2008 or 2009? Which way to go?
I am just a few days away from ordering my new Goldwing, and as all of you already know, I'm so excited that I can't hardly sleep at night, or work during the day, because all I do is think about the Goldwing! lol
Anyway, I'm just hoping to get a little input from some of you that have already taken the plunge. Can you give me the pro's and con's of the two bikes. Which way should I go? The obvious thing that is involved here, is that depending on which way I go, will narrow down the color options.
If I go with the 08, I think I will choose the "Pearl White", if I go with the 09, I'm leaning towards the "Titaneum".
All help appreciated, and I look forward to reading your replies.
ValleyRider
David Smith
Pauls Valley, OK
Anyway, I'm just hoping to get a little input from some of you that have already taken the plunge. Can you give me the pro's and con's of the two bikes. Which way should I go? The obvious thing that is involved here, is that depending on which way I go, will narrow down the color options.
If I go with the 08, I think I will choose the "Pearl White", if I go with the 09, I'm leaning towards the "Titaneum".
All help appreciated, and I look forward to reading your replies.
ValleyRider
David Smith
Pauls Valley, OK
1 - 20 of 30 Posts
Reading Fred H. posts about his new 09 has almost convinced me to buy a new one. Especially because of the built in and improved GPS with radar weather and XM radio and the other improvements he mentions. Obviously price will play a role in your final selection, but if it were me I would buy the 09. You asked for our opinions and this is mine. Keep us posted.
See my reply in the thread listed by Angelo............
In short, IMHO the improvements in the 2009 are well worth the additional $$ :thumbup:
In short, IMHO the improvements in the 2009 are well worth the additional $$ :thumbup:
Take a deep breath and buy the 09 ABS (level 3). JMHO
I went with a 2008 late last fall and used the extra money to upgrade to ABS. Because the dealer wanted to get it off the floor before winter, it ended up costing me just about what a 2009 audio only would have cost.
My vote goes toward the 2008 with ABS verses a 2009 with all the extras.
Hope this helps. I really liked the Pearl white wing also. You can do a lot of upgrades to the pearl white verses the Titanium.
JMHO
Hope this helps. I really liked the Pearl white wing also. You can do a lot of upgrades to the pearl white verses the Titanium.
JMHO
If its not an 09 its already a year old.:roll::roll:
2008 or 2009
I had a 2006 Titanium. I bought the 2009 for a number of reasons, but mostly because I wanted the Limited Edition Metalic Blue, and because of the XM Radio/Weather/Traffic. The ABS and Tire Pressure Monitoring System were benefits that came with it. Having put on 3500 miles I observe the following:
Rides like any other 1800 Goldwing, but:
- added confidence in a quick stop because of ABS.
- speedometer is only 1 mph faster than my handlebar mounted GPS rather than 4-5 on the 2006.
- nice to have XM radio for the variety of programming which stays with me no matter how far I travel. I listened to a football game a while back from start to finish.
- nice to have XM Weather to help decide which road will keep me out of the rain.
- nice to have XM Traffic to be able to detour if road/traffic/accident conditions ahead warrant.
- added confidence that if a tire is loosing pressure I will know about it soon enough to stop, unless it's a complete blowout.
- a different more colorful GPS display which will show a 3D display if chosen.
These observations would convince me to go with the 2009 over the 2008.
I had a 2006 Titanium. I bought the 2009 for a number of reasons, but mostly because I wanted the Limited Edition Metalic Blue, and because of the XM Radio/Weather/Traffic. The ABS and Tire Pressure Monitoring System were benefits that came with it. Having put on 3500 miles I observe the following:
Rides like any other 1800 Goldwing, but:
- added confidence in a quick stop because of ABS.
- speedometer is only 1 mph faster than my handlebar mounted GPS rather than 4-5 on the 2006.
- nice to have XM radio for the variety of programming which stays with me no matter how far I travel. I listened to a football game a while back from start to finish.
- nice to have XM Weather to help decide which road will keep me out of the rain.
- nice to have XM Traffic to be able to detour if road/traffic/accident conditions ahead warrant.
- added confidence that if a tire is loosing pressure I will know about it soon enough to stop, unless it's a complete blowout.
- a different more colorful GPS display which will show a 3D display if chosen.
These observations would convince me to go with the 2009 over the 2008.
There is actually more to it than that...............If its not an 09 its already a year old.:roll::roll:
I've seen 2008 models sitting on the showroom floor with a build date of 8/07 (remember 2008 model build started very early in June 2007). Those brand new bikes will be close to two years old when the riding season hits full swing.
IMHO they better be discounting these bikes a lot compared to an '09.
If you purchase a 2009 model the oldest build date would be 9/08.
Now maybe this doesn't matter to anyone but it's something to keep in mind.
IMHO get the 2009 model................worth the extra $$I am just a few days away from ordering my new Goldwing, and as all of you already know, I'm so excited that I can't hardly sleep at night, or work during the day, because all I do is think about the Goldwing! lol
Anyway, I'm just hoping to get a little input from some of you that have already taken the plunge. Can you give me the pro's and con's of the two bikes. Which way should I go? The obvious thing that is involved here, is that depending on which way I go, will narrow down the color options.
If I go with the 08, I think I will choose the "Pearl White", if I go with the 09, I'm leaning towards the "Titaneum".
All help appreciated, and I look forward to reading your replies.
ValleyRider
David Smith
Pauls Valley, OK
I bought an '09 ABS on Nov 1st (sold my '01)...........I was on the fence about purchasing an '08 back in September and decided to wait to see the '09's. I'm very glad I waited.........Personally I would of been disappointed with an '08 when comparing the two.
Vastly improved NT based GPS system......much better than previous versions
XM Radio
Integrated XM weather
Integrated XM traffic
TPMS system with metal valve stems
Accurate speedo!
Cruise control lag fixed
Alternator whine fixed (at least never heard anyone with an '09 say they have the issue the last few years have had)
Headlights perfectly aimed even
Saddlebags/trunk latches much more robust (this may have been improved on prior years)
Higher capacity battery (20AH)
?? probably other minor fixes/upgrades yet to be discovered
Better color - Candy Black Cherry :wink:
I'm glad I waited for an '09.............but the choice is yours and only you need to be happy about what you decide.
Good luck on whatever you choose.
I got the '08' ABS $4,000 less than an '09', that's what made up my mind and my speeo is with in 1 MPR of a GPS too.
Maybe it's an early '09' that got painted the wrong color & forgot the TMS & new GPS. :joke:
Maybe it's an early '09' that got painted the wrong color & forgot the TMS & new GPS. :joke:
Everyone has to make their own decision, but IMHO some of the '09 colors are worth the difference.
Can you confirm the items in bold are not exactly the same as 2008? Everything I've read indicates aside from the radio/GPS update the rest of the MC is identical between 08 and 09.IMHO get the 2009 model................worth the extra $$
I bought an '09 ABS on Nov 1st (sold my '01)...........I was on the fence about purchasing an '08 back in September and decided to wait to see the '09's. I'm very glad I waited.........Personally I would of been disappointed with an '08 when comparing the two.
Vastly improved NT based GPS system......much better than previous versions
XM Radio
Integrated XM weather
Integrated XM traffic
TPMS system with metal valve stems
Accurate speedo!
Cruise control lag fixed
Alternator whine fixed (at least never heard anyone with an '09 say they have the issue the last few years have had)
Headlights perfectly aimed even
Saddlebags/trunk latches much more robust (this may have been improved on prior years)
Higher capacity battery (20AH)
?? probably other minor fixes/upgrades yet to be discovered
Better color - Candy Black Cherry :wink:
I'm glad I waited for an '09.............but the choice is yours and only you need to be happy about what you decide.
Good luck on whatever you choose.
I had the same struggle between the 08 vs 09. For me it came down to finding an 09 with level 3 pkg.
I have since foun out that XM may be going under. If that happens I am not sure what use the weather and XM radio will be. I also looked at the long term of costs to keep up the subscriptions. The info I got was that it would be around $35.00 a month. I barely got my wife to let me buy a bike that would have gotten me a VETO stamp on the approval.
Had I found this forum before I bought my 08, I might have found an 09 in the titanium color I really wanted and paid a little more now.... and later.
The TPMS can be fixed with an aftermarket device for around $160.00.
I was not aware of the GPS updates, the GPS was a big selling point for me (I wanted it).
As for my 08 being 2 years old now I am not affected because I plan to own this bike for many, many, many miles.
In the end it is to each his/her own and I wish you great luck and a great deal, I know i will be a great ride for after all it's a wing.
I have since foun out that XM may be going under. If that happens I am not sure what use the weather and XM radio will be. I also looked at the long term of costs to keep up the subscriptions. The info I got was that it would be around $35.00 a month. I barely got my wife to let me buy a bike that would have gotten me a VETO stamp on the approval.
Had I found this forum before I bought my 08, I might have found an 09 in the titanium color I really wanted and paid a little more now.... and later.
The TPMS can be fixed with an aftermarket device for around $160.00.
I was not aware of the GPS updates, the GPS was a big selling point for me (I wanted it).
As for my 08 being 2 years old now I am not affected because I plan to own this bike for many, many, many miles.
In the end it is to each his/her own and I wish you great luck and a great deal, I know i will be a great ride for after all it's a wing.
I know I was saying there should be a $2K minimum difference but it's looking like mother Honda hasn't provided any incentives back to the dealers on '08's and '09 pricing is very agressive. With that being said a local dealer here has quoted me a $1500 difference between a base model '08 and a base model '09. That means the net "savings" for the '08 is only $500. Normally that wouldn't even be an issue but my conundrum is I don't need or care about heated seats since I'll be replacing the stock seat with an Ultimate seat and losing the heat anyway. On top of that I like the black better than any '09 color. I thought I would like the new metallic titanium but after seeing it in person it has too much brown in it for my tastes.
The prices I've been quotes OTD (tax (6%), tags, everything) are $18400 for a black '08 GL1800P (option 1) and ~$19.900 for a dark blue '09 option 1 bike. I said earlier that it should be a no-brainer but it turns out it's not that simple when I like the black and don't want to pay for an option I'll disable.
Decisions decisions decisions :lol:
The prices I've been quotes OTD (tax (6%), tags, everything) are $18400 for a black '08 GL1800P (option 1) and ~$19.900 for a dark blue '09 option 1 bike. I said earlier that it should be a no-brainer but it turns out it's not that simple when I like the black and don't want to pay for an option I'll disable.
Decisions decisions decisions :lol:
Can you confirm the items in bold are not exactly the same as 2008? Everything I've read indicates aside from the radio/GPS update the rest of the MC is identical between 08 and 09.
- Accurate speedo! - All the '09 owners I have heard from have indicated that the speedo is accurate.
- Cruise control lag fixed - I have heard from some '09 owners that their bike still has the lag. This isn't unusual as previous model year owners are mixed in their reports of cruise control lag. Some bikes have it and others don't.
- Alternator whine fixed (at least never heard anyone with an '09 say they have the issue the last few years have had) - Maybe compared to the really early 1800s the Alt is more quiet but I noticed zero difference between an '07 and my '09.
- Headlights perfectly aimed even - The '09 headlights are actually a bit low for my liking. This is an easily adjustable item. I wouldn't factor it into my decision on choosing an '09 over an '08.
- Saddlebags/trunk latches much more robust (this may have been improved on prior years) - Any '08 you buy should already have SB15 already applied. This will make the '08 identical to the '09 in this reguard.
- Higher capacity battery (20AH) - The '09 service manual does list a few little differences in the electrical specs between the '09 and earlier models. I'm not sure on what it means or if it is better but there are some slight differences in this area.
- ?? probably other minor fixes/upgrades yet to be discovered - Honda continually tweaks the bike from model year to model year. This is not unlike any other vehicle they make. Some tweaks may be for the better....others maybe not so much. Most are so minor as to not warrant any mention in the service manual or vehicle specs.
Either don't buy either new and get a good used 06-08 you will be able to get one cheaper and probably ful warranty still and be able to purchase the extended warranty, I'll never buy another new on the price drops so quickly it's crazy and these wings last 250K miles easily so a good used is the way to go, OR
wait till 2010 and get the new one made in Japan and probably a 2000 CC.
just my thoughts 25th bike ,6th wing
wait till 2010 and get the new one made in Japan and probably a 2000 CC.
just my thoughts 25th bike ,6th wing
Thanks, that confirms what I've discovered.The '08 and '09 are virtually identical except for the TPMS, GPS, XM integration, and available colors.
- Accurate speedo! - All the '09 owners I have heard from have indicated that the speedo is accurate.
- Cruise control lag fixed - I have heard from some '09 owners that their bike still has the lag. This isn't unusual as previous model year owners are mixed in their reports of cruise control lag. Some bikes have it and others don't.
- Alternator whine fixed (at least never heard anyone with an '09 say they have the issue the last few years have had) - Maybe compared to the really early 1800s the Alt is more quiet but I noticed zero difference between an '07 and my '09.
- Headlights perfectly aimed even - The '09 headlights are actually a bit low for my liking. This is an easily adjustable item. I wouldn't factor it into my decision on choosing an '09 over an '08.
- Saddlebags/trunk latches much more robust (this may have been improved on prior years) - Any '08 you buy should already have SB15 already applied. This will make the '08 identical to the '09 in this reguard.
- Higher capacity battery (20AH) - The '09 service manual does list a few little differences in the electrical specs between the '09 and earlier models. I'm not sure on what it means or if it is better but there are some slight differences in this area.
- ?? probably other minor fixes/upgrades yet to be discovered - Honda continually tweaks the bike from model year to model year. This is not unlike any other vehicle they make. Some tweaks may be for the better....others maybe not so much. Most are so minor as to not warrant any mention in the service manual or vehicle specs.
Did you see this? Looks like a match. Good Luck
2008 GoldWing FS
Org owner; black; Nav/Comfort package; 3k miles. Bought so the wife would ride with me but most times she doesn't go on the bike so I usually ride the Harley. Hate to just see that sweet thang sit in the garage (the bike but the wife also). Clear title, in the vicinity of Fort Smith, Arkansas. I can email pics, asking $16,900 or make me an offer I might just take it. Email is: [email protected].
__________________
'07 Harley WideGlide
'08 Wing
2008 GoldWing FS
Org owner; black; Nav/Comfort package; 3k miles. Bought so the wife would ride with me but most times she doesn't go on the bike so I usually ride the Harley. Hate to just see that sweet thang sit in the garage (the bike but the wife also). Clear title, in the vicinity of Fort Smith, Arkansas. I can email pics, asking $16,900 or make me an offer I might just take it. Email is: [email protected].
__________________
'07 Harley WideGlide
'08 Wing
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