VOL. 55 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 6, 2018 P85
power and was amazingly smooth,
not to mention extremely reliable, a
perfect combination for long-distance
touring. Honda might not have
planned it at the time, but it created a
new genre of motorcycle riding thanks
to that very first Honda Gold Wing.
The Gold Wing has seen many
changes over its lifespan but it's been
a while since the last one 17 years
ago, when, in 2001, it got fuel injec-
tion, an aluminum frame, optional ABS
and a major facelift.
Like the '01 Wing, the '18 got a
wheel-to-wheel overhaul. Suspension,
engine, bodywork and electronics
have all been redesigned for a lighter,
more compact, more technologi-
cally advanced and better performing
package.
A
big place like Texas is an ideal
setting to test a big motor-
cycle like the Honda Gold
Wing. As in the song, I too rode up
in to Austin and saw miles and miles
of Texas; however, I saw them while
aboard the all-new and completely
redesigned 2018 Honda GL1800
Gold Wing Tour DCT.
The Gold Wing has come a long
ways since its birth as a naked-style
standard in 1975 to what it is today—
a massive, yet sporty, 1833cc flat-six
luxury tourer designed to get you
from one end of the country to the
other in extreme comfort and style.
One of the keys to the Gold Wing's
original success was its 999cc liquid-
cooled horizontally opposed four-
cylinder engine that produced great
WE GET OUR FIRST TASTE OF THE NEW-FROM-THE-
ROAD-UP HONDA GL1800 GOLD WING TOUR DCT
BY KIT PALMER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING AND BRIAN J. NELSON
WINGIN' IT
