Honda Goldwing Tour

Honda gave the Goldwing Tour a comprehensive makeover a few years ago, making it much more modern and flashier to look at. This full-sized grand tourer has a tremendous road presence with its bulky-looking front profile and luggage bags towards the rear, making it recognizable as a proper grand tourer just by its appearance. 

The large and wide front apron of the Honda Goldwing Tour accommodates sharp-looking twin all-LED headlamps, which have wing-shaped LED DRLs placed in their lower edges. The transparent windscreen placed above the headlamps is electronically adjustable. The Honda Goldwing Tour also has fairing-mounted rearview mirrors with integrated LED turn indicators.

The side profile of the Honda Goldwing Tour looks majestic, with the side extensions of the front fairing, massive-looking fuel tank and engine beneath it, and super-sized side panniers and top box behind the rear seat. The fuel tank has nice contours, while the engine and alloy wheels are finished in black.

The Honda Goldwing Tour's prime purpose as a grand tourer is fulfilled by the well-cushioned and spacious split seats and the luggage options that come with the motorcycle as standard. The Goldwing Tour gets hard panniers to the sides of the rear seat, the total capacity of which stands at 60 litres. There is an additional 61-litre top box behind the pillion seat, which is large enough to accommodate two full-sized helmets. 

The pillion seat of the Honda Goldwing Tour is also complemented by 23-degree pillion back support integrated into the top box and armrests on either side, offering proper comfort for passengers on long-distance rides. The Honda Goldwing Tour also has a super-comprehensive instrument console comprising analogue gauges for the speedometer and tachometer and LCD screens beside them for the fuel gauge, temperature gauge, gear indicator, and MID. There is also a 7-inch TFT screen between the analogue gauges, which is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for entertainment while on the move. 

Based on a unique diamond-type tube-type frame, the Goldwing Tour has massive proportions, measuring 2615mm long, 905mm wide, and 1555mm tall, making it one of the largest motorcycles on sale. The Goldwing Tour has a long wheelbase of 1695mm, which, along with the soft-tuned suspension setup comprising double wishbone type at the front and a pro-link mono-shock at the rear, gives it a planted feel, especially while riding at triple-digit speeds. 

The sheer size of the Goldwing Tour takes a toll on its manoeuvrability. While it remains stable at all speeds, the grand tourer's heavy kerb weight and dimensions can be difficult for new riders to handle. The turning radius of the motorcycle is large, too, with the Goldwing Tour being slightly difficult to handle at slower city speeds. Riding on 130/70-R18 tyres at the front and 200/55-R16 tyres at the rear, the Honda Goldwing Tour has a braking combination of dual 320mm discs at the front and a single 316mm disc at the rear. 

The Honda Goldwing Tour currently has one of the last remaining six-cylinder engines for motorcycles. The heart of the Goldwing Tour is a four-stroke, liquid-cooled, inline-six, 1833cc engine, the largest motorcycle engine from Honda globally. Paired with a first-in-class 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the inline-six engine of the Goldwing Tour churns out a maximum power output of 124.7 bhp and a maximum torque output of 170 Nm.

Justifying its premium positioning and its image as a technologically advanced motorcycle, the Honda Goldwing Tour comes equipped with dual-channel ABS, keyless ignition with smart key, traction control, and a lockable top box and panniers.

The Honda Goldwing Tour is an iconic name in the world of motorcycles. While the grand tourer's sheer size and performance can be intimidating for amateur riders, it can be easy to ride in the hands of seasoned touring enthusiasts. The motorcycle is an example of sheer extremity in everything—be it its size or its performance and mechanical hardware.