Honda Goldwing Broke Down; Don’t Let This Happen To You…

Honda Goldwing stalled Won’t Start. Wood Jr to the rescue. A video of the Goldwing battery failure and how it caught me unprepared. Things to recognize and monitor so this doesn’t happen to you. Get a good battery Jump starter(Noco boost Plus). Battery monitoring system of your choice. Eliminate the battery being your problem.

[@SteelWill7777]

I have a 2018 Gold Wing DCT Tour. I purchased it new in November 2018. I've used a battery tender from day one. It's now December 2023 and I have the original battery on the bike. Don't know how much longer the battery will last, but no signs of failure at this time. I place the bike right back on the tender after every ride with few exceptions.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I absolutely understand. I believe it’s the luck of the draw after hearing some of the other stories. I’m glad you have had great luck. Appreciate you chiming in and watching. Get a jumper pack just in case. Signs of failure doesn’t always give you a warning.

[@glenns6923]

Thank you, Sir, for the detailed info. Love the battery monitor! I will be getting one of those. I haven't had any luck with any battery tender, stopped using them and my battery life has almost doubled. I will charged if the bike has sat for a bit . Thanks.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Your welcome sir. That’s interesting you had no luck with battery tenders. I have used them on other equipment with great success. Have had one on my M109r for almost 4 years. Thanks for watching and commenting. Ride safe.

[@soujrnr]

I use that exact same Shumacher unit, and it has served me well for many years with both of my motorcycles! Great information here, Rich. Thanks for sharing! I hate that feeling when I'm riding, and suddenly the bike just stops working. I had it happen only on my old Suzuki Boulevard C90T because of a faulty stator (a known issue with them). It would intermittently just die. That really shoots down one's confidence when planning, or going on, a long ride because you just never know when it's going to go. Best to be prepared. To be forewarned is to be forearmed!! Ride safe, ride well, and ride often, sir!

[@richthereturnrider6737]

The Shumacher units have also served me well over many years. Great info also about the C90 stator issue. I’ll remember that since I own the M109r. I am hoping the battery monitoring system keep me updated. Great comment. Thanks for chiming in. Ride safe.

[@robertwhitemoto]

good stuff Rich, glad you and the misses were ok. I have the SCOSCHE PBJ700-1 PowerUp 700 for that very reason! Ride Safe !!

[@roadglide]

Same here Robert!

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Thanks guys. It’s all part of the adventure. Thankful that we were safe. The wife was a trooper. I saw that one on Cruise man garage but got to see this one live with Wood Jr. His might not be the same one but very similar. Thanks again and ride safe.

[@jgoogleheim8880]

Great advice. My experience is that batteries in new bikes have different lifespans. I sold my 2014 Indian Chief with thunderstroke 111 and original battery this Spring after ten years. It never failed to start even at 40F. Rode my 7 yr old 2016 KTM 1290 Superadventure in for service after weak starting and found that the battery was done. The onboard voltmeters for both bikes showed 14+V while running and both were kept on tenders all winter and when not used for awhile. Will look into getting that NOCO for my 23 GW DCT since 2.5 years goes by like green corn through the goose. Thanks and keep riding.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Very well said. My Boulevard still have the battery I bought it with still going strong going on 4 years now. Yeah traveling with a good jumper pack is a great idea. You have had some great bikes hope you’re enjoying your DCT. Thanks for watching and ride safe.

[@roadglide]

Some of you have been listening and taking notes to Chris Caliente with a Noco lithium battery. Very good.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Yeah I have but will research a little more before taking that route. Great info so far.

[@JoeGoeMotorcycleAdventures]

I need to get one of those battery boosters. I've been lucky and haven't had this happen yet. Also, that battery monitor is pretty cool!

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I was told by the Harley guys that don’t happen to Harleys.Lol. Thanks Joe. Ride safe

[@jimmyt55]

Hi. I stumbled upon this video on accident. But let’s talk about ,’timing’. Just yesterday I connected a ‘Schumacher’ batter trickle 1A. charger in hopes of taking a Christmas Day Ride, which is pretty unique in and around Chitown. I like your delivery, and the message. Many GL1800 riders are purely spoiled by the reliability of our bikes, never thinking what the bike needs , just push a button and go. Roadside diagnosis is out of the question for the uninitiated, non-mechanical rider, and that dude that helped you was awesome, and ready for anything basically. In closing I am sure to watch some more videos from you. ( I hope to get an action camera for Christmas so I can throw out some videos too.) JT north of Chitown

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Hey Jimmy thanks for watching and chiming in. I agree a hundred percent with everything you’ve said. The message again is to be prepared. My wife bought me the GoPro 7 that was relatively inexpensive and I started there. I encourage you to get started my friend. Great comment, and ride safe.

[@s.s.goldwing9797]

I still hate that you missed so much of the event, but hey something definitely come good of it you give us a lot of good information! Thank you😊

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Thanks Bart. It is part of the adventure. Hope the info helps. Thanks for watching and ride safe.

[@pepito0523]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have the GB 40. Be aware of the soft touch switches. Anything that pushes on it lightly it will turn on. I cut a grommet in half and glued each have around each switch. Hasn’t turned on on it’s own since.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Wow! Never thought of that happening. Great info. Thanks for sharing. I’ll concoct something to prevent that from happening. Thank you for watching.

[@obwan7217]

Jump starting the Goldwing will sometimes fry the radio..Always disconnect the number 25 (Audio)fuse in the fuse box.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Wow! I didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing that important info. Thanks for watching.

[@NSteele76]

I have 'battery anxiety' with my Wing, so decided to buy the Noco GB40 and it now lives in my topbox.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I’m right there with you. I hope my jump pack and monitoring system will give me a little reassurance. Won’t leave home without them. Thanks for watching. Ride safe.

[@garlandlabat4922]

I did not discover, until I started to plug in my battery tender, that the Goldwing electrical system must have a positive ground. The battery tender would not work when I hooked it up Red-to-Red. Only when I reversed the leads and hooked up red to black and black to red did it work. I discovered the same thing when adding a USB power port connected to the auxiliary power terminals in the fuse box.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I know that had me puzzled for a while. My M109r is similar. Thanks for watching.

[@jeromehebert3184]

thanks for the tips since I have a GW

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Your welcome

[@mrruss1103]

Good info! Thanks for sharing Rich.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Thanks for watching!

[@bennybumb8126]

Final update on the transmission issue. The dealer changed the linear solenoid but the Honda company wanted them to change the oil pressure sensor and all the oil rings since they were taking apart already because Honda had one bike which had similar issues due to oil rings. Honda explained the factory warranty by one more year as a good gesture. Now, it seems like it start smoothly compared to before, shifts smoothly as well. Will see when the weather gets warmer.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Ok. As long as you are happy with it that is all that matters and good luck. Thanks for keeping me updated.

[@MissJenni_ISO]

We have a jumper that will do a computer up to a big rig...18-wheeler. It started my Electra Glide Standard dead battery so that i could get to the dealership to get a new battery.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Which Jumper did you use?

[@edgardomatos6923]

great video. I need to move. north jersey this time of yr sucks.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

At least a it was a beautiful day during this event. I can relate. I am from Brooklyn NY, now living in Florida. Thanks and come on down.

[@GEEwingingit]

Great Video! NOCO onboard here!

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Great. Thank for watching. Will be ordering another for my truck. Ride safe.

[@ejseda6546]

Very informative, thanks for sharing!

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Glad it was helpful!

[@OnDownTheRoadProductions]

We gotta do a collab Rich one day

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Absolutely. We will make it happen.

[@alp3781]

Battery life has been an issue for many on 18+ wings. Mine went dead after 2.5 years. I own 2020 DCT Tour. Yes, I trickle charge it 24/7 since day one. These bikes, you have to. I went with Motobatt, AGM Batt and its superb, so far. She comes on fast. I, also got the booster by Hulkman 8.5. This thing is a killer. IMO, every new gen wing owner should install a voltmeter, extension, brass bolt and get a booster. Something is not right with the batt capacity by Honda. This bike drinks juice heavy.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I agree 100% with everything you said. I believe 2-3 years is the AGM batteries life span. What I continue to be puzzled by is the lack of warning that it is going dead. Thanks for watching.

[@alp3781]

@@richthereturnrider6737 Why Honda couldn't have a voltmeter on a 30K bike, baffles me. This is a cheap approach. Safe ride.

[@edgardomatos6923]

your pride is just admirable. love it. happy Harleys stopped to help.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I know. I had to take the heat from my Harley compadres. It’s all good. I have broad shoulders. Thanks for watching.

[@edgardomatos6923]

stand tall brother , honda gw is an amazing bike . salute to does that stopped. god bless . can wait for your next video .

[@michaeldraughn4878]

Had a similar problem..Found the trickle charger quick disconnect to battery was grounding to frame from wear..Also battery bolt was stripped. .Replaced with new bolt and new battery trickle charge wiring...Seems to have solved problem..

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Nice. Making sure those trickle chargers are working properly is key. Thanks for watching.

[@harryhowell5644]

My bike is two years old. Other day i did a service and played the radio for about 2 hours. Bike started up and parked it for 2days. 3 rd day went to start and battery was to weak. Put it on a battery tender for a day and so far so good. I usually get about 3 years out of one.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I think once the battery takes that initial discharge it never seem to be the same. I am now looking into whether all chargers are for every type of batteries. This might also be our problems. AGM,Lead Acid, Lithium etc…Thanks for watching.

[@roadtripper5553]

You know if you don't break down once in a while. The Harley guys won't play with you LO. L.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

That’s great. The Harley guys were great. Thanks for watching.

[@bennybumb8126]

Well sir, don’t feel bad. My 2023 Goldwing tour broke down on the road 2 miles away from home the very next ride after driving it home putting only 7 miles on it. Now at the dealership charging out GASKET, CLUTCH COVER SOLENOID, LINEAR SENSOR, OIL PRESSURE CIRCLIP (INNER) (40) O-RING (35X2.2) O-RING (29X2.4) O-RING (7.7X1.9) COTTER, CLUTCH RING, SEAL (21.2MM) RING, SEAL (28MM) O-RING (23.3X1.9) O-RING (35.5X1.9). I also found out I am one in a million. Maybe that should be my theme song if I ever needed one.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I don’t understand. What is all of that damage from? 2023 is a new bike. Please elaborate.

[@bennybumb8126]

When I sat on the bike at the dealership, it had zero miles. When I got home, it had seven miles. On my way home, I sensed very hard, slamming like feel to changing gears. Mostly first to second but higher seemed to be more smooth. Then I took it out for a ride part local roads and part highway. I had been changing modes without any notable glitches but after riding on tour mode on the highway; trying to go from tour to rain it cycled through economy, at which time transmission fizzled out. Bike stuck in 1st. gear with the _***** sign on the right side of the dash. It refused to go in to drive and then when it did, it refused to go in to neutral. Eventually, I was able to drive it home in first gear. I just got back from the dealer. Service guy said, not sure what the exact cause is, so they are trying to replace some parts at a time to see what might fix the problem. I got the bike on end of October. End of November this happened. I am told, I am one in a million. Hope this helps a little.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

@@bennybumb8126 thanks so much For explaining. I am sorry that happened to you. I have never heard anything like that. That is absolutely crazy. 1 in a million huh. Man I hope you get this resolved and please keep me posted. Again thanks for the detailed explanation. Obviously a serious manufacturer defect. I’m rooting for you.

[@bennybumb8126]

I have a question for you. Do you feel, if this is something that I should demand that they should give me another new bike? Like you said, you’ve never heard anything like this before. Being, it could be a manufacturing defect. I brought it up with the dealer finance manager, who said, he is like a go between with the Honda Company. Very nice guy. He said, it’s fixable. I wonder though, if it’s within my rights to settle or not settle for a brand spanking new bike, right out of the box that has to be fixed for it to be useful vs. replacement. Do you have an opinion?

[@richthereturnrider6737]

@@bennybumb8126 I n my opinion I am paying for a brand new motorcycle with a possible factory defect. I don’t know who is disassembling my brand new motorcycle and I don’t want my brand new vehicles with these kind of issues to be torn apart. I would be requesting another bike or a refund. Only my opinion. The catastrophic failure it suffered is always going to be in the back of my mind.

[@user-se5zz3yj9c]

Great video Man👊🇺🇸👊

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Thank you much brother and thanks for watching.

[@kenstringer9756]

This happened to me but it was a key fob even though my little lights on the fob were lighting up!

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I absolutely thought it was the fob but we replaced the battery. Thanks for watching. Ride safe.

[@MissJenni_ISO]

You may be able to benefit using lithium batteries. We can't up in the Pacific Northwest because it gets too cold up here. But you also want to be careful about charging the lithiums and not overcharge them. Just my thoughts. Ride safe! Ride fun! Miss Jenni Out!

[@richthereturnrider6737]

I know. Saw the Caliente video on the Lithium but had a previous experience with Lithium and Lipo battery failure that didn’t end so well. Waiting to do more research before delving over to them. Thanks for the great info and thanks for watching.

[@seatime674]

😅😅Harley people can laugh all they want, Harley isnt even in the same universe in reliability as Goldwing. Literally night and day😅

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Today’s Harleys have proven to be great bikes but we all have our opinions. Thanks for watching and for sharing. Appreciated. Ride safe my friend.

[@theonlyredspecial]

Had a lot of Harley’s never had issues however they are very simple bikes and engines. The wing has a fairly sophisticated flat 6 engine which by any engineering standards is pretty remarkable. My friend has over 350,000 miles on his and I googled it to see if that was normal and some people have over half a million on theirs. One even has over a million miles on his. Google it. At the end of the day we are all bikers and I don’t understand brand loyalty. Just enjoy whatever gets you excited ❤

[@MrMoneyHelper]

All motorcycles need to have kick starters. I've gone months with a low battery that was incapable of starting the motorcycle, but I could ride it all of the time because it had a kick starter. All motorcycles can be started with kick starters. In the 1970s and early 80s big four cylinder motorcycles all had kick starters. BMW kick starters were cool to see because they were on the left side and were perpendicular to the direction of the motorcycle. A Goldwing would have such a design.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Don’t know about turning over a 1833cc with a kickstarter. The kick back would be quite dangerous. I like the thought. Thanks for watching and ride safe.

[@MrMoneyHelper]

A Goldwing has six 305 cc cylinders that aren't pressurized at the same time. It would be easy to kick start one. Women kick start large S&S motors and other Harley Davidsons with no problems. Just put the pistons in the right spot and jump on it. Look at this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e52UmnmwhtqkrpY&pp=ygUbd29tYW4ga2ljayBzdGFydHMgUyZTIG1vdG9y@@richthereturnrider6737

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

I have some background in working with batteries. Not enough to call myself and expert but enough to be aware of the pitfalls. It's important to follow manufacturer's specifications when changing batteries, specifically chemistry. Lead Acid, AGM and the variety of lithium batteries that we now have on the market all have different charging voltage and current rates. If you fail to modify your charging system to accommodate a change in battery chemistry, you will kill the battery very prematurely if it is not designed to work within the parameters of the charging system of your bike. And why would you modify your charging system on a motorcycle to change battery chemistries? I wouldn't. The best thing that you can possibly do to prolong life is to stay within the manufacturer's specifications of amperage, chemistry and post orientation and in the case of lead acid and AGM's, keep them at full charge. Anecdotally, I'm seeing a lot of people move from lead acid to AGM batteries, all with the same result. Failure. If that GoldWing came out with a lead acid battery, stick to it. If it came out with an AGM, stick to it. No, they don't last like they used to, but if you keep them charged, you should get a few years out of them and a gradual decline in serviceability. Thanks for the content, I hope this helps.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Wow! Wow. Sir, this is great stuff and make lots of sense. I will be researching this more. I never thought along these lines. It makes me a little skeptical now to use these all purpose chargers. I will look more into this and hopefully be able to to share this on a video. Thank you so much for this info. Greatly appreciated. Thanks for watching.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@richthereturnrider6737 Thanks for your reply. As far as I can tell, those smart chargers are very good. Don't ask me how, it's brainiac magic, but they do seem to be able to work out what's what on their own and make adjustments accordingly.

[@robertcraft-pj2jp]

In the defense of the Honda Goldwing, is the battery is what failed. Nothing on the electric or mechanical side of the bike was any problem. Honda quality is still very much present like always. I have a 2008 Goldwing it has never let me down. But everyone needs to remember that what is man made will fail at some point. Ride safe my brothers!!⭐️🇺🇸🇺🇸⭐️💫

[@richthereturnrider6737]

Great points. Will be doing a parasitic amp check to make sure nothing is draining. Bike charging system seems fine. Many info out there of this same kind of battery failure. No big deal. We live and we learn. True, all man made product are fallible. Thanks for watching and the comment. Ride safe.

[@aldonavarro2959]

18.52 minutes to say the battery.

[@richthereturnrider6737]

From 2:17 minutes into the video the discussion was about batteries. Thanks for watching. Ride safe.

[@joboy2373]

new battery give no warning just one day they are dead

[@richthereturnrider6737]

That is what was so puzzling to me. Absolutely no warning. I have never before had a battery failure without warning.