When you want to see the world on two wheels in pure comfort, there’s hardly anything better than a touring motorcycle. But they come in such a wide variety and price ranges, from the track-ready Ducati Multistrada V4 RS to the swagger-dripping Harley-Davidson Street Glide ST. Almost every major manufacturer offers a touring motorcycle today.
As good as all the touring motorcycles may be, they still remain at the tail of one Japanese touring bike. This bike has been around for half a century, and since its inception, it has set the pace for touring motorcycles to follow. In its current seventh-generation avatar, it is not only better than ever but remains the gold standard for touring motorcycles. Here’s all you need to know about it.
Touring Motorcycles From Around The World
Touring motorcycles come in a variety today. At the top of this lineup sit the full-dress tourers, complete with a powerful engine, plenty of creature comforts, and massive fairings to protect you from the elements. And you can divide this top-tier segment largely into three factors: American, German, and Japanese tourers.
Of them, the American tourers are usually seen as the default. With a heavy influence of old-school cruising culture and no replacement for displacement, these tourers feature massive V-twin engines with a focus on effortless highway cruising. For comfort, they feature laidback ergonomics and massive fairings. Excellent examples of these include the Harley-Davidson Road Glide and Street Glide Limited, and the Indian Roadmaster and Pursuit.
Then come the German or BMW tourers, which focus on offering the cutting edge of the motorcycling world in terms of comfort and handling. These bikes feature sophisticated electronics, high-performance, butter-smooth boxer or six-cylinder engines, and even an adaptive chassis that changes the geometry on the fly. Examples here include the BMW R 1300 RT and the K 1600 series, which are considered among the best tourers ever made.
The Japanese tourers, on the other hand, are often quoted as lacking the soul of their American rivals and the technical finesse of their German rivals. Instead, these tourers focus on understated, low-stress engines that offer bulletproof reliability, a lightweight frame for sportier handling, and a real-world-centric comfort experience. They can be cheaper, too. Think the Yamaha FJR1300RS. Despite the stereotype, it’s actually a Japanese tourer that is often considered the gold standard when it comes to this segment.
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The Gold Standard For Touring Motorcycles Is The Honda Gold Wing
The Honda Gold Wing has been in the market since 1975, and over its seven generations, it has evolved into something that sets the standard for touring. You get the ideal balance of various things that make a good tourer: performance, luxury, handling, comfort, and innovation. There may be more powerful or feature-packed tourers out there, no doubt, but none come close to offering the refined balance that the Gold Wing offers.
It’s powered by a smooth and tried-and-tested flat-six engine, mated to either a manual or an automatic transmission. For comfort, it offers neutral ergonomics and plenty of wind protection, complemented by an electronic windscreen. At the back, it features saddlebags and, on the Tour model, a massive trunk for all your luggage. And it leaves no stone unturned when it comes to tech features, including heated grips, rider aids, an infotainment system, and even an optional airbag. Put simply, the Gold Wing has everything you’d ever need from your touring motorcycle.
Base Price Starts At $25,500
Unlike some of its rivals, the Honda Gold Wing isn’t exorbitant, either. The standard model starts at $25,500; pay a thousand dollars more, and you can get the same model with the DCT. If you want more storage or plan for two-up touring, you can upgrade to the Gold Wing Tour at $29,500 and $1,000 extra for the DCT. Honda also offers the Gold Wing Tour Airbag DCT at $33,800, which is the only motorcycle to feature an airbag.
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Everything On The Honda Tourer Prioritizes Comfort
The Honda Gold Wing is a comfort-first motorcycle, and as such, it won’t leave you wanting for more. With a seat height of 29.3 inches and neutral ergonomics, it should feel just right for most riders. The seats are covered in a custom-feel suede-like cover that gives them a premium look. On the Tour model, the trunk also doubles up as a backrest for the pillion, and on the standard model, you can opt for an optional backrest for both the rider and pillion.
Functional Styling With Wind Protection In Mind
The Gold Wing features an extensive fairing designed to keep the wind off your face while still looking modern. It’s aerodynamic, and Honda says it keeps you protected from the wind and bugs while refined ducting keeps you cool on hot summer days. The fairing is topped with an electric windscreen with 4.9 inches of range, which can be raised or lowered with the push of a button. This should make long highway rides effortless for both you and your pillion.
Integrated Saddlebags With Up To 32 Gallons Of Storage
The standard Gold Wing comes with saddlebags at the back that can hold around 15.85 gallons of luggage. The Tour variant features a large topcase, which increases the total storage capacity to 32 gallons; it can also hold two full-size helmets. These bags open electronically and lock/unlock remotely. Thanks to these bags, the Gold Wing promises to hold your luggage for most weekend tours.
A Laundry List Of Tech Features
Swing your leg over the bike, and you’ll be greeted with a 7-inch TFT display with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and HomeLink support. It is complemented by 55-watt speakers. Other creature comforts include heated grips, keyless ride, and cruise control. Safety is taken care of by four ride modes, Hill Start Assist, ABS, Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
The Only Bike On Sale With An Airbag
The Honda Gold Wing is the only motorcycle in the world to offer an airbag, and it has been doing so since 2006; it is available as an optional accessory on the Gold Wing Tour. Honda has developed this airbag based on real-world crash data, and it’s designed to absorb the rider’s forward momentum, keeping them from going over the bars. Unlike car airbags, this V-shaped airbag uses tether straps to anchor itself to the frame, making it a terrific piece of tech that promises to save your bacon someday.
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Butter-Smooth, Reliable Performance, And Sporty Handling
The Honda Gold Wing features a flat-six engine, and in its current iteration, it displaces 1,833cc while being over 13 pounds lighter than the previous generation. The engine features a Unicam cylinder head design, aluminum cylinder sleeves, a shorter crankshaft, and Integrated Starter Generation (ISG). The engine delivers about 125 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, and it has made a name for itself for its linear power delivery and bulletproof reliability.
Optional DCT On Offer
The standard Gold Wing comes with a six-speed manual transmission, but if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of shifting gears, you can go for the DCT variant. This one features a seven-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT), with an overdrive seventh gear that’s ideal for highway cruising. The DCT also enables Walking Mode, which lets you creep forward or backward at walking pace. On the other hand, the standard models use electric reverse to help you back out of parking spaces.
Sportier Handling Than You’d Expect
The Honda Gold Wing is underpinned by a latest-gen diecast aluminum frame that is designed for a smooth ride and precise handling. Front suspension is a double wishbone kind, and the rear features a single-sided Pro Arm swingarm housing the shaft drive. This suspension setup is said to offer stellar handling, a smooth ride, and good rider feedback. The bike is also 90 pounds lighter than the previous generation and is claimed to have the lowest center of gravity in the segment, which should further help in making it easy to handle despite its size.
The Honda Gold Wing may come off as an exercise in excess, but that’s hardly the case. Everything on this bike serves a function toward one thing: long-distance comfort. Even the performance and handling are tuned to make the journey comfortable for the long haul. This is what makes the Gold Wing the benchmark of touring motorcycles, as well as one of the most high-tech motorcycles you can buy in 2026. It really is a motorcycle that can make a near $30k starting price like value for money.
Source: Honda