1100 vs 1200

[crowesnest3]

looking for some chatter discussing pro's cons of an 83 1100 interstate vs 84 1200 interstate, for the moment lets leave condition off of the table. Been and still will ride an 80 1100 standard with vetter3 + lowers ......... :Egyptian:

 

[detdrbuzzard]

my niece rides an '82 nekked wing but i havent't spent much time riding it but she has taken several trips of 300+ miles on my 1200 wing and likes the 1200 wing better

 

[Anonymous]

i find the 84 style much nicer looking. Brighter Headlight as well

Have had virtually no trouble with my 85 Knockon Wood!!

 

[mcgovern61]

I have only ridden an '85 1200 and it was real sweet! The seat was much better than my Saddleman Road Sofa. But it seemed like my '82 handled a little better. The '85 was cushy and soft, but it sure was hot on that summer day throwing heat down my legs and feet! There were a lot of gadgets on the dash (too many for my taste).

However, the bike I really wanted was this real cool 1200 Standard:

 

[joedrum]

i own an 83 1100 intertate it was the last of the total machanicle valve oldwing ...with some pretty tall gearing compared to the 80 1100 it has a lot in common with 84 1200 ....but has a different final drive in them making it taller and even lower rpm at 70mph...so with having one of the lowest geared oldwings made in your 80 and also having the 84 with its tallest gearing for oldwing 4 cylinder and a little bigger space on it id go with 84 over 83 ...

 

[Anonymous]

You are right about them being hot in summer thats why I keep my scooter

Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk 2

 

[rock42]

don't know much about the 1100's as i have a 75 gl1000 i can only compare my 86 sei with. i do like the way it sets lower and handles curves much better however it does have a lot of heat on my legs.

 

[Tory]

I believe the reliabilty of the 1100 is better.As well as the servicabilty.
The 1200s where haunted by more electrical gremlins than I am comfortable with.
The 1000s gave goldwings the reputation of reliabilty,but the 1100s carved it in stone.

The 1200s did get a little cushier,but the 83 1100s got the linked brakes,cast wheels,higher gear ratio and longer seat.Kinda a best of both worlds in my opinion.(Although the aspys did jump on the 80s digetal dash fad :nea: )

 

[detdrbuzzard]

all wings from '83 on got linked brakes and while the 1200 has tall gearing also it go a boost in hp and tq to deal with it. a 1200 aspy is about 20lbs heavier than an1100 aspy so don't strain yourself. the onyl electrical grimlin i know of is the stator, being that these are not new a poorboy kit will solve that issue

 

[Wildwing]

Front tires size is the big difference. 1100 run a 19" front, while the 1200 uses a 16"
Rear on the 1100 is 17" as the 1200 runs a 15".

Smaller front tire give the heavy Goldwing more nimble maneuvering.

 

[Anonymous]

all wings from '83 on got linked brakes and while the 1200 has tall gearing also it go a boost in hp and tq to deal with it. a 1200 aspy is about 20lbs heavier than an1100 aspy so don't strain yourself. the onyl electrical grimlin i know of is the stator, being that these are not new a poorboy kit will solve that issue

Aren't stator problems pretty much the same for 1100's as they were for the 1200's?

And you dont have to buy an aftermarket alternator from poorboy any small one that fits will work, Beaver made us up some nice pully's

 

[joedrum]

yes they are realy and its not the stator as much as the wiring and connectors .....the 84 1200 is a strange beast that has more in common to the 1100s ...well the 83 1100 for sure ....meking it quite flexable in the use of oldwing parts to keep it going ....the final drive on the 84 is taller than 1100 final witch is the only difference in the gearing of the two...i have a 82 1100 that has a stock 84 1200 in it im doing ...it is using 1100 ignition ...pretty much a plug and play ...no other yr 1200s can be done like this ...making it flexable

 

[detdrbuzzard]

all wings from '83 on got linked brakes and while the 1200 has tall gearing also it go a boost in hp and tq to deal with it. a 1200 aspy is about 20lbs heavier than an1100 aspy so don't strain yourself. the onyl electrical grimlin i know of is the stator, being that these are not new a poorboy kit will solve that issue

Aren't stator problems pretty much the same for 1100's as they were for the 1200's?

And you dont have to buy an aftermarket alternator from poorboy any small one that fits will work, Beaver made us up some nice pully's

not saying you have to get a poorboy kit but you'll need to make your own kit and at 20+ years old its probalyy time fro an alternator kit or a stator, how long do you think those stators will last. trunk and saddlebags are bigger on the 1200 compaired to an 1100.

 

[Tory]

I realize all wings have linked brakes from 83 up.My point is that the best features of the 1200s are also availible on the 83 1100s.(higher gear ratios,linked brakes,cast wheels more room...)

The stator issues are more prone on the 1200s than the 1100s,also are other connection issues.Dont really see anymore stator problems on 1100s than any other jap bike but the 1200s seem to have that reputation.
The 1100s where the first wings built in the states,but with imported parts from japan.By the time the 1200s where being produced honda was subing out alot of the assemblys to the lowest bidders which tended to bite honda in the arse with stator recalls and warrenty work.They where confident enough with there replacement stators to offer a lifetime warrenty.

I am not a "profesional" mechanic,but do enjoy restoring old motorcycles as a hobby as well as helping friends out with there bikes and have had my hands on a fair amount of 1200s.The best thing to do with these bikes ,especially after they have been sitting,is to clean all electrical connections and treat them to a bit of dielectric grease.Most the troubles I find with them is bad connections.Just seems to haunt the 12s

And I still hate the digetal dash of the aspys,even the few that still have all there bars.

As for power,the 1200s do have more power than the 83 1100s,but the 82 1100s where the quickest of all the wings up untell the 1800s came out.But if you are looking for the quickest/fastest buy a sportbike.Nobody said you only get one bike.

All that really matters is what YOU like best.
Alot of oldtimers love there 1500s and refuse to buy a 1800,some folks like the flashier more modern look of the 1200s while others (like me) like the bolder simpler more traditional look of the 1000 and 1100s.

 

[detdrbuzzard]

when i mentoned that the 1200 has more power it wasn't to win a drag race its there for mid-range grunt out on the open road, plus he's talking about an '83 and '84 aspy so i don't think that an '82 aspy is going to be much quicker if at all through the quarter mile in comparison with the '83 or '84. and and 1200 wingd spin about 2900 rpm @ 60mph, according to honda the first wing to spin less than 3000 rpm @ 60mph

 

[crowesnest3]

thanks all for the input, good stuff! 60 at less that 3000rpm is a big one. My 80/11 is closer to 4000! Not looking to win any drag races either, power to get out of the way is! Not that running the gears thru that big rpm range isn't done once in a while to " keep the plugs clean". About this electrical thing, aside form the stator issues. Bad connections (stator!) .... more prevelant on Aspy because of all the "new" digital "crap" vs interstate? Finally still trying to determine if my spare set of Jardines for the 1100 will swap over to the 1200, from all I'm reading it seems to be good, just looking to confirm....................should get to see this 1200 tomorrow, will be bringing my volt meter for sure.

 

[joedrum]

i have 1100 exhast on a 1200 ...its just has to spead at the joint at the crossover

 

[detdrbuzzard]

the stator issue is common to all 1200 wings not just the aspy but the nekked and interstate 1200's also

 

[Anonymous]

ya I think what he meant it was more prevalent with the aspy because of the digital dash and extra electrical components.

 

[Tory]

No
Not more prevelant to the aspys at all.
The 1200 stator problems cursed all early 1200s with out bias.I just dont like the digetal dash. :cheeky:
If the stator has been replaced and the connections soldered there should not be any further issues.I do however recomend that you check.clean and grease all the connections,especially at the fuse box.You would not believe the heat build up from a bad connection and heat melts plastic.

The 82,aspy or not,was the quickest goldwing from 75 to 2000 (83 being the slowest).These numbers and gear ratios are posted in the GOLDWING book.I do not know the 1800 numbers.

Not saying this makes the 82 better,just saying that acceleration is not the best way to shop for a wing.

Obviously I am biased to the 1100s.Thats why I own one,and thats why I have been involved in this forum from its inception.(It was originally a 1100 forum) But I am a fan of all the 2000 and older goldwings,especially the four cylinders.
Others prefer the 1200s and have there good reasons also.You just need to expose yourself to both and decide what you like best.Nobody can tell you that.