Old Goldwing as adv tourer
 

I'm looking for a solid, reliable two-up machine for a Central/South American trip. Mid to late 1980s Goldwings are easy to find in Canada, and cheap. I know spare parts would be hard to find down south, but well-maintained Goldwings are probably dead reliable. Besides, would parts be any MORE scarce than for a BMW?

Any thoughts?

I'd recommend the GL1100 over the 1000. The latter handles like a concrete slab and I have seen a few high-mileage engines with crankshafts snapped in two. The crankcase gets terminally damaged in the process...

Apart from the excess weight and lack of ground clearance I can say only good things about the 1100.

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Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

How about a cx500/650 or gl500/650

the gl is essentially a mini goldwing, the engines are easyer to work on and equally relyable, a cx will do suppriseingly well off road, not perfect but allot better than you will experiance on a wing (being many kg lighter!) only things to watch out for are mechanical seals (pain in the ass but the engine will go for years unattended) and the chargeing system windings, just get them done to be sure, appart from these (which will not stop the bike) they are solid http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

(you can even fit gl1200 shocks on the back and air assisted fork caps)