New Goldwing pictures leak
Leaked press kit pics show 2018 Gold Wing and F6C weeks ahead of official debut
IMAGES of Honda’s new Gold Wing and F6C for 2018 have been leaked a month before the bikes are due to be officially revealed.
We’re expecting Honda to announce the Wing on October 24, just before the Tokyo Motor Show, but leaked images – apparently from a press kit or brochure – have already given the game away.
What we can see is a new Wing (pictured above) that retains the classic flat-six engine layout but bolts it into a new chassis that adopts a BMW K1600GTL-style girder front suspension system instead of telescopic forks. That comes as little surprise, as Honda has been patenting weird front suspension ideas for the Goldwing for a couple of years now.
The engine also appears to be heavily revised, although it’s said to still be an 1800 like the current one. It’s optionally bolted to a DCT dual-clutch transmission, which previous patent applications have suggested will use seven forward gears plus a reverse. Some of the leaked pictures show no clutch lever or gear lever, while others show bikes equipped with both, so the semi-auto – or perhaps it will be a full auto – will be an option rather than standard equipment.
We also see that the bike has a very modern dash with a large central colour display and a tank-mounted control unit that looks rather like the iDrive system used in BMW cars. That suggests it’s not a touchscreen, but will use a jog wheel to navigate the menus instead. If you’re wearing gloves and trying to keep your attention on the road, that’s probably a good thing. The dash also has additional digital displays including one for riding modes. That may also be a hint that the Wing has electronically-adjustable, semi-active suspension. If it wants to regain its spot as the most high-tech bike on the planet, it will need gadgets like that.
Both a full-on Gold Wing and a bobber-style F6B are revealed in the leak, the latter lacking the top box and tall screen of the former. The screens on both bikes are electrically-adjustable, addressing a notable shortcoming on the existing Wing.
