Honda’s Goldwing: Something Massive This Way Comes… (part I)
To tell the truth, this is the only bike review we’ve ever approached with a sense of trepidation. Not least because the Goldwing legend is as big as the bike itself. Sure, everyone knows it’s huge, but figures only tell part of the story; we could, for instance, tell you about the almost 40 year production history, the 640,000 units made, the whopping 6 cylinder 1832cc engine and an all up weight of about 405 kilos (900lbs). But it’s not facts and figures that are hard to grasp. Hardest of all is doing justice to a phenomenon – a two wheeled paradox that fools the eyes but wins the heart. People who dislike the motorcycling Marmite that is the Goldwing call them ‘two wheeled cars’, and you can see where they’re coming from. Your eyes tell you that nothing as outrageously heavy and bulky as this can possibly ride like a bike…. on TWO wheels…but your eyes would be fooling you; it does just that, and does it implausibly well. Star Trek’s Scotty may have thought you can’t change the laws of Physics, but it seems that Honda have, somehow, proved him wrong.
Make no mistake, the Goldwing is 100% (or perhaps that should be 110%) motorcycle; It’s powerful, fast and you can throw it through the twisties like you’d never believe from looking at it. You get the excitement of any bike; the open air, the fast overtakes, the ride that turns a bendy lane into a theme park; you just don’t have to do without the comforts of modern day life. How this is achieved is a mystery, but there it is – an engineering enigma.
We’re not even going to attempt an overall history of the bike – that would take a book. Instead we’re going to split our humble article into two halves; starting here with the most recent model, the GL 1800 and working backwards in the next piece to the preceding bikes.
That way, we can begin with the bike most people know (and is in the showrooms), review performance, handling and ownership experience, and then look back to see how it came to be that way; the biggest, best loved / loathed but certainly most recognisable bike in the world. This is also the bike that two of us at Bigbikemad have actually owned. We’ve added links to YouTube video behind most of the images – just click to go to video. So, having brewed a large pot of coffee, it’s time to contact the Goldwing clubs and forums, reach for the book of superlatives and begin.
Make no mistake, the Goldwing is 100% (or perhaps that should be 110%) motorcycle; It’s powerful, fast and you can throw it through the twisties like you’d never believe from looking at it. You get the excitement of any bike; the open air, the fast overtakes, the ride that turns a bendy lane into a theme park; you just don’t have to do without the comforts of modern day life. How this is achieved is a mystery, but there it is – an engineering enigma.
We’re not even going to attempt an overall history of the bike – that would take a book. Instead we’re going to split our humble article into two halves; starting here with the most recent model, the GL 1800 and working backwards in the next piece to the preceding bikes.
That way, we can begin with the bike most people know (and is in the showrooms), review performance, handling and ownership experience, and then look back to see how it came to be that way; the biggest, best loved / loathed but certainly most recognisable bike in the world. This is also the bike that two of us at Bigbikemad have actually owned. We’ve added links to YouTube video behind most of the images – just click to go to video. So, having brewed a large pot of coffee, it’s time to contact the Goldwing clubs and forums, reach for the book of superlatives and begin.
Pedigree
If ever a bike was sui generis – in a class of its own – this is it. A story of the Goldwing’s unique development will feature in the next article, but it’s impossible to begin here without briefly setting the context.
The ancestry of today’s Goldwing begins in 1975 when the first GL1000 – a flat-4 naked – went on sale. This early unfaired ancestor had, by 1988 metamorphosed into the more tourer-orientated flat-6 GL1500 made in USA since 1979. But it’s arguably today’s GL1800, with its bulbous fairing and armchair pillion seat that most people recognise instantly as the definitive Goldwing.  2001 Goldwing. Back then there was nothing like it. Rather like today then…. The GL1800’s road history begins in 2001, when the 99 bhp GL 1500, a model that had enjoyed a 13 year long production run, was replaced by the new flat-6 1,832 cc (111.8 cu in) engined version. The new engine churned out 123 ft/lbs and 116bhp of creamy power, but surprisingly the machine was lighter than its predecessor, thanks mainly to a new extruded aluminium frame.
These were radical changes, but since then development has been, er, well, glacial; just mainly refining the design…larger radiators and cooling fans, better rubbers between the engine guards and exhaust cowls, ABS, an on-bike airbag and cruise control in 2006, GPS and heated seats among other toys. In 2010 production in the US ended and subsequent models, made, after a brief hiccup (no 2011 bikes were made) in Kumamoto, Japan, from 2012 became known as ‘Second Gen’ bikes. Engine and Transmission….
The GL1800’s engine is an opposed Flat 6 – a design used by both Subaru and Porsche to keep weight and hence centre of gravity low and reduce vibration. It works here too. The mill delivers an unstressed 116bhp at 5500rpm and a stump-pulling 123ftlbs of torque at 4000rpm. Curiously, those figures give the bike about the same power to weight as a Porsche 911…
We ran a 2008 model for a year and on the test track it blasted up to 60 in just over 4 seconds, 100 mph came up in just over 11 and it ran the quarter mile in just under 12 at 111mph. Not bad for a fat old girl. Enough power for most folks anyway, although you can buy an aftermarket turbo which is stonkingly good fun. Transmission is a standard 5-speed actuated by a hydraulic wet clutch, but the unique USP in the transmission is the electric reverse gear. This actually engages the starter motor to drive the 8 foot long monster backwards at a sedate 0.5 mph. With something this heavy it’s a useful feature. Frame Suspension and Brakes
 The GL 1500 had already reached the limits of traditional steel frames, and when the GL1800 was built in 2001 Honda started from scratch with an all new welded aluminium frame. This not only weighed less than the smaller bikes frame, it was stiffer and had fewer parts. Final weight of the built bike was in the order of 895 lbs – some 25 lbs lighter than the outgoing model despite the increase in engine size.
Front suspension features a 45mm fork with anti-dive and a total of 140mm travel. The rear, a pro-arm single sided swing arm, has electric preload adjustment with a 2 setting memory. You might think that hauling this beast down from speed would require the anchors of the Titanic, but the job is accomplished quite well by dual 296mm discs with 3 piston calipers on the front and a single 316mm disk on the rear. Front and rear braking is linked and, from 2006, bikes came with ABS. Touring Nirvana
 Pic: Jandy Stone, Wikimedia The Gold Wing was aimed squarely at the American long distance rider, requiring high levels of comfort from the long haul including wind protection, a smooth ride, comfort, storage and long-legged power. But, as we’ll see later on, the ‘Wing is much more than just a luxury tourer.
Nevertheless, it does superbly well in the touring role – indeed we think it still has no equal. Gadgets and luxuries abound, from the remote controlled lockable luggage (over 150 litres capacity – some people go further and add a trailer) to the heated grips and seats, cruise control, optional GPS and built-in sound system. The screen cossets the rider in a bubble of still air and the seats are as welcoming as your favourite arm chair. Pampering indeed. Riding It
 Pic Thanks to Mark Rondina If you think that acres of soft seats implies sofa-like handling abilities you could not be further from the truth. The same goes for weight – just look at it; this is a heavy, cumbersome beast -right? Er, nope. While most people looking at the bike imagine that maneuvering will be like steering a reluctant buffalo by the ears they’d be wrong. Sooo wrong.
Step aboard and you find that the Goldwing is completely counter-intuitive – and it’s by design. The big flat-6 engine keeps centre of gravity very low, and this enables the bike to appear to pivot about the crankshaft – bobbing left or right with all the bounce-back energy of a weeble. Astonishing! Your eyes can’t believe what your sense of balance is telling them.  The low-slung weight, 29 inch seat height and pinched in tank all keep the rider feeling they are in charge – just sitting on it at rest feels rock stable – feet flat on the deck – not intimidating at all. No sense of the weight, just a feeling of really planted serenity. But get it rolling and that’s when things really get more than surprising. As you move off the sense of being on a large bike simply disappears. Steering is so responsive that slow speed work – which you might dread – is easy-peasy. Within a few minutes of getting on it we were riding round and round in 6 metre circles just for the fun of it. How on earth is this possible?! Folks looked on, waiting for us to drop the bike, but neither of our riders did. If the worst happens though, picking it up is surprisingly easy – as is putting it on the stand. Who says you can’t change the laws of Physics? What to do if you do drop it….
 The bike has excellent crash bars built in. Picking it up from a fall is not an impossible task – its just technique as this video shows. Click image to go to video. Perhaps a clue as to how Honda have managed to achieve what your eyes tell you is impossible is by having Masanori Aoki, a dyed-in-the-leathers sportsbike lover, who in 1977 was responsible for leading development on the NSR250 Grand Prix machine, as the project team leader. That has to be good insurance against creating a slug of a bike. However they’ve done it though – the design is incredibly clever.
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Engine: liquid-cooled, longitudinal opposed flat six, 1,832cc
Bore x Stroke: 74.0 x 71.0mm, Compression 9.8:1, SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder ( adj. at 32,000 miles) Fuel Delivery: Fuel Injection Transmission: 5-speed & electric reverse, hydraulic wet clutch Final Drive: Shaft Electrical Output: 1,300 watts, 12V 20AH battery Frame: Aluminum-alloy twin-spar. Engine stressed member. Single-sided swingarm. 66.5 in wheelbase, Seat 29.1 in high. Suspension, 45mm stanchions w/ anti-dive, Pro-Link single rear shock, remotely adj. for spring preload Brakes: dual discs, front: 3-piston CBS calipers & ABS, rear: Single disc 3-piston CBS caliper & ABS Tyres: 130/70-HR18 180/60-HR16 Wet Weight: 910 lbs Fuel Tank: 6.6 gals US, …gals Imperial . Max range: approx 240 miles Price New: £24,449 ($23,990 in US) Insurance Group: Performance: 0-60 4.1 seconds, 125mph max. Fuel Consumption: 35-45 mpg  Pic: Wikimedia |
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