Honda GL 1800 GOLDWING Tour DCT/Airbag 2022 — Specifications

Who still buys a 390 kg motorcycle in 2022? The same enthusiasts who know that no sportbike, no adventure bike, no roadster can deliver this feeling of crossing a continent in a rolling living room. The Honda GL 1800 Gold Wing Tour DCT Airbag doesn't play in the same league as the rest of the two-wheeled lineup. It occupies a segment of its own, that of asphalt ocean liners, where the BMW K 1600 GTL and the Harley Road Glide Limited try to challenge it for the crown. With its 1833 cc flat-six bored and stroked at 73 x 73 mm, its 126 horsepower at 5500 rpm and above all its 170 Nm of torque from just 4500 rpm, the Gold Wing isn't chasing raw performance. It cultivates smoothness. This engine is a river that never overflows. Four valves per cylinder, a 10.5:1 compression ratio, and a mechanical refinement that only a flat-six can deliver. The sound is muffled, the thrust linear, the mechanicals almost invisible beneath the rider.

The major innovation of this generation remains the 7-speed DCT dual-clutch gearbox. Honda went all out on this automated transmission, and the result is immediately noticeable. In D mode, the Gold Wing handles its own gear changes with a fluidity that would make certain German sedans look like farm machinery. S mode, available in three levels, lets the six-cylinder breathe higher in the rev range and provides more engine braking. Manual mode exists, but let's be honest, few riders will use it on a daily basis. The true luxury is precisely not having to think about it anymore. Honda even integrated the ISG system, which merges the alternator and starter motor. The tangible result: the engine cuts at red lights, then restarts with limousine-like smoothness as soon as you twist the throttle. The four riding modes—Tour, Sport, Econ, and Rain—simultaneously adjust throttle response, electronic suspension firmness, brake force distribution, and gearbox behavior. Each mode genuinely transforms the character of the machine; this is no marketing gimmick.

On the scales, the Gold Wing Tour DCT tips at 390 kg wet. That's considerable, even though Honda shaved off around twenty kilos compared to the previous generation thanks to the diamond-type aluminum twin-spar frame. To compensate for this mass at a standstill, the "walking" function lets you move the bike at 1.8 km/h forward or 1.2 km/h in reverse, without touching the clutch. This isn't luxury—it's survival on a sloped parking lot. The front end features a double-wishbone suspension with longitudinal arms, borrowed from the automotive world, delivering remarkable stability and a steering feel that conventional telescopic forks simply cannot replicate. Braking, handled by two 320 mm discs gripped by six-piston calipers up front and a 316 mm disc at the rear, proves fully up to the task of scrubbing off speed from all that mass.

On the equipment front, the spec sheet is dizzying. An airbag—still unique in the motorcycle market. A 7-inch color TFT display. Apple CarPlay. Cruise control. Heated grips. Electric windshield. Keyless ignition. Integrated GPS. Audio system with Bluetooth. For 2022, Honda added a reclining passenger backrest, 11 extra liters of top-case capacity, and higher-quality speakers. The seat features a mixed suede and synthetic leather covering that reinforces the impression of traveling first class. The accessible 745 mm seat height reassures despite the imposing dimensions, and the 21-liter fuel tank remains the weak point for the most serious long-distance riders logging 800 km a day.

At €37,349, the Gold Wing Tour DCT Airbag is not a motorcycle. It's a lifestyle choice. It's aimed at grand tourers who devour distances two-up, at those who prioritize absolute comfort over sportiness. Against the K 1600 GTL, livelier but less refined in its transmission, or the Indian Roadmaster, more cruiser-oriented, the Honda imposes its vision of grand touring with a technical coherence that no one in this segment can match. Its only real flaw is making everything else feel a little bland once you step off.