2014–2017 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
The Flat-Six Muscle Cruiser
Strip the bodywork off a full-dress tourer and you get this: 1832 cc of liquid-cooled flat-six sitting in plain sight, 116 hp at 5,500 rpm and 125 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm going to the back wheel through a shaft and a 5-speed box. There is no fairing, no luggage, no touring furniture. What stays is the part Honda never compromises on, the engine and the rigid chassis around it. ABS and tire pressure monitoring come standard, and that is the whole electronics story. In its class it is the outlier: the touring drivetrain, none of the touring shell.
It rides like a big machine that shrinks once the speedo passes walking pace, and it ages the way Honda flat-sixes age, which is slowly and without drama. Reliability is the highest number on its scorecard for a reason. This suits a rider who wants effortless roll-on and real presence on a two-lane road, and who does not need the bike to solve weather. The honest caveat: at 746 lb with no screen, no cruise control and no factory bags, the long days you plan on it are days you have to want. Comfort here is engine comfort, not shelter.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 116 hp (85 kW) @ 5,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 125 lb-ft (170 Nm) @ 4,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1832 cc |
| Engine | Flat-six (boxer) |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 5-speed |
| Final drive | Shaft |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front tire | 130/60-19 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Seat height | 28.8 in (732 mm) |
| Wet weight | 746 lb (338 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.1 gal (23.2 L) |
| Fuel economy | 42 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Safety
First thing you notice is the noise, or rather how little of it is mechanical. The six spins up with a low, layered hum that turns throaty when you open it, and the whole bike feels like it is running on one long smooth pulse instead of six separate ones. Your hands stay quiet on the bars. Mirrors stay readable at speed, which tells you plenty about how this engine is balanced. The seat sits low at 28.8 in, so both boots plant easily and the reach to the bars is upright and wide. At real road pace you sit in the airstream with nothing in front of you, and that pressure on your chest becomes the pace limiter long before the engine has anything to say about it. Fuel stops arrive at your own pace: 6.1 gal, 42 mpg, so well past 250 miles if you are gentle.
Kill switch causing intermittent engine cut‑out
A few owners report the engine cutting out when the kill switch is accidentally hit or vibrates, possibly due to poor contact. Some advise not using the kill switch routinely.
Where this Honda Gold Wing F6C 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 Gold Wing F6C is actually built for.
The drivetrain and the range are exactly what you want, but there is no screen, no bags and no cruise control. Go in knowing the weather and the wind are yours to handle.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
This is the closest thing to a rolling statement Honda has built. A visible flat-six, 125 lb-ft and a sound nobody else in the parking lot is making.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
It handles better than 746 lb has any right to, and it is composed once rolling. For repeat runs on tight mountain roads, though, you are working harder than you need to.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Honda Gold Wing F6C. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2015–2016
The Fully Loaded Mile Eater
Competitor · 2015–2016
Factory Custom, Wired for Miles
Roughly $7,300 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Competitor · 2011–2016
Fully Loaded American Long Hauler
Roughly $6,500 pricier used than this bike at 12 yr
Competitor · 2011–2016
Six Cylinders, Zero Buzz
Roughly $1,300 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Competitor · 2017
The Low-Seat Long-Hauler
Roughly $3,000 pricier used than this bike at 9 yr
Competitor · 2014–2016
Top-Shelf Tech, American Iron
Roughly $11,100 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr