Considerably smaller bags and a much smaller engine? Why am I not excited? I wouldn't mind an 8-cylinder, 2500cc torque factory. The Goldwing has always been larger than the others in terms of displacement, but the competition is catching up and more (Indian 1820cc, Vulcan 2000cc, Rocket III 2300cc, etc.) Why would they do a 180 and go smaller? I don't want to believe these rumors.
I would not necessarily ,mind a smaller displacement if horsepower and torque increased. Wonder if they dare to go away from the 6 cylinder configuration to a 4? Would seem that IF the F6B were to still be offered it would then have to a F4B. Just not the same.
"Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up"
The flat-4 went away in the 80s because Honda had maximized the power output of it and was running into issues with "smoothness" as they tried to further increase the power to compensate for the weight gain of the GW. That's when they went up to a six-cylinder, to be able to create the power without drivability issues (i.e. vibration, roughness at certain rpms; indicative of high performance engines). This is all based on what I read about the history and evolution of the GW over the past 42 years.
However, an electric hybrid setup could maintain or increase current power while allowing engine displacement to be reduced. Going to a flat-4 would increase foot and leg room, one of the enduring issues with the current platform. Fuel economy would go up significantly too!
I would like to see how this hypothetical configuration works. If they use a DCT, would it deactivate the electric motor in manual shift mode? There would be an automatic clutch, wouldn't there? I would probably just leave it in "automatic" mode as long as it is smooth.
Even if none of this true, it is fun to speculate.
Former Ride:
2013 F6B Standard, black; sold 7/2019
Latest Addition:
2016 Gold Wing Level 3, red; SCT transmission stuck in manual mode
2019 Miles:
7,900 as of 10/6
So, the burning question in my mind is, when does the mothership normally make announcements? They've already made a partial release. Will they push for August/September to align with the new Yami delivery? As well as any Indian and HD announcements? I think they'd be damned foolish to keep mum and let everyone else pull the spotlight. They've already let Yami get their foot in the door with their new offering and staying mum on a new wing.
Mike
[QUOTE=speedjunkie;152102]So, the burning question in my mind is, when does the mothership normally make announcements? They've already made a partial release. Will they push for August/September to align with the new Yami delivery? As well as any Indian and HD announcements? I think they'd be damned foolish to keep mum and let everyone else pull the spotlight. They've already let Yami get their foot in the door with their new offering and staying mum on a new wing.
I hear ya my friend, but Ma Honda does things their way and don't really care what the others do...We just have to wait and see what shakes out down the road!!!!
I know. It's just surprising they don't toss something out to get folks drooling. I think yami did good making a June announcement for Sept deliveries. Everyone knows that HD announces after dealer meeting in August, & Polaris announces at big Sept show. They could potentially lose quite a few sales by staying quiet. Not everyone is gonna wait forever, but that's what they're banking on i guess. Better be something earth shattering, that's all I know!
Mike