Joined
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250 Posts
Picked up my new '09 Level 2 Black Cherry Red GL1800 2 days ago. :lol: :lol: :lol: Few hundred miles on the meter, and I'm lovin' it thus far.
Any comments are purely subjective 1st impressions. Somehow seems a lot more nimble than my 2 priors - (probably because I don't have all the extra weight of the multi-thousnds $ worth of add-ons the priors had - yet - LOL).
With 4 east-to-west, coast-to-coast trips under my belt, and able to "read a map", I was still a Complete Newbie to GPS units, so I'm "happy enough" with the OEM Navi. I found it very easy-to-use & user-friendly-intuitive (considering its built-in limitations) and very accurate. Quick read through the Owner's Manual and it didn't take very long at all to figure out all its "ins & outs". I know I could have gotten a more fully-featured aftermarket GPS for less $, but I wanted the built-in integration, less handlebar & instrument panel clutter, and these aging peepers sure do appreciate the big dimensions of the Multi-Function Display screen size and very-easily-readable text.
By default the Navi map display switches from full-bright daylight mode with grayish-white background to slightly dimmed night-time mode with black background automatically, based on the GPS-calculated sunset time for your current position, and the display was very easy to read and see details in both bright sun & dark.
Unlike some posters on the board here, the freebie 3-month XM Radio activation (not perfomed in advance by the dealer) went without any hitch at all. The only inconvenience was following the XM site rep's instructions to remain stationary for 20 minutes (with the XM powered up, ignition key in "Accessory" position) while the XM Sat loaded all the XM channels into the onboard unit. I'm a Complete Newbie to XM radio too - (lovin' the great tunes, of course). Guess I'll wait & see if I feel it worthwhile to extend the XM subscription after the 3 free months expire. The "Premium Audio Package" is worlds better than the sound system on my '02 & '03 Wings, by far.
The illuminated handlebar control switch labels is a nice new touch for me. Although for the life of me I can't understand why, if they illuminated the handlebar controls, why in the heck didn't they illuminate the "Display-Info-Trip-Dim" buttons directly below the Multi-Finction Dispaly screen? Duh.
Personally, I did like the bigger, brighter, more eye-grabbing size and corner-wrapping design of the older-style tail-brake-signal lamp lenses compared to the new-style rear lamps, so I guess I'll just have to "accessorize" some. (Uh-oh. The addiction to spending more Eye-Candy Money on these Wings is already setting in, LOL).
Wasn't major-impressed with the driver's heated seat, but that may be because I was wearing a quality pair of good thick full leather pants, and it was only a balmy mid-50s night. (Just turned on the heat to check it out). The heated grips are also a nice touch as a standard factory add-on, but neither the seat or the grips can hold a candle to my Gerbing clothing. Think I'll be relying on my Gerbing clothes if I know I'm gonna be heading into the Real Chilly Stuff. (As a FL resident the heated grips-seat aren't really much of an issue for me).
My leather-clad shins and bike-booted feet didn't even know the "Comfort Package" includes the louver-flap-controlled "warm air" ducts in the lower side cowl exhaust manufild cover panel. As in , felt no difference at all. Again, it wasn't a very cold night at all, either.
BTW, I recently read in a thread here some poster was singing the woe-is-me blues because, after drilling the pocket-hole, he found out the control lever & cable for those lower side cowl vent flaps prevented him from mounting a 12V accessory power socket in the standard position, front wall of the left upper fairing pocket. I noted in a Big Bikes / Show Chrome Catalog that the instructions for their particular power socket said install in standard front wall location of pocket on older-vintage models, and on later-year models install the socket in the front diagonal wall of the pocket. So apparently there IS enough clearance if installed in that diagonal wall - FWIW.
The 09's OEM Dunlop D250 wheel-skins felt distinctly more squirrelly crossing a steel deck bridge, even moreso than the original set of D250s that came on my '03 Wing ever did. I've never felt D250s, Dunlop Elites or Metzler tires feel even the slightest bit squirrelly on the same steel deck bridge before, so that was mildly surpsing. Maybe Dunlop's changed the D250 tread groove pattern or something? Been so long since I had D250s mounted I can't recall what the original tread pattern looked like. The new grooves are all more or less, longitudinal, not cross-bias or side-to-side. Think I'll definitely go with Dunlop Elites or Metz when it comes time for new rubber.
Tranny shifting seemed a LOT smoother on the '09 than the '02 or '03, so that was a "Bug-toothed Biker Grin" happy surprise, especially for a brand new not-yet-broken-in bike.
Mechanically speaking, everything seemed near-flawless, as more or less anticipated and expected. Probably only because I was specifically curious and "looking for it", I did feel just the ever-so-slightest hint of front-end decel-wobble at 35 MPH when loosening up grip on the handlebars. So slight as to almost be hardly noticeable at all. I guess Mother H still hasd't swung over to All Balls type roller-caged steering stem bearings yet. (Not much of an issue for me as I generally do keep my hands on the handlebars).
3 months down-time between Wings and I've just sprouted my new ones. What can I say? It's an 1800 Gold Wing and we all know what that means. I'm Lovin' It. If she just had a few more accessories of the right kind, I do believe I might even be inclined to marry her! LOL !
BTW, thanks once again to this board and all its Members. Once again, served as a wealth of info pre-shopping. Kinda interesting . . . the dealer mentioned in passing - first mentioned POST SALE - that I'd purchased the last '09 Level 2 he is even ABLE to order or get for the entire rest of the year.
With the impending shutdown of the Ohio Plant (at least for MC production), the dealer says Mother H has already manufactured all the 09 models that ever will exist. So, in conjunction with the reported April price increase to come, if you're the market for an '09, "ya best hurry".
Any comments are purely subjective 1st impressions. Somehow seems a lot more nimble than my 2 priors - (probably because I don't have all the extra weight of the multi-thousnds $ worth of add-ons the priors had - yet - LOL).
With 4 east-to-west, coast-to-coast trips under my belt, and able to "read a map", I was still a Complete Newbie to GPS units, so I'm "happy enough" with the OEM Navi. I found it very easy-to-use & user-friendly-intuitive (considering its built-in limitations) and very accurate. Quick read through the Owner's Manual and it didn't take very long at all to figure out all its "ins & outs". I know I could have gotten a more fully-featured aftermarket GPS for less $, but I wanted the built-in integration, less handlebar & instrument panel clutter, and these aging peepers sure do appreciate the big dimensions of the Multi-Function Display screen size and very-easily-readable text.
By default the Navi map display switches from full-bright daylight mode with grayish-white background to slightly dimmed night-time mode with black background automatically, based on the GPS-calculated sunset time for your current position, and the display was very easy to read and see details in both bright sun & dark.
Unlike some posters on the board here, the freebie 3-month XM Radio activation (not perfomed in advance by the dealer) went without any hitch at all. The only inconvenience was following the XM site rep's instructions to remain stationary for 20 minutes (with the XM powered up, ignition key in "Accessory" position) while the XM Sat loaded all the XM channels into the onboard unit. I'm a Complete Newbie to XM radio too - (lovin' the great tunes, of course). Guess I'll wait & see if I feel it worthwhile to extend the XM subscription after the 3 free months expire. The "Premium Audio Package" is worlds better than the sound system on my '02 & '03 Wings, by far.
The illuminated handlebar control switch labels is a nice new touch for me. Although for the life of me I can't understand why, if they illuminated the handlebar controls, why in the heck didn't they illuminate the "Display-Info-Trip-Dim" buttons directly below the Multi-Finction Dispaly screen? Duh.
Personally, I did like the bigger, brighter, more eye-grabbing size and corner-wrapping design of the older-style tail-brake-signal lamp lenses compared to the new-style rear lamps, so I guess I'll just have to "accessorize" some. (Uh-oh. The addiction to spending more Eye-Candy Money on these Wings is already setting in, LOL).
Wasn't major-impressed with the driver's heated seat, but that may be because I was wearing a quality pair of good thick full leather pants, and it was only a balmy mid-50s night. (Just turned on the heat to check it out). The heated grips are also a nice touch as a standard factory add-on, but neither the seat or the grips can hold a candle to my Gerbing clothing. Think I'll be relying on my Gerbing clothes if I know I'm gonna be heading into the Real Chilly Stuff. (As a FL resident the heated grips-seat aren't really much of an issue for me).
My leather-clad shins and bike-booted feet didn't even know the "Comfort Package" includes the louver-flap-controlled "warm air" ducts in the lower side cowl exhaust manufild cover panel. As in , felt no difference at all. Again, it wasn't a very cold night at all, either.
BTW, I recently read in a thread here some poster was singing the woe-is-me blues because, after drilling the pocket-hole, he found out the control lever & cable for those lower side cowl vent flaps prevented him from mounting a 12V accessory power socket in the standard position, front wall of the left upper fairing pocket. I noted in a Big Bikes / Show Chrome Catalog that the instructions for their particular power socket said install in standard front wall location of pocket on older-vintage models, and on later-year models install the socket in the front diagonal wall of the pocket. So apparently there IS enough clearance if installed in that diagonal wall - FWIW.
The 09's OEM Dunlop D250 wheel-skins felt distinctly more squirrelly crossing a steel deck bridge, even moreso than the original set of D250s that came on my '03 Wing ever did. I've never felt D250s, Dunlop Elites or Metzler tires feel even the slightest bit squirrelly on the same steel deck bridge before, so that was mildly surpsing. Maybe Dunlop's changed the D250 tread groove pattern or something? Been so long since I had D250s mounted I can't recall what the original tread pattern looked like. The new grooves are all more or less, longitudinal, not cross-bias or side-to-side. Think I'll definitely go with Dunlop Elites or Metz when it comes time for new rubber.
Tranny shifting seemed a LOT smoother on the '09 than the '02 or '03, so that was a "Bug-toothed Biker Grin" happy surprise, especially for a brand new not-yet-broken-in bike.
Mechanically speaking, everything seemed near-flawless, as more or less anticipated and expected. Probably only because I was specifically curious and "looking for it", I did feel just the ever-so-slightest hint of front-end decel-wobble at 35 MPH when loosening up grip on the handlebars. So slight as to almost be hardly noticeable at all. I guess Mother H still hasd't swung over to All Balls type roller-caged steering stem bearings yet. (Not much of an issue for me as I generally do keep my hands on the handlebars).
3 months down-time between Wings and I've just sprouted my new ones. What can I say? It's an 1800 Gold Wing and we all know what that means. I'm Lovin' It. If she just had a few more accessories of the right kind, I do believe I might even be inclined to marry her! LOL !
BTW, thanks once again to this board and all its Members. Once again, served as a wealth of info pre-shopping. Kinda interesting . . . the dealer mentioned in passing - first mentioned POST SALE - that I'd purchased the last '09 Level 2 he is even ABLE to order or get for the entire rest of the year.
With the impending shutdown of the Ohio Plant (at least for MC production), the dealer says Mother H has already manufactured all the 09 models that ever will exist. So, in conjunction with the reported April price increase to come, if you're the market for an '09, "ya best hurry".
