close competitors these days
are from BMW, Harley-Davidson
and Indian.
The Gold Wing's motor, chas-
sis, suspension, handling and
comfort are just too good to
beat for two-wheel touring. We
rode approximately 350 miles
each day, and while I realize
that's a drop in the bucket for
many hard-core Gold Wingers, it
was quite a bit for me, yet I still
had enough energy in my tank to
enjoy a nice evening out on the
town and dinner. The Gold Wing
might be a large motorcycle, but
it doesn't wear you out. By early
the next morning, I was fresh
and ready to do it all over again.
When it comes to the Gold
Wing, the biggest dilemma
for most buyers is whether to
DCT or not to DCT. According
to Honda, a large majority of
you chose DCT. DCT stands for
Dual Clutch Transmission, aka,
automatic transmission. Operat
-
ing the 'Wing's six-speed manual
transmission is as pain-free as
it gets, but Honda's seven-speed
DCT system is just so nice. On
this ride, I found myself mostly
on the manual version, which I
enjoyed, but I would've preferred
being on the DCT model the
entire time, especially when we
hit Daytona's stop-and-go traffic
at the end of the day. DCT is the
ideal application for the Gold
Wing. For me, it's well worth the
extra $1000.
Even though I don't own a
vehicle equipped with Apple
CarPlay or Android Auto, I found
the Wing's infotainment system
works well. It was easy enough
QUICKSPIN I 2025 Honda Gold Wing 50th Anniversary
P122
The 2025 Gold Wing
features wireless
compatibility for
Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto.
