Ah, my Goldwing; this bike has always been Number One on my "Bikes I Really Want' hit-list...so pour a drink, boys and girls, sit back and let me tell you the story...

Once Upon a Time about, oh, seven years ago, I was cruising through the Craigslist ads (this was way before I discovered Facebook Marketplace and never looked back), just seeing what was out there as a form of mental masturbation, something to pass the time because if I remember correctly I was dead broke at the time. 

I happened upon an ad for a '1978 Honda Goldwing', I think was the description...cherry red, in North Carolina, in really good shape, for 750 bucks...750 bucks I didn't have at the time. But I ooooed and ahhhed so much about it that one of my DEAR friends said almost literally "Jesus CHRIST! Shut the fuck up and go get it!" and gave me the money for it! We are nothing without our friends! I kissed the ring on his hand and went to pick it up.

If I remember correctly, it was in Greensboro...? Coulda been Charlotte...No, it was Greensboro...anyway, I made the trip down in about four hours (so it had to be Greensboro...anyway...) and got to the dude's place; it had kind of a 'hoarder's' feel to the property - junk and vehicles all over the place,  a run-down single-wide that I guess was his 'home'?? Old windows stacked up on each other, crap laying everywhere - you get the idea.

He took the tarp off the bike and There She Was...! I even have the picture I took at the time...it had everything except one of the hard covers for one of the side bags. We looked around for a bit, but couldn't find it.

I thought she was gorgeous, even better than I had imagined. I gave the man his money and we loaded her up with the help of some friends of his. And I gotta tell you, I've loaded bikes on my truck before, but that Goldwing is a BIG girl! All 567 lbs of her! I had some ramps with me, but Damn, the whole truck rocked back and forth when we got her on and tied down! I pushed the thought of how I was going to unload her ALONE to the back of my mind and made the trip back home, taking my time. 567 lbs of motorcycle in the back of my

I-290 makes a difference! 

But I got her home, got her unloaded by myself (although the pucker factor was quite high!) and then spent the next few months learning just how expensive reviving a Goldwing is!

But during triage, where I go over the bike and see what's what, I also discovered that this bike was not a 1978 model...it was a1975 model! A First-Year Goldwing! The PO had only thought it was a '78! I was psyched! 

As I was quick to find out, though, everything that goes on that bike ain't cheap! From the drive belts to the gaskets to the carb kits and especially the tires, it took me months to get this thing running - and I did, eventually, but here are some fun photos of what I did before that happened...

Stripping her down...getting that big-ass gas tank out is Not Fun.

Gunky surprises in the heads...can you say 'leaky water jacket'??

Nasty gaskets...they did not come off without a fight.

Scuzzy rear master cylinder...!

Engine cover grossness...

You get the idea...but I have to give a big shout-out to all the guys on the Naked Goldwing Forum for their invaluable help with all the questions that I had putting her back together again. If you have a Goldwing you're rebuilding and don't know about this group, go Google them and tell them Dr. Frankenstein sent you.

But for the sake of brevity, lets fast-forward many months and here she is, right after I took her off the table...

And me on her maiden voyage!