Older Honda Gold Wings have a pretty devoted following and sometimes their owners just keep tinkering as they try to get their ride to match that idea they have in mind. Phillip Sanford is one of those guys, he has a 1984 Honda Gold Wing GL1200 that has been modified into a cafe racer of sorts with lots of additions, custom made pieces and parts swaps and he may still not be finished. I came across Phillip’s bike as I was walking around Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio and he filled me in on a few of the details.
It’s running a Weber 2 barrel carb with an M60 Magnacharger plus a NOS nitrous fogger. The heads have been ported. It has hand made wire wheels with a front brake from a 1985 Honda V65 Sabre with ABS. Race Tech & Works Performance suspension pieces plus Kawasaki ZX6 rearsets, pedals and pegs with custom linkage. Rear turn signals are from a Sportster, the luggage rack is Honda with a custom gooseneck trailer hitch. The taillight is Harley Davidson, the cafe fairing is by Tracy.
There’s quite a bit more but you get the idea. He just decided the Gold Wing would be a better bike with a few personal touches. It’s another example of how far some of these guys will go. There’s more modification work going on with these old Wings than I was aware of which also shows almost any bike is a good starting point for your own perfect bike. It just takes time and effort.
More photos and links below:
Link: Phillip’s WingMeter website
Related: Honda Gold Wing Bulldog Bobber
Also check out the Honda Gold Wing GL1000 for sale listings
Ricky says
Oh.. Another “mustard and ketchup” paint scheme. They keep popping up … too many middle-agers with McDonald’s youths?
I admire the dedication and craftsmanship but I think it’s going in too many directions. the sofa seat and luggage rack say highway-cruiser, but the supercharger and nitrous say 1/4 mile… Expanding the Universe of the UJM??
Mayakovski says
UGLY!!!
davidabl says
I can’t remember where i saw it but there’s a straight-up cafe Goldwing out there
called a “Bulldog.” The builder was taking orders to build them.
kneeslider says
davidabl, check the related link I included under the photos.
jp says
Supercharging a ‘Wing…cool. The disaster-at-the-hotdog-stand paintjob…not so much. Would look so much better with further stripping down 🙂
Sean says
Wow, I hate to reiterate but damn…. That thing is hideous! Paint scheme must go, as must the too-tall, not-wide-enough fairing, the seat, those side panels, the back rack and the red highway bars. Then, and maybe then, we would have something cool. I mean hell, a supercharged nitrous injected 1300cc brute? Count me in!
anon says
Well, the first poster sort of beat me to it, but:
Ronald McDonald, your bike is ready…
Hopkins says
I dont see how you could call that bike a “cafe”
guitargeek says
What Ricky said.
Honker says
I think the bike is great, wow, an old 1200 Goldwing, one of the best bikes ever made. Someone put a lot of time and effort to make this great old bike what he wanted it to be and I think he did a A-1 job. The bike looks good and I would love to own it.
rvtechA1 says
I love almost all of it.
If I custom ordered one of those, the seat and rack would have to go.
A nice black gunfighter seat, bobed fender would be perfect in my book
But it is his bike, he did not build it for me.
Awesome job
Jim
http://www.lednights.com
Nick says
I thought a “cafe racer” was a bike in it’s best shape, all non-vital elements removed to make it light, fast, and good looking to go from a bar to another … where do we see it there ? 😉
still, respect for all the work done by the redneck and his hours spent in the workshop. Keep on keeping on, dude !