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Touring Motorcycles

1987Honda GL 1200 Gold Wing Interstate

30 fields on record

The 1987 Honda GL 1200 Gold Wing Interstate is a Japanese touring bike powered by an 1182cc liquid-cooled four-stroke flat twin making 94 hp and 104.9 Nm. It has a 5-speed gearbox and a 22-litre tank.

Capacity: 1182.0 ccm
Engine: Boxer, four-stroke
Gearbox: 5-speed
Dry weight: Not on record
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Seat height: 780 mm
Power: 94.0 HP (70.1 kW) @ 7000 RPM

⇄ Compare with another bike ＋ Add to garage All model years

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail10%

Cornering35%

City riding35%

Daily riding55%

Touring90%

Two-up65%

Track10%

Best for: Touring motorcycle built for its class - distance comfort and touring.
Built for: A touring motorcycle from Honda, built around an 1182cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for aggressive off-road or track use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Will it fit you?

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Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 780mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with both feet flat on the 1987 Honda GL 1200 Gold Wing Interstate, with a relaxed knee angle of around 120 degrees and an upright riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 751-820 mm — Middle Ground →

Find bikes that fit your height →

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Average

The Honda GL 1200 Gold Wing Interstate passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 81.8% of the time, 1.2 points below expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 43% of models.

This covers every year of the model.

Test records don't say which version a bike is, so this covers Honda GL 1200 Gold Wing Interstate / Honda GL 1200 DX Gold Wing together.

81.8%Passed first time

13.9%Failed outright

4.4%Fixed during test

49,000Typical miles

433Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

20-30k

87.1%

30-40k

85.5%

40-50k

83.7%

50k+

78.8%

All years of this model.

Against its rivals · ranks 6 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Harley-Davidson FLHS 1340 Electra Glide Sport	77 Good	1,031
2	Harley-Davidson FLHTC 1340 Electra Glide Classic	67 Good	560
3	Honda GL 1500/6 Gold Wing	67 Good	6,517
4	Harley-Davidson FLTC 1340 Tour Glide Classic	47 Average	180
5	Kawasaki GPZ 1100	44 Average	5,636
6	Honda GL 1200 Gold Wing Interstate	43 Average	433

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.

Full specifications

Engine

Capacity: 1182.0 ccm
Power: 94.0 HP (70.1 kW) @ 7000 RPM
Torque: 104.9 Nm (10.7 kgf-m) @ 5500 RPM
Engine type: Boxer, four-stroke
Bore x stroke: 75.5 x 66.0 mm
Compression: 9.0:1
Cooling system: Liquid
Fuel system: Carburettor
Starting: Electric

Transmission

Gearbox: 5-speed
Transmission type: Manual
Final drive: Shaft

Performance

Top speed: 243.0 km/h (151.0 mph)

Dimensions & weight

Wheelbase: 1610 mm
Overall length: 2355 mm
Seat height: 780 mm
Fuel capacity: 22.00 litres
Dry weight: Not on record - add it

Chassis & suspension

Front suspension: Telescopic with air assisted spring and 4-position anti-dive.
Rear suspension: Twin adjustable shocks
Front wheel travel: 140 mm
Rear wheel travel: 100 mm
Rake (fork angle): 30.0°
Trail: 120 mm