Next-gen Honda Gold Wing images leaked

Honda has been working on a replacement for its flagship Gold Wing touring motorcycle for a long time now and a recent teaser video hinted at an October 24 reveal. Now, however, leaked press shots of the latest bike show that it has received a huge upgrade. The new Gold Wing receives sharper style, with a massive full-LED headlamp and more futuristic-looking bodywork. The enormous motorcycle looks sleeker and the new front suspension swaps the traditional forks for a Hossack-style setup, similar to BMW’s duo-lever system. Semi-active suspension is also expected to debut on the new Gold Wing. Going with the new front suspension is a fresh chassis design that should result in a considerable weight loss.                

From the images, we can tell that Honda’s flat-six engine, legendary for its smoothness and refinement, continues to be offered on the bike. The engine will likely be Euro-5 compliant and may offer additional power and torque as well. The leaked images show two versions – one being the standard Gold Wing while the grey bike appears to be a replacement for the sportier F6B model which came without the rear top box. 

Interestingly, the grey bike here lacks a clutch lever, indicating the presence of Honda’s dual-clutch transmission (DCT). From our experience with the Honda Africa Twin, the DCT should prove to be a good addition to the Gold Wing’s riding experience. But for those who prefer a traditional gearbox, Honda will continue to offer a five-speed manual.

Gold Wings have always been tech-laden machines and the new one appears no less. The bike has a myriad of switches on the handlebars. There’s also a separate controller with a rotary dial between the handlebars. The dashboard gets a new touchscreen display that sits between two analogue dials. The Gold Wing was famous for offering a reverse gear that made it easier to move the 400kg-plus behemoth around a parking lot. It will be interesting to see if Honda has stuck to the previous system or if they’ve attempted something new like the electrically assisted forward and back function seen in Yamaha’s new Star Venture.

The new Gold Wing will be officially revealed on October 24, 2017, and it should go on sale soon after in international markets. Honda sells the current-gen Gold Wing in India, so we expect the new one to arrive here sometime next year, most likely as a CBU import. Whether Honda will offer both the manual and automatic or go down the route of the Africa Twin and only offer the DCT gearbox remains to be seen. Expect it to cost a bit more than the current Gold Wing’s price of Rs 32.16 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

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