Top Tourer? Honda Gl1800 Gold Wing
TOP TOURER? HONDA GL1800 GOLD WING
ROUNDUP
HONDA'S YEAR-2001 REplacement for the aging GL1500 Gold Wing will not be powered by a rumored 2000cc flat-Eight. Instead, sources in Japan say the new luxury tourer will employ a fuel-injected, 1800cc version of the existing carbureted, liquid-cooled, dohc six-cylinder engine. Still no word on the rumored automatic transmission or ATV-like push-button shifting.
Styling, as indicated by the accompanying illustration, is more retro than the current model-not unlike the Valkyrie Interstate. "It's a
good try, a good guess,” said an American Honda spokesman of the illustration. As for the proposed engine upgrades, our source was tight-lipped. “No comment,” he responded. “There’s a lot of speculation about a new Gold Wing, but for the time being, that’s all it’s going to be.”
Joining the new styling and updated engine is an aluminum frame, little about which is known. There will also be a long list of standard equipment, including automotive-type, high-
intensity arc-discharge headlights, anti-lock/linked brakes and, with any luck, heated handgrips. No word on options, which may include a global-positioning system, cellular telephone and trunk-mounted
compact-disc changer. The bike will continue to be manufactured in Marysville, Ohio, and go on sale later this year.
Patience, Gold Wing faithful. The wait is nearly over.
Matthew Miles
