Honda Gold Wing Aspencade Se-I

HONDA GOLD WING ASPENCADE SE-i

27,000 MILES WITH THE STAFF STATION WAGON

LONG-TERM TEST

IT'S BEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY twice. It’s explored Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. It’s been in parades at Gold Wing rallies. It’s survived a Texas blizzard. It’s had its underpinnings dragged around some of California’s most challenging backroads. And it’s been pressed into almost-daily service as a commuter. “It” is CYCLE WORLD’S long-term HondaGold Wing Aspencade SE-i, a bike that has logged just under 27,000 miles (26,881 as of this writing) in the 14 months it has been in our possession. During that time, the Aspencade has served us faithfully,

never suffering any mechanical difficulty severe enough to leave its rider stranded.

There have been some nagging problems, though, that seem out of character for a $10,000 motorcycle. First and foremost was the auto-leveling air-suspension system, which began working sporadically at the 8500-mile mark. When the SE-i was taken to our local dealer for its 10,000-mile service, the problem was traced to a faulty solenoid.

That solenoid, which activates the system’s on-board air compressor, was replaced free of charge under the bike’s warranty. But the rest of the 10,000-mile servicing lightened CYCLE WORLD’S corporate wallet by the rather hefty sum of $425—although about half of that expense was, admittedly, due to the replacement of both tires in preparation for the SE-i’s participation in a six-bike touring shootout.

The SE-i went on to win that coastto-coast-to-coast touring comparison, despite the fact that the air system once again let us down, literally and figuratively, by refusing to keep air captive in the suspension for more than a few minutes. This time, a

faulty Schrader valve was to blame, and once again, our dealer fixed the malfunction under warranty.

After that, the SE-i logged 10,000 relatively uneventful miles, although it did receive yet another new set of tires—this time, a pair of Michelin HiTours. The original rear tire, a stock Dunlop Qualifier, had lasted about 10,000 miles, and the second, an identical Dunlop, was shot by 8500 miles. In each instance, the front tire still had thousands of miles on it, but we replaced it at the same time as the rear just for the sake of consistency. The third set, the Michelin Hi-Tours, provided slightly better overall handling than the OEM Qualifiers; but, unfortunately, we didn’t get any mileage numbers from the Michelins, because they were taken off and replaced by a fourth set, a pair of Dunlop Elite GT tires. This action was mandated by Honda (which still owns the machine) so that our longterm SE-i could be part of a joint Honda/Dunlop press introduction of the Elite GTs. These tires, which will be standard equipment on 1987 ’Wings, are intended to be the answer for riders who have been dissatisfied with the low mileage their Qualifiers were delivering. And so far, they seem to live up to their billing, for they grip the road at least as well as the Qualifiers, but don’t seem to be wearing as quickly.

As the time drew close for the Gold Wing’s 20,000-mile checkup, a couple of other problems cropped up, one of which was an annoying lowrpm stumble. This stumble generally disappears once the bike is ridden 25 or 30 miles, but until then, it makes low-speed riding and pulling away from a stop a pain in the neck—not the sort of behavior you expect from a computerized fuel-injection system that is supposed to preclude such problems. Our dealer had never before seen this condition and was unable to remedy it; but just before we went to press, Honda informed us that the probable cause for the problem is carbon buildup on the throttle plate, and that we should take the machine to our dealer to have the plate cleaned. If this cleaning does not resolve the problem, we’ll let you know.

The SE-i also continually exhibited the violent handlebar waggle that occurs on most big touring rigs when the rider takes both hands off the grips at moderate (25 to 40 mph) speeds. The shake was most pro nounced with the Michelins, and least violent with the OEM tires. Most shops (including our Honda dealer) attempt to remedy the prob lem simply by tightening the steer ing-head bearings; but that only slightly reduces the waggle, while giv ing the steering a heavy, unrespon sive feel. And although hands-off op eration is not exactly a recommended riding technique, the SE-i is, after all, equipped with an electronic cruise control that makes such circum stances very likely. Other than those problems, our 25,000-plus miles with the SE-i have been enjoyable. Its paint, chrome and plastic are still bright, even if there are some nooks and crannies that have succumbed to the ravages of rust. That little bit of corrosion is not surprising, though, considering that the bike has spent many a night parked ungaraged beside a staffer's beachside apartment. During those times, the occasional rainstorm would play havoc with the SE-i's trip computer (which has its control panel mounted atop the bike's dummy fuel tank), making its LCD readout flash and twinkle for several days before drying out and returning to normal. And after 14 months of being scoured in countless gas sta tions around the country. the wind shield is scratched beyond reclama tion and is due for replacement (at a list price of $ 1 50, plus installation, if necessary). In addition, the seat's padding has sacked out, and some riders have complained that the SEi's drivetrain emits more gear whine than it did when new. Next year, Honda will not offer an SE-i version of the Aspencade, so there will be no fuel-injector stumble or rain-soaked trip computer to worry about (the SE-i was the only injected Gold Wing, and an injection system is required to supply the fuel-flowrate information necessary for a trip computer). Honda says the `87 Aspencade has a new three-stagefoam seat, and that the bike's drivetrain noise has been reduced by 10 percent. With those improve ments, we'd have no qualms about trading in our 1986 SE-i for a 1987 Aspencade and starting again on an other 27,000 miles.