Bob Reichenberg riding his 1975 Honda GL1000 Gold Wing.
Bike:1975 Honda GL1000 Gold Wing
Owner: Bob Reichenberg
Hometown: Atascadero, Calif.
Occupation: President, Street Master Performance Riding School
Etc.: Bob still owns his first new bike, a 1960 Norton ES2
“I’ve known this bike for a long time,” Bob says of his 1975 Honda GL1000 Gold Wing. “My buddy Jimmy Jett bought it in 1975 from the original owner, who only put 700 miles on it because he was intimidated by its size and power, which is funny in retrospect. Jimmy owned the first Honda CB750 Four in town, and when he saw the Wing he was really taken by it.”
Bob got the bike eight years ago, and then gave it a frame-up restoration, including NOS, color-matched tank covers and side panels, and NOS instruments. “The new right panel from Honda was badly scratched, so I returned it and Honda said, ‘OK, we’ll send you the other one.’ There was only one more color-matched panel left in inventory!”
As a riding instructor, Bob loves new technology, but he rides the GL regularly. “It goes well and it stops well,” Bob says, “and it’s a nice, leisurely ride. It will do 95mph, but at those speeds you really have to herd it down the road. It prefers posted highway speeds, where it’s really quiet and smooth.”
Read more about the motorcycles mentioned in this article:
• Honda GL1000 Gold Wing
• Honda CB750 Four: A Classic for the Masses