Gold Wing - Evolution of a touring benchmark

Gold Wing – Evolution of a touring benchmark

1972: the beginning

A new design team is assembled under Soichiro Irimajiri, who headed up the design of Honda’s five-cylinder and six-cylinder road racing engines in the 1960s. Their brief is to explore the outer limits of the Grand Touring concept. How refined and luxurious can a motorcycle be when it is designed from the outset as a machine for covering big distances? The team creates the top-secret M1 prototype. Powered by a liquid-cooled, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine with shaft final drive – features that will subsequently find their way onto the production Gold Wing as it evolves – the M1 blends superb performance with unrivalled refinement.

1975: GL1000 Gold Wing

The first production Gold Wing is a revolution, opening up new possibilities for long-distance motorcycle travel. With world-class power from its unique 999cm³ liquid-cooled horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, the GL1000 Gold Wing combines peerless cross-country speed with a level of refinement never before experienced on two wheels. Gold Wing customers redefine touring, riding further and faster than had been possible before, confident in a machine that from the very beginning enjoyed a legendary reputation for complete reliability. In 1976 Honda celebrates the Gold Wing’s success with the stunning Gold Wing Limited Edition model, and in 1979 the first Honda of America manufacturing plant opens, reflecting the fact that 80 percent of Gold Wing production is being exported to the United States.

1980: GL1100 Gold Wing & GL1100 Gold Wing Interstate

Where the GL1000 defied categorisation with its blend of superbike power and touring comfort, the GL1100 – released after five years of intensive consumer-led development – firmly establishes the Gold Wing as a Grand Tourer par excellence. The larger 1085cm³ engine is developed for torque rather than power, while a longer wheelbase offers increased stability and more room for the rider and passenger. The air-assisted suspension sets new standards for motorcycle ride quality. At the same time the GL1100 Interstate introduces the idea of turn-key touring, with its factory-fitted fairing, panniers and top box.

1982: GL1100 Gold Wing Aspencade

The most luxurious Gold Wing to date offers an unparalleled range of standard features, from LCD instrumentation and a CB radio to an onboard air compressor.

1985: GL1200 Limited Edition

The Gold Wing’s market position is underlined by the discontinuation of the standard, unfaired GL1200 and the introduction of the GL1200 Limited Edition, complete with computerised fuel injection, a four-speaker sound system, cruise control, auto-levelling rear suspension, a travel computer and metallic gold paint.

1988: GL1500 Gold Wing

The brief is exacting in the extreme: the new Gold Wing has to be quieter, smoother, faster, more comfortable and even better in the corners. The GL1500 development team evaluates 15 different machines in 60 prototype stages. The result is a six-cylinder luxury tourer so accomplished that it establishes a benchmark that goes on to dominate motorcycling for more than a decade.

2001: GL1800 Gold Wing

A full eight years in development, the GL1800 model takes the Gold Wing to previously unimaginable heights. Steered by Masanori Aoki, whose CV includes the CBR250RR, the CBR400RR and the much-lauded CBR600F3, the Gold Wing becomes a dynamic sensation. In Aoki-san’s words: "My job is to add more fun factor, to build a Gold Wing with the kind of acceleration and handling people normally associate with sporting machines." Alternative engines are tested but ultimately rejected and in 2001 the GL1800 is launched. The bike’s horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine is mounted in a box-section aluminium frame for superb road holding, handling and stability. In the course of the bike’s development no less than 20 technological innovations are patented.

2006: Industry-first airbag

The 2006 model introduced initially in the USA featured and the world’s first airbag on a production motorcycle, as well as revised taillights and instrument panel.

2011: New styling

The Gold Wing receives a new look under the styling concept of “majestic aggression”. The vitality and excitement of the bike’s handling and performance are reflected in looks that are at once elegant, imposing and dynamic. Luggage capacity is increased to 150 litres and a new six speaker audio system offers multiple connectivity options.

2013: Gold Wing F6B

The custom-styled Valkyrie (1996-2003) and unique, limited edition Rune (2003) – both sold in the USA – had used the Gold Wing engine. In 2013, the Gold Wing family gains a true second member with the stripped out, long and low Gold Wing F6B: a unique custom-touring motorcycle with Bagger styling, big on excitement and flair.

2014: Gold Wing F6C

A third machine takes the Gold Wing name. Low, mean and muscular, the Gold Wing F6C injected a jolt of adrenaline into the power cruiser arena.