Images leak of all-new Gold Wing ahead of launch

Honda is latest manufacturer to be gazumped to a grand reveal of an important new model, with pictures of the new-for-2018 Gold Wing leaked online well ahead of its official launch. The images come just two weeks after Ducati was dealt the same blow when pictures of its highly anticipated V4 Panigale emerged ahead of its officially launch.

The Gold Wing pictures, which appear to be out of the new bike’s official brochure, answer plenty of questions we still had around the bike’s engine and suspension, and confirm a host of details we’d already gleaned, such as the transmission and even variants set to spawn from the firm’s luxury tourer.

The biggest news to come from the leaked images is the Gold Wing will adopt a Hossack-style front fork set-up. While we knew through patents that the Japanese firm was considering a few different unconventional options for the front end, it wasn’t clear which direction Honda would take. Though it’s now clear it will follow the lead of BMW’s luxury-tourer and adopt the non-diving Hossack-style approach for what will undoubtedly be the heaviest bike in Honda’s line-up.

Similarly, the images reveal that Honda will stick with its flat-six engine for the heavily revised bike. The firm was widely tipped to adopt a four-cylinder engine which was to be assisted by a hybrid electric engine but, at least in the model depicted in the images, it’s not the case.

The absence of a clutch lever in some pictures and the inclusion in others confirms the model will offered in both manual and Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) options and a leaked picture of the stripped-back Bagger version also reveals the final styling of the much-mooted F6B variant.

The bike will be officially unveiled on October 24, 2017 where the final details, such as the large array of electronic rider aids it’s sure to employ, will be revealed.