2018–2026 · Tourer · A variant of the GL 1800 Goldwing Tour
Differences between the standard GL 1800 Goldwing Tour and the DCT
Seven Gears of Flat-Six Calm
Honda's Gold Wing Tour is built around a liquid-cooled 1833 cc flat-six, and that engine sets the tone for the whole bike. It makes 126 hp at 5,500 rpm, but the figure you actually feel is 125 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm, sent through a 7-speed DCT and shaft drive. This DCT trim adds the automatic gearbox to everything the standard Tour already carries: trunk and side cases, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay, cruise control, TPMS, keyless start, plus ABS, traction control and ride modes. The Honda Double-Wishbone Front Suspension up front and adjustable suspension at both ends complete the package. In the touring class, this is the comfort benchmark.
Out on the road it does what a tourer should, only more completely. Touring comfort, reliability, luggage room and high-speed stability are its strongest suits, and it's easier to live with day to day than 833 lb (378 kg) on the scale suggests. It's built for riders who cover serious distance, often two-up, and want to climb off after a long day still feeling fresh. The honest caveat is the electrics. Heavy rain and dirt can upset the switchgear, the windshield mechanism and the side fairing pocket actuator, and any 2018 to 2024 bike needs its fuel pump recall completed.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 126 hp (93 kW) @ 5,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 125 lb-ft (170 Nm) @ 4,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1833 cc |
| Engine | Flat-six (boxer) |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 7-speed |
| Final drive | Shaft |
| Fork | Duolever |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 130/70-18 |
| Rear tire | 200/55-16 |
| Wheelbase | 66.7 in (1695 mm) |
| Seat height | 29.3 in (744 mm) |
| Wet weight | 833 lb (378 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.6 gal (21.1 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
The named systems that set this bike apart — and what each one does for you.
Protection
Suspension
Swing a leg over and the first thing you notice is how low you sit. At 29.3 in (744 mm), the seat lets most riders plant their boots with confidence, which counts for a lot on a bike this size. Press the keyless start and the flat-six settles into a smooth, low hum, with very little coming back through the bars or pegs. On this DCT trim there's no clutch lever to work in traffic. You roll the throttle and go. At a steady highway pace the engine drops into the background, a press of a button raises the electric screen into the wind, and the heated grips take the bite out of a cold mountain morning. The only rough edge shows up at walking pace, when the DCT can feel a little abrupt as you come to a full stop. A light touch of throttle smooths it out.
The GL 1800 Goldwing Tour DCT (GL1800 Gen6 DCT) builds on the standard GL 1800 Goldwing Tour: the upgraded hardware, the key spec changes and where its character shifts. The full ride, specs, scoring and verdict are all right here on this page.
Equipment the DCT adds vs the standard GL 1800 Goldwing Tour
This section isn't my own ride. It's what owners have told me over the years, in pit-lane small talk, at rider meetups and parking-lot stops, and in the emails and messages people send once they've lived with a bike for a few seasons. On this Gold Wing the chatter keeps returning to how the bike feels at the end of a long day. The engine and the comfort package carry most of the praise, and when the talk turns practical, luggage space is one of the things riders raise.
The flat-six is the part owners mention with the least hesitation. The words that come up again and again are effortless thrust and silky delivery, and riders say the updated engine keeps the smoothness people have always expected from a Gold Wing. It pulls strongly from any point in the rev range. What owners notice most, though, is what's missing. They consistently call it vibration-free, and they tie that straight to how they feel after a full day in the saddle: long stints don't wear them down. For long-distance cruising, several owners simply call it perfect.
Comfort is the other constant, and owners describe it as a complete package rather than a single feature. They talk about a plush ride, spacious seating, heated grips and a quiet electric windscreen, and they describe the accommodations as first class. Put the audio system and integrated navigation on top of that and the phrase riders keep reaching for is a magic carpet for two. The technology gets its own share of the credit. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto run through the 7-inch TFT display, and owners who cover big distances say the phone integration and the premium audio keep them connected and entertained over a long journey.
The practical gripe that stands apart from the rest concerns space. It's a quieter complaint than the praise above, but it's a specific one. Some owners say the built-in panniers are smaller than those on many competing full-dress tourers. The top trunk does its job, they add, but it doesn't match the cavernous room of the previous generation. Riders who travel two-up describe packing carefully to fit a trip's worth of gear.
Side fairing pocket actuator failure
The electrical mechanism that opens the side fairing pocket can fail, especially after riding in heavy rain. Honda revised the part number for 2021 models.
Switchgear and windshield mechanism weather sensitivity
Water and dirt ingress can cause malfunctioning of handlebar switches (e.g., start/stop) and erratic windshield movement. Cleaning and drying usually resolves the issue.
DCT low-speed clunkiness
Some riders experience abrupt or clunky deceleration when coming to a complete stop with the DCT, requiring a gentle throttle touch to smooth out.
Clutch switch failure causing HSA light and ABS drag (manual models)
On 6-speed manual models, a faulty clutch lever switch can trigger a flashing Hill Start Assist (HSA) warning light and, in some cases, cause the ABS system to inadvertently drag the rear brake. The issue is typically resolved by replacing the clutch switch.
Where this Honda GL 1800 Goldwing Tour pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the GL 1800 Goldwing Tour is actually built for.
This is your bike. It carries two people and a week of gear in real comfort and stays calm on the long interstate days between Beartooth and Going-to-the-Sun.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
It handles a Blue Ridge or Highway 1 day in serious comfort, but at 833 lb it's a full tourer, not a light sport-tourer. Ride one before you decide that trade suits you.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If the ride to Sturgis or Daytona matters as much as getting there, it's superb. Just know the flat-six trades loud sound and swagger for smoothness.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
