When we last checked in with enduro rider Matt Spears and his off-road adventures with his Honda Gold Wing, he had, in fact, made that Piggy (the ‘Wing’s nickname) fly. Unfortunately, it also did several sideways cartwheels down the side of a steep hill and appeared to be temporarily beached.
Would the ‘Wing be able to make it out of this precarious situation under its own power? For anyone who’s nostalgic for the times when we had to wait a week to see the next episode of our new favorite show, this Gold Wing Enduro saga left us on a genuine cliffhanger. I mean, off-roading a ‘Wing in the first place is one thing, but seeing it take a terrible tumble down a gnarly hill and shed parts with every flip is completely another.
In the follow-up video, Spears, buddy Austin Teyler, and a couple of other friends came back to rescue the ‘Wing from its ignominious fate a week later. After the hill tumble (but before leaving), they’d examined the damage and tried to start the ‘Wing, but there was no spark.
Coming back to it a week later, Spears brought a big backpack full of stuff that would hopefully make the ‘Wing run well enough to get it back to the truck. From there, they’d be able to bring it back home for a more thorough examination and any necessary repairs. Spears mentioned that home is a couple of hours away, so clearly getting it running under its own power would be ideal.
What’s in the backpack? A small spare tool set (more tools are also with them, just not in the backpack), giant jugs of coolant and oil, and two batteries. One is the original battery from the ‘Wing, which had its terminals ripped off in last week’s tumble. The other is an intact bike battery that should work if they can just get the bike running in the first place.
The last thing in the backpack is small, but important. It’s a cam sensor to replace the one that they think got damaged on the ‘Wing and is preventing it from starting. In fact, they’re so confident that this is the likely culprit that it’s the first thing they try.
Sure enough, hooking up a battery and installing the new sensor is enough to get Piggy to fire right up. The intact battery wasn’t charged before they brought it to the crash site, so they'll have to jump it—but otherwise, the first hurdle to getting the ‘Wing back to the truck under its own power has been cleared.
Running Up That Hill
The next hurdle might be bigger than getting it started, though. Remember how the ‘Wing tumbled violently down a hill in the last video, tearing its bodywork to shreds in the process? It turns out that the only way to get out of the area where it’s currently come to rest is, in fact, getting back up that same hill.
First, they must use a pry bar to get the handlebars repositioned, so the bike is even operable in the first place. As it currently is, the beating that the ‘Wing took has rendered it almost un-turnable. (To steer a bike, you need to be able to turn the front wheel left and right, which is something that even non-riders can probably find relatable.)
Once Spears has functional steering again, it’s up to him to choose the correct line to get up to the top of that rather steep hill. There are other hills after that, including a gnarly downhill toward the end—but this first one is the biggest and sketchiest challenge.
We’re not going to spoil the video for you, because there’s a lot more edge-of-your-seat drama than you might be expecting in a video like this. All I’ll say at this point is that you should watch it until the end, and also that this video demonstrates once again why it’s good to have friends who are bonkers in the same way that you are.
