The motorcycle that literally created the touring category while making it exciting to travel long distances on two wheels gets its first major redesign after 17 years. The Honda Gold Wing GL1800 gets a complete makeover and, while the name is the same, it is essentially a new motorcycle from the ground up. Load it with gear and a passenger and it handles better than ever. Even in its previous iteration, the Wing is so easy to ride that it lays claim to being one of the top 5 touring motorcycles women are riding now.
This brand new reincarnation of the Honda Gold Wing gets more than 90 new Honda parts creating a motorcycle that is more compact, lighter, and packed with upgrades and new technology. All this brings the big tourer to a whole new level of comfort, rideability, safety, and two-wheeled excitement that both experienced and new Gold Wing riders will appreciate.
There are five trim levels available for the 2018 Gold Wing: Gold Wing, Gold Wing DCT, Gold Wing Tour, Gold Wing Tour DCT, and Gold Wing Tour DCT Airbag. Prices range from $23,500 for the base model to $31,500 for the top-of-the-line Airbag model.
New Features Women Will Love
Here’s our list of the new features on the 2018 Gold Wing we are especially excited about for women riders. Every item listed makes the big tourer more user-friendly and easier to handle.
- Lighter with a 90-pound weight loss
- More compact profile
- Center of gravity is lower and more centered
- Hill Start Assist feature makes it easier to start on a hill
- Walking Mode helps riders creep forward and backward in tricky parking lot scenarios. Our video later on in the story shows this cool feature in action.
- DCT option allows for automatic shifting
- Assist slipper clutch on manual shift models reduces clutch lever effort by 20 percent
- Seat position brings riders 36mm closer to the bars
- Electrically-adjustable windshield
The Gold Wing DCT is almost identical to the base Gold Wing, except that it has Honda’s 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), which adds 13 pounds and $1,200.
“DCT” stands for Dual Clutch Transmission. When this mode is engaged, it works like an automatic transmission, meaning there’s no clutch lever or shifter peg. The transmission shifts itself quickly and smoothly. This is Honda’s third generation DCT, the first 7-speed DCT, and certainly the most advanced. Passengers will appreciate this transmission because it shifts so smoothly they’ll never bump helmets with the rider again.
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New Technology
All the new Gold Wings are powered by a completely redesigned 1,833cc horizontally opposed flat six cylinder engine that’s lighter, stronger, and sits further back in the frame. The motorcycle is also 20 percent more fuel efficient than the previous model, allowing engineers to reduce the size of the fuel tank from 6.6 to 5.5 gallons without affecting fuel consumption range.
An all-new lighter weight chassis features a double-wishbone front suspension. This means it’s easier to steer the new Gold Wing, and road bumps are not transmitted through the bike to the rider as much as the previous Wing. This “shock” factor has been reduced by 30 percent. What does this mean? I like to say that you can balance a cup of coffee on the handlebar while you’re riding—that’s how smooth it is!
New electronic technology brings the 2018 Wing into the modern era with throttle-by-wire and four riding modes (Tour, Sport, Econ, Rain) that alter the engine response for specific riding conditions. On Gold Wing Tour models each mode has distinct settings that change the throttle input, torque-control settings, DCT shift maps, and suspension damping.
Tour mode is the default and offers a comfortable ride with standard throttle response. The first half of my test ride included wet roads, so changing into Rain mode offered a less touchy throttle response and softer upshifts and suspension settings designed to provide the best traction for slick conditions.
Hill Start Assist is a fantastic feature new to the Gold Wing this year. I also have it on my manual-shift Jeep Wrangler and really appreciate its benefits. On the Gold Wing, when the rider releases the brakes on a slope the ABS modulator generates hydraulic pressure on the rear brake caliper. This prevents the bike from rolling backward if the rider uses the throttle within three seconds.
Another fantastic new feature is what Honda calls Walking Mode. We’ve prepared a short video demonstrating how it works to easily move the motorcycle around at a slow rate of speed. This comes in really handy in hilly or gravel parking lots or in the garage.
Testing all the new infotainment features required connecting my Sena 20S Bluetooth headset with the motorcycle. The pairing process is a little complicated, but once it’s set up it takes about a day to play with all the settings and buttons to feel comfortable.
With my helmet mounted headset connected I was able to use the Apple CarPlay to listen to my music or an app like Pandora, receive and send verbal text messages, make phone calls, use the iPhone’s map app, and more. But, then again, I’d always done that with my Sena 20S anyway. But paired to the bike, I’m able to visually see a graphic and list of what is playing or being sent to the headset on the screen. So there are advantages to the system.
While the Honda Gold Wing has been a longtime favorite motorcycle of mine, this new version has me especially jazzed. I can live with losing some cargo space because everything else is so vastly improved. The slimmer design makes it easier to maneuver around in the garage, and riding the heck out of it is just so much fun. And with all the new creature comforts, we are WRN certain that more women will love the 2018 Gold Wing.
Specs At A Glance: 2018 Gold Wing; Gold Wing DCT
Engine Size: 1833cc
Seat Height: 29.3 inches
Weight: 787 pounds; 800 pounds (DCT)
Fuel Capacity: 5.5 gallons
Colors: Candy Ardent Red, Matte Majestic Silver, Pearl Stallion Brown
Price: starts at $23,500; $24,700
Specs At A Glance: 2018 Gold Wing Tour; Gold Wing Tour DCT; Gold Wing Tour DCT Airbag
Engine Size: 1833cc
Seat Height: 29.3 inches
Weight: 833 pounds (Tour & Tour DCT); 842 pounds (Tour DCT Airbag)
Fuel Capacity: 5.5 gallons
Colors: Candy Ardent Red, Pearl White, Pearl Hawkseye Blue
Price: starts at $26,700 (Tour); $27,700 (Tour DCT); $31,500 (Airbag)
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I’m currently riding a Honda CTX1300 and would love to move up to the Gold Wing, but I struggle with the 792 pounds on the CTX. I’m 5 feet 7 inches tall so I flat foot the CTX just fine; however the weight makes it terrible to move around in a parking lot and it just “feels” heavy all the time.
The trick to moving a big heavy bike around in parking lots is to keep it as straight up as possible. Use the bike’s engine to do the work, in other words, don’t bother trying to push the bike around. You might really like the new “Walking Mode” on the Gold Wing, which allows you to walk the bike forward and backward without having to use the clutch and throttle at all.Good luck!
I love my 2019 Gold Wing 2109 tour w/trunk removal kit—the trunk is ugly. I was not planning to buy a Wing. I have a Kawasaki Vulcan 650 S and love it—it is a fast and fun ride. But after doing a 1,600-mile trip this summer, I decided I needed something more comfortable. I thought the Gold Wing was “too big” for me but the low center of gravity makes it easy to manage and the ride … well, it is incredible and fun (and there is reverse! … and heated grips! … and heated seat! … and decent wind protection!). More women should give it a try, I think they would be pleasantly surprised.
Great article! I love my Gold Wing that I bought new in 2002. Looks like it might be time to upgrade.
Looks like a great bike.
I’m glad to see that Honda realizes how many women love its Gold Wings! I know of many women who’d love to ride but are intimidated by the weight and height.My first Gold Wing was a 2001. I now ride a 2005 Gold Wing 1800.Please keep women in your designs for this fabulous machine!
Beautiful motorcycle! It sounds like Honda did well with the new Gold Wing. Initially I was skeptical, but now believe they are headed in the right direction. I’m happy with my 2008 model, but sure would like to do another cross country on one of these new ones! Great job Honda!
I just bought a new white Gold Wing Tour DCT. I love this bike!
Looking good Christine! Many happy miles to you.