Fire Sale on New Goldwings?

[opas ride]

This all sounds familiar doesn't it.Our f6bs are great motorcycles but they just didn't sell well.I would say goldwing sells pale in comparison against 10 year ago.We are a shrinking breed,liking a big smooth motorcycle. It just isn't cool to ride a honda motorcycle anymore. I like the new wing but one thing for sure those prices must come down,just like the f6b did.

Your right on my friend....Back in 2001/2 I was retired from Ford and selling motorcycles part-time at one of the largest Honda dealers around here...Sold 14 Goldwings in my first two months of the riding season....Talked to the Sales Mgr. at this same dealership a couple months ago and he told me that they had sold 5 2018 GW's total since they came out last winter.....Still has the same 6 on the floor they had several months ago....Regards

[OlyF6B]

I have YET to see one on the road...

July '18, I was in Northeast Oregon - riding in the area for a day or so... and saw a new GW at an intersection. Rider and passenger (M & F) of "rider proportions" one often sees out there on the highways... riding GWs or other large displacement touring scoots. Gotta say, it was almost comical viewing the two on the new GW... the overall proportions were way out of wack... ("too little bike..." IMHO). I too think Honda made an error in the styling area. For the kind of $$ they're asking, there are other viable options that are "sized" appropriately for 2-up riding.

[F6Dave]

Something just occurred to me. For decades the Goldwing has been designed and built in the USA. This is the first new Wing since Honda shut down the Ohio plant and moved back to Japan. Is it possible they were better able to focus on the American touring rider when their motorcycle operations were based in America?

[ff73148]

We have all purchased Goldwings because we knew that it was a long term bike we could put miles on. Honda is looking for a new Goldwing rider. They are not relying on the current Goldwing owners to buy new model Goldwings. Look at BMW and how they market their bikes. BMW riders start with sportier bikes and move up to larger touring bikes. Honda is looking for that rider.

[Frye]

Problem is, how can you sell it as "sportier" when it has a 112 mph top speed and roughly the same HP as the old ones? I see them as a step down in performance from our F6Bs. On top end, they are a step down from all previous GL 1800s I think and also a step down from the 1520 Valks. And they don't even offer a performance upgrade for them?

So, you have a slower bike with less room for passenger, rider and luggage. With an untested engine and drivetrain. What's the point?

[opas ride]

In reality....If I had the desire for another bike at this point in my life it would most likely be the F6B version of the GW....But the BMW does make a great couple of bikes for touring types...But at my age, I will most likely just give up the sport and stick to cars in the future.....Regards

[unsub]

I should mention though, we saw a few in Europe this summer. And Gold Wings, in general, are not exactly common place over there.

I believe Germany and Poland are huge fans and have large meetups over the summer.

[jmdaniel]

This all sounds familiar doesn't it.Our f6bs are great motorcycles but they just didn't sell well.I would say goldwing sells pale in comparison against 10 year ago.We are a shrinking breed,liking a big smooth motorcycle. It just isn't cool to ride a honda motorcycle anymore. I like the new wing but one thing for sure those prices must come down,just like the f6b did.

+1

Anyone here pay MSRP for their new B? After mine sat on the dealership floor for over a year, I sure as hell didn't. Not even remotely close to MSRP.

While I personally think the new Wing, (base model) looks like a love child my B and FJR had after canoodling in the garage, I wouldn't be so fast to crow about potential price drops signifying Honda made a mistake with the new model.

[Verismo]

Problem is, how can you sell it as "sportier" when it has a 112 mph top speed and roughly the same HP as the old ones? I see them as a step down in performance from our F6Bs. On top end, they are a step down from all previous GL 1800s I think and also a step down from the 1520 Valks. And they don't even offer a performance upgrade for them?

So, you have a slower bike with less room for passenger, rider and luggage. With an untested engine and drivetrain. What's the point?

Have you ridden one, Frye? On my test ride with a new DCT, the dealership had a young man on the previous wing as my escort, and I easily walked away from him at will, no matter how hard he tried to keep up. Between the weight loss, and the non-existent drop in torque as it grabs the next gear, it is most definitely sportier. It's not as sporty as the new BMW, but hasn't that been the general case with previous K1600's?

I wish they had fattened the bags up. And I REALLY wish they would make more of a cruiser/tourer based on that platform, something along the lines of the original valk. More dropped in seat, more pullback and wider on the bars. Same engine and transmission. That would be right up my alley. But as it stands, I thought it was amazing to ride. I also think the B is amazing, and I love mine. But I think the new one is beautiful and impressive. We'll see concerning longevity, but if it holds up, it seems like an amazing next step in motorcycling.

Jason

[53driver]

The DCT in "Sport" mode was quite the hoot - the other modes, not so much.
0-90 was freaking quick in Sport Mode.
Handling was very intuitive with a bit more ground clearance than the B.

But I am in concurrence with most of what's printed here:
- Bags could EASILY be as large as they used to be and still retain the "cosmic stealth" look
- "New engine" - it could be that the good ol' 1822 was so close to perfect that adding 1 cc was the only way to improve it. Besides the aesthetics (which I'm not fond of) I hope that someone figures out a way to unleash this engine so that it could hang with the K1600.
- Less fuel: NEVER a good idea. Period.
- Gizmos & infotainment: if I want to look at a screen, I'll stop and get out my iPad. If I want to figure out a new "game controller", I'll do so with an Xbox.
I'm a pilot, I live for flight & performance data. Focusing & emphasizing on other things detracts from my Disney Experience.
Cheers,
Steve