Honda GL1800 Gold Wing
Real ownership data from 4,659 UK GL1800 Gold Wing motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common GL1800 Gold Wing problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust and emissions | major | 18% |
| Electrical | fail | 13.3% |
| Suspension | minor | 9.9% |
| Corrosion | major | 6.4% |
| Steering and head bearings | prs | 6.2% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 5.8% |
| Frame and structure | major | 4.1% |
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 3.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is tyres.
GL1800 Gold Wing mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 108 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 172 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 188 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 195 | 7,898 mi | 897 | 96.46% |
| 2022 | 192 | 9,876 mi | 1,855 | 98.01% |
| 2021 | 263 | 12,380 mi | 2,145 | 97.85% |
| 2020 | 149 | 13,811 mi | 2,024 | 97.82% |
| 2019 | 71 | 13,974 mi | 1,869 | 97.33% |
| 2018 | 21 | 18,201 mi | 2,108 | 97.06% |
| 2017 | 9 | 20,414 mi | 1,273 | 92% |
| 2016 | 7 | 25,504 mi | 2,664 | 92.86% |
| 2015 | 29 | 24,834 mi | 1,908 | 90% |
| 2014 | 31 | 25,123 mi | 1,012 | 93.55% |
| 2013 | 100 | 26,067 mi | 2,345 | 94.79% |
| 2012 | 102 | 31,862 mi | 2,160 | 93.24% |
| 2011 | 82 | 30,808 mi | 1,713 | 93.64% |
| 2010 | 161 | 33,868 mi | 1,887 | 93.67% |
| 2009 | 180 | 29,031 mi | 1,752 | 92.86% |
| 2008 | 179 | 33,908 mi | 1,775 | 91.17% |
| 2007 | 247 | 36,009 mi | 1,971 | 91.84% |
GL1800 Gold Wing questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Honda GL1800 Gold Wing?
Across 4,659 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are exhaust and emissions (18% of all recorded faults), electrical (13.3% of all recorded faults), suspension (9.9% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Honda GL1800 Gold Wing?
The median Honda GL1800 Gold Wing in the UK has covered 33,653 miles, and typically rides about 1,657 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 16,230 and 54,694 miles.
Is the Honda GL1800 Gold Wing reliable?
90.27% of Honda GL1800 Gold Wing MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.01 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 4,659 Honda GL1800 Gold Wing motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.