that 10 years sitting on a bike handlebar is about all it will last, on average.
There is a lot of evidence to support what you and I are saying, despite the sentimentalism over a new product. It is a still a very new design and it is impossible to replicate the complete end user experience in any sort of practical manner for a for-profit company.
Check the reliability ratings of any all new design from any manufacturer...the first few years always have trouble spots. Even Honda. The first few years of the 3.5 V6 / automatic combination in the Accord and Odyssey minivans resulted in premature failures until they beefed up the transaxle to handle the power of that motor. The first five years of the VStar 1100s are to be avoided, due to starter motor failures. The first two years of the Apex snowmobile from Yamaha featured premature bushing failures due to lack of grease zerks to save weight, as well as broken support arms in the rear suspension that required a gusset to be welded in after a TSB. Our own F6Bs went through a small transmission redesign to address ghost shifting out of 5th gear.
And so on.
I am excited about the new GWs, and I am sure they will be great...but I will still wait for the inevitable issues that will need addressing as well as a couple of years worth of tweaks and upgrades and color options before laying down $31k in 2020.
Former Ride:
2013 F6B Standard, black; sold 7/2019
Latest Addition:
2016 Gold Wing Level 3, red; SCT transmission stuck in manual mode
2019 Miles:
7,900 as of 10/6
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