1986 Honda Aspencade Goldwing

2516 Views 17 Replies 8 Participants Last post by R&dcycles, Jan 4, 2020

Calpaca123

Discussion Starter · Dec 30, 2019

I am really looking in to buying a motorcycle. I have never owned one but found this and am wondering if it is a good deal. I can do my own work on it. I trust that what is wrong with it is in my capabilities. Can someone help me figure out if this is a good deal or not please. Or help me find a motorcycle that would be good for someone with no experience.

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vistavette

· #2 · Dec 30, 2019

You didn't include a link to the bike.

When you say you've never owned one, do you mean an Aspencade or any motorcycle?

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Calpaca123

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 30, 2019

vistavette said:
You didn't include a link to the bike.

When you say you've never owned one, do you mean an Aspencade or any motorcycle?

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vistavette said:
You didn't include a link to the bike.

When you say you've never owned one, do you mean an Aspencade or any motorcycle?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

It would be my first bike ever and here is a link:

modesto.craigslist.org

1986 Honda Aspencade Gold Wing

1986 Honda Gold Wing Aspencade 1200 cc. Runs good, good tires, new Decca battery, never dropped, clean Ca. title, registered and licensed. This bike is priced cheap because the charging system is not

modesto.craigslist.org

vistavette

· #4 · Dec 30, 2019

That would be a very challenging bike to learn to ride.

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Calpaca123

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 30, 2019

vistavette said:
That would be a very challenging bike to learn to ride.

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But will I be able to find something that is like this and a good deal?
I mean if it's challenging then that sucks but I don't mind it because I would eventually prevail.
Do you think it's worth the money with the problem it has?

vistavette

· #6 · Dec 30, 2019

Calpaca123 said:
But will I be able to find something that is like this and a good deal?
I mean if it's challenging then that sucks but I don't mind it because I would eventually prevail.
Do you think it's worth the money with the problem it has?

No idea if the bike is worth it or not, but learning to ride on a bike that big is ill advised. Don't get hung up on "the deal". There is always another deal. Have you taken the basic MSF class yet? Do you have a mc license?

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ketchboy

· #7 · Dec 30, 2019

You'll be able to find another bike that is just as good, and just as good a deal. That's a LOT of bike for a new rider. Although an excellent touring bike, it's quite heavy. And gets real heavy real quick if you don't know what you're doing.

Think about this.....Here's a beautiful bike that looks well maintained. There is something wrong with the charging system. Ok, fine. Then why is the owner not fixing it? Too expensive? Can't find parts? There is something fishy here. Look up the price of a '86 Asspain that looks that good. Personally, I'd pass.

Calpaca123

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 30, 2019

Where else can I look for bikes for sale?

hogcowboy

· #9 · Dec 30, 2019

I think the best any of us could say about is it a good deal is, possibly. When the guy says the charging system doesn't work, that's a red flag. Exactly what is wrong? Did he completely fry every possibly thing in the electronics on it, then it's a very bad deal. There isn't that much to getting the charging system working so if there isn't something major wrong with then why didn't he just fix it. Max to get it working might be $300 maybe $500 so why is he dumping it? He knows that parts that old a bike is getting extremely hard to find. But you can look at it like this, education is expensive and this bike would give you a challenge and you would learn a lot. I really really question anything electrical on an older bike like that. Can he get it started even? Says new battery so he should be able to. It's a gamble at best.

Calpaca123

Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 30, 2019

hogcowboy said:
I think the best any of us could say about is it a good deal is, possibly. When the guy says the charging system doesn't work, that's a red flag. Exactly what is wrong? Did he completely fry every possibly thing in the electronics on it, then it's a very bad deal. There isn't that much to getting the charging system working so if there isn't something major wrong with then why didn't he just fix it. Max to get it working might be $300 maybe $500 so why is he dumping it? He knows that parts that old a bike is getting extremely hard to find. But you can look at it like this, education is expensive and this bike would give you a challenge and you would learn a lot. I really really question anything electrical on an older bike like that. Can he get it started even? Says new battery so he should be able to. It's a gamble at best.

He said it runs it just doesn't charge. I want to go look at it because it's only a 30 minute drive.

mike721

· #11 · Dec 30, 2019

With my technical background I wouldn't worry about fixing a charging system, it's not that complicated, so for me that might very well be a good deal if I was looking at it. If you have to pay someone to fix it, then it might not be such a good deal at all. Only you know your skill set.
But that's a very bad bike to learn on, it's way too big and heavy. I'm not putting down an old Aspencade, it's a great classic touring bike and would be an excellent choice later in your motorcycling career ( even as a second bike if your a quick learner) but you need to learn on a small, light bike first.

Offcenter

· #12 · Dec 30, 2019 (Edited)

As a Goldwing guy, let me put my two cents in....
The alternator on those bikes is buried in the engine, on the flywheel I believe.
You have to pull the motor from the bike and open it up to get to it.
And....it's a 34 year old bike. Will you even be able to get an alternator for it?
I don't know.
What I do know is....
The problem was likely caused by adding too many lights and gadgets
to the bike. The alternators were not strong enough to support a lot
of extras. So the alternator problem is not uncommon.
Many people have converted those bikes to run with an external car type
alternator. It's called "The Poor Boy Conversion"
There are several Goldwing Only sites that talk about this.
I would start with the "Naked Goldwings" site and see what they
have to say about it.
The good news is, if you fix it and learn to ride it, that bike will
likely run forever. He doesn't say how many miles are on it, but
it really doesn't matter if it has 30,000 or 130,000 miles.
Those bike are known for going hundreds
of thousands of miles with no problems other than the alternator.
$800 is not a bad price if you can do the work, but I'd try to get
him to go even lower.

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vistavette

· #13 · Dec 30, 2019

Calpaca123 said:
Where else can I look for bikes for sale?

Keep looking on Craigslist. You can also try Cycletrader. There is no shortage of bikes, you just have to be patient and find the right fit. It's my opinion, that even if you got this bike running well, it's way too much bike for a beginner.

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hogcowboy

· #14 · Dec 30, 2019

Calpaca123 said:
He said it runs it just doesn't charge. I want to go look at it because it's only a 30 minute drive.

Pay attention to what Offcenter says about where the alternator is and
is required to get to it. But it does sound like there is a way to get it going
regardless. That makes it possibly good deal but like has been suggested,
at a lower amount yet. Would depend on how long he has had it listed as
to whether he might come down. He should.

But it really is too much bike to learn on. Would be a shame for you to get
in trouble and get hurt or soured on motorcycling at best. Try to find a
smaller one to learn on. You can get your money back on those quite easily.

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R&dcycles

· #15 · Dec 31, 2019

In my experience with bikes, unless things have gone really far south the issues with the charging system are not usually the stator, but the regulator. Motorcycles use a brushless type charging system that has a fixed magnet on the flywheel that passes over the stator assembly. The magnet moves over the could and generates the electricity. There is a rectifier and regulator (sometimes the same piece sometimes separate) that handle the rest of the charging duties. I just looked up the rectifier and it is $20 from Rocky mountain. One of the biggest issues you will run into with older bikes is the lack or shops that will still work on them. Most wont touch an older bike as parts can be hard to source and who knows what gremlins lurk under the fairings. So if you are confident in your electrical skills then sure why not, but do take heed to others who have said this isn’t the best starter bike. Mainly due to its weight, heavy bikes can be a bit much when you are not used to them. Hell if I had the $900 I would consider this bike.

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Offcenter

· #16 · Dec 31, 2019 (Edited)

It COULD be the regulator, true!
But the four cylinder wings from the 80s are known for a weak alternator.
It is a common failure.
(the problem was cured on the six cylinder models by the use of a car type alternator)
If'n I was a betting man, I'd bet on the alternator.

Jmacd62

· #17 · Jan 4, 2020

Short answer
No.
If the fix was cheep and easy the owner would get it fixed and sell for market value.

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R&dcycles

· #18 · Jan 4, 2020

T

Jmacd62 said:
Short answer
No.
If the fix was cheep and easy the owner would get it fixed and sell for market value.

This could also be a case where he doesn’t have a local shop willing to take on an older bike. I am just a small independent shop here in my area but I’m one of the only ones who will work on just about any age bike. Or he has been quoted a price that he is unwilling to pay, and just wants it gone. Either way, I would grab it for $900!

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