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1984 Honda GL1200 Standard (by Guy 'Guido' Allen, August 2023) ![]() Honda's
naked model for 1984 is relatively little known today,
and could be something of an underestimated gem
It may be hard to accept any Honda GL
series as an oddball, but this GL1200 Standard from the
mid-eighties seemed to enjoy a short time in the market,
when it's fully-dressed brethren such as the Interstate
and Aspencade were ruling the touring roost. However there seems to be a group of Wing
nuts out there who are not only aware of the model but
hold it in high regard. If you've ridden a naked Gold Wing – most
likely the original 1000 or second-gen 1100 – you may
understand that, while it will never be mistaken for a
sport bike, a naked Wing has a lot of virtues. ![]()
The GL1200 has fans for a number of reasons, mostly to do with the powerplant. A comprehensive upgrade saw it lift claimed power from 81hp at 7000rpm to 94. In addition, the gearing was raised significantly for a far more relaxed highway gait. In addition, the valve lash was changed to hydraulic, which made the engine as near as you get to maintenance-free. Honda also introduced linked braking with this generation, connecting one of the front discs to the rear, operated off the footpedal, while the front lever operated as normal. Meanwhile the frame had been upgraded to a stronger unit. Dry weight was around 275kg. Bring a Trailer sold the 1984 example you see here last February for Au$5800 (US$3700, GB£2900), which seems like a lot of bike for the money. We can't help thinking it would make a really good club run machine, particularly given how reliable they are. Adventure Rider online makes a compelling case for owning one, likening it to a forerunner of the Valkyrie – see the story here. It mentions one currently for sale in the USA via Cycle Trader at Au$6200 (US$4000, GB£3200). ![]() See the 1975 GL1000 that was in our shed (above). See our 1975 Gold Wing GL1000 model profile. ------------------------------------------------- Produced by AllMoto abn 61 400 694 722 |
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