HONDA’S TOURING CYCLE RECEIVES THE GOLD-STAR TREATMENT
SEVENTH-GENERATION GOLD WING MAY BE SMALLER, BUT NO LESS CAPABLE IN A LONG LINE OF MODELS
Call it climate change. Call it the dawn of the new Ice Age everyone’s talking about. Call it any damned thing you want. All I know is global warming’s latest climatic conflagration — the unfortunately named Inga — turned Texas into Timmins, Ont., this past week, the Lone Star State’s roads an ice-covered skating rink incompatible with exhaustive motorcycle testing.
So what was supposed to be a two-day meander through the rolling hills of Texas turned into a white-knuckle — from frostbite, not speed — 90-minute cruising near Bastrop, the city where the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre was filmed. Nonetheless, we got enough time in the saddle of the 2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour to come to a few firm conclusions.
The weird-looking Hossack-type front suspension really works. Essentially an automotive double-wishbone system turned 90 degrees, the 2018 Wing’s new front suspension is far more compliant than the conventional front fork on the outgoing model. Where the 2017 “judders” over even the slightest bumps, the 2018 Wing is a magic carpet ride with only the roughest of roads testing its resolve. For that alone, Honda’s decision to abandon the damping rod front fork is well worth it.
You’re going to read in various other outlets that the new front suspension has resulted in a reluctance to turn at low speeds. So here’s the real deal: Yes, the new Wing, despite being lighter than its predecessor, feels heavier at low speed. I suspect, however, the culprit isn’t the suspension, but the rear tire. For some reason — I suspect fashion — Honda decided to give the new Wing a superbike-sized 200/55-16 rear tire, up substantially from the 180-mm spec rubber of the 2017. I’m not sure why Honda thinks the new Wing needs more traction — engine output is roughly the same — but it most certainly contributes to a little vagueness in the steering at low speed.
The new engine may not be much more powerful, but it’s a gem. More compact than the previous generation’s 1,832-cubic-centimetre version, the new 1,833-cc Unicam flat six is smoother, quieter and, yes, a little more responsive. The engine itself may not be a reason to trade in your sixth-gen Wing, but its improvements are noticeable and welcome.
The Gold Wing’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is not quite as sorted as the Africa Twin’s, but is still a step forward for motorcycling. Compared with the CRF1000’s electronically controlled trannie, the Gold Wing’s DCT can be a little balky downshifting at low speeds, making slow-speed work a little trickier. Wing owners who spend a lot of time threading through traffic might be best served by the traditional six-speed manual version, but for those cruising the open road, the DCT should be a well-considered option.
The most dramatic difference between the new Wing and the previous model is size, more specifically how much smaller the new Tour model is than its predecessor. Pictures don’t do the reduction in girth justice. Perched in the saddle, the new Wing feels like a 5/8th-scale version of the 2017, so dramatically smaller is the front fairing and windscreen. Touring bikes have been getting pretty obese recently — witness the 438-kilogram Yamaha Star Venture. Honda’s lighter weight is a welcome change.
Despite this reduction in girth, Honda’s claims on little or no reduction in fairing coverage despite the reduction in the size of the front fairing is justified. The company credits the fact that the rider is now some 38 mm closer to the windscreen as the reason it could reduce its physical size and still not compromise protection. Well done, Honda.
Honda’s new infotainment system is the best in motorcycling. Perhaps it’s because Honda waited until all the other motorcycle manufacturers had made their mistakes. Maybe it’s because it emulated the best of automotive designs. But whatever the case, Honda’s system is the new standard for ease of use in the motorcycle industry.
Essentially Honda has taken BMW’s automotive iDrive, cut out that system’s myriad submenus and then logically arranged the information according to a motorcyclist’s needs. On the tank, you’ll find a little twiddler knob that serves as both mouse and track pad to navigate through things like audio system, navigation and vehicle settings (which include the traction control and preload settings for the Fancy Dan adjustable suspension on topof-the-line models).
Combined with, again, the automotive-like “home” and “back” buttons, it’s a doddle to operate. And, when the tank-based controller is disabled once riding, the redundant switchgear on the left handlebar — again, with home and back buttons — does a fair job, albeit a little fiddlier, of emulating said smart operation.
Well done again, Honda, for finally getting motorcycle infotainment right.
Yes, the saddlebags are smaller. In fact, they only hold a smallish 30 litres of cargo. The rear topcase, too, is smallish at only 50 L. The former can’t fit a full-faced helmet — the usual measure of a saddlebag’s cargo capacity — and the latter can fit only one. Honda doesn’t think it matters because its research says that most of its bikes are used for weekenders rather than the cross-country tours normally associated with Gold Wing owners. The company does offer an optional rack that fits to the top of the topcase if you really do need to bring the kitchen sink along. Time will tell if Honda is right about its clientele not missing all that extra cargo space.
That said, the Gold Wing does offer four settings — rider, rider plus luggage, rider and passenger, rider and passenger plus luggage — on its electronically adjustable preload, so you can load up the new Wing without adversely affecting handling.
For the record — and because it truly was bone-chillingly frigid in Texas — the seat warmers, not to mention handgrip heaters, are worth their weight in gold. Four heating positions, managed though the infotainment system, range from simmering soup to scalding McDonald’s coffee and can manage a range of cold temperatures. Even the passenger seat is heated, its controller located on the top of the left saddlebag.
The new Wing’s seat is BMW-like firmish as opposed to the mushy perches typical of past Gold Wings. It’s also broader and flatter than the former “King and Queen” saddle, so there’s more room to move around. I found it more comfortable and it’s another move away from previous Gold Wing tradition. Of course, there is a rider backrest available for those missing the extra support.
The basic Gold Wing (what we know now as the F6B) starts at $26,999, while the Gold Wing Tour (the one you think of as a Gold Wing) retails for $30,799 in its base guise; it costs $31,999 with the dual-clutch transmission upgrade and touches $34,599 for the all-singing, all-dancing model with DCT and airbag.