Honda Gold Wing
Honda's touring motorcycle series with shaft drive and flat engine.
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via Wikipedia: Honda Gold Wing · see source
Honda manufactures the Gold Wing series of touring motorcycles, which utilize shaft drive and a flat engine configuration.[1]
How it changed
The project produced an experimental prototype called the M1, which had a 1470cc liquid-cooled flat-six engine and longitudinal shaft drive.[2] The team chose a compact one-liter flat-four engine for the production bike, code-named Project 371, with Toshio Nozue taking over as project leader.[3] Over the years, engine displacement grew from 999 cc to 1832 cc by 2001.[4] The 2012 model included anti-lock braking, cruise control, an optional airbag, satnav, and a six-speaker audio system.[4]
By 1995, the Gold Wing had sold more than a quarter of a million units worldwide.[5] Following the CB750's achievements, Honda put together an R&D design team in 1972, with Shoichiro Irimajiri as project leader, to investigate ideas for a new top-of-the-line motorcycle.[6] From 1980 until 2010, Gold Wings were put together in Marysville, Ohio; after that, assembly was shifted to Kumamoto, Japan.[7]
What the maker and period sources say
A 1995 article notes that Gold Wing riders often cite "trust, reliability and smoothness" as the bike's appeal.[5] The same source reports that one owner logged nearly 200,000 miles on his 1984 GL1200, calling it "bulletproof"[5] According to the book "Gold Wing: The First 20 Years," Honda sold only 5,000 Gold Wings in 1975, its first year on the market.[5] The average Gold Wing rider runs between 9,000 and 15,000 miles per year, according to a Honda representative quoted in the article.[5]
The Gold Wing Riders Association had 850 chapters in North America by 1995, holding a yearly convention called the Wing Ding.[5] Original owners discovered the motorcycles were excellent for long journeys and started to modify the seats and suspension.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Honda Gold Wing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Honda to launch 1000cc flat-4? Motor Cycle News, 20 March 1974, p.1 (front cover). Retrieved 13 March 2022; Duchene, "Honda's Gold Wing Goes the Distance", New York Times, 4 July 2005 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Honda Gold Wing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "M1: Long Live the King", Honda Powersports (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Honda Gold Wing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The History of Honda Gold Wing Development", Honda Worldwide; "M1: Long Live the King", Honda Powersports; "Gold Wing F6B: The story behind this remarkable machine", Honda Powersports; Branch, "A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HONDA GOLD WING", silodrome.com, 3 April 2017; Szymezak, "Début de la légende", La saga GoldWing; Duchene, "How Honda Put The Glitter On Gold Wing", Chicago Tribune, 13 July 1999; Sheehan, "Honda, Triumph, and the Race For the 750 Superbike", October 2013; Floria, "A quick look at the beginning of the Honda Gold Wing", The en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Honda Gold Wing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Williams, "2012 Honda Gold Wing First Ride", Ultimate MotorCycling, 9 April 2011; "Gold Wing features at Honda Canada" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Honda Gold Wing At 20: Smooth Sailing For Bikers", Wayback Machine, May 14, 1995. facts only, no text reused. chicagotribune.com
- Wikipedia, "Honda Gold Wing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Salvadori, "The Honda GL1000 Gold Wing", Motorcycle Classics, May–June 2007; "The History of Honda Gold Wing Development", Honda Worldwide; "M1: Long Live the King", Honda Powersports; "Soaring in the 2nd =American Honda Motor Co", 2 September 2003 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Honda Gold Wing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Honda Gold Wing: A legend in its own time", Washington Times, 10 March 2011; "Honda Announces More New Models for 2013", Honda Media Newsroom, 4 September 2012; "autoblog news article", 30 July 2009; Sawyers, "Gold Wing, Honda's top motorcycle, finds its destiny in Ohio", Automotive News, 8 June 2009; Tuttle, "New Honda Gold Wing News", 12 May 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Honda Gold Wing (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Honda Gold Wing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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