It is commonly know that the Honda Goldwing suspension is inadequate almost right out of the box. My first thought when riding my 2001 Goldwing after having a Traxxion suspension system installed as well as the All Balls tapered steering bearings was that it performed like a new bike. This however would not be quite true because my bike when new never performed like it does now. The famous Honda Gold Wing wobble does not exist anymore, small bumps have been reduced to a barely noticeable vibration on the handlebars and large unavoidable jolts no longer result in a spine jarring bottoming out but simply handle the shock better than one can reasonably expect short of avoiding it in the first place. But this is only the tip of the iceberg; the cornering improvement is something that truly has to be experienced personally. The bike just locks into the corner as though it were on a track giving you a real secure feeling all the way through. This system, in all respects, has surpassed my wildest hopes and clearly is well worth the added expense, but then who can put a price on safety.
The folks at Rocket Moto in New Hampshire, Dave Chesterley and Adam Schoolsky are not only trained and professional installers but treat your bike as though it were their own. They even corrected some wiring trouble areas while they were in there and replaced the air filter, a service that was very much appreciated. Workmanship of the kind that Rocket Moto supplies should be an industry standard but is usually not. I could not be more satisfied with the system, and more especially the quality of workmanship done on my “baby” and have to rate them an honest “10”.
-Ron D., Cape Cod, MA
You guys should charge more!
Not even when it was brand new did my Goldwing handle and feel like this.. If I ever purchase a new Goldwing I will change the suspension to Traxxion immediately.
Within a few feet of leaving your shop I felt like I was on a different bike, a new bike. The full Monty Traxxion job has put the fun back in riding. The bike corners like it is on rails, very stable and secure feeling, no more bottoming out on speed bumps or driveway entrances and my co-rider, who was constantly letting me know about every bump in the road, is suddenly very quiet and smiling.
Oh yeah, the guys at Rocketmoto were terrific, very professional, knowledgeable and skilled at what they do. I was amazed at how quickly they could get into the “Tupperware” and disassembly the forks and triple tree. These guys really know suspension dynamic.
PS: I just got back from my Honda dealer (routine maintenance 42K mikes) and the service manager who test drove came back and said “what the hell did you do to the suspension? It’s a great ride”
-Mike S., Brookline, NH
Just wanted to drop you a line.I've been riding for a week now with the traxxion suspension ya'll install. Its fantastic,as I felt it would be,and I'll probably never have another goldwing without it. It seems like everyone wants to be a mechanic in todays world, but your personel,and your approach to business is exceptional. I felt confident from the time I stepped inside your door,and I applaud your success. I'm a walking advertisement for your company. A high 5 for Max, Mike and the crew.
-Dean B., Anderson, SC
Holy bat $%#^. they are all i've heard and more. It is very rare for me to have such a pleasent experience going to a buisness, but I did. They welcomed me with basically open arms, even offered me the demo for lunch. as for the bike, it is amazing, and I only got the all balls with the spring upgrade. Soaks up bumps, speed bumps, and handles like a dream. almost afraid to ride the demo, on how much better it would be. Don't know why I waited so long. needless to say, I would highly recommend them to anyone, hands down. they are terrific people, wanting to make sure the customer has a plesant experience, even while waiting.
-Donald B., Atlanta, GA
If anyone is getting complaints from your CO-rider (like I was) about the bike hurting their back when you hit a rough place in the road, try the replacement rear suspension from Traxxion Dynamics for your bike. I had this change done to my bike and we used to ride with the rear spring set at 24 (and she was hurting) we now ride with the rear set at 10 and my wife told me this is the best our bike has ever rode.
-“Haste Maker”, Gl1800riders.com
WOW. My first words from my mechanic was, “You’re going to get tickets!” The bike feels great, what a difference. I am sure you have heard them all, yes I will be recommending you to all the Goldwing riders I know.
-Donald B., Atlanta, GA
WOW, WOW, WOW – I am riding a different Goldwing!!!
I cannot believe the difference this kit has made to the bike. It feels planted, solid, precise, east to maneuver (especially at low speeds), firm vibration free and most of all COMFORTABLE.
No more nasty shocks up my back, pothole surprises or confused and flighty front end. This morning, I was carving through long sweepers that preciously felt dangerous on the wing. Now it holds its line perfectly. No over steer or bounciness. Amazing!
I really can’t put into words how the Traxxion Dynamics kit has transformed the bike. I wish I would have done this upgrade at the very beginning. But I guess now I appreciate my “new” ride even more.
I took great…immense…pleasure throwing my OEM stock suspension parts into the garbage—exactly where they belong.
A big thanks to everyone that helped me import and install this kit.
I have left reviews on the wingstuff product pages.
-Ellie, E., Israel
Mike – On June 4, 2006 you assisted me with my Traxxion Dynamics conversion on my 2006 Goldwing which had 7381 miles on the odometer. You might also recall that during the conversion you assisted me in replacing my existing tires. (The tires I installed were the Metzeler ME880.) After the new tires and the Traxxion suspension were installed, I started experiencing a slight front end vibration. We had the tires re-checked at Ken’s Motorcycle Tires and everything appeared to be OK. I contacted you to let you know that on my way home, I had reduced the air pressure in the tires from 41 lbs to 36 lbs and the vibration seemed to lessen considerable.
On June 24, 2009 in Nampa, Idaho and with 15,200 miles on my Goldwing, I had the ME880’s replaced with Dunlop Elite 3. ( I had 7819 miles on the ME880s and they were badly cupped both front and rear.) After the Dunlop Elite 3 tires were installed, the vibrations I had been experiencing totally diappeared and the Dunlop Elite 3 tires are both running with 41 lbs of pressure. The ride is totally different and my “Wing” is tracking great.
I have not done any research to see if the Metzeler ME880’s are still being produced. But my recommendation to you is not to put ME880 on a Goldwing with your Traxxion Suspension. To say the least, I have fallen in love with the Dunlop Elite 3.
By the way, on July 2, 2009, I finished a 17 day, 7000 mile round trip from my home to California. I rode California 1 “The Big Sur” for 122 miles. I rode through Yosemite National Park on CA 120 and Beartooth Pass outside of Yellowstone National Park. The best motorcycle road was most likely CA 41 between Shandon, CA and Creston, CA. The 16 miles of twits and turns on this road were simply amazing.
There are not a lot of “motorcycle roads” here in west Tennessee, so I really have not had a chance to “stretch” the capabilities of the Traxxion suspension. But on this trip, I did. My 1000 lb Goldwing acted like a 500 lb sports bike. No matter what the road presented to me, I was confident. I had visible proof of my confidence as I inspected my timres and could actually see I was riding the entire tire through the turns. This trip really showed me that my investment in the Traxxion Dynamics suspension was worth every penny.
So thanks to all for making a wonderful product and thanks again for all your help back in 2006. I look forward to seeing you and the rest of the staff in another 8000 miles for front fork maintenance.
- Richard Y., Collierville, TN
Greetings from Thailand to Traxxion Dynamics owners,
We are the first to go round-the-world on a GL1800 and have your FABULOUS front end.
It’s the only significant modification on the bike. It’s behaving like a charm. Zero major issues after almost 55,000 km and pretty rough riding. Fully laden. All climates from just over freezing to 115 degrees.
Wish I had the Traxxion Dynamics rear end too! Big Mistake I didn’t get it at home.
See my website for your product review.
“One smart thing I did before leaving: Installed the excellent Traxxion front suspension and forks brace [very honest/blunt explanation of GL1800 forks] – US$1500 extremely well invested! It changed the bike's handling instantly and has held up brilliantly. After much correspondence, their President Max McAllister has been a helpful, genuinely interested, star suppler – I had lots of questions from SE Asia and needed to order bushings & seals from him. Five stars ***** for his service. Plus five more ***** for the bike-changing suspension.”
- Peter S (AKA Wheezy Rider)
Hi Max,
Just wanted to commend you on your brake pads. I knew they were great from the moment I bedded them in, but I have been expanding my performance envelope and have started to really use the brakes to the point where they are getting pretty darn hot.
They get even better when hot and I have yet to have them fade. It is a real confidence builder to know that the brakes only get better when doing serious canyon carving. If you are ever in the San Francisco Bay Area, let me know. I’ll buy you whatever you drink.
- Wayne B., Cordelia, CA
Max, I had the full Traxxion Dynamics package installed on a 2001 Goldwing on Friday, April 10, 2009. Just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the result. I made the following post on the GL1800 Riders Forum
“Had the Traxxion full package installed on Fri April 10. Rode the bike to Woodstock, GA (the home of Traxxion Dynamics). The install took about 5 hours as promised. My bike is a 01 with 64K miles. I have done a lot of two up riding and pulled a trailer, so the suspension had seen quite a bit of heavy use. The handling and comfort of the bike had deteriorated to the point, where I almost dreaded getting on the bike.
The results of the Traxxion system are fantastic. The handling and comfort have returned to a like new condition, if not better. I put a new set of Bridgestone’s on the bike just before the Traxxion install, and now the bike rides like it's locked on rails. It is stable, smooth, inspires confidence in curves, and most importantly made my co rider much happier with the comfort on the back. My passenger is hard to please when it comes to aftermarket accessories; she thinks most are a waste of money. Needless to say I was pleased when she said she could tell a major difference with the new suspension.
As far as aftermarket stuff goes, this is the BEST money I have ever spent. The Traxxion system delivers everything promised.”
- GA Rider
…performed very well returning from Georgia to Kansas Max. Thank you for the time you spent with Jim and me whole we were out there. The ride was smooth to us both and they handled wonderfully in the curves throughout the ride.
Please give my thanks to everyone at Traxxion Dynamics for treating us well. I look forward to a long association.
- Marc, Kansas, MS
Please pass along my sincerest “Thanks!” to everyone on your team. The ride home was a dream! I’m a true believer in your Traxxion Edition—what a vast improvement from my 52k “worn” system. I can’t wait to take my bride on a ride and see what she thinks. The improvement should be even more evident from her “back seat” location (I hope).
Thanks for your hospitality, the use of your Traxxion demo Gold Wing and the personal tour. Your guys even went so far as to have the bike ready when you said it would be—Geez, that’s not usually how it goes here in the South.
Traxxion Dynamics is a “First Class” operation and I’m truly grateful that I lived close enough to have experienced it firsthand.
- Chet, Woodstock, GA
I did a complete suspension upgrade at your facility about ten days ago, on my brand new old 2008 GW.
Your staff called it the full Monty. The before and after results are amazing. You would have to be stone dead not to feel the transformation. I have always had Ohlin’s on almost all my m/c’s. It was Ohlin’s that directed me to your company, as they had nothing to offer for a GW. Your staff was very helpful and put up with all my questions during my suspension upgrade search. With 40 plus years of m/c ownership and only 400 miles on the new GW, I thought I had made a huge mistake with the GW because of its awful stock suspension. Matching the 1835 cc power plant to a quality and better matched suspension has set me up for the perfect touring bike.
I know I am not telling you anything you do not already know, but your product is outstanding and well above your nearest competitor.
- Perry, R., Woodstock, GA
I just wanted to say thanks so much for your efforts and vigilance at Wing Ding. On the 500 mile trip home the bike rode like a $22k bike should ride. In the next few days, I will be working on a “Before and After video” I have done before and when I get the after video I will send you a link to it… I also plan to jump on my local dealer about the tire and their attitude on not troubleshooting the problem as they should have.
If you ever need a customer testimony or reference, just send them my way.
Tommy
Sorry we weren’t home when you all called last week. We were on a 4800 mile trip to Colorado, Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore!
The trike performed flawlessly! Several times on the trip my wife thanked me for getting the Traxxion suspension. She said the ride is great! While traveling on Interstate 90 in Wyoming and South Dakota, the three couples traveling with us, two on 1800 bikes and one on an 1800 trike, complained more than once about the quality of the road surface and the harshness of the ride. My wife and I only whispered about how good our trike road. We were never the first ones to ask for a break or suggest we stop for the night.
There were two occasions when I missed the anti-dive. For normal stopping, I use the foot brake only, but for panic stops when pulling my trailer, I get on the hand brake as soon as possible. During the two panic stops on the trip, I got on the hand brake and experienced the front end diving very abruptly. I maintained full control, but was shocked at how low the front end would dive. I don’t consider this as a problem, but rather something that will require some getting used to.
We are very pleased with our Traxxion Dynamics suspension and will never have another Goldwing without it.
- Buddy H.
I got your message asking how everything was going with my new Traxxion Dynamics suspension. My answer is great. I love the ride and my Wing now sticks like glue to the road. It took me a few days to acclimate myself to the new suspension and I had some tire pressure issues to get out of the way. Now however, my typical reaction is Love it, Love it, Love it. My joy doesn’t stop at this point. Just the other day, I had a passenger for the first time on the new suspension. The handling of the bike was unbelievable. Even though the passenger added additional weight of 140 pounds, the bike handled as if I was the only one on.
Normally, with two-up, the bike would bottom out and be like jelly in the turns and very unstable at slow speeds. But with the Traxxion Dynamics suspension, it was really fun to ride two-up.
Thanks for calling and checking on me. It was really great to meet you and all the rest of the staff. Please say hello to everyone for me. I will see you in about two years when it is time to do the maintenance on the forks.
Rick Y., Collierville, TN
I got to try my new suspension over the last couple of days. I'm happy to say that there is a huge improvement over my stock suspension. There is a particular road near me that is so rough with patches and so on, that I had to actually put the cruise control on. I couldn't keep my throttle steady over the bumps and even the drive train would start to snap to and fro. Now with the Traxxion suspension I have no problems. It takes the bumps far better and I'm not snapping the throttle anymore. My wife says the back seat ride is a lot better too. The fork brace also made a big difference. The steering is much more responsive. So much so, that there's a bit of a learning curve again. Slowing to a stop is much more stable.
Charlie D.
Last Friday I had Garys Hobby Shop install your springs, taper bearings, different pullbacks and a set of Avon Cobras. I have a 2008 Wing and the work was done at 9200 miles. The difference is astounding in the handling of the bike. I know doing it all with tires may impact the read, but it’s truly better than new. I am quickly replenishing the slush fund and wish I had gone ahead and got the rear done too.
That will be the next modification before anything else.
It’s a shame Honda doesn’t do it right to start with, but a great thing for you I guess. I have told anyone that will listen that I recommend Traxxion without hesitation to anyone. Thanks for making a great product!
Mark P., Gainesville, GA