2018 Honda Goldwing Tour Premium review

Honda’s completely revamped its iconic luxury touring bike for 2018 with a plethora of engine, chassis, design and technological updates. And doesn’t it show, with the core appeal of getting riders from A to B in the most comfortable way reaching a new summit.

That means the level of fondness for Honda's two-wheel road warrior is stronger than ever. The attachment first began way back in 1996 when I rode one for the first time from Alice Springs to Melbourne, via Coober Pedy and Adelaide. It was my first real long-haul 'flight', and I still remember whistling through the Northern Territory (the days before speed restrictions) as the fuel gauge moved from right to left at a rapid rate.

As the speeds escalated, the rider inputs didn't flinch as the big Goldwing did such a grand job of insulating the rider from all sorts of environmental ills. And that included a ferocious cross wind, which was pushing lighter sporting tackle all over the shop. But not the Goldwing: it remained as planted as a concrete slab.

There are three models in the new family: the base Goldwing, Goldwing Tour and Goldwing Tour Premium, with the bookends featuring a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. This dual clutch setup is the third iteration of a technology that Honda first highlighted on the VFR1200F sportstourer nearly a decade ago, and the company now has the formula down to a fine, intuitive art.

History lesson
But just how did we get to this point? It’s always fascinating to take a look back at Goldwing history, as it’s been such a storied journey over the last 43 years.

The GL legend began with a prototype developed way back in 1972 by a chap called Soichiro Irimajiri, who had previously directed the design of Honda's five- and six-cylinder road racing engines of the 1960s. Obviously, he was after a change of pace…

After all of Irimajiri-san's hard yakka, the first flat-four GL1000 Goldwing went on sale in 1975 and, far from giving it the cold shoulder, punters took to the massive piece of kit en masse. Long-distance motorcycling – in absolute comfort – was met with widespread acclaim.

Of course, the Goldwing has continued to evolve, with the first model followed up by 1100cc, 1200cc, 1500cc and now 1800cc versions. The GL1500 marked the debut of the flat-six engine to replace the four, bringing even more trailer-pulling torque into the equation.

The GL1800, first released in 2001, saw Honda patent 20 technological innovations, with a focus to "build a bike that would keep 80 per cent of the touring capability, while adding a 'fun factor' by giving it the kind of acceleration and handling people would normally associate with sporting machines".

In 2012, Honda updated its previous-generation Goldwing for the last time, but it was more a case of tinkering around the edges rather than a complete revamp. We said at the time that it wasn’t a major under-estimation, as the connection between bike and rider was better than ever – in other words the Goldwing could still hold its head high – but it was also around the time that BMW had released its new and ultra-modern K 1600 GT range.

Flick the switch
Honda knew it couldn’t continue down the same path for too much longer, so when the Japanese giant announced a completely redesigned three-variant family in October 2017 it came as a surprise to no one.

New features are aplenty, such as double wishbone suspension, an updated horizontally opposed six-cylinder Unicam engine with ride-by-wire, riding modes, tyre pressure monitoring, traction control and electronic suspension adjustment.

Apple CarPlay is available across the board, enabling access to a wide-range of information (including navigation), while the Goldwing Tour Premium also has an airbag, arm rests, central locking and hill start control.

Other features include anti-lock braking, auto-cancelling blinkers, seven-inch TFT screen with auto dimmer function, electric windscreen, LED lights (those front lights are piercing), a smart key, heated grips and, for the Goldwing Tour and Goldwing Tour, heated rider and pillion seats.

On the chassis side, a twin-spar aluminum frame is matched to a single-sided swingarm. Suspension is comprised of a new double-wishbone front and Showa shock absorbers front and rear. Brakes have been upgraded via radially mounted front calipers and larger 320mm rotors.

Range-topper
This review is on the range-topping Tour Premium, which retails for $42,999 plus on-roads. Like all the new models, it has shed nearly 50kg compared to the previous-generation Goldwing! And I thought I was making good progress on my 5/2 fasting diet…

That massive weight loss cannot be underestimated. It means a much more compact and streamlined bike, and that’s felt across the board: it’s easier to manoeuvre at low speed, and infinitely more enjoyable on the open road.

The 16-inch rear hoop is now much wider at 200/55 compared to 180/60 for the previous model, while the steering angle has been increased slightly from 29 to 30.5 degrees.

Even the previous Goldwing, which weighed about 421kg, wasn’t just a straight line juggernaut – but the new Goldwing is simply a cut above, and the bigger brakes are more than powerful enough.

A more compact shape has seemingly come at the cost of fuel capacity, though, which has now dropped from 25 to 21 litres – equating to around 80 clicks on the open road.

The Tour Premium certainly bolts from the blocks, as the dual clutch transmission feeds that shaft-drive with lots of intensity and clamour. The adoption of ride-by-wire has introduced four riding modes – Tour, Sport, Economy and Rain – with Sport particularly whipping 1833cc horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine into a real frenzy. The dual clutch transmission senses the moment beautifully, always keeping the Goldwing in the right gear to punch out of corners.

It’s immensely entertaining, with the hulking engine now producing 125hp and 170Nm compared to 116hp/167Nm for the previous model.

I could hear the dual clutch transmission beavering away most of the time, sometimes with a discernible clunk as the two clutches sorted out their pecking order, but that’s no cause for concern: just twist the throttle and go!

There’s also the option of riding the Premium Tour in semi-automatic manual mode, changing gears with the plus and minus toggles on the left-hand switchgear. It’s the only way you’ll hit the 6000rpm redline (and 6800rpm rev limiter!) but give me the automatic function any day.

The engine also has a ’walking’ mode to engage forward and reverse, and there’s switchable idling stop as well.

The quick start function is also a beauty. Even if the ignition is off, just engage the front brake lever and tap the starter and off she goes. Easy peasy.

The new double wishbone front suspension is superb, offering a magic carpet ride. You can see the whole system plying its trade from the cockpit, working overtime to shield the rider and pillion from any road nasties. The rear suspension offers four preload settings, depending on load, while the damping can be changed on the fly.

Suspension travel has been reduced from 140 to 109mm with the wishbone setup.

Screen time
As expected, top-shelf touring features abound on the Premium Tour, and there’s finally an electric screen! Put it on the top setting and it really does cocoon the rider and pillion superbly. The screen has a memory function, so you don’t have to keep returning it to your favoured position.

Even though the fairing isn’t as bulbous – or boxy – as the old model, the Goldwing Tour still offers incredible protection from the elements. That insulation saw me riding in -1.5 degrees one morning on the Calder Highway heading into Melbourne – with just a pair of tights under my riding jeans (I know – I’m a tool…). It was still brisk, very brisk, but not to the extent that I couldn’t push on as I approached the ‘tropical’ climes of Melbourne – five degrees!

There’s plenty of seat room across the board, and the lumbar support for the rider remains first-rate.

The cockpit is certainly not like the previous model with its rows of push buttons, which took some time to get your head around. The new menu system is way better, and includes a multi-function circular controller, while the four-speaker stereo system pumps out quality sound. That means you can enjoy tunes around at highway legal speeds through the speakers – if that’s your preferred mode – but obviously as the velocity increases wind noise starts to become an issue.

The Goldwing Tour is available in two liveries – Candy Ardent Red/Darkness Black Metallic or Darkness Black Metallic – while the base Goldwing ($35,000 plus on-roads) comes in Matte Majestic Silver Metallic. The Goldwing Tour ($41,999 plus on-roads), which has a six-speed manual transmission and slipper clutch, has a Pearl Hawkseye Blue livery.

Summing up
The Goldwing has taken a quantum leap forward. Sure, the previous version was certainly long in the tooth, but you’ve still got to engineer something new – and what a job Honda’s done. The touring icon has approached middle age with a renewed vigour – slimmer physique, stronger engine and more smarts – which means the famous moniker will be around for a lot longer yet.

SPECS: 2018 HONDA GOLDWING PREMIUM TOUR
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, SOHC, 12-valve, flat six
Capacity: 1833cc
Bore x stroke: 73mm x 73mm
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Fuel system: PGM-F1 electronic fuel injection
Emissions: Euro 4

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 125hp
Claimed maximum torque: 170Nm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Seven-speed dual clutch transmission, including electric forward and reverse
Final drive: Shaft

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Front suspension: Double wishbone, 109mm travel
Rear suspension: Pro Arm single-side swingarm with Pro-Link single shock; 104mm travel
Front brakes: 320mm discs with three-piston calipers, CBS, ABS
Rear brake: 316mm disc with three-piston caliper, CBS, ABS
Wheels: Spoked – front 2.5 x 18, rear 3.5 x 17
Tyres: front 130/70-18, rear 200/55-16

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 30.5 degrees
Trail: 109mm
Claimed wet weight: 383kg
Seat height: 744mm
Wheelbase: 1694mm
Fuel capacity: 21 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $42,999 plus ORC
Colours: Candy Ardent Red/Darkness Black Metallic or Darkness Black Metallic
Test bike supplied by: Honda Australia
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres