2018 HONDA GL1800 GOLD WING TOUR DCT
FULL TEST
P92
just before, during and right after
a turn, and even under hard brak-
ing. Honda deserves a big kudos
for its new double wishbone front
suspension design.
Overall handling is improved
without question. The new chas-
sis results in a super-solid and
stable ride and goes where you
point it without argument, much
of which has to do with dropping
over 80 pounds in weight. The
Gold Wing was already a pretty
sporty-handling bike for its size;
it feels even sportier now.
I'm already very familiar with
Honda's DCT system, having
previously spent a good deal of
time on the DCT-equipped Africa
Twin and VFR1200X, and I'm a
big fan. The Gold Wing gets the
very latest version (generation
three) of this amazing and seem-
ingly reliable system and it's the
smoothest DCT yet; personally,
I wouldn't even consider buying
the manual version of the Gold
N G R A B A H A N D F U L
The all-new Unicam engine, which is 13.7 pounds lighter, is still
silky smooth; overall, it feels—and sounds (though with a little bit
more aggressive tone)—much like the previous engine but with a
tick more midrange power. In general, power increase isn't dramat-
ic over the previous engine, but it does feel a little snappier overall
and is supposedly a lot more fuel-efficient. That is why it holds
about a gallon less fuel but still gets the same fuel range—at least
that's what we are told. Haven't been able to test that claim yet.
When it comes to the transmission you have two options: now
six-speed (formerly five-speed) manual (traditional shifting) and sev-
en-speed DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission, aka automatic). I spent
the day on the DCT version and loved it, but I knew I would since
You can easily
feel the nearly 90
pounds in reduction
of weight. Nice to
see the header
pipes again.
