Honda Gold Wing Tour Airbag Automatic DCT 2019 — Specifications

To suggest that the Gold Wing is like any other motorcycle is akin to claiming a cruise ship is a drifter. With its 362 kilograms when fully fueled and 1833 cm³, it belongs to a category of its own, that of mobile continents. Yet, in 2019, Honda dared to undertake a radical rejuvenation. The objective? To lighten, dynamize, and above all, integrate its third-generation DCT gearbox as an option. The result is not a revolution, but a high-level evolution, which transforms this monument into an almost agile vessel. We lose a few liters of storage space, we gain a less pachydermic silhouette, and above all, an engine reworked for pleasure, not just for endurance. The flat-six cylinder, still present, now delivers 126 horsepower and a monstrous torque of 167 Nm, available from low engine speeds. It’s less a question of brute power than of sovereign fluidity.

The real highlight on this Tour version is the arrival of the automatic double-clutch transmission. With seven gears, it is even lighter than the previous five-speed manual gearbox. On the road, it’s a revelation. In D mode, it manages everything with disconcerting prescience, anticipating acceleration and deceleration for a progression as smooth as a TGV. Switch to S mode, with its three levels of aggression, and the character changes: the gearbox holds the gears, revs higher, and engine braking becomes a serious tool. Even in automatic mode, you can take back control with a simple button on the handlebar. The magic is especially effective in town or in traffic jams: the ISG system cuts the engine when stopped and restarts it instantly, while the “Pedestrian” function allows you to maneuver this 383-kilogram mass at 2 km/h without using the clutch. A real feat that defuses the fear of weight.

That’s not all. Honda remains the only manufacturer to offer an airbag, an active safety feature that makes sense on such a machine. The dashboard is a piloting station with a color TFT screen, compatible with Apple CarPlay. Electronic suspensions, riding modes (Tour, Sport, Eco, Rain), cruise control, traction control – everything is there to personalize the experience. In Sport mode, the dampers stiffen, the throttle response becomes nervous, and the Gold Wing almost starts to dance. Let’s not dream, it will never rival a sportbike, but it covers the miles with an ease that commands respect. The CBS braking system, although powerful, requires some anticipation given the weight, but it remains up to the task.

So, for whom? Clearly not for beginners, nor for riders seeking thrills in tight turns. This Gold Wing Tour DCT is aimed at the demanding touring rider, for whom travel is an art of living. It is perfectly suited to a duo that covers hundreds of kilometers per day without fatigue, prioritizing integral comfort, the music of the sound system, and absolute stability. Faced with the BMW K 1600 GTL or the Harley-Davidson behemoths, it plays the card of technological sophistication and mechanical serenity. Its price, around 36,000 euros, places it in the high end, but it is justified by the extent of the equipment and the exclusivity of certain innovations.

Ultimately, this Gold Wing has not betrayed its DNA. It has modernized it intelligently. It remains a symbol, an institution on two wheels, but now with a more accessible character and a mass management that is almost intuitive thanks to the DCT. One can regret the wind protection, a little less encompassing than on the previous generation, or the trunk capacity reduced to 110 liters. But these concessions serve a noble cause: to make the giant more lively. It aspires to only one thing: to make you forget the road and keep only the journey. Mission accomplished.