2018 Honda Gold Wing Touring is the most evolved production motorcycle on Earth

I know I’ll have my head handed to me by the Honda hatters on the headline above. No worries, I’m all about motorcycle brand loyalty. To my multiple brand long-ride friends, and I have many, read on! What makes 2018 Honda Gold Wing the most evolved touring motorcycle on Earth?

I owned my first Honda GL back when the Rolling Stones were in their late 20s. If I was to reach back in time, grab my 1975 banana yellow Honda GL 1000, and place it next to the 2018 Honda Gold Wing Touring presented today in Santa Barbara, you’d discover very little common DNA between the two..

Four decades in the making, this is 2018 Honda Gold Wing Touring

43 years has come and gone since Honda introduced a motorcycle that effectively reinvented 2-up, 2-wheel, long-range touring through many firsts: The original Honda GL 1000 featured an automotive engineered pancake water cooled 4-cylinder engine, shaft drive, disk brakes that actually worked, and a very reliable electric wiring harness, something that Harley Davidson and Triumph would dial in years latter. My first heavyweight motorcycle just happened to be a Honda.

The original Honda GL Gold Wing was then, and remains, as mechanically reliable as the original Honda Civic, something that production motorcycles had not been known for prior to its introduction. Touring motorcycle evolution continues today with the introduction of the 2018 Honda Gold Wing Touring, a long-range 2-up touring bike that thanks to unprecedented rider-friendly innovation such as Hill Start Assist, available DCT, (automated transmission) and drive mode selection, is well balanced and nimble enough for comfortable, easy handling, everyday use.

Honda isn’t sharing 2018 Gold Wing mechanical, technical, specifications with us, yet

In this week's media tease, Honda tells us that for 2018, Honda Gold Wing is effectively re engineered from the tire treads up. Key updates include:

KEY UPDATES

Lighter overall package results in improved handling and maneuverability

More compact, lighter engine with four-valve head and Unicam valve train

Available seven-speed DCT with Walking Mode forward/reverse

Six-speed manual transmission

Robotically welded aluminum twin-tube frame with revised plate thicknesses

Radially mounted six-piston dual front braking calipers

Double-wishbone front-suspension system

Electrically controlled suspension

Throttle-by-wire with multiple riding modes

Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC)

Hill Start Assist

Smart Key

Apple CarPlay compatibility

LED lighting

Updated design with 11.8 percent improved aerodynamic efficiency

Electric windscreen adjustment

According to Honda: 2018 Gold Wing in all trim levels will filter into U.S. markets beginning in February 2018. MSRP for Honda’s ultimate touring bike begins at $23,500 for the base trim Gold Wing, and ventures up to $31,500 + for the fully optioned Gold Wing Touring DCT Airbag.