Text: Chris Myers • Photography: Christa Neuhauser

I've never liked Gold Wings. For years they were objects of derision. The characterizations I'd hurl in their direction included too big, too clumsy, too heavy, and the ever popular "it's nothing but a car on two wheels." On top of everything else, they seemed most often bedecked with teddy bears, flags, and identically dressed riders and passengers. A Gold Wing in my garage? Yeah, right.

The motorcycling world, as I know it, came tumbling down around me this past summer. I begrudgingly accepted the 2005 30th Anniversary Honda Gold Wing to ride for my four-state tour out west. Even my wife Kathy, who was flying out to meet me for the ride, wasn't thrilled at the prospect of being perched on the back of a big touring rig. Out of sheer practicality, I ceded the fact that the long Interslab ride from North Carolina to Arizona could actually be somewhat tolerable with a stereo and a windshield.

By the time I arrived at Tuscon International Airport to pick up the world's greatest co-pilot, I had obviously lapsed into full-blown denial. The smiles induced by the high-speed jaunt across the New Mexico desert, exploring Route 66, and the peg-dragging twist-o-rama through the Gila National Forest had to be the result of some sort of delirium, a mirage if you will. This was clearly a condition brought about by the vast expanses and the extreme heat. I couldn't be starting to like this bike. It's too big, too clumsy, too heavy, remember? Two days and countless grins later, I knew the mirage of fondness was actually real. At a gas stop, while unzipping our matching Gold Wing Air-Tek jackets, Kathy looked over at me and said, "So, just what would a Gold Wing cost us?"

Six Pushing Five
I'd like to think it was mere spousal coercion that converted me from a Gold Wing skeptic to a Gold Wing believer. Honestly, I have to give credit where credit's due. This really is an amazing machine. From the moment the starter breathes life into the big 1832cc flat six, there's a feeling that an incredibly competent power plant is at work below. Even in the parking lot, the car-sized engine shows incredible grace. The twin 40mm throttle bodies feeding the high-pressure programmed fuel injectors respond adeptly to the subtlest input from the throttle. Once underway, the big six really begins to shine. Power is the least of your worries once this Wing takes flight. The completely unique sound emanating from the stainless steel six-into-two exhaust system absolutely exhilarates, yet remains well inside the civilized range of the decibel meter. Like a martial arts master, the Gold Wing doesn't need to announce her prowess to everyone within earshot. Just lay on the gas and she jumps with a motivation bettered only by machines with clip-ons and racy graphics.

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