Honda's 2018 Gold Wing is first CarPlay-compatible motorcycle
Honda's Gold Wing has a reputation among motorcycle enthusiasts as a gadget-laden -- read bloated -- trailer on two wheels. For 2018, the company is looking to sharpen the edges while retaining many of the comfort-forward features for which the platform is known, which for 2018 includes Apple CarPlay compatibility.
As noted by CNET, this year's Gold Wing is the first motorcycle to offer CarPlay support thanks to a huge 7-inch LCD display sitting front and center on the bike's dashboard.
Users connect their iPhone to Honda's onboard infotainment system via one of two USB receptacles located in the rear trunk compartment or a small glove box integrated into the motorcycle's tank. A Bluetooth headset must also be paired prior to use, a requirement that enables access to Siri, phone calls and other voice features.
Riders have two options for navigating CarPlay's interface: a four-way joystick mounted on the left handle or an automobile-inspired rotary knob positioned on the tank. The tank controls also include buttons for interacting with Honda's infotainment hardware, as well as switches to activate handlebar and seat heaters.
According to the publication, Honda was willing to incorporate Android Auto alongside CarPlay, a common practice for automakers, but the Google system lacked the support necessary for integration.
A liquid-cooled six-cylinder engine powers the large, long-range tourer, while the overall design has been trimmed down and tweaked to achieve a more sporty attitude than past GL models. Like past Gold Wing variations, the bike features state-of-the-art electronics, including drivetrain niceties like a throttle-by-wire system with multiple riding modes, programmable torque control (HSTC), hill start assist and cruise control.
Honda's 2018 Gold Wing launches in February 2018 and starts at $23,500 for a six-speed manual version without a trunk, while the Gold Wing Tour with trunk comes in at $26,700. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission can be had for an extra $1,000. The line tops out with the Gold Wing Tour DCT with onboard airbag for $31,500.
Apple's CarPlay continues to gain traction in the automotive world, with Nissan last week announcing the technology will be included as a standard feature on 2018 models of its best-selling Rogue cross-over.
As noted by CNET, this year's Gold Wing is the first motorcycle to offer CarPlay support thanks to a huge 7-inch LCD display sitting front and center on the bike's dashboard.
Users connect their iPhone to Honda's onboard infotainment system via one of two USB receptacles located in the rear trunk compartment or a small glove box integrated into the motorcycle's tank. A Bluetooth headset must also be paired prior to use, a requirement that enables access to Siri, phone calls and other voice features.
Riders have two options for navigating CarPlay's interface: a four-way joystick mounted on the left handle or an automobile-inspired rotary knob positioned on the tank. The tank controls also include buttons for interacting with Honda's infotainment hardware, as well as switches to activate handlebar and seat heaters.
According to the publication, Honda was willing to incorporate Android Auto alongside CarPlay, a common practice for automakers, but the Google system lacked the support necessary for integration.
A liquid-cooled six-cylinder engine powers the large, long-range tourer, while the overall design has been trimmed down and tweaked to achieve a more sporty attitude than past GL models. Like past Gold Wing variations, the bike features state-of-the-art electronics, including drivetrain niceties like a throttle-by-wire system with multiple riding modes, programmable torque control (HSTC), hill start assist and cruise control.
Honda's 2018 Gold Wing launches in February 2018 and starts at $23,500 for a six-speed manual version without a trunk, while the Gold Wing Tour with trunk comes in at $26,700. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission can be had for an extra $1,000. The line tops out with the Gold Wing Tour DCT with onboard airbag for $31,500.
Apple's CarPlay continues to gain traction in the automotive world, with Nissan last week announcing the technology will be included as a standard feature on 2018 models of its best-selling Rogue cross-over.
Comments
As an aside, I grew up as a teenager in UK with Triumphs, Nortons and my last bike was a Royal Enfield Silver Bullet 350 single. It wasn't until my 50th birthday a friend who lives in Vermont took me out for a long ride as he had a pair of these beasts, I think I had a 1,500cc 4 cylinder but it's a long time ago now so I could be wrong. I do know it took weeks for the grin to wear off. It was utterly amazing riding through those beautiful mountains on a sunny day with that much power yet in almost total silence (please take note Harley riders who think making your bike sound like the muffler has dropped off isn't cool). It still takes some mind bending to think the one I rode had a larger engine than any car I owned until I was in my 30s! OMG I loved it. I was so tempted to get one for down here in Florida but my wife was not having any of that!
I owned a couple Nortons during my youth. One 650 SS Dunstall and the other a Commando. As a teen those bikes seemed so huge to me but now they seem downright wimpy. I started riding Harley 20 years ago, but likewise my wife put a stop to that. Those Gold wings are enormous. Way too heavy. My neighbor at work has one. One summer it was really hot, just like today in SoCal, and his kick stand dug into some fresh softened asphalt and the bike fell over. Took three of us to upright it.
BTW, Harleys are pretty quiet out of the show room. It is the owners who are mostly responsible for the loud after market exhausts.
Agree with your comment about Harley's and their sound. They make me angry as well. The give all bikers a bad name.
Goldwings have pivot points that allow even a 50Kg whippet to lift it. I asked a dealer who had ridden these things for decades whether or not I could lift it if it fell and he assured me I could. I guess if you don't know those points you'd have to do it the hard way.
I love the audio gear in Goldwings. I wish they filtered down to other bikes though.
That engine noise is a deliberately designed feature of the Harley-Davidson engine. It's not an accident, nor a by-product of other features.
It says something about Harleys when they tried to copyright the sound of a Harley because all the Japanese bikes like Suzuki, Honda, and Yamaha were able to get the exact same sound through the exhaust but have superior engines in every way possible. Harley lost the case.
While I agree that's it's a flaw, it's a "flaw" that they've deliberately left un-fixed. That makes it a "feature", regardless of what I think of it.