2018 Honda Goldwing photos leaked – now with DCT?

It was expected that Honda would be making an announcement or more likely, an unveiling, of the 2018 Honda Goldwing, its grand touring motorcycle, but some photos appear to have been leaked from a press kit. As reported by Visordown, the new Goldwing still appears to carry its trademark flat-six, the clutch lever seems to be missing, perhaps indicating it will have Honda’s Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT).

Rumours of Honda using DCT in the 2018 Goldwing have been circulating for a couple of years now, and DCT is currently used in its CTX and NC model range, as well as the NM4 Vultus and X-ADV scooters, along with the CRF1000L Africa Twin adventure bike and VFR1200X sports tourer. No word on what the likely displacement of the new six-cylinder mill might be, but some quarters have suggested the Wing will clock in above the two-litre mark.

The Goldwing has been around for 43 years, beginning with the one-litre GL1000 with a flat-four, through the 1,100 and 1,200 cc era of the Interstate and Aspencade in the 80s with full bodywork, and the one Malaysians know best, the GL1500 with its flat-six, before morphing into the GL1800 Goldwing of today.

From the photos, the telescopic front fork is gone, replaced by a strut suspension setup with single shock absorber, similar to BMW Motorrad’s Telelever front suspension. A large TFT LCD screen makes an appearance in the cockpit between the gauges, replacing the current Goldwing setup of twin dials with a smaller central LCD screen, along with a rotary dial like the unit found in certain high-end cars.

Using a dial instead of a touch screen makes sense, because trying to accurately put pressure on a single point on a screen can be difficult while wearing gloves. It can be safely assumed that modern motorcycle electronic conveniences such as traction control, cornering ABS and semi-active suspension will make an appearance in the 2018 Honda Goldwing, in keeping with the bike’s reputation of being the ultimate touring motorcycle, and a showcase of Honda’s engineering prowess.