This low-mile, custom-built Honda Gold Wing recently for sale on eBay is a homage to one of the most storied achievements in American flat-track racing: the Honda RS750.
Sadly, you can’t buy an RS750 for the street. But this road-going tribute to the legendary Honda stirs the same emotions.
A Tale of Flat Track Bullies
AMA Flat Track racing - opens in new window or tab., established in 1954, has a rich history of providing spectacular action. It takes place on big, wide dirt oval circuits and features heavy, powerful machines being wrestled heroically—usually sideways—at speeds around 90 mph, occasionally by fabled American heroes like King Kenny Roberts - opens in new window or tab., Steady Eddie Lawson - opens in new window or tab., and Wayne Rainey - opens in new window or tab.. And that’s 90 mph through the bends, by the way. On the straights, they could hit upwards of 130 mph.
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Harley-Davidson - opens in new window or tab. and Indian - opens in new window or tab. typically fought for honors before BSA - opens in new window or tab. turned up in the 1960s and scooped a raft of titles. By the late 1970s, the orange-and-black machines from Milwaukee were back doing all the winning. So much so that legend has it, one of the dominant Harley-Davidson XR750s was shipped to Japan, where Honda was very interested to see what made it so good.
Honda must have figured it out. After a tentative year of development in 1983, in 1984, the Honda was unbeatable and took first and second places in the championship. It won again in 1985, 1986, and 1987, proving it wasn't a fluke.
Imitation and Flattery
The Honda RS750 was a factory racing machine never intended for the street. Suppose you wanted a road-going version of the sensational racer. In that case, you’d need a Honda of the same era with plenty of power but strength and reliability to deliver the goods on the street for many miles. That is where this GL1000 Gold Wing comes in.
The Gold Wing was a fine machine in its own right. First introduced in 1975, the unusual flat-four-cylinder layout was Honda’s first stab at a water-cooled motor, so it built the bike with strength and durability in mind.
Peak power of 78 horsepower was decent for the time, and transferring the motivation to the rear wheel by way of a shaft instead of a chain further galvanized the bike’s rugged mechanical credentials. Mileage over 100,000 is not uncommon with a Gold Wing.
A Beautiful, Detailed Build
With a claimed original mileage of just 3,500, we can only assume that this Gold Wing was in pretty spectacular condition before it was built up as an RS750 evocation. The images accompanying the post show the care and attention lavished on the engine, gearbox, and frame before it was all put together.
It looks the part, with white paint and red-and-blue striping on the Gold Wing’s tank and rear bodywork all fastened to a crimson frame. It almost appears to have been built under laboratory-clean conditions and purports to have been used very little since. There cannot be many bikes like this one, with the looks of a legend and the durability and power of a Honda.
This Honda RS750 tribute begs to be ridden and shown off to an appreciative audience.
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