The GL 1800 Goldwing
Updated 8-12-2008
I went from a 1988 GL1500 to a 2002 GL 1800 in march of 2007,
Member; Goldwing Road Riders Association www.gwrra.org
Member; Iron Butt Association http://www.ironbutt.com
Member; Dark Side #82 may not be what you think http://www.gl1800riders.com/forums/
some pictures of our adventures on the wing
Click on a picture to enlarge.
On June 19th, 1998, on my birthday, I picked up my first Goldwing. Now let me start back in March, 1998. A friend of mine invited me to go with him to Texas on motorcycles. It was about 10 years since I had ridden a motorcycle. Right after this invitation a 750 Honda came up for sale from a cousin of mine. Sunday, March 22nd I picked it up, Wednesday the 25th we loaded up the trailer, and Friday the 27th we headed for Nashville TN. After some flat tires, broken springs, and running out of gas, we got to our destination. Here we unloaded the bikes at the third friends house, who just got his Goldwing about six months before, and whose idea this whole thing was. Sunday morning we started for Texas. I knew this was going to be a great trip when the first place we stop for a butt break is Buck Snort, Tennessee.
That first day we traveled though Arkansas, to Jefferson Texas were we spent the night. The next morning we went to see the grave site of Charles grand parents, he had never been there before. This day took us to Cut-n-Shoot TX, were we got a watermelon for the evening snack. We were headed for Willis TX, which we made in daylight. Our base camp was a condo overlooking Lake Conroe. That Was Monday, Tuesday Morning we headed for Brownsville TX. My uncle lives there and he promised to take us in to Mexico to do some shopping. That was I long but beautiful ride, I really enjoyed the cactus and palm trees, something we don’t have in Wisconsin. We did make it before nightfall, and after a good home cooked supper, and some visiting we hit the sack, a long day tomorrow.
Wednesday morning we went to Mexico with my uncle and his wife, leaving the bikes behind, too bad. We shopped and walked in -------- Mexico (ever try to pack 6 blankets, 2 shirts, and more on an already full 750 Honda) till just after noon, than on our way back to the condo. It was late when we got back, but not too late to make the next days plans, Glen Rose TX. We wanted to see the Creation Evidences Museum there and visit some friends in Keene TX. We stayed in Keene with a friend of Doug’s that night. We needed a good night’s sleep to get back the next day, of course we didn’t with all the visiting we had to do. Well Friday Morning we left for Charlies home in Nashville, we made it as far as Memphis TN. It turned cold that day, and the next, the high temp was 52 deg. and that was in the morning. Well we did get back to Charlies Saturday night and loaded up the bikes, now with 2,800 more miles on them. Only one broken spring on the trailer to slow us down on the way home.
*-Ok back to June 19th, I was going to a church camp for the week. I had the trailer loaded with all the stuff, tent, picnic table, glider, and with some biking friends going to be there I had the 750 on too. After work on the Wednesday before this Friday, I had stopped at the local Honda dealer to see about some parts for my fairing. Well you can’t just stop and not look! There was an ‘88’ wing, and well wouldn’t you know it, the sales man talked me in to taking it for a ride. Well a ride can’t hurt. Oh this feels good! I looked for the financing that evening and the next day, and could not get it. I told them I couldn’t buy the Wing. When they tried to get me in a lesser bike I just told them I may not be a dedicated Wing owner, but I am a dedicated Wing wanter.
That was Thursday evening, now it is Friday morning and I am all packed and at work for a couple hours before leaving. I remembered I had called a credit union, and had to call them back this morning. At 9 am. I called them and they said they would finance the Wing! I immediately called the dealer back and told them to get it ready, we made the arrangement over the phone for me to drop the trailer off at the dealership and they would load the Wing (and there was a lot of stuff to off load first and then reload) while I went to the credit union and did the paperwork. When I returned to the dealership MY 88 Wing was loaded, they waited for me to get there to secure it, so they could show me how to do it right. I pulled out of there at 11 am. on my way to campmeeting as we call it.
The next day I unloaded it and took it for a little ride. I found Doug, my riding buddy. He could hardly believe what he saw as I pulled up. Sunday I went for a little ride again and found some friends gassing up for a ride so I joined them for a ice-cream cone at some far away place (maybe 15 miles). Each morning I rode a little and a little more, and a little more. I went to see the Mississippi river, the hills of southwestern Wisconsin, and any where I could get to and back by noon. I had some kids to feed and remember I am at campmeeting full of inspirational meetings going on all day. I put 1,200 miles on that first week I owned my ‘88’ Wing.
This putts me back at work for three days, and what do you know, I have Friday, through Tuesday off for the Fourth of July. I had been planning to go on a long ride with the 750, but now we can go for a real ride. I asked Erin, my youngest daughter to go with me to the black hills of South Dakota. I left Friday morning from home at 3am. to go and pick her up about 6 am. in Columbus Wisconsin. Leaving there we traveled all day stopping for gas every 125 miles or so, I was pulling a loaded trailer I borrowed from Doug. Some times Erin would not even get off and stretch her legs, saying she was comfortable sitting right there. It did rain on and off the whole day. We arrived in Murdo SD around 6:30 that evening, over 800 miles. We had gone up to Mt. Rushmore the next day as soon as we found a motel. When we got back to our motel it started to rain hard. We were hungry and rain or no rain we were going to eat. On the way back to Rapid City from Mt. Rushmore we had past a Pizza Hut. Off we went about 4 miles in the pouring rain to get some supper, as fate would have it there was a Pizza Hut half of a block from the motel, we couldn’t see it in all the rain. The next day we went out to see Devils Tower and took the scenic route, there was a sign at one intersection the recommended motorcycles use a different route, but it was the scenic route, and being some what mocho, big mistako. There was mud and mud and mud. We did make it and it was worth it to see the scenery we saw. We spent the next the day riding on Needles highway and in Custer Park. This is awesome bike country. Being the good dad I am we stopped for a horse ride through this beautiful country. We planned it so we would be at Mt. Rushmore for the evening. There were going to be fireworks, they were going to be on Friday but it was so foggy they postponed it, (I think they did it so we could be there). We were there sitting in the amphitheater for the Lighting of the faces and the fireworks. The first time in 39 years they had fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, another awesome. Monday we started back, stopping at Wall Drug of course. We went through the Bad Lands National Park, good riding, scenery, and corners, don’t ya love it. There was some rain on the way back and even some snow along the road. We had just missed a big squall. We spent that night drying our clothes on the registers of the motel in Sou Falls SD. Tuesday seemed to drag on, going home, back to work, stuff like that.
I now had my Wing three weeks and already had a 2,400 mile trip in. I used my car once in the next three months, of course it did break down the one time I used, that might have something to do with that. The first Summer I had my Wing I put over 20,000 miles on it.
return to Ziesmer Family Home www.ziesmerhome.com
Elgin & Rebecca Ziesmer
Oconto,
WI USA
920-834-2199
E-Mail
Me, elgin@ziesmerhome.com
E-Mail
Me, becky@ziesmerhome.com
Member; Iron Butt Association http://www.ironbutt.com
Member; Dark Side #82 may not be what you think http://www.gl1800riders.com/forums/
some pictures of our adventures on the wing
Click on a picture to enlarge.
*-Ok back to June 19th, I was going to a church camp for the week. I had the trailer loaded with all the stuff, tent, picnic table, glider, and with some biking friends going to be there I had the 750 on too. After work on the Wednesday before this Friday, I had stopped at the local Honda dealer to see about some parts for my fairing. Well you can’t just stop and not look! There was an ‘88’ wing, and well wouldn’t you know it, the sales man talked me in to taking it for a ride. Well a ride can’t hurt. Oh this feels good! I looked for the financing that evening and the next day, and could not get it. I told them I couldn’t buy the Wing. When they tried to get me in a lesser bike I just told them I may not be a dedicated Wing owner, but I am a dedicated Wing wanter.
That was Thursday evening, now it is Friday morning and I am all packed and at work for a couple hours before leaving. I remembered I had called a credit union, and had to call them back this morning. At 9 am. I called them and they said they would finance the Wing! I immediately called the dealer back and told them to get it ready, we made the arrangement over the phone for me to drop the trailer off at the dealership and they would load the Wing (and there was a lot of stuff to off load first and then reload) while I went to the credit union and did the paperwork. When I returned to the dealership MY 88 Wing was loaded, they waited for me to get there to secure it, so they could show me how to do it right. I pulled out of there at 11 am. on my way to campmeeting as we call it.
The next day I unloaded it and took it for a little ride. I found Doug, my riding buddy. He could hardly believe what he saw as I pulled up. Sunday I went for a little ride again and found some friends gassing up for a ride so I joined them for a ice-cream cone at some far away place (maybe 15 miles). Each morning I rode a little and a little more, and a little more. I went to see the Mississippi river, the hills of southwestern Wisconsin, and any where I could get to and back by noon. I had some kids to feed and remember I am at campmeeting full of inspirational meetings going on all day. I put 1,200 miles on that first week I owned my ‘88’ Wing.
This putts me back at work for three days, and what do you know, I have Friday, through Tuesday off for the Fourth of July. I had been planning to go on a long ride with the 750, but now we can go for a real ride. I asked Erin, my youngest daughter to go with me to the black hills of South Dakota. I left Friday morning from home at 3am. to go and pick her up about 6 am. in Columbus Wisconsin. Leaving there we traveled all day stopping for gas every 125 miles or so, I was pulling a loaded trailer I borrowed from Doug. Some times Erin would not even get off and stretch her legs, saying she was comfortable sitting right there. It did rain on and off the whole day. We arrived in Murdo SD around 6:30 that evening, over 800 miles. We had gone up to Mt. Rushmore the next day as soon as we found a motel. When we got back to our motel it started to rain hard. We were hungry and rain or no rain we were going to eat. On the way back to Rapid City from Mt. Rushmore we had past a Pizza Hut. Off we went about 4 miles in the pouring rain to get some supper, as fate would have it there was a Pizza Hut half of a block from the motel, we couldn’t see it in all the rain. The next day we went out to see Devils Tower and took the scenic route, there was a sign at one intersection the recommended motorcycles use a different route, but it was the scenic route, and being some what mocho, big mistako. There was mud and mud and mud. We did make it and it was worth it to see the scenery we saw. We spent the next the day riding on Needles highway and in Custer Park. This is awesome bike country. Being the good dad I am we stopped for a horse ride through this beautiful country. We planned it so we would be at Mt. Rushmore for the evening. There were going to be fireworks, they were going to be on Friday but it was so foggy they postponed it, (I think they did it so we could be there). We were there sitting in the amphitheater for the Lighting of the faces and the fireworks. The first time in 39 years they had fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, another awesome. Monday we started back, stopping at Wall Drug of course. We went through the Bad Lands National Park, good riding, scenery, and corners, don’t ya love it. There was some rain on the way back and even some snow along the road. We had just missed a big squall. We spent that night drying our clothes on the registers of the motel in Sou Falls SD. Tuesday seemed to drag on, going home, back to work, stuff like that.
I now had my Wing three weeks and already had a 2,400 mile trip in. I used my car once in the next three months, of course it did break down the one time I used, that might have something to do with that. The first Summer I had my Wing I put over 20,000 miles on it.
return to Ziesmer Family Home www.ziesmerhome.com
Elgin & Rebecca Ziesmer
Oconto,
WI USA
920-834-2199
E-Mail
Me, elgin@ziesmerhome.com
E-Mail
Me, becky@ziesmerhome.com