2012 Honda Gold Wing
2012 HondaGold Wing
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
A minor facelift for the reigning king of the open road
PAUL DEAN
PLANES, TRAINS AND MOTORCYCLES SEEMS LIKE A WEIRD NAME FOR a factory-sponsored group ride on a new bike. But that’s the title Honda applied to its mid-May press ride on the 2012 Gold Wing, parodying the 1987 Steve Martin/John Candy Planes, Trains and Automobiles movie. By the time I and the other members of the motorcycle media finished our very first day of riding in Roanoke, Virginia, however, Planes, Trains and Motorboats would have been a more suitable title. The entire day had been spent slogging through a driving, relentless rain that had most of us thinking about rounding up all species of animals two by two and heading for the ark.
But, as it turned out, Honda’s title made perfect sense. The “motorcycles” part was obvious, and “planes” referred to the flights that got participants from their home cities to the start of the event in Orlando, Florida. And “trains”?
Well, that was just one part of an unusual motorcycle press function that began with a Sunday evening dinner and Gold Wing tech briefing in Orlando.
On Monday morning, after a backstage tour of the World Showcase exhibit at Disney’s Epcot Center, we all boarded an Amtrak Auto Train for a 17-hour rail trip to Lorton, Virginia. Special auto/ motorcycle cars coupled to the back end of the train carried the 2012 Gold Wings we would ride on a three-day mini-tour from Lorton to Knoxville, Tennessee, with overnight stops in Roanoke and Asheville, North Carolina. Knoxville is only about 400 miles from Lorton via Interstates, but Honda’s less-than-direct planned route would total almost 900 miles, taking in the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and the infamous Tail of the Dragon at Deal’s Gap.
Although the new GL1800 had already been announced to the press in February (“Honda rethinks the Gold Standard,” May issue), Honda wanted media types to log some typical seat time on the bike. And since the big GL is one of the world’s most popular two-up machines, Honda even invited wives, girlfriends and significant others to come along. My wife, Ro (short for Rosanne), always eager for a fun ride, was a willing accomplice.
Clearly, this event was a big deal for Honda. The GL does qualify as “new,” but it’s a far cry from all-new; it’s more like “refined” or “upgraded.” Given that the Wing has a formidable new competitor in BMW’s K1600GTL supertourer, which has earned a lot of positive hype in the media and on the streets, Honda wanted to let the world know that the Gold Wing is still in the game.
Yes, it is, even though it’s playing with the same basic game pieces that have made it so successful since the GL became an 1800 in 2001. The incredibly torquey 1823cc flat-Six engine, five-speed transmission, aluminum frame and single-sided swingarm are unchanged for 2012, and only small tweaks to the suspension (mildly recalibrated settings and improved fork bushings) and a switch from Dunlop to Bridgestone tires affect the handling.
And in a good way. Thanks to the construction of the Exedra front tire, the new bike turns in a bit more easily and remains more neutral once banked over; and though it’s hard to be certain without a back-to-back comparison with a 2010 Wing (the GL was not available as a 2011 model), the front suspension seems just a wee bit more responsive to smaller bumps and ripples.
Other improvements include a redesigned fairing that offers better windand-weather protection for the rider and passenger. Ro and I have logged a lot of miles on previous-generation Gold Wings, and we both observed that the air around our legs on this one always was less turbulent and often quite still, even in the rain. We also were impressed with the seat, which has about the same shape as before but uses different materials internally and on the cover for better compliance and ventilation. That allowed us to ride for longer periods without any significant signs of numbbutt.
Long rides generally mean there’s more “stuff” to take along, and with bigger saddlebags that have 7 liters of additional capacity, the new Wing is better equipped to handle that requirement. I carried along the same backpack that was a tight fit in earlier GL1800 bags but slipped into the ’12 model’s with ease. The top trunk remains the same, though, and all three bags still open with levers concealed under the back of the trunk. The entire rear of the bike— including the taillight, turnsignals and the back end of the saddlebags—has been restyled for a more modern, integrated appearance.
Honda didn’t ignore the on-board entertainment and information systems, either. The six-speaker, 80-watt-perchannel Premium Audio System now features surround sound and MP3/iPod connectivity via a trunk-mounted USB cable (that also will charge most smartphones). The system provides sufficient volume and clarity to entertain (or annoy) people in cars that are anywhere near you, even with their windows rolled up. A useful option is the upgraded navigation system, which loads and functions more quickly than the previous version, has a brighter screen with lane assist and junction view, and even allows online sharing of favorite routes with other riders.
Ro and I were a little disappointed, though, that the new GL does not use Bluetooth technology that would provide wireless connection to the sound, navigation and rider-to-passenger communication systems. I asked Bill Savino, Honda’s Powersports Press Manager, why the GL is not Bluetooth compatible, and he said, “When developing this bike, we did extensive research with Gold Wing riders who told us they wanted more comfort, better wind protection and, surprisingly, better handling, but Bluetooth was not prominent on the list. For future models, we will investigate the use of wireless communication but won’t adopt it unless it works at least as well as the plug-in system we now have.”
“Thanks to the construction of the Exedra front tire, the new bike turns in a bit more easily and remains more neutral once banked over.”
BMW, on the other hand, did go with Bluetooth on the K1600GTL, along with a bundle of other useful technology that the GL does not offer. Still, Honda doesn’t foresee large numbers of its loyal Wingers defecting to the new BMW. Even we find it hard to imagine many GTL riders towing trailers with or decorating their bikes with stuffed animals, rows of lights and acres of chrome. The Gold Wing has evolved its own distinct culture over the decades, and its true followers will be tough to convert.
The bottom line, then, is that the 2012 GL1800 (priced from $23,199 for the standard model up to $28,499 for the Airbag version) unquestionably is a better Gold Wing, even if it isn’t all that “new.” And as Savino made clear during the press event, Honda didn’t want an all-new Gold Wing. “For a decade, this bike has been the standard of the industry, a true icon,” he said. “Why would we want to create something different?” That’s a question the marketplace will answer. Soon.
