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Purported Photos/Renderings of Redesigned 2018 Honda Gold Wing Circulate Web

Following release of the first teaser video, images purporting to be the redesigned 2018 Gold Wing (and the F6B) are circulating throughout the Web. Some of them are shown here.

We cannot confirm that these are accurate, but they clearly depict an entirely new front suspension system, among other design changes. We also cannot detect a shift lever on the left side of some of the images, indicating use of Honda’s DCT automatic transmission, perhaps (do the handlebar controls depicted reflect this, as well?).

Honda has indicated a formal announcement will be forthcoming on October 24. Stayed tuned.


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82 Comments

  1. Jonny Blaze says:

    Does it has a reverse gear?

  2. Randy says:

    Looks like styling cues from My ST1100

  3. Michael Haz says:

    Sounds like a very nice bike. I’m looking forwarding to a test ride, just as I’m looking forward to a test ride of the Yamaha touring bike.

  4. John says:

    I’m almost disappointed that it’s not a hybrid, actually.

  5. John says:

    Nice wheel chair.

  6. Grover says:

    I hope they improve the fuel mileage.

  7. Rhinestone Kawboy says:

    Finally, they designed the top trunk to go with the saddlebag shape. Love the front end too. I do hope there is a shifting version. Looks good! Oh yea, about time they got an electric windshield too. Probably be quite expensive though.

  8. takehikes says:

    Where are the other 2 wheels? its a frigging car.

  9. Harold Klassen says:

    Now if they made it in a 4, around 600lbs removable bags, 1/2 fairing they’d really have something!

  10. Hot Dog says:

    I hope Honda made the air cleaner easier to service.

    • joe b says:

      Good God Man, buy a Z50.

      • Hot Dog says:

        Having owned a ’04 Wing and changed the air filter many times, I know first hand what it takes. Good God Man, have you ever changed a Wings air filter?

        • mickey says:

          I’ve heard it’s a nightmare. Also heard the easiest way to change the rear tire is to throw the beast on it’s side lol

          • Hot Dog says:

            The easiest way to change the rear tire on a wing is find a sidewalk/curb/street and put the Wing on the sidewalk on it’s center stand. Spin the bike on it’s center stand so the rear tire hangs over the curb/street. Since it’s got a single sided swing arm, the wheel unbolts like a car/truck. It works like a charm, piece o’ cake.

        • joe b says:

          I was a Honda line tech for 30 years. Yes.

  11. Tom R says:

    At last, an electrically adjustable windscreen for the Gold Wing! Only 22 years after it debuted on the BMW R1100RT.

    The new bike certainly appears more svelte, and that is a good thing.

  12. Frank says:

    Purported or new model in fact,the F6B looks particularly nice. Hope it shows up in real life. Also hope the front portion of the seat and sides of the bike are a bit narrower than the previous models for more straight line contact with the ground.

  13. Jeremy in TX says:

    I think it is a beautiful design if the photos are legit.

  14. Gham says:

    I would rather have a Wing with a removable tour pack.Just unplug,swap shields and you would have an FB6

    • carl says:

      Well if you could do to the wing, then honda would have no reason to build the FB6.

      • Max says:

        Harley’s bikes have quick detach trunks. Pretty sure the new Yami does too. Victories also had them.
        Usually, baggers get lowered rear ends, backward sloping passenger seats, short windscreens, and rattle can paint jobs to differentiate themselves.

    • steveinsandiego says:

      years before the F6B was introduced, i wrote to Honda and asked them to build a stripped down goldie: toss the tourpack and topbox, and reduce dash gadgets/info to the minimum.
      ha, i was pleasantly surprised when the F6B finally rolled into showrooms. by that time, however, i had moved on to sportbikes….LOLOL.
      the new valk better suits me.

      • Gham says:

        I wrote to them and said I wanted a Transalp since I missed them the first time,never heard back.

        • Max says:

          I just took a trip to Ireland and Transalps were all over the place.

          • Gham says:

            I went there last October and saw several myself! That’s what got me wanting a new one.I rarely (if ever) see them in Michigan or vicinity.

      • Lynchenstein says:

        I wonder if we’ll ever see another Valkyrie. I could due without another Rune, but a more cruisery flat-6 from Honda would be pretty cool. Heck, a more sporty flat-6 would be incredible, but way too niche…then again, Honda isn’t afraid to build strange bikes.

  15. North of Missoula says:

    The front end looks a lot like the duolever on my K1300S. I do not believe you could have a better front end for a touring or a sport touring bike. No dive when breaking, unbelievably civilized at ridiculous speeds and very stable in the corners. It is virtually impossible to upset the front end of this design. The only trade off handling wise is it is not as nimble as a conventional fork in the tight twisties as you do not rake the rake reducing effect of a compressed conventional fork. However this is not a sport bike so there is no drawback there.

    • Norm G. says:

      re: “The only trade off handling wise is it is not as nimble as a conventional fork in the tight twisties”

      and i contend that has more to do with the GROSS TONNAGE of the K13 than the Duolever. fit a Hossack to say, an S1RR and you would see more clearly.

      i’m really disappointed we have yet to see girder forks in Moto2, but of course this would require a competition model that involves some degree of REWARD for straying from convention (which is not what we have currently). Bimota’s (RIP) already proven with 3 different variants of hub-steered Tesi that the limitation has never been with the design or the engineering, no the limitation has always been in the mind of the human being, or specifically the end consumer.

      • North of Missoula says:

        I completely agree. However there is more to it than the 560lb wet weight of the K1300s and the fact that it is not a sport bike.
        Loading a conventional fork decreases rake angle which improves turn in and mid corner adjustments. The duolever does not have this effect of improved turn-in when cornering and/or breaking into a corner. It also is completely rigid to lateral forces which has a negative impact on front end tractability mid corner. There is a certain amount of flex engineered into the forks on sport bikes.
        Having said seeing that front end on a light weight S1000 variant would be a wonderful thing. It is a remarkable front end once you adapt to it.

  16. SausageCreature says:

    I like the look of the F6B…big improvement over the current version in my opinion.

  17. Bubba Blue says:

    I want a V-8!

  18. Jaime says:

    Everybody here keeps referring to BMW’s Telelever front end but that is NOT what this GoldWing prototype has. This bike uses the BMW DuoLever which is the front end on the new four and six cylinder BMW K-bikes. TeleLever and DuoLever are NOT the same thing.

    BMW waited till the patent on the Hossack front end expired, then they came out with their DuoLever (which is pretty much the Hossack design). Now Honda is apparently following suit.

    • mkv says:

      BMW didnt invent this fork. This is just an updated version of a girder style fork

      • RyYYZ says:

        Incorrect. Girder forks have a single pivoting point, like the head stock on a conventionally forked bike. This, like BMW’s duolever design, is more like a variation on the Hossack fork design. The difference being where the steering pivot is – on a girder fork, the steering pivot is fixed to the frame; on a Hossack fork, the steering pivot moves with the suspension. They may appear similar at a glance, but they’re actually quite different.

  19. Wendy says:

    Hmmmm, a Hossack front end? Very interesting and it should be a differentiator in this segment, then again the GW is a segment of its own.

  20. Tim Blanch says:

    interweb is reporting honda confirmed the photos are the new wing and it will be 1800 cc with dct. dct is a brilliant way to avoid helmet knocking on shifting. i love the dct on my africa twin. expect 4 valve cylinder heads for all its benefits. i plan to buy this new wing. tim

  21. Tim Blanch says:

    1) additional information on the web this morning indicates honda confirmed photos are correct, 2) confirmed new engine remains 1800 3) confirmed DCT. 4) i have 3,500 miles on my DCT Africa Twin and love it. i put 100,000 miles on my ST1300 and much prefer not shifting. 5) I plan to buy this new wing, loaded and love the looks 6) i expect 4 valves per cylinder to make it breath better similar to K1600 7) momma wants a test ride, too, so you know what that means … 🙂

  22. Fred says:

    Fine looking cycle Mr Honda San. It looks like a new Gen ST1300 with the Wing ‘granny flat’ rear seat added.
    A back rest for the Pilot too – about time.
    That windscreen is rather tall and looks like a lot of thought has gone in to it.
    I can’t say that for the present one.

  23. My2cents says:

    I like what seems to be a narrowed profile. I have no issue with alternative front suspension ( although Yamaha, Bimota, etc failed and BMW hid theirs behind faux forks)I’m convinced it can work for the heavyweight touring segment. Power windscreen and a stunningly great looking cluster. However no shift means no buy, DCT as a option I’ll never buy okay.

    • Hot Dog says:

      So when you rode a bike with a DCT, what was it that you didn’t like?

      • ApriliaRST says:

        I’ve put about 20k miles on a car with a dual clutch transmission and automatic clutch. It’s plenty good enough most of the time on four wheels, but I would never accept it’s minor foibles on a motorcycle. The problem is in low speed handling situations where the automatic clutch can only react to inputs whereas a rider can look forward and have the clutch friction where the rider wants it ahead of time. Once in a while the car’s auto clutch becomes confused by inputs. As I often point out, the problem with motorcycles is they only have two wheels and it takes a rider to keep them upright. I suppose if a rider has less skill an automatic clutch might perform better than the rider; maybe as time goes on they will improve just as ABS has.

        • Tim Blanch says:

          dct on a motorcycle is a revelation that shifting a motorcycle isn’t where all the fun is at. it’s in the acceleration and leaning plus wind in face. shifting a high performance rear wheel drive car is actually more fun than an automatic, just not in traffic. what i’m saying is that the math doesn’t apply equally. you have to try a dct for a while before you understand this math. tim

          • joe b says:

            Yes, I agree. So many claim the hand clutch makes the bike, without it, its not a real motorcycle. My previous comments about how nice the DCT is, were ridiculed.

      • My2cents says:

        The manual clutch, foot shifting and the fact that weenies like DCT.

        • Hot Dog says:

          Hey, hey, hey, you don’t have to be bashing my family…LOL! 50 years of riding, 26 bikes later and I’ve currently got a VFR12XDCT up my bottom. I love this bike and I don’t want to shift again. The ‘purists’ that huff&puff and stomp their feet, saying “This just shouldn’t be so(!)” need to ride one.

          This new Wing is beautiful, combined with the DCT, it’ll be a homerun.

      • Stuki Moi says:

        It’s not quite there in hacking through very tight traffic, compared to the ability to slip a clutch. I would assume the same holds true when trail riding. Dragging the rear brake helps, but a manual clutch is still better for that specific usage. For touring and general utility riding, as well as for soft roads, DCT works brilliantly, though.

        I don’t suppose many buy a ‘Wing for hacking through tight traffic….

      • joe b says:

        the only thing I did not like (eventually overcame its drawback) was making tight circles at slow speed. You know, like when you pull into a gas station, its on a hill, and normally you would fan the clutch and tilt the bike a lot to make a tight turn? My 2012 VFR1200DCT makes that difficult. solution was to put it in manual, instead of using the clutch to keep the bike up, feathering the back brake accomplishes the same. In normal use, its a really nice transmission, smooth shifts in turns, its like a car with paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Accelerating, there is no comparison to a hand clutch, DCT is superior.

    • Neil says:

      I rode a DCT CTX 700 and once you’ve ridden one, there is NO reason to keep shifting all the time while commuting. You can still paddle shift if you must. Perfect in highway traffic and cities. We buys millions of cars we don’t shift anymore.

  24. Matt G says:

    It’s only been 16 years. They should be able to squeeze another 10 years out of the current design. To be serious though, I can’t help but wonder if the new front suspension is a result of the steering head cracking that was seen on the current model. I believe I read somewhere that this design spreads the force over much more of the frame rather than just on the steering head.

  25. VLJ says:

    Gorgeous. I mean…wow.

    • Norm G. says:

      meh…

      other than Hossack, the untrained eye would not be able tell the new Wing from an old Wing. and even that assumes one knows what they’re looking at when they see a Hossack.

      • VLJ says:

        The untrained eye wouldn’t even notice the Hossack. What it would notice is the beautiful new face of the motorcycle, which is what I was referring to.

      • Austin zzr 1200 says:

        I disagree, this thing looks shredded by comparison. The old wing looks…dare I say…bloated?

  26. wjf says:

    Eh, but can it wheelie?

    • Pacer says:

      If you made me put money on it, I’d say yes.

    • Provologna says:

      The following story occurred in the early 00s.

      I was on the Marin Sunday Morning ride w/this website’s ex-reporter Gabe Ets-Hokin. I rode a ’00 R1150GS, Gabe was likely on his trusty SV650.

      The group ate at Pt. Reyes Station, then this little sub group extends the ride, first heading S to Olema, then W. on Sir Francis Drake, then N. on Platform Hill Rd, then stopping at the SS @ the intersection of Petaluma Hill Rd. A group of unfamiliar riders heads S on Pt. Reyes Petaluma Rd, which group we joined heading back toward Pt. Reyes Station on Pt. Reyes Petaluma Rd.

      A guy in the other group rides the wheels off a then-late model Lead Wing. He takes off from the intersection with the front wheel a couple feet in the air for what seems like an eternity.

      I’m sure the passenger made the wheelie easier, but still, impressive, in a strange, unexpected way.

      Another guy in the other group rides a CBR600F2 IIRC. I rode with him for a while, then just let him pass a few miles N. of Pt. Reyes on CA 1.

      Within a couple miles, I slow for this particular decreasing radius off-camber bumpy turn, sharp rocky vertical cliff inside, to find flames and thick black acrid smoke shooting 30 feet up. A man walks looking dazed, on the shoulder on the water side. I pull over and park on the left/coast side. Soon after Gabe appears. We pulled the rider from the flames, which were so hot I had to put on my helmet and gloves.

      CPR was not required. The CBR600F2 rider died, hitting the parked truck head on, whose driver was the above mentioned dazed fella.

      I knew about that turn because I had over shot it once or twice myself, but many years prior, on a slow traffic week day, not a sunny crowded Sunday.

      That was a pretty miserable day. Took the CHP a looooong time to get the helicopter to fly out the body. CHP officer Bonnano (not my favorite LEO) at least helped put out the flames with his fire extinguisher.

      The woman passenger on the aforementioned Lead Wing said she was the girl friend of the guy we pulled from the flames. She told Gabe and me he was a snappy dresser, and asked us not to destroy his clothes. Neither Gabe nor I told her he was no longer concerned with clothing.

      He was, as they say in the fire service, “DRT,” for dead right there.

      • wjf says:

        That was a long story to tell us about a lead wing that could wheelie…but interesting I’ll give you that. I have seen my fair share of this carnage doing motorcycle accident reconstruction…it is one way to learn what not to do, which sounds like a good topic to address now and again
        But back to the wing, personally i have not seen one wheelie, I have had one pass me like I was nailed to a post on the Dragon…granted I was on a V-strom 1000, but still….giving credence to the phrase “its not the tool” once more

    • joe b says:

      When I bought my VFR1200DCT, my riding buddies told me “NO more wheelies for you”. Think about it, if you put your bike in first, get it going to the sweet spot, can you just hammer the throttle and wheelie, without using the clutch? Sure, why not. DCT acts the same. Only thing is, my first reaction is to grab the clutch (rolling off the throttle only makes it go over), but there is no clutch. Here, the DCT has the Traction Control, and it feathers the throttle for you, faster than you can extend your fingers to the imaginary lever that isn’t there anymore. In higher gears, its just hard acceleration, no wheelies from 3rd at 60mph.

    • joe b says:

      DCT will wheelie, just hammer it in first, no problem.

  27. JODY says:

    Clam Shell bags too! Telelever is amazing at the practical speeds that most people ride. It is only at the limit which very few riders can achieve that issues arise.

  28. Montana says:

    BMW got more praise than “unrelenting heat” for its innovative front end design. Nevertheless, it is dropping the telelever on many of its new models. It might be too expensive to produce. Sport riders complain about a “numb” front-end feel. Perhaps that’s why the telelever never made it to the race track.

    • Fred M. says:

      I have a BMW with Telelever suspension and it works great. But what works well on a street or touring motorcycle isn’t necessarily what works well on a track — and vice-versa. The same is true of engine configurations, torque curves, seats, fairings, riding position, etc.

    • Bob K says:

      I have a habit of racing unconventional motorcycles. I raced tube framed Buells for a while and then a telelever equipped R1100S on my final season.

      I’ve always called “bollocks” on people that say the telelever is numb or they can’t tell what the front end is doing. I always felt that the telelever was more stable and predictable than a telescoping fork. The feel is there. You’re just not also feeling the stuff that doesn’t need to be felt, like dive. So many people equate dive to feel. You have to get used to it. A one afternoon test ride isn’t enough. But most racers will dismiss it in that short of a time span. Spend more time on it and you may be converted. Maybe not.

      The duolever is better still. It’s advantage is that the linkage lengths, upper and lower, can be changed around for different static rakes and trails and if you want trail to shorten or lengthen under braking and turning.

      Suspension design aside, the Boxer’s only shortcoming on the track is cornering clearance. I’ve ground down a lot of valve covers over a season with the R1100S.

      This hossack/duolever style front on the LeadWing will be quite welcome for this bike’s purpose. The lower control arm of it will be attached to the engine somewhere, so the headstock will be less stressed. One less safety recall.

      On long trips, I like a shifter. If I get highway hypnosis after 500 miles or so, I’ll notice an rpm change. I’ll either lug or rev too high. It’s an audible indicator to wake the hell up. The DCT model will just shift appropriately. Plus I like slipping the clutch to keep my balance if I have to do low speed maneuvers like u-turns. Probably none of this is an issue for a mile muncher. An the e-reverse will just ley the old coots do multi-point turns to get out of a dead end.

    • Jeremy in TX says:

      You know, the bike I could probably ride most smoothly and felt most comfortable on at the limit was a BMW R1150R. I loved the front end on that bike. I didn’t consider the feedback from the front wheel vague, just different. Other bikes I’ve owned we’re designed go fast, and I could go faster on them. But I could always tell that I started getting ragged long before approaching the limits of the bike.The R just seemed to let me get more out of it before things got scary.

  29. 5229 says:

    Let’s just say for the sake of this discussion that these photos are authentic.
    Now that’s a bad *** looking Gold Wing. And with that said probably a bad *** bike to ride too…
    Time will tell won’t it?

  30. EGS says:

    Looking at the overhead image of the red bike one can clearly see the brake lever but not a clutch, lending additional credence to a DCT. For this bike’s mission it makes a lot of sense. Will be interesting to see if they put the beast on a diet.

    • mickey says:

      I read somewhere it shed 80 pounds. Not sure that is enough lol. I like this wing , kind of a cross between a GL and an ST. If it is at least down to 750 lbs it would be a strong contender for my next bike. I WILL test ride one dct or not.

      The blue rendering has a clutch lever

  31. Bill N says:

    I owned an R1100RT for 100,000 miles and a K1200LT for 75,000 miles and they both had BMW’s frame mounted front shock. They worked great.

  32. ApriliaRST says:

    Ironic, isn’t it that BMW took unrelenting heat for it’s funny front ends, now we have Honda going that direction. Personally, I always liked BWM’s alternative suspensions when I test rode the bikes, but I never got around to buying one for various reasons. I don’t expect to buy a Wing either, but will look forward to seeing the bike in person.

    • Dave says:

      I never could understand why this suspension configuration hasn’t put telescoping forks out to pasture a long time ago. So many advantages, virtually no disadvantages.

      • Montana says:

        No doubt the telelever is more expensive to produce, and sporting riders don’t like the lack of front-end feel. If there were no disadvantages, you’d see them on the racetrack.

        • Dave says:

          I don’t think that they are. A telescoping fork has so many more parts and “feel” (dive) is adjustable in the case of the duo-lever design. Seems like the advantages outweight the disadvantages. Like another poster said, the limitation isn’t in the engineering, it’s in the perception of the end user.

    • Norm G. says:

      just so everyone’s clear, in BMW world the Hossack front end shown is marketed under the name DUOLEVER (16LT). Telelever is the older kit still being employed to great effect on the high dollar/high margin 12GS.

      • Bob K says:

        The GS needs the telelever over the duolever for increased suspension travel. The longer linkages required to hit 8″ on a duolever would increase the wheelbase another few inches over the already long 60″.

        • Norm G. says:

          don’t get me wrong. i don’t mean to imply that a GS should be fitted or would benefit from a Duolever. just pointing out that BMW still manufactures the Telelever (it has not been usurped). instead of it being fitted to basically EVERYTHING, it’s use is now limited to 1 or 2 models. the other is the big money 12RT.

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