Honda Goldwing

The huge Goldwing never has been a motorcycle that raises even an ounce of interest from me. I’m a sportbike rider, not a cruiser dude. But when I heard the new Goldwing was designed by a 250cc Grand Prix technician, whose task was to make it more sporty, I eagerly asked Honda for a chance to test one, to find out what this American dream is all about.

My first impressions were that this big gal was heavy — the heaviest motorcycle I’d ever swung my leg over — yet surprisingly, she was swift and fast on her feet. A sportbike’s usual hard and thin seat is replaced with a comfy sofa chair, and the wind in my face was zero thanks to the gigantic adjustable screen. I had music blearing out from the surround speaker system, which I could control with a flick of my thumb. On the way home, I stopped off to buy some groceries, a task I usually despise because I usually take less than 10 items home. I filled my basket high, and was amazed that it barely filled just one of the bike’s luggage compartments. This was all too easy. I was beginning to like this.

The ride the GL takes you on took some adjusting to, but once I got used to its lazy steering and heavy feeling when stationary, the Goldwing amazed me at how easy it was to ride. Don’t get me wrong, I had to face a few demons to get myself to enjoy it, like not leaning off when tipping into a corner, something which comes naturally to any track rider. To corner well on the Goldwing, you really have to commit — there’s a lot of weight to get around the bend.

Committing to a bend while sitting bolt upright is as difficult as punching yourself hard in the face. I almost had to close my eyes, but as the GL glided around the corner with ease and with more confidence than I had, I soon relaxed and started to enjoy the awesome experience.

I was sitting in a chair more comfortable that the one in my office, listening to my favorite tunes on my iPod. I could hardly believe that I was carving corners and scraping pegs.

Engine power comes in an abundance thanks to its 1832cc Flat-Six motor, but Honda has made this cruiser liner super-smooth, the powerband is linear, without surges of mass power, but a motor this size pushes out serious grunt and is extremely powerful. Being that it’s a fat ass, splitting lanes was somewhat more of a squeeze, but once I got used to its width, it could get into what most sportbikes could.

Getting lost is almost impossible with the built-in satellite navigation system, which talks to you and also allows you to zoom in and out (again, at the flick of a switch) while riding. The display is perfectly placed, making it an easy system to use. Typing in addresses was tedious, however, with its navigation buttons being so far away from the screen. A touch-screen system would be a welcomed addition.

Life on the road was somewhat different. My usual crew of saluting sportbikers would no longer look or acknowledge me, and suddenly all the guys that usually don’t wave, like cruiser and cops, now did. Hmm.

After cruising the highways, carving the canyons and touring up the coastal roads, I can honestly say that I’m amazed just how good this giant of a motorcycle handled everything I threw at it, and I did push the boundries at times to see how it coped. The Goldwing surpassed all of my expectations and more. Imagine your sofa with a powerful engine, 2 wheels and heated bum pad. That’s the Goldwing — glorious.