Love the 23 GW bagger. Got used to the DCT very fast and won't be going back to the hand clutch. The paddle shifters make low speed work a breeze since the tour mode hangs onto 3rd while slowing down. Nice review and happy riding.
It’s an amazing bike. Had my Bagger for a year next week. Covered 3800miles. Did a tour of wales last week which I put a Shad top box on which I got sprayed the same mud grey. Very planted and surprising agile. Did some tricky passes in wales 2 up with no problem. I test drop the K1600 before buying the GW in in the same league. No where near as refined. The only thing I preferred is the suspension in the K bike. The GW is great on good roads but not so good if the road is bumpy. I got lifted out of the seat a couple of times. First time a but unnerving but the bike is so planted you are going nowhere. It would be nice to have adaptive suspension on the bagger. Enjoy 👍🏻
Totally agree Matt. If the road is a bit bumpy and you hit hard it can be a bit unnerving but the more I ride the more I get used to it and and cope with those bumps. Wales will have similar terrain to some of the tighter roads up here and I have no problems navigating tight roads
Love the non touring model, 6 cyl is super smooth, can't beat it. Problem is they increased seat height 29.1, being 5'7" can't do it, dam! Back to a road king which is half the bike and 1 and a half times more money 💰
You can do it, I'm your height. I lowered mine a couple inches with $40 link brackets and can flat foot both feet fine. Still handles like a dream and now I feel fully in control. Enjoy the RK if you go that road though, they're beautiful too.
Thanks for the tip about Android Auto. I had similar problems with my Goldwing Bagger before finally abandoning attempts to make it work. I'm now going out to the garage to try a different cable🤞
That road closure is still in place and it's a bloody nuisance. Not much snow for skiing up in the Cairngorm's this year though (literally back today Saturday 25/02/23). Was up here with my kids but returning later in the year on my Hayabusa to enjoy the roads up there...
Glad to hear you are happy with your Wing. As I mentioned previously I have had my DCT Tour version since March 19 and love it. I've now got around 20000 miles on mine and haven't had a single problem with it since the day it was delivered. Not even a niggle. I don't use the car play so cannot comment on that. I regularly see over 60 mpg without trying and never drop below 55 mpg even when pushing on a bit. I've always found that my bike's mpg and range figures are pretty accurate, usually within 0.75% of figures I calculate from fuel added and miles done by my tracker so not sure why yours is giving false figures though you are not the first person I've heard of with that issue. Agree about the panniers. At first they seem a bit small but actually hold more than you first think they will. All in all I have no regrets at all about buying it and like you I am a 100% DCT convert. I have no plans to change the bike for the forseeable future.
Good to know Ian. When it comes to fuel, the fact it is improving with miles is great. Yesterday I was having a bit of a hoon, so the mpg should have been way down but wasn't, and on a run to England I now have confidence to ride a full 200 miles to my next fill up. I just love it.
Glad your enjoying your wing! I’ve had my 2016 F6B since new and love it! Not a single problem, and did 8000 miles across the US this past June in 25 days. My guess it will be the best bike you’ve e ever owned.
Thanks for the update. I have the same bike, year colour and mileage. No issues for me. I love the Honda rider backrest so surprised to hear you didn't get much out of it. I would struggle to hoist my leg over, so reply on the stand on left foot peg method and just bend knee of right leg over the seat which works fine. Regarding MPG, I have averaged 50 on eco and taking it easy, but soon took to ignoring it and just riding it for enjoyment on Tour and occasionally Sport so get around 45. Agree re panniers, it is surprising what you can squeeze in there by careful placement. Looking forward to my next visit to Scotland on the Wing. Love the empty roads.
I will be riding again in February if the snow goes, but getting very itchy waiting. The mpg is fine for me and on a run I can get 220 miles between fill ups which is all I need. It has improved with time. As for the roads, just to die for
Glad you are enjoying it Jim, although I'm not a Bagger fan, I love the Goldwing. I'm recently back from doing the NC500 over 7 days on my RT, so far no problems for me at least. Very envious of where you live, it is awesome motorcycling country!
Good to hear Declan. The RT is an awesome bike and I would not wish problems on anyone. You are also right in this is awesome motorcycling country. I was out last Saturday, a lovely ride, and also had to ride the Himalayan to Aberdeen, all great riding
Glad you are still pleased with your Wing. Mine is a 2021 DCT Bagger. Has 20K miles now. Zero problems. Your experience with Android Auto: Me too! I went through 5 cables before it finally woke up. It's fine since. It averages 44 to 47 miles per US Gallon at a moderately sporty pace. I often top off at 220 miles with one gallon still in reserve. I did add the Honda fog lights. They make a huge difference with forward lighting during the day which optimizes your visibility to oncoming traffic. MSF refers to this effect as "The Cone of Light", a major safety improvement.
@@HighlandRider If you do retrofit the fog lights oar one of the great aftermarket lights (they act as DRL's) I think you'll be amazed how much more visible your bike is from the front. Happy Trails!
@@HighlandRider no you just had a bad bike. It’s great you are now enjoying riding and not worrying where the next problem is coming from. So far my RT ok and I have fitted GPS to it as the other system is not good enough.
Thanks for the update glad your happy and getting on well with the beastie makes me feel better I've decided to take the plunge and trade my Honda crosstourer dct in for the exact same bike hopefully should be arriving next month ish but I won't hold me breath 😀 great to see you out and about up there keep up the good work 👍
It's less about why you need gears, more about why you need a clutch. Do you need one? What's the low speed control like? U-turns, etc. Glad you're loving the bike. And as for the cable - take it from a computer guy..... it's always the cable :-)
What a beautiful bike. I just ordered my 2023 Goldwing (11-04-22) and it looks exactly like yours. Not sure what the differences are, except the 2023 has a few more horsepower. It won't be in until March of next year. I'm really excited.
I ordered a 2023 Honda Goldwing Tour Dct model on 10-12-22. It won't be available until about April 2023 as the new 23 GW has to be shipped in a crate and fully assembled. I am fortunate enough to take a MSF course through the Harley Davidson Academy motorcycle training program to obtain my motorcycle license. I could have gone with a Harley motorcycle which I like on the other hand I can see my dream bike being a Honda Goldwing. Follow your dreams. 🙏
I loved the BMW but it was so frustrating for the amount of things that did not work, or when they did, how much faff was involved. The GW is just easy to live with
@@HighlandRider I know you had a lot of problems with different things with the bike and bmw attitude mine got stolen in April so I’ve got 2 new Royal Enfield’s the scram 411 & mk2 Interceptor the chrome very impressed with that good build quality but it had to have an ecu flash kept cutting out since then and Hitchcocks relays had no trouble at love the back to basic bike cheap and cheerful thank you for your reply 👍👍🙏🙏 and many happy miles on your GW.
@@SOLOMOTOUK I like the idea of the Himalayan, just my reality is I don't get on with it, especially the low power. Mine does run rough until it is very warm and prone to cutting out. When I want to ride i go straight to the GW
@@HighlandRider is your himmy an E4 or E5 regulations because on the Himalayan forum there’s a lot of the E4’s that need the euc re flashing to stop it cutting out also if the haven’t already change the spark plug ASAP for the NGK IRIDIUM plug the plug is. CR8EIX. On the box 4218 You will definitely feel the difference and will stop poor tick-over and stalling. Hope this helps you thank you Derek
Glad you like the Goldwing. I thought the only thing that would make me sell mine would be to trade it in on a new one.......and then Honda tell us the Bagger is to be discontinued. 😞
I sat on one the other day. As big as that engine sticks out I expected to fall over picking it up but it was surprisingly light. You mentioned taking your backrest off and I'm presuming it made it difficult for you to get on and off the bike. It sounds to me like your using the ground to plant your feet and then lifting your leg over the backrest which is difficult to do especially if you if you don't have a black belt in karate, Most of us don't! What you do is you use your foot pegs instead of the ground to get off. That makes it much easier to swing your right leg over the back rest and pivot landing your right leg on the ground and then stepping off the peg. You can do the opposite to get on or you can do like I do and get on from the right side while the bike is leaning AWAY from you, do a front leg kick and slide right on in the seat! When you have a back rest you have to change the way that you get on.
Thanks for the guidance. I do know the 'stand on the pegs' technique having owned a few adventure bikes in my time. I just prefer it without the back rest
@@iwannaapple7190 No problem. I never really found it of great benefit but had it folded flat like the one I had fitted to a Harley I had I probably would have kept it.
Thanks for the Wing update, I'm thinking about one of these myself. On a slightly funny note, did anyone notice the washer that seemingly fell out of the right saddle bag (4:26mark)?
I just ordered my 2023 Goldwing that looks just like yours. Do you have heated seats and electric suspension adjustment? You also mentioned you don't have fog lights. Was that an added cost? Thank you for the video.
Hi Mark. The bagger doesn't come with heated seat or adjustable suspension, or at least it didn't in 2022 model year. The Tour does, that has everything. Not having adjustable suspension hasn't been an issue. I think when you change modes the suspension does change, but it is hard to notice a difference
No. The panniers are long and narrow so while you can get a lot in them, you cannot get a helmet in. There is a helmet lock above the left pannier which works well, but no good in tbe rain and only works with a D ring helmet
@@HighlandRider That old bridge was apparently not safe for the weight of traffic anymore, so they've built a new one alongside it. Feels like they could have left the old one open for motorbikes (though maybe not GWs 😬)
@ Not the easiest of questions as they are different bikes, but the RT is the easiest as the chassis is better and it is a lot lighter. The Goldwing is more of a cruiser
Hi. I had the same bike but in the Matt black on a 20 plate. I had 2 backrests fitted ( rider and pillion) and know what you mean about getting on and off . I’m in my 60’s and I don’t bend like I used to . I unfortunately had to sell it after 12 months due to redundancy at work ( or the threat of it) . This was during the covid period . Anyways I am looking now at another . I think think about the tour version but is it really worth paying another £6k or more? I didn’t like the Denim blue when it first came out but it’s brown on me . Can you tell me also what the Puig screen is called and details about it? Thanks for your video and I’ll tune in to see how it goes for you
Have you had any success (in between business) importing a planned route from your Calimoto directly into the Goldwing yet? I'd be interested to know your experience. Cheers
Do you still have your Honda backrest? If so will you be fitting it again? I’ve just sorted a new bike out and looking at purchasing the same back rest . If you were not going to use again I wondered if you wanted to sell it? 😃
@@HighlandRider hi. Ok that’s good . I havnt got my bike yet but it shouldn’t be too long . I had one on my 2020 model and with only being a short guy it helped me . Not sure how we can exchange details? Any ideas let me know . Thanks Phil
My 70 plate DCT non tour started around low 50’s, rising to high 50’s some 10k later. I peaked at 63 mpg on a long 200 mile run on tour. This was in tour mode, eco appears not to make difference.
@@tomolitravels2276 I agree, eco seems to make no difference at all. I also don't trust the gauge as I am getting much better mpg than the gauge suggests
Hi,I have the same bike but non DCT.I love your colour scheme but be very careful with your Matt paint if it’s easy to mark like my silver one.I finished up having a clear wrap put on mine.My fuel fuel consumption has averaged 56:8 over 25000 miles a big plus point for the manual.12000 miles were done on a 2018 Tour manual which averaged 53.4 .I wore my front pads and rear tyre in 7k ,I,m quicker than average!!.I’m not anti DCT .Richard Cottingham
Hi I wanted to get a clear wrap put on my GW. I arranged for a chap to put on Eazi Grip but he said it didn’t cover the black too well and suggested I get the bike a ceramic coating instead. Who did you use for the Clear wrap, what product was it? Thanks
@@Costema37 I used a firm called Autotrilogy in Long Ashton Bristol. I think he used a ready made kit from the. US.He charged me a special price of £400 with a ceramic coating as well as he has done lots of work for my son.Richard.
Look at 44 Teeth and their 'Dirty Baggers' video which compares the GW B to the K16B. The wing is probably more refined, and the beemer faster and more aggressive. If you have seen my other videos about my time with my RT you will see all the problems I suffered, and BMW are prone to quality issues. Bike magazine have a K16 on test and they cannot open the phone compartment, so no charging. The new K16 has the now standard BMW 10.25 inch screen so none of the software you need is integrated to the bike, it is all on the app. Updates sometimes play havoc and the whole system, in my view, is way more complex than it has to be. Also, by using the app, BMW are tracking all your rides. The Honda software is older but more proven, is all integrated and easier to use. That said, on the GW Tour, they all come with a air bag now, so you cannot put your phone in the cubby as i do, because that is where the airbag is.
@@HighlandRider I was the same when I rode away after PX'ign my St1300 for the Himmy ! Slow, noisy a few questionable reliability issues. However that was 10,000 miles ago and slowly but surely as I jumped on it for a coffee or the shopping or a LEJOG it got to be the go to bike. I agree the RT (in my case) is still a much better bike as is the bagger, but it comes with responsibilities, to holding sensible speed and acceleration, cleaning it, taking the depreciation, concern about what roads it can go on sensibly. The bonus is having both as I ride all year so the RT will hibernate and the Himmy will be there for those days when I want the two wheel fix. Plus I can service it myself so its very cheap to own and has delivered 10,000 miles of mainly smiles. But it does take time to understand it and the more little lanes and byways you explore the more it makes sense.
Hi have a 6spd bought in February have done 8700mls no problems rear tyre has 4mm left from 7mm Did an oil change at 6000 mls Bought the Honda workshop manuals on e bay. have also bought off Vimeo .Fred Harmons ,Maintenance Videos takes you through doing the jobs on the bike. £72.00 about 60 vids. unlike the RT I just don,t think it will go wrong. Very relaxing to ride.
Beautiful bike. Fuel consumption is a funny one. High performance of anything are not very conservative here. I could not care about that. Why buy a ne expect high performance from a vehicle and worry about the economy of fuel. My goodness mate. I just purchased my 22 Ultra Blue DCT Tour airbag in July of this year. To say I am absolutely smitten is mild. To me it checks off more boxes than anything else I’ve demo’d. The DCT has spoiled me. You just can’t out-the shift it. Off the line it’s a beast. All the tech nigglies really don’t bother me. It’s really getting to be overkill competing with each other out there. Just focus and safely ride. The backlit handlebar switches are luxury item. The backrest I use is the Show Chrome. Ultimate makes another . The Honda accessory backrest is not to my liking. Too flat with not comfort and much support. Lastly. It’s a shaft driven beast. Smooth and exotic sounding. Doesn’t wear you out after many mikes. Any day on two wheels is a great day. Ride safe and often. ATGATT.
I do the reports to help people make decisions and fuel consumption is a consideration especially when the cost of fuel is very high. Range on a touring bike is also important and getting 200 miles plus between fill ups matters to many of us who like long days. I love my GW but any bike has plus and minus factors and I report out on my experience as an owner rather than a paid tester
