GL1000 Goldwing 1978 Eight Ball

 GL1000 Goldwing 1978 "Eight Ball"

One word "GoldWing", well actually, there is an amazing motorcycle hiding underneath all that crap they originally put on those bikes. We pulled everything 'non-essential' off the bike and we were really happy with the result. This motor is very reliable and is ideal for cross country riding. The low center of gravity actually makes the bike perform in the turns better than you think it would.

The Honda Goldwing first saw the light of day at the Cologne Motorcycle Show in October 1974, as the flat-four cylinder, 999cc GL1000. While this first production version of the now famous Goldwing was ultimately deemed to be a success (it was after all the birth of a legend), it's place in the world of motorcycling was not entirely cast in stone at the beginning. Part of the reason for this was the fact that the GL1000 didn't really fit properly into any particular motorcycle class, even though it was officially tagged as a tourer. Weighing in at 584lbs dry, it was far too heavy to be called a sports bike and the upright sitting position also helped to kill of any such sporting pretensions.

1977 saw the first changes based on customer feedback to Honda (hands up all those who can remember filling out those early questionnaires at rallies) and the Goldwing got higher handlebars with neoprene grips, dual contoured saddle and chromed heat shields on the header pipes.