1985 Honda GL1200 Interstate from United States of America

Summary:

It's a classic, full-boat touring 'Wing with a sweet motor

Faults:

Turn signals don't work reliably; fixable I hope.

Air leaks on (original) rear shocks.

AM/FM CD player is falling apart I think from being vibrated to death over bumps etc.

Fairing-mounted mirrors flopped around so much it drove me nuts and they were useless for viewing traffic, so I replaced them with the bar-mounted variety and am loving the change.

Trunk has a crack in it, but it is 30 years old. ;)

General Comments:

Great old touring bike. I've wanted to own one of these for a while. I bought it primarily for a 1000+ mile roadtrip through southwest Colorado and it performed great. Handles well for an old heavy bike, and it constantly reminds me that is an old, heavy tourer, but it'll do fine when I respect its limits.

It's a comfy, surprisingly nimble, old couch that will rocket ahead when called upon. I love the engine on this machine! I get 40+ MPG on the highway and it's got great, smooth acceleration in pretty much every gear and starts every time. I've ridden on some dirt roads and it did surprising well there too.

This bike has some cosmetic and electrical issues, but nothing major. Seems like it will run forever. It is a hot ride when it's hot though; man I wish Honda added more vents to the fairing. But I do like the fairing's weather protection and I've needed it. I'm thinking of adding a shorter, vented screen, which should help.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th August, 2014