Honda unveils 2018 Gold Wing at Tokyo Motor Show

The new bike loses girth and now comes loaded with a whole load of gizmos

Over the years, Honda’s Gold Wing has garnered quite a cult following owing to its silky smooth motor, armchair comfort and onboard gizmos. The Gold Wing was due for an update and Honda did just that at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show.

The new 2018 Gold Wing has undergone a massive revamp in the bodywork, engine and suspension department. In terms of looks, the new Gold Wing gets a slimmer profile and is narrower than its predecessor for better aerodynamics. The headlamp and taillamp have been redesigned and are all-LED units now. The frame is lighter but is able to support the weight of the rider, pillion and upto 110kg of luggage. The front suspension is now a double wishbone unit instead of the earlier bike’s telescopic unit. The benefit of this new layout is better vertical travel, which in turn translates to a magic carpet like ride. The suspension’s preload can be electronically adjusted via a button on the dashboard. The new suspension setup also liberates space behind the front wheel that has allowed the engine to be moved forward for better mass centralisation. The new setup has made the Gold Wing lighter by 40kg.

The 1833cc, flat-six motor has received major ground-up updates. The bore has been reduced by 1mm to 73mm, which in turn allowed Honda’s engineers to make the motor compact by reducing its length by 29mm. The top end receives updates in the form of a new 4 valves-per-cylinder layout and molybdenum-coated piston skirts. Power is up 7PS and the motor now makes 126PS at 5500rpm and 170Nm of torque at 4500rpm. Honda engineers claim that the new motor is 20 percent more fuel efficient too. The bike gets ride-by-wire with four riding modes on offer- Eco, Rain, Touring and Sport. In addition, it gets traction control, cruise control and hill start assist.

The new Gold Wing gets two transmission options. A 6-speed manual ‘box that makes the whole package 6.8kg lighter. The other option is a 7-speed dual-clutch (DCT) automatic gearbox. In addition, the Goldwing gets a ‘walking speed’ mode that works both in forward and reverse. This is to help the rider park the almost eight-foot long motorcycle into tight parking spots.

With a dazzling array of centrally-mounted buttons and a circular jog dial in the centre of the dashboard, the Honda Gold Wing shines in the technology department. Taking pride of place is a 7-inch colour instrument console with Apple CarPlay. You also get a plethora of features such as keyless ignition, music system, electrically-adjustable windscreen, tyre pressure monitoring system, heated grips and heated seats. Airbags are also available as an option.

We expect the new Gold Wing to mark its presence here later next year. In other markets, the Gold Wing is available in two trims - Standard and Tour. The Tour variant gets a taller windscreen, electric suspension preload adjust, traction control and a top storage box. We expect the Gold WIng to come here via the CBU (completely built unit) route, so expect to pay close to Rs 40 lakh for this continental cruiseliner.