The Honda Gold Wing has been around for over 50 years now, and it has evolved into one of the finest touring bikes money can buy. It comes equipped with pretty much every conceivable comfort-related feature you can get on a motorcycle, and Honda certainly expects you to pay for all these features. Pricing starts at around $25,000 and goes up to over $30,000 for the fully loaded air-bag model.
That is a lot of money for a motorcycle, no matter which way you slice it. If you are willing to consider a used Gold Wing, you can save a fair bit. The current generation Gold Wing has been around since 2018. A five-year-old bike is more or less the same as a brand-new bike except for a few minor tweaks and color options.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various authoritative sources, including KBB. Whereas the opinions are our own. Buying a used motorcycle always has an element of risk attached, so please do your research and proceed with caution.
There Are A Couple Of Equally Luxurious Rivals
At this end of the market, there are only a handful of competitors. While the Gold Wing has established itself as the leader in the touring segment, its two closest rivals have also seen significant depreciation over the past few years and offer different riding experiences. The BMW K 1600 B is a like-for-like alternative to the base model Gold Wing. BMW is the only manufacturer to persevere with the inline-six cylinder engine, and the bike is pretty wide as a result. It offers a similar level of luxury, and you can find these for less than the average Gold Wing.
The Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited, on the other hand, offers us an alternative to the Tour model. These bikes have dipped in value over the past year or so, according to KBB and JD Power, and can also be had for less than the Tour.
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Both these Harley-Davidsons use the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine
The 2021 Honda Gold Wing Has Depreciated Into A More Attainable Motorcycle
Price Range: $14,000 – $26,000
Generally speaking, Honda motorcycles hold their value pretty well, but the Gold Wing is a luxury model, and a different set of rules applies. It has indeed depreciated a significant amount over the course of the last five years, and each trim has also depreciated a little differently. The base model has a trade value of $13,875 and a resale value of $18,000.
The Automatic DCT has a trade value of $14,525, and it will sell for closer to $19,000. The Gold Wing Tour has a trade value of $13,875, and it will sell for around the $18,000 mark. The Gold Wing Tour Automatic DCT has a trade value of $16,400, and it will sell for closer to $21,000. There is also an airbag version of this model, but that will cost another $5,000, and at that point, the law of diminishing returns comes into play.
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The 2021 Gold Wing Has A Buttery-Smooth Flat Six
Power: 125 Horsepower
One of the main reasons anyone would want a Gold Wing is for its smooth-running flat six. It offers an exceptional balance between top-end performance and low-end grunt to go along with its buttery-smooth power delivery. But the latest generation has not been able to live up to Honda’s usually very high standards for reliability. It has now got three recalls to its name, which is highly unusual for Honda, but credit must be given to the Japanese brand for owning up to the issues and quickly issuing these recalls.
Chassis, Suspension, And Weight Specifications
|
Chassis |
Twin-spar aluminum |
|
Front Suspension |
Double wishbone (4.3-in travel) |
|
Rear Suspension |
Monoshock with electronically adjustable preload (4.1-in travel) |
|
Max Weight |
845/802 lbs (dry) |
The one only requires a simple ECU update. The other two are a little more serious, with some bikes needing their fuel pump to be replaced, and others needing their primary drive gear to be replaced. These are both pretty big jobs, and it is important to make sure that the bike you are getting has already been recalled, or never needed to be recalled in the first place.
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The 2021 Gold Wing Is As Luxurious As A Motorcycle Can Get
While the base model is more of a bagger, it is still an incredibly luxurious motorcycle that can easily be ridden across the country at a moment’s notice. The Gold Wing Tour, on the other hand, is a “full-dresser” and is about as luxurious as any motorcycle can get. It has as much storage as some small cars, and the only criticism that gets directed at it is the fact that its wind protection is a little too good and often feels more like a car than a motorcycle in that regard. As one might expect, you are not short on electronic features, either. Everything from traction control to heated seats is present and accounted for. But this is where innovation starts taking its toll.
The Cost Of Innovation
Firstly, we have the literal cost involved with buying a bike like this. There are new bikes that cost half as much as the used Gold Wing Tour DCT, and can do the same job. There is the argument that by paying more you get more, but if you are shopping for a used bike, that points towards a customer after value as opposed to opulence. We can certainly recommend any of these models from the base model up to the Gold Wing Tour DCT, because there is most certainly a lot of value on offer. But, it is the other cost of innovation that comes home to roost with the airbag model, a bike we would not necessarily recommend, at least when it comes to a used model.
Airbags have been in cars for decades now, but on a motorcycle, or any vehicle always exposed to the elements, it is a pretty new concept. Owning one of these bikes that is now over five-years old will make you a beta tester for this tech’s longevity. When an airbag randomly deploys in a car, it is dangerous, but on a motorcycle, it will be deadly. Innovation is always a good thing, but this seems like innovation for innovation’s sake, and paying more for this “safety” feature doesn’t make sense to us.