The High-End Touring Motorcycle That’s Now Priced Below A Honda Gold Wing
For those who love the idea of exploring the world on two wheels without giving up comfort, there’s hardly anything better than full-dress touring motorcycles. These bikes are ridiculously expensive, though, especially if you want one with an infotainment system and enough luggage for two-up touring. But there’s one luxury tourer that is now much cheaper than the segment benchmark, the Honda Gold Wing. Here’s all you need to know about this tourer.
The Honda Gold Wing Is An Ultimate Tourer, But It’s Also Expensive
In the world of touring motorcycles, if there’s one bike that has come to represent the segment, it has to be the Honda Gold Wing. This Honda tourer has been around for half a century, and over the years, cemented itself as the benchmark in the touring segment, offering you everything you’d ever want from your touring bike and then some. Over the years, Honda has refined the Gold Wing’s package enough that despite having some seriously tough competition from the likes of the BMW K 1600 series, the Gold Wing still remains a favorite.
What’s this package? It starts with the Gold Wing’s comfort, complete with relaxed ergonomics, plenty of wind protection, and supportive seats. It’s supported by an array of tech, including cruise control, an infotainment system with stereo, rider aids, and even an optional airbag. The latter makes this the only bike in the world to offer an airbag. Finally, there’s the butter-smooth flat-six engine and unique double wishbone front suspension.
Multiple Flavors, Too, But It’s Expensive
Honda also offers the Gold Wing in multiple flavors, so there’s something for everyone. The base model is a trunkless tourer with a pair of saddlebags at the back. If you plan for two-up touring, you can upgrade to the Tour model. That adds a massive trunk at the back that doubles as a pillion backrest. Both the trunkless and Tour models are offered with the available DCT automatic.
To offer everything you’ll ever need for touring, Honda is bound to charge a premium. The Honda Gold Wing starts at $25,500, which is already a big amount, but that only gets you the base trunkless model. The Tour model starts at $29,500 and quickly crosses into the $30k mark if you pick the available DCT or DCT with airbag. That’s a lot of money, but what if you could get something almost as good for half the price? There’s one American luxury tourer that fits the bill and can be your more affordable ticket into the world of luxury touring.
The 2017 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Is The Perfect Alternative
Dial your clock back to 2017, and Harley-Davidson’s flagship non-CVO touring bike was the Ultra Limited. This fully-loaded luxury tourer offered everything you’d expect from your flagship Harley tourer, including torque and a modern Milwaukee-Eight V-twin and Showa suspension. It also offered first-class comfort, complete with supportive seats and wind protection. Back in the day, it was the complete package and among the best touring bikes you could buy.
Luckily, depreciation and time have done their magic, and the Ultra Limited is no longer limited to the ultra-rich. As tourers generally do, the Ultra Classic has depreciated into a relative bargain today. It’s still expensive, don’t get us wrong, but the package it offers seems much better value for money than any brand-new touring bike you can get your hands on. For nearly half the price of a Gold Wing Tour, you can now experience a top-of-the-line Harley-Davidson tourer.
You Can Get One For As Low As $12,930
When new, the Ultra Glide sold for a whopping $26,999 for the base Vivid Black colorway, but the price could go as high as $28,299. Today, the bike has depreciated down to an average of $17,015, according to J.D. Power. The publication also estimates that you can grab one for as low as $12,930, if you’re lucky, making the Ultra Classic an absolute steal for the money.
Sure, there are much cheaper touring bikes in the used market, including plenty from Harley-Davidson and older generations of the Gold Wing. Those, however, are too old today. Meanwhile, the Ultra Classic is still new. It runs the Milwaukee-Eight engine platform, which is still in use across the Harley touring and Softail lineup in 2026. The displacement has increased, but the overall engineering remains the same.
Modern Harley-Davidson Engine And Underpinnings
The Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited features the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, which is the predecessor to the current-generation M8 117 engines. When it was launched, the 107 V-twin was the most powerful and coolest-running engine the motor company had built so far, displacing 1,745cc and producing 112 pound-feet of torque at 3,250 RPM.
It still holds up today, since the engine is known for its crisp throttle response and smooth operation, and the torque-heavy low-end should make this full-size tourer light on its feet even while passing at highway speeds. Unlike older Twin Cam engines, the M8 107 used on the Ultra Classic was also special for its twin cooling or water-cooled cylinder heads.
This makes the engine run cooler and offers consistent performance; better thermal stability and stamina also add to the engine’s overall reliability in the long run. Plus, Harley says the valves are self-adjusting, so you don’t have to worry about valve adjustments ever, regardless of the mileage on your bike. Finally, the bike returns a respectable claimed fuel economy of 43 miles per gallon.
Confidence Inspiring Ride, Despite The Bike’s Heft
Make no mistake, this is a full-size tourer and weighs like one, too, tipping the scales at 910 pounds in running order. Still, Harley has made sure to hide its weight behind a modern touring frame, which is a mild-steel tubular unit. It sits on beefy suspension, with 49mm Showa Dual Bending Valve forks up front and hand-adjustable for preload emulsion shocks at the back. Harley says this tech improves the ride, especially over harsh bumps, while offering a confidence-inspiring ride and a planted feel.
Uncompromising Comfort For The Long Haul
The Ultra Limited doesn’t compromise when it comes to comfort, either, even when you compare it to a current-generation tourer. The first thing you’ll notice here is the massive batwing fairing upfront, which features a windscreen to keep the wind off your body. It’s paired with split stream vents to allow some airflow on hot days and reduce helmet buffeting, as well as fairing lowers that keep the wind off your legs. There are also adjustable fairing-mounted wind deflectors supporting the windshield.
Then comes the ergonomics. In true Harley tourer fashion, the bike features a relaxed riding triangle with a one-piece, two-up Electra Glide Comfort Stitch seat taking center stage, sitting 29.1 inches off the ground. It’s paired with full-length rider footrests with heel/toe shift levers and wide-set handlebars. The pillion gets to enjoy adjustable footboards and ergonomically optimized backrest and armrest, with the saddlebag guard shaped for comfort, too.
The Other Bits That Round Out The Package
The bike gets 4.7 cubic feet of storage between its sleek saddlebags and the Tour-Pak topcase. They feature a One-Touch latch, an integrated lock, a retractable lid tether, a map and tool pouch, and more. For carrying more luggage, there’s a luggage rack on the trunk, and all can be accessed with the same ignition key. There’s also a 12-volt power socket in the trunk, along with two glove boxes inside the fairing for storing smaller items.
The bike also offers flagship features from the last decade, starting with the raised, stadium-style gauges with a lighted band, coupled with a 6.5-inch full-color touchscreen. Adding a dose of entertainment is the Boom! Box 6.5GT audio system with 5.25-inch front and rear speakers, along with voice recognition and Bluetooth connectivity. Rounding out the package is cruise control, heated grips, Daymaker LED lights and foglights, and a battery charger harness. What else would you need for your cross-country American road trip?
Source: Harley-Davidson, J.D. Power
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