Honda Gives Gold Wing New Look

SANTA BARBARA, CA – Honda is giving its top-of-the-line Gold Wing a new look for 2018 with sleeker styling, less weight and a greater orientation toward performance. Due in showrooms in February, the new Gold Wing and Gold Wing Tour will range in price from $23,500 to $31,500 (with airbag) and be available with Honda’s DCT automatic transmission.

“Lighter, more agile, and more sophisticated, the 2018 Gold Wing and Gold Wing Tour set a new standard for the touring category, with groundbreaking features that enhance the riding experience and encourage riders to get out on the road, creating more exciting stories than ever before,” said Chuck Boderman, vice president of American Honda’s motorcycle division.

While still powered by an 1,833cc flat six-cylinder engine, the model’s power plant now has four valves per cylinder. It is 13.7 pounds lighter when equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and 29mm shorter. The motor is placed forward in the chassis “for more ideal weight distribution.”

Overall, the Gold Wing is roughly 90 pounds lighter. Gas tank capacity has been reduced by 1.1 gallons but the bike’s range is expected to remain the same thanks to increased fuel efficiency.

The redesigned Honda features a throttle-by-wire system and four riding modes – Tour, Sports, Econ and Rain. It has selectable torque control and hill start assist as well as cruise control. The seven-speed DCT transmission has walking mode in both forward and reverse.

The Gold Wing comes with hard saddlebags but no top case or rear audio speakers. The manual model has an MSRP of $23,500 to $23,800, while the DCT version is pegged at $24,700 to $25,000.

The Gold Wing Tour with saddlebags, top case, electrically adjustable windscreen, front and rear speakers and electrically adjustable suspension will run $26,700 to $27,200 for the manual model, $27,700 to $28,200 for the DCT version, and $31,500 for DCT with airbag.