2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test

Kit Palmer | January 16, 2018

2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test – Here’s the quick lowdown on the 2018 Honda Gold Wing: It’s improved in every way. How do we know? We just rode one.

2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test

Honda gave the media its first opportunity to experience the company’s latest production version of its iconic luxury touring motorcycle. Honda chose the outskirts of Austin, Texas (a seemingly safe location in the middle of winter) as the place to set us free on the new ‘Wing for the first time, and they planned a two-day, 400-plus mile ride that included an overnight stay, but Mother Nature had other plans, like a powerful cold front that left a coating of ice on pretty much every road in the state of Texas. As a result, our ride was cut short to just one day, but we still managed to carve out a 200-mile loop on the new ‘Wing before Mr. Snow Miser rolled into town.

We’ll have a more detailed riding report on the 2018 Gold Wing in a future issue of Cycle News magazine, but, for now, here are some of the things that really stood out after riding the 2018 Gold Wing—in this case the Tour DCT—for the first time.

The first thing that really impressed me was ergonomics. I found the new ‘Wing to be far more comfortable than the previous version. I know, that’s is hard to believe, but thanks to a more spacious handlebar/seat/footpeg relationship, the new ‘Wing is pure joy to sit on. After having logged close to 100 miles on the ’18 ‘Wing before our planed lunch stop, I got a chance sneak out and throw a leg over the ’17 ‘Wing for a quick jaunt down the road during our short break and discovered the ’17 to be noticeably more cramped than the ’18! This was strange to me because I had never before thought of the old Gold Wing as being cramped. Even though I still think the ’17 is certainly ergonomically friendly, the ’18 is even more so—at least for my 6’1” frame. I liked how Honda shortened the reach of the handlebars and moved back the footpegs.

2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test

Although I did not have a passenger on this trip, I did speak to a few passengers that were on the ride who also thought that the new Gold Wing was more comfortable. They all praised the Gold Wing’s heated seat and backrest, which was indeed a big hit with the passengers. I too enjoyed the ‘Wing’s heated seat, as I did the heated grips. The grips easily kept my hands warm through my thick winter gloves.

While sitting at the controls, the ’18 ‘Wing feels smaller, and is obviously narrower than the ’17, which has a much wider windscreen and dash area than the ’18. And speaking of the windscreen, the ‘18’s electronically adjustable windscreen is a major upgrade over the previous fixed screen which only came up to eye level for me; now, in the full up position, it covers my entire helmet for a buffet-free ride.

Suspension is another major improvement. Honda’s new double-wishbone front suspension system is simply amazing. It soaks up the bumps extremely well while still giving the rider excellent feedback and connection between you and the road. Honda claims that the new double wishbone design reduces total shock transferred to the handlebars by 30 percent! I have no reason to doubt that number. The new front suspension system also makes the ‘Wing feel rock stable and super secure at speed, and there is very little front-end diving when you grab a lever full of brakes (which are linked, of course). However, diving is non-existent when you chop the throttle or when only applying the rear brake pedal. As a result, the new Gold Wing feels very balanced and planted at all times, even under hard braking. Honda deserves a big kudos for its new double wishbone front suspension design.

2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test

The all-new engine is still silky smooth; overall, it feels—and sounds (though with a little bit more aggressive tone)—much like the previous engine but with a tick more power midrange. In general, power increase isn’t dramatic over the previous engine, but it does feel a little snappier overall and is supposedly a lot more fuel-efficient than before. That is why it holds about a gallon less fuel but still gets the same fuel range—at least that’s what we are told. Haven’t been able to test that claim yet.

When it comes to the transmission you have two options: six-speed manual (traditional shifting) and seven-speed DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission, aka automatic). I spent the day on the DCT version and loved it. I’m already quite familiar with Honda’s DCT system, having previously spent a lot of time on the DCT-equipped Africa Twin and VFR1200X, and I’m a big fan. The Gold Wing gets the very latest version of this amazing system and it’s the smoothest DCT generation yet; personally, I wouldn’t even consider buying the manual version of the Gold Wing. DCT just makes living life on the road that much easier and less fatiguing for those really long days in the saddle; plus, it’s actually a lot of fun. And, if you want, you can easily switch over to manual mode and chose your own shift points via the “flippers” on the left handlebar. Give DCT a try; you might be surprised.

2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test

Another advantage of DCT is that you get both reverse, and Walking (forward) mode; the manual Gold Wing Tour just gets reverse, and the standard manual-transmission Gold Wing model gets neither. (There are five Gold Wing models: Gold Wing, Gold Wing DCT, Gold Wing Tour, Gold Wing Tour DCT, and Gold Wing Tour DCT Airbag.)

The new Gold Wings have four ride modes: Touring, Sport, Economy and Rain. And all four are very distinctive; you can easily tell the difference from one mode to the other. Touring mode is a good compromise of all four and the mode I preferred to be in most of the time. Sport mode keeps the engine in a higher rev range, good for immediate throttle response and twisty roads when you’re feeling a little frisky. Suspension also automatically adjusts for whichever mode you’re in, such as stiffer for Sport and softest for Rain. I, however, did not notice the suspension changes; I’ll have to fiddle with that some more in the future.

Handling is improved without question. The new chassis results in a super-solid and stable ride and goes where you point it without argument, much of which has to do with an 80-pound reduction in weight. The Gold Wing was already a pretty sporty-handling bike for its size; it feels even sportier now.

The Gold Wing’s new Apple CarPlay, which allows you to connect, via a cable, to your iPhone and show maps, contacts and music via the bike’s seven-inch full-color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display, works well. There is a handy storage compartment for your phone, which can, of course, also be paired to a Bluetooth headset, like the new Sena 30K that I used. There is a bit of a learning curve as to getting the phone paired with the motorcycle and your headset, but once that’s been accomplished, you’re good to go, and then it’s just a matter of pushing buttons and figuring out what does what. By lunch, I had it all pretty much mastered. The most-used buttons are located on the left handlebar so you don’t have to take your hands off the bars—Honda does not want you to do that. I spent most of my ride listening to Pandora while watching our route in maps mode roll by on the navigation screen.

2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test

When it comes to storage this is one area that some might feel that the new Gold Wing took a step backwards because there is less of it. Honda’s research department found that most Gold Wingers don’t do week-long rides but instead go on just one or two overnight rides and really don’t need massive saddlebags for storage, so Honda chose to give the new Gold Wing a sleeker profile (California lane-splitters will be happy) that just plain looks better, which Honda hopes will appeal to the younger crowd. The Wing’s 50-litre trunk struggles to hold two full-face helmets (it depends on the size and models of the helmets) but the bike does come with an external helmet lock that will accommodate two helmets at one time. Side bags are 30 litre each.

You can bet Honda will offer larger bags/trunks as accessories in the future.

Overall, as good as the previous Gold Wing was, and still is, the 2018 Gold Wing is an improved motorcycle in just about every way. It’s more comfortable, it handles better, suspension is much improved, and there are many more smaller conveniences to make your long day on the back roads just that much more enjoyable.

It appears that Honda has raised the bar once again when it comes to the luxury-touring market.

2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT: First Test

Click here for more motorcycle reviews.