The new 1,832cc engine delivers 118 horsepower and 125 lb./ft of torque.  The cylinders are horizontally opposed (flat / boxer) and 6 in number.  The engine revs freely and emits quite a nice bark through the exhaust system.  With an aftermarket exhaust, I reckon it would wail a bit like an Aussie six-pack Chrysler Hemi.

Two 40mm diameter injection throttle bodies are fed from a 7 litre airbox.  The injectors are Keihin high pressure units with four nozzle tips in each injector.

A little surprising is the fact that the engine has only two valves per cylinder.

As you would expect the engine is electronically controlled and has a built in knock sensor to help things along when fuel quality could be questionable.  An automatic choke is fitted and works just fine.

The gearbox has 5 speeds and works very well.  It would be nice if the shift was a little more positive but I suppose that is the nature of the beast with touring motorcycles.

Two side mounted radiators are employed to help keep the whole show nice and cool and is designed to direct hot air away from the rider.

Like a lot of us sportsbike fiends I have expressed my previous thoughts to Gold Wing riders like, "Why don't you just buy a car?". They seldom bother replying, as they probably get sick of silly comments from the uninformed.

After now travelling many hundreds of kilometres on Honda's flagship tourer I can tell you here and now the Gold Wing is most definitely a motorcycle in every sense of the word.

It handles much better than you would imagine and is easy to change direction on. Due to the low 'c of g' the Gold Wing makes it easier to make changes of direction than on a hard-core sportsbike, hard to believe but true.  Of course here I am talking about general changes of direction in traffic etc. and not slamming from full lean angle to full lean angle.  No, the Gold Wing is not a sportsbike, and neither does it pretend to be, but I doubt a decent pilot on the Gold Wing be left too far behind on most roads.

The Wing accelerates off the line quick enough to put most sportsbike punters in their place from the traffic lights. 1st gear is good for around 65kph, and if you change to 2nd quick enough the back tyre lights up with wheelspin as the prodigious torque overcomes the amount of grip afforded by the touring rubber.

The frame is aluminium and uses the engine as a stressed member.  The Pro Arm single sided swingarm suspends via a single shock with over 100mm of travel and incorporates the shaft drive system. 

45mm forks are fitted up front with a cartridge damper and have 140mm of travel.  They work quite well for such a large touring motorcycle and gave me no reason for concern during my time with the Gold Wing.

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