The Honda Gold Wing is a series of touring motorcycles manufactured by Honda. Gold Wings feature shaft drive and a flat engine. Characterized by press in September 1974 as "The world's biggest motorcycle manufacturer's first attack on the over-750cc capacity market...", it was introduced at the Cologne Motorcycle Show in October 1974. Gold Wings were assembled in Marysville, Ohio, from 1980 until 2010, when motorcycle production there was halted.
The includes a Honda Gold Wing GL1000 manufactured in 1974 as one of their 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology.
Over the course of its production history, the Gold Wing had many design changes, beginning in 1975 with a flat-four engine; by 2001, this had grown to a flat-six. The 2012 model had anti-lock braking, cruise control, electrically assisted reverse gear, an optional airbag, a fairing with heating and an adjustable windscreen, panniers and a trunk, a pillion backrest, satnav, and a six-speaker radio/audio system with MP3/iPod connectivity.
Gold Wing development
In 1972, following the success of the CB750 superbike, the company assembled an R&D design team to explore concepts for a new flagship motorcycle. The project leader was Shoichiro Irimajiri, who in the 1960s had designed Honda's multi-cylinder Grand Prix engines and their Formula One V12 engine.
The 1974 Gold Wing with its flat-four shaft-drive powertrain used technologies both from earlier motorcycle and automotive designs.
The Gold Wing was the first Japanese production motorcycle with a water-cooled four-stroke engine. The first four-cylinder boxer engine was produced in 1900.
Target market
During its development, the CB750 was known within Honda as their "King of Motorcycles." As it would sit atop the CB750 as the top of the line Honda motorcycle, the project that would become the Gold Wing was informally called the "King of Kings."
In America in the early 1970s, long-distance motorcyclists had only a few manufacturers to choose from: Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi and BMW. The H-D Electra Glide was a touring motorcycle with a loyal cult following. It faced strong competition from Moto Guzzi's 850cc Eldorado. BMW motorcycles were smoother and more reliable, if expensive. The Gold Wing was aimed at a newly emerging market segment, namely, a new kind of American long-distance rider who was not likely to buy a Harley-Davidson or BMW but who would open their wallets for a reliable machine offering comfort, endurance, low maintenance, and a smooth, torquey, quiet engine.
The Gold Wing's secondary target market was Europe, where riders prioritised handling and performance over luxury. (The European market's special demands subsequently led to the Honda Pan European). Though other motorcycle manufacturers build touring bikes, no other touring bike has achieved the popularity of the Gold Wing.
M1 prototype & Project 371
In 1972, the project team broke from Honda practice
The brainstorming team's M1 project was never intended as a production prototype. Nonetheless, the M1 should be seen as the primordial Gold Wing because so many of its distinctive features appeared on the GL1000. The flat-six gave the M1 a low center of gravity, enhancing stability, but the extreme length of the engine/gearbox unit resulted in a cramped riding position. Instead, the project team chose to build a bike with a compact one liter flat-four engine. took over from Irimajiri as project leader.