LOCAL SPINS
HONDA GOLDWING
SHIMMERING LIKE
THE GOLDWING
WITH A HISTORY SPANNING MORE THAN 30 YEARS, THIS TOURER IS A TEMPTING PROPOSITION
BY ALBAKRY SALEHUDDIN
H onda came up with a few bikes
in their line-up in the‘ 60s and‘ 70s that have endured until today.
Most people are acquainted with the Cub, the bike that never dies. Then there is the CB750 which revolutionised the biking world, and it’ s the same story with the Goldwing.
There is no way of not calling this highway behemoth anything but“ a really big bike”. Half of it will stick out if you park it in a motorcycle parking spot; even then you’ ll be using up two spots.
Not something you want to ride in town – you can but it will be cumbersome, for the Goldwing is more at home on the open road.
Heavy and bulky( mostly while at standstill), this is one of those bikes that evolved over time to become what it is today.
The bike started its history in 1974; at that time it was already marketed as a touring bike though it came without fairings.
Not long after it was launched, there was market demand for fairings and bags for bikes. Not long after that, Honda responded and the Goldwing came with fairing and bags from the factory.
With that, the Goldwing started to grow from a flat-four 1,000cc to a flat-six 1,800cc with self leveling suspension with anti-diving forks, radio, intercom and more.
That brings us to this, the current Goldwing, for the first time officially brought
in by the manufacturer.
The weight you feel getting it off the sidestand immediately fades away as you roll off. There is lots of torque, from down low the rpm range, matched by a smooth six-speed transmission.
The seat is wide and very supportive, making an eight-hour journey possible in the most luxurious and comfortable seat we have put our bottom on. Even better, we think, is the passenger seat, or the throne as some might call it.
A large front and huge windscreen protects the rider from the wind and elements.
On chilly evenings, you can get some heat to your feet, which gets the most flow of air by opening the vent at the bottom of the engine cover to leak out a bit of hot air that flows over your legs.
The controls are glove-friendly, big and chunky. While being easy to operate, it’ s also starting to feel dated with buttons and levers everywhere.
And of course, how can we not talk about the built-in boot space. It’ s huge, with the large portion of it making up the rear of the bike.
Two side pods can carry a good weekend worth of light luggage for two while the top box is able to swallow two full face helmets and a bit more stuff on the side. There is also a USB / iPod connector in the top box. All are
lockable, including a key only accessible on the centre console.
The only one that can’ t be locked is a small box-sized“ cubby” hole that can fit two Redbull drinks which come with a 3.5mm jack to connect to your audio player.
Music can be piped through the onboard radio unit, blasting on four waterproof speakers.
All in all, with a 25-litre fuel tank, this is a tourer you have to consider. While there are other tourers in the market, it’ s hard to beat what Honda had done with the Goldwing with over 30 years of work.
60 60 M N M 220 1133 | | IISSSSU E E 33