The Honda Touring Motorcycle That Quietly Becomes A Lifetime Companion
It’s certainly exciting to have multiple motorcycles in your garage or to change motorcycles every couple of years. But over the years, you realize that, while still exciting, doing so is both heavy on your wallet and time. The smarter thing to do is to buy a reliable bike that you won’t get tired of, and keep riding it for years to come. And what better bike than a Honda, a company known for making reliable motorcycles? So, here’s one Honda bike that has the potential to be a lifetime companion.
Buy It For Life Kind Of Motorcycles Do Exist
BIFL is an internet acronym for buy it for life: products that you buy once and that last a lifetime. You’d think this acronym might only refer to things like leather jackets, iron cast pans, or furniture, but it can also refer to motorcycles. Of course, very few motorcycles actually meet the criteria for being considered BIFL, but they do exist. These are the bikes that people buy and use for years to come, and they come in all varieties.
For those looking for a simple commuter, there’s hardly anything better than the legendary Honda Super Cub, or the Suzuki SV650 for those wanting a no-nonsense streetfighter that is fun to ride and fires up every time you thumb the starter button. For adventure-oriented folks, there are the Yamaha Tenere 700, Suzuki V-Strom 650, or the Honda Africa Twin, while off-roaders can pick from the three 650-class dual sports: Suzuki DR650S, Honda XR650L, and Kawasaki KLR650.
What if you want a motorcycle that can stretch its legs on the highway for 500-mile days without a fuss, while cocooning you in comfort? All without compromising on low-speed maneuverability, peppy engine character, or nimble handling in the corners. Honda has one bike for you. This touring bike sets the gold standard for touring motorcycles, and it’s capable and dependable enough to last you a lifetime. Who knows, maybe you might even be able to pass it down to your kids.
The Honda Gold Wing Can Last You A Lifetime
The bike in question is the Honda Gold Wing, a bike that first made its debut back in 1975. Over 50 years and seven generations, the bike has evolved into a benchmark in the touring motorcycle segment. The Gold Wing brings the right balance of everything that you’d look for in your touring motorcycle: luxury, comfort, handling, and performance. Sure, there may be more luxurious or powerful tourers out there, but none of them come close to being as refined and balanced as the Gold Wing.
The bike offers business-class-level luxury and comfort, with neutral ergonomics, ample wind protection, and creature comforts such as heated grips. There’s even an optional airbag here! With so much on offer, the Gold Wing leaves little to be desired, making it a bike that you can keep for a lifetime without getting bored with it.
It’s Not Cheap, But It’s Value For Money
Being a flagship tourer, the Honda Gold Wing is not a cheap motorcycle, but it has everything to make its massive price tag feel worth it. The base Gold Wing starts at $25,500; pay $1,000 more, and you’ll unlock the DCT version of the same trunkless model. For those wanting more storage or two-up comfort, Honda offers the Gold Wing Tour, which starts at $29,500, with the DCT model costing $1,000 extra. At the top of the lineup sits the Gold Wing Tour Airbag DCT at $33,800, the only motorcycle to come with an airbag.
Butter-Smooth And Bulletproof Flat-Six Engine, And Sporty Handling
Powering the Honda Gold Wing is a flat-six engine, and in its current generation, it displaces 1,833 cc and weighs 13 pounds less than its predecessor. To keep the engine light, Honda has given the bike its Unicam cylinder head design, along with aluminum cylinder sleeves, a shorter crankshaft, and Integrated Starter Generator (ISG). The engine produces 125 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, and it’s praised for its smooth power delivery.
What’s more, this is also one of the most reliable touring bikes you can buy today. The flat-six engine platform has been around for a long time, and it has proven itself to be quite dependable. It has the potential to rack up six-digit mileage with just routine maintenance. The bike also gets a shaft drive, making maintenance easier. Such performance and reliability only make the case stronger for the Gold Wing as a lifetime companion.
Optional DCT On Offer
The standard Gold Wing model features a six-speed manual transmission, but if you don’t want to mess with shifting gears on your ride, you can opt for the DCT version. This dual-clutch automatic features seven cogs with an overdrive seventh gear for highway cruising. The DCT also enables Walking Mode, letting you creep forward or backward at walking pace, making it easier to maneuver the bike in parking lots or traffic. On the other hand, the manual models get an electric reverse to help back the bike out of parking spaces.
Surprisingly Sporty Handling For A Tourer
Full-dress touring bikes aren’t usually known for sporty handling, but the Gold Wing is an exception. It’s underpinned by Honda’s latest-generation die-cast aluminum frame, tuned for a smooth ride and precise handling. The frame sits on a unique double wishbone front suspension and a single-sided Pro Arm swingarm. Honda says this setup offers a smooth ride, good rider feedback, and excellent handling.
With the flat-six engine that sits low in the frame, the bike’s low center of gravity should only make the bike easier to handle despite its size. The result is a bike that you can, obviously, take on a cross-country road trip but also ride around town and take a crack at cornering with. Owners claim the bike is versatile enough to wear multiple hats, despite it looking like it’s only comfortable on the highway.
A Comfort-First And Tech-Rich Approach To Motorcycling
Being a mile-munching tourer, the Gold Wing shines when it comes to luxurious comfort, with enough things to never want for more. The bike gets a low seat height of just 29.3 inches, as well as neutral ergonomics. The seats get a custom-feel suede-like cover for a premium look. The Tour model gets a trunk that doubles up as a pillion backrest, and on the trunkless model, you can opt for the available backrest for both the rider and the pillion.
Sharp Styling With Plenty Of Wind Protection
Unlike other touring bikes, the Gold Wing isn’t your grandpa’s bike, thanks to its sharp, modern design. And it’s not just for looks, either. The bike is designed to be aerodynamic, with an extensive front fairing that keeps the wind off your face and body. Honda says the bike also features ducts to keep you cool on hot summer days. Sitting above the fairing is an electronically adjustable windscreen with nearly 5 inches of range, which can be lowered or raised with the push of a button.
Integrated Saddlebags With Enough Storage For Multiday Rides
The trunkless Gold Wing features a pair of saddlebags at the rear that hold around 15.85 gallons of luggage. Opt for the Tour model, and storage increases twofold thanks to the trunk, boosting the total capacity to 32 gallons. The trunk’s also big enough to hold two full-size helmets. These cases open electronically and can be locked/unlocked remotely, too. Whether you’re out on a weekend ride or an interstate road trip, there’s enough storage here for 500-mile days.
A Laundry List Of Features
The Gold Wing is also one of the most feature-rich Japanese motorcycles. It features a large 7-inch TFT display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and HomeLink support. It’s paired with 55-watt speakers to keep you entertained on the road. Other creature comforts include cruise control, keyless ride, and heated grips, while safety is covered by ride modes, ABS, Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), Hill Start Assist, and TPMS.
The Honda Gold Wing is also the only bike in the world to offer an airbag, and it has been doing so for two decades. The airbag is only available on the flagship Gold Wing Tour DCT model. Honda has developed this airbag based on real-world crash data, and it’s designed to absorb the rider’s forward momentum, preventing them from going over the handlebars. Unlike those used in cars, the airbag here is V-shaped and uses tether straps to anchor itself to the bike’s chassis.
Think of the reasons why you’d ever change your bike, and the Gold Wing will probably never give you that reason. Poor performance and handling? No. Electrical gremlins or engine problems? Nope. Outdated design? Nope, the Gold Wing is timeless. The only time you might want to sell your Gold Wing is if your riding style shifts, and you want something that can either go off-road or let you drag your knee in corners. Otherwise, the Honda Gold Wing could be your two-wheeled companion for life.
Source: Honda Powersports
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