Honda GL 1800 GOLDWING avec AIRBAG 2009 — Specifications

Remember 2007. While European manufacturers were fine-tuning their second-generation ABS systems, Honda played a card no one saw coming on two wheels: the very first airbag integrated into a production motorcycle. And to deliver this technological masterstroke, the Japanese giant didn't pick a confidential prototype but its flagship, the GL 1800 Goldwing, which arrived in 2009 with this unprecedented device offered as available equipment.

The idea had been maturing since the 90s in the engineering offices of Hamamatsu. An in-depth study on two-wheeler accidentology had pointed out the obvious without hiding it: frontal collisions account for the overwhelming majority of serious impacts. Honda first grafted its project onto a Goldwing 1500 at the end of the decade, then experimented with a Silverwing in 2004, before deeming the system reliable enough for production. Four sensors, doubled up on the 45 mm fork tubes, continuously monitor speed variations, with each piece of information processed separately by the control unit to prevent any inadvertent deployment. In the event of an impact, the cushion housed on the tank deploys in 0.15 seconds, held by two straps whose shape prevents the rider from sliding off sideways. Pure transfer of automotive expertise, rigorously adapted to a 417 kg fully-fueled machine.

On the mechanical side, we're on familiar ground. The 1832 cc flat-six delivers 118 horsepower at 5500 rpm and, above all, a monumental 166.7 Nm of torque from 4000 rpm, transmitted to the rear wheel via a shaft drive and a five-speed gearbox. The 200 km/h top speed is of no interest in itself; what matters here is the ease with which the machine swallows the miles, with the seat sitting just 740 mm off the ground and the 25-liter tank allowing long stages without constant mental arithmetic. The Diamond-type twin-spar aluminum frame and the Pro-Arm single-sided swingarm are a reminder that beneath the fairing lies a genuine sport-touring architecture.

That leaves the touchy question, the one of the check. Reckon on 31,990 euros for this equipped version, roughly 2,000 euros more than the standard Goldwing. About twelve percent added to an already steep bill. Facing an aging BMW K 1200 LT and a Harley Electra Glide that bets everything on American folklore, the Honda plays a different tune, that of Japanese technological gigantism. At this price, we're no longer addressing the occasional rider but the seasoned traveler, often two-up, who covers 20,000 miles a year and considers his mount a rolling lounge.

An ambiguous verdict, and so much the better. This airbag won't revolutionize two-wheel safety overnight, its scope is limited to frontal impacts and its weight further burdens a machine that didn't need any more. But Honda embraces the role of the trailblazer, and that commands respect. Buying this 2009 Goldwing means riding on a piece of industrial history, the kind of motorcycle people will still be talking about in twenty years, saying that's where it all began.