New 2018 Honda Gold Wing Unveiled In USA And Tokyo

If you ever longed for the comfort of your favourite barcalounger while you toured the urban world on two wheels, then the new Honda Gold Wing has you covered. Even Honda’s release video likens this two-wheeled behemoth to a sofa on wheels. Yes it’s ginormous, but it’s also very popular and over the years it’s developed a strong fan following of people who have transitioned over to the more comfortable side of motorcycling. 

What’s new

All of it apparently. Honda says that the new Gold Wing is completely new from the road up. Starting at the front end there’s a new front suspension which ditches conventional telescopic forks for a new double wishbone system. This allows the front wheel to move in a more vertical plane when absorbing bumps and also allowed engineers to mount the engine further forward in the frame. As some of you may have already guessed, this gives better “mass centralisation” and “improves handling”. 

The engine has also undergone a complete revamp and a lot of work has gone into refining the 6-pot motor as well. There are now four valves per cylinder, molybdenum coating on the piston skirts and a narrower 73mm bore (74mm before), which has all helped shorten the engine by 29mm as well. Power is now 126PS@5500rpm, up from 119PS while torque is a generous 170Nm@4500rpm, up by just 3Nm from the earlier motor. 

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When equipped with a conventional 6-speed transmission the whole engine unit is lighter by 6.2 kilograms. It’s also available with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that’s similar to the automatic transmissions we’ve previously seen on the VFR1200f and the new Africa Twin. For the Gold Wing there will also be a forward and reverse ‘walking speed’ mode to help you maneuver this eight-foot-long motorcycle in parking lots.

Tech-laden

There’s a new ride-by-wire throttle as well that bring along with it four riding modes, Honda Selectable Torque Control (traction control), hill start assist and cruise control. There is also a new 7-inch TFT flatscreen full-colour display, electronically controlled suspension preload and Apple CarPlay. The headlamps and taillights are all LED units; the windscreen is electronically adjustable; and of course you get a music system, heated grips and seats, and even an airbag as an option. Yes we’re still talking about a motorcycle. 

Honda has managed to cut an amazing 40kg of weight all over the new Gold Wing and promise that it’s the lightest, narrowest one yet.  And with the addition of the new riding modes, the automatic transmission and the walking-forward-and-reverse mode, it certainly promises to be the best ‘sofa on wheels’ experience money can buy. The US is one of the Gold Wing’s most important markets, which is why it was revealed there first. It is also on display at the Tokyo Motor Show as well. The Gold Wing is available in two models: the standard Gold Wing and the Gold Wing Tour, which adds a top box, taller windscreen, electronic preload adjust and traction control. It will retail between $23,800 - $31,500 (Rs 15.44 lakh - Rs 20.44 lakh).