A Review of the 2012 Honda Goldwing Touring Motorcycle

The latest updates to the 2012 Honda Goldwing touring motorcycle don't involve the significant design overhaul that was intended for the 2012 model year, but engineers know that every design change they make has to not only make a statement about the forward-thinking ability of the manufacturer, but also the heritage that the motorcycle has been built upon. It's been 38 years since the Honda Goldwing first began touring the world's highways and back roads. In that time, a host of innovations have been added to what is arguably one of the world's preeminent touring motorcycles, but still it never strays far from that initial mindset that created it years ago, powerful comfort.

2012 Honda Goldwing New Features

For the 2012 model year, the Honda Goldwing touring motorcycle's most vivid update is to the bodywork. Rather than building on traditional cruising motorcycle geometry, the Goldwing instead carries design elements from Honda's CBR models. The heritage is evident in the newly reshaped nose that is slightly more rounded than the previous model year's fairing, as well as the reshaped tail light and updated instrumentation. This update focuses more specifically on the sporting aspect of long-distance touring, but has the added benefit of improving rider wind protection, particularly to the lower body and legs.

The 2012 Honda Goldwing also features revised instrumentation that is more user-friendly than in previous years. Included in this on touring motorcycles that include the option is a satellite navigation system that has the capability of uploading trip data that you select from your home computer.

Carryover features from previous Honda Goldwing Touring Motorcycles

Even though the 2012 Honda Goldwing is very much a forward-looking bike, you'll still find many of the things that made it a great touring motorcycle have been carried over from previous years. Included in this is the smooth and powerful 1,832cc engine and five-speed overdrive transmission with reverse

2012 Honda Goldwing Luggage

The luggage room of the Honda Goldwing has always been commodious, but for the 2012 model year, Honda choose to add an additional seven liters of storage space to the bike over the course of the redesign, providing over 150 liters of capacity.

Extras

The 2012 Honda Goldwing has a number of touring amenities that serve to make the trip just as enjoyable as the destination, including an available cold-weather comfort package, driver-adjustable headlight and tire pressure monitoring. While it's true that Honda's engineers haven't installed a functional kitchen sink onto the 2012 Honda Goldwing, rumor has it that they're working on it.

Sources:
Honda: 2012 Honda Goldwing Touring Motorcycle: powersports.honda.com