Okay, I still couldn't avoid gushing, but even so here are my observations.
The feature I was most curious about was the DCT, so I'll start there. It's amazing. This is not your father's torque converter. The dual clutch, in sport mode, absolutely rips, at perfect intervals, through the first 4 gears. It is even more thrilling than I was anticipating to feel the torque curve snap to the next peak when ascending without interruption from a shift, instead of the quick drop you feel, no matter how fast the manual shift. My accompanying rider was on a 2012 full wing, and I walked away from him at will and with zero effort on my part, and he was a 20 year old who put some effort into trying to prevent it. In terms of deceleration and downshifting, I found myself using the brake lever much less due to the nice timing of the downshifts. It makes for really blissful riding. Also, shifting with the manual "paddles" is effortless. It was nice to have the option in either mode. In sport, you could upshift to relax a little. In tour, you can downshift to goose it a little. The rpm's, in tour mode and at highway speeds in 7th gear seem to be about 500-700 less than my B, depending on the grade of incline. Honestly, I can't think of a con, unless you do precision course competition, where clutching might be necessary for extreme low speed steep maneuvering. And if the shifting isn't to your taste by mode, you can just switch to manual and shift at your leisure. I only imagine this getting better and providing even more options with some more experience. Also, the walking mode, both forward and backward, works easily and perfectly. This transmission is a revelation in this caliber of bike.
The weight loss and view from the cockpit are really nice. It almost feels a little odd to call this a Goldwing after the 1988 to 2017 run. I can imagine many an FJR, Concours, and former ST1300 rider getting pulled over to Wings due to the leaned out size. I own a Standard(naked) 1984 GL1200, and this bike is reminiscent, to me, to that earlier platform. Comfortable ergos, lots of refinements, plenty of power, similar riding triangle, and most of all- light(ish), and balanced. All that, on steroids and stem cells.
The front suspension is, I don't know how else to say this, nearly perfect. I rode on a stretch of farm road with which I am very familiar. The asphalt is very rough and provides a noticeably harsh ride on all other bikes I've been on. I had to keep looking down at the road to make sure I was on the same surface. I could see the tie rods bouncing up and down, but all I felt was a plush ride, and then, in corners, a perfect line that I could push into, or stray from. It didn't matter. It just complies. Wow. Seriously, I know if I were reading this instead of writing it, I would prefer more objectivity, but wow.
Wind management--Great, but there might be the tiniest bit of room for some improvement here. For those of us who have MadStads, I'm curious to hear others speak about this after some miles in the seat. On the 2018 model, with the touring shield in its lowest position, it sat 5 or 6 inches below my eyeline(I'm 6' with a 31 inch inseam). It worked perfectly up until about 50 mph or until I got into crosswinds or on the highway. Adjusted all the way up, it sits just below my eyeline. If I slouched a little, or leaned back, I could easily look through it. At full up, the wind is a nice pocket. Minimal buffeting even on the highway with traffic. However, at full up, the rake is nearly vertical, and serves a little as an airbrake. So I felt more wind input to the front end than I do on my B with MadStad. Coupled with that, there is much more wind coming over the shoulders. It was not at all discomforting for the relatively short ride. But I found myself wondering how it would be on a long stretch, or in really cold weather. It will be interesting to hear what riders say after some long miles. I also imagine wider after market shields, and Baker and National Cycle coming up with a hand wing that might help with the shoulder air. We'll see. On a warm day and a shorter ride, the additional wind was more of a plus, but the additional pushing around of the front end wasn't missed once I got back on my B.
On that note, I'll say--lucky for us, that getting back on the B didn't as much feel like a big step down as close to a lateral move with different pros. I have a Mustang seat, the pegs moved forward a bit, and heli bars in a nice cruiser-like position, so I really sit IN my F6B, instead of on it. And with this new wing, it was back to being on the bike, and quite a bit higher, although it was still a very comfortable riding triangle for me.
Other odds and ends: It's a weird note that you can feel engine vibration in the grips when you start the 2018 and it's at idle. It disappears immediately once in motion, but it kind of surprised me.
Upon takeoff, I found myself needing to give it just a bit more throttle/twist than I'm accustomed. I think this is probably my lack of familiarity with throttle by wire, but it was a small adjustment.
The trunk--Normally, I hate riding with a trunk. It throws the center of gravity up and back and really changes the fun of corners. That's why I love the B. However, I was 3/4 of the way through the ride before I had to look back to see if the 2018 I was on had a trunk. Granted, it wasn't filled with anything. But I’ve never ridden a bike with a trunk that felt so much like one without it.
Closing-
I have owned a 1984 GL1200, a 1999 Valkyrie, a 2014 Valkyrie, and a 2016 F6B. I am not even close to the most experienced rider on this forum, but have had the good fortune of riding dozens of more bikes, from dirt and sport bikes and sport tourers of all stripes, to Indians, Yamahas, Triumphs, and Harleys.
This is the nicest bike I have ever ridden. By a decent margin.
The next closest, in my opinion, is the one we all own here. You know that feeling you have on most bikes that you love such and such about the bike, but you wish it had that one thing. This new Goldwing comes the closest, and it's seriously close, to checking every single one of those boxes. I really tried to play down my enthusiasm in writing this, so I didn’t spend the whole review process just beaming, even though you might not be able to tell. But I was thrilled during and after this test ride. I literally laughed out loud like a little kid every time I launched the bike from standstill in sport mode and it tore through the gears. What a bike.
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