[DJFriar]

I have a small bonus coming and want to upgrade my Gold Wing a little. I am mostly trying to increase comfort right now so researching seats and such, but wanted to see what kind of things the group suggests that they would do to their bike if they had some extra cash to spend on it.

I already have GripPuppies, HeliBar Sport Riser, RAM Phone Mount, and ClearWater Darlas.

And if you have any links on best places to read about / buy, I would greatly appreciate them being shared. Though I know how to Google too. :wink2:

 

[William Anzik]

I'd Traxxionize it. I don't know how the aftermarket seats are for the 2018+ but I do know how the stock ones are so a seat upgrade would be a great option too.

 

[Jefro1]

...... I am mostly trying to increase comfort right now so researching seats and such, but wanted to see what kind of things the group suggests that they would do to their bike if they had some extra cash to spend on it......

Wow, nice to get the bonus!
There are lots of optional parts that are becoming available to make the new Wing more user friendly for trips.

But for comfort, I would have to put a seat and windshield at the top of the list.
Then, a backrest and highway pegs would take the comfort to the next level.
The foam grip puppies and the Helibar risers are a great addition, but you have that covered already.

After the comfort items, I would suggest a quality bluetooth helmet unit with the high end speaker option for your tunes on your usb flash drive stick.
And if you do a lot of canyon carving, the Traxxion shocks would be very nice to have, otherwise the stock units are pretty good for every day riding.
Good luck with your choice, and let us know how it works out for you.
Jefro.

 

[DJFriar]

But for comfort, I would have to put a seat and windshield at the top of the list.
Then, a backrest and highway pegs would take the comfort to the next level.
The foam grip puppies and the Helibar risers are a great addition, but you have that covered already.

After the comfort items, I would suggest a quality bluetooth helmet unit with the high end speaker option for your tunes on your usb flash drive stick.
And if you do a lot of canyon carving, the Traxxion shocks would be very nice to have, otherwise the stock units are pretty good for every day riding.
Good luck with your choice, and let us know how it works out for you.
Jefro.

I actually have the Neotec 2 with the Sena SRL system. Its ok, but I use the bike speakers most the time anyway unless I'm on the phone.

 

[DJFriar]

I'd Traxxionize it. I don't know how the aftermarket seats are for the 2018+ but I do know how the stock ones are so a seat upgrade would be a great option too.

I've kept on eye on the Traxxion stuff. I'm not sure I need it yet, though I have managed to bottom out the suspension a few times. With it under warranty I'll probably wait a little longer before seriously entertaining that upgrade though. I'd also like to ride a GL1833 equipped with his system so I can get a better idea just how different it would be.

 

[JT_BMW]

I'd spend the money taking my Wing on a nice trip up the coast, staying in some good hotels, eating well, and enjoying riding through the redwoods and visiting the light houses and such...

 

[Captron]

Save money! Go to Walmart (or any seat cushion maker) and purchase a seat cushion, that fits your stock seat..[for a price of under $10.000]. Place on top of seat, and enjoy the ride............and as BMW above recommended, enjoy a nice trip, eat good food, rest in a nice hotel, take a picture of that lighthouse, and come home relaxed! THIS IS THE CAPTAIN'S ORDERS..........Enjoy that well deserved vacation!!!!

Ronnie

 

[DJFriar]

Save money! Go to Walmart (or any seat cushion maker) and purchase a seat cushion, that fits your stock seat..[for a price of under $10.000]. Place on top of seat, and enjoy the ride............and as BMW above recommended, enjoy a nice trip, eat good food, rest in a nice hotel, take a picture of that lighthouse, and come home relaxed! THIS IS THE CAPTAIN'S ORDERS..........Enjoy that well deserved vacation!!!!

Ronnie

Seat cushion isn't gonna cut it. They flatten out way too quick and while they may help for a 100 mile jaunt, I do more of the 1000 mile at a time type riding, so comfy seat isn't a waste. Additionally, I'm not quite happy with my seating position yet, so a new seat will help with that as well. I mentioned the seat mostly to keep the thread from turning into a which seat to get thread as I live close enough to Corbin to make going there an option, which will make the seat custom made for me, so that is what I'm going to do.

Trips are a cool idea, but work gets more in the way of good trips than the money does. I'm mostly looking at improving my quality of life while on the bike, as it is my only form of transportation.

 

[Budman254]

Seat, Windshield, Highway pegs, in that order if its comfort your looking for. That will eat up about 2/3 of your $2k. Spend the rest on a hotel room at least 500 miles away and take the backroads there

 

[Redbones]

Your looking for comfort so there is only a limited number of upgrades.
For me it was leg position. The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't move my legs around so Kuryakyn highway pegs were first on the list.
To me, next would be the seat , but only if you think that it would really make a $800 - $1000 difference. I'm not in that boat yet, but seating comfort and position is probably one of the most important things for riding, it can make or break any ride. It was one of the first upgrades I did to my X.

Riding gear would be next on my list, comfortable riding pants, jacket, gloves, boots, and helmet are also a must for longer rides.
Vented gear for hotter days, and possibly heated gear for colder rides.

Next would be wind. Depending on where you ride you may want more or less wind on you. there are vent systems that can be added to direct air on or away from you when riding. Another thing I noticed right away was this bike is definitely hotter to ride than my X. My hands get hot even with my vented gloves on. This bike will be great in the spring and fall weather.
They make a large vent system witch I don't think that I would want, just too big looking. But the small wing vents that go under the mirrors are something I may consider. A larger or shorter windshield would also change the amount of wind on the riders.

Some may say stereo, or blue tooth headsets but to me, (even tho I do use the stereo) music is secondary, I rode for many years without it, if the stereo blew up today I would be in no rush to fix it. Really has nothing to do with comfort.

I probably didn't think of everything but those are some of the things that I would consider.

Have FUN spending that bonus!! I'm jealous....

 

[bob2002]

Within 24 hours of buying my 2018 the Traxxion suspension was being installed, I'd do the same thing today:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[laen]

Apply the funds to pay for part of the full TRAXXION
(will do within the year)

 

[Barrycuda67]

Upgrade the seat if you feel OEM isn’t cutting it. See if you can find someone to let you sit and ride on anything with an ultimate, hartco, RDL, etc. Some feel the OEM is just fine. We all are built and ride differently. If the seat is not an issue, go with a good quality windshield. I also would spend some money on a good restaurant and or a good attraction with the wing. I’ve done mountains and curves and such in NC, WV, TN etc with stock suspension and the bike handled just fine. Enjoy your decisions...

 

[bob2002]

Apply the funds to pay for part of the full TRAXXION
(will do within the year)

I paid 2046.00 including the lock pin.

 

[beckhardt]

I'd do something really nice for (or with) my wife. Geez, after putting up with me all these years she deserves it. With the remaining $1980 of the original $2,000, I would take my buddies to the ball game.4:

 

[raw2210]

Take wife to nice dinner.

New seat / highway pegs. Tie for 2nd.

Back rest. But if wife is not with me and she's not most of the time. My T-Bag becomes my backrest. And most times I have to stuff it with pillows and stuff or something like to fill it like on my last 8 day trip.

Trailer hitch? Unsure if you do that or want to.

Trailer hitch allows also a Pakit Rak which I use when wife is along. Gives us all the room we need for packing.

 

[bingle50]

I'd spend the money taking my Wing on a nice trip up the coast, staying in some good hotels, eating well, and enjoying riding through the redwoods and visiting the light houses and such...

Same thing except I would go east, spent 7 years going to the west coast from Texas. Need to spend more time in the Smokies, Appalachian & Catskills.

 

[wingman05]

I would certainly have the Traxxion front/rear suspension upgrades installed.

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

I have a small bonus coming and want to upgrade my Gold Wing a little. I am mostly trying to increase comfort right now so researching seats and such, but wanted to see what kind of things the group suggests that they would do to their bike if they had some extra cash to spend on it.

I already have GripPuppies, HeliBar Sport Riser, RAM Phone Mount, and ClearWater Darlas.

And if you have any links on best places to read about / buy, I would greatly appreciate them being shared. Though I know how to Google too. :wink2:

Don't forget about maintenance. Some owners with 5th gens didn't give services much thought. To them it meant oil and filter, new brake pads, and tires when needed. However, as time went on, and their mileage racked up, their lack of maintenance turned in to rear brake lock ups, and overheating issues. As always, there can be everything wrong with doing maintenance late, but rarely anything wrong with doing it ahead of schedule.

 

[psy]

$2k to play with for Wing things??? Hummm,,, Would not waste money on a new saddle. My butt and scrotum always hurts. Has since I was a kid. Not a saddle made to make it better. Complete waste of money chasing that bliss for me.

Mine needs HWY Pegs, a small bottle holder, grips, usb/power port, bars raised, tasteful leds tucked away for a glow at night, lower cowling paint match, headlight, frontal and bag paint protection. That's it! The rest of the funds would go into my maint. account that I keep separate from all other financial accounts. I tend to burn through tires, brake pads and other maint. related items.