Honda Gold Wing Vs. Harley Davidson Road Glide

Introduced in 1974, the Honda Gold Wing is one of the oldest touring motorcycles with a shaft drive and six-cylinder engine. It has been upgraded several times since its introduction and now comes with a modern and sporty look. Meanwhile, the Harley Davidson Road Glide was introduced in 1999 with a classic style and was designed for longer rides.

When it comes to cruising on open roads and highways, comfort matters the most. Factory-made touring bikes come with stock windshields, saddlebags, and ride-assist features to make long-distance rides more comfortable. A 2023 Honda Gold Wing costs $4,170 more than a 2022 Harley Road Glide, but it comes with more standard features, including an ABS, seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT), reverse gear, electronically adjustable windscreen, four riding modes, navigation, torque control, and idling stop. The Honda Gold Wing touring also comes with a large trunk and a comfortable passenger seat with a backrest.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide is also a popular, classic touring bike with a large shark-nose fairing, hard saddlebags, and an infotainment system. It comes with an optional ABS, standard cruise control, and electronically linked braking. This article is a detailed comparison between the Honda Gold Wing and the Harley Davidson Road Glide.

The Honda Gold Wing is one of the most comfortable long-distance motorcycles with a modern, compact, and sportier look. It is a fully-faired sport tourer with an aggressively-styled front end. The side mirrors and front turn signals are fitted to the nose fairing. The Honda Gold Wing is a wide motorbike with a low center of gravity which makes handling easier. The Honda Gold Wing also has a wide rear end with large saddlebags attached, a tail/stop light, and rear turn signals. Besides saddlebags, it also comes with a standard large trunk that can carry 2.15 cu ft of luggage, big enough to store your helmet. The touring models also come with a standard and comfortable passenger backrest. The Honda Gold Wing has a seven-inch TFT LCD screen, 55 watts speakers, and analog and digital gauges. The infotainment system is compatible with Android and Apple CarPlay. Also, the rider can view vehicle settings on the display screen.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide has a modern-looking front and an overall classic look. It comes with a shark-nose fairing, a small windscreen, and stylish dual headlamps. The Harley Road Glide is also fitted with a Boom!™ Box 4.3 infotainment system with dual speakers, display screen, and four analog gauges. It is fitted with mid-mounted, swept-back handlebars with chrome side mirrors. The Harley Road Glide comes with a single-piece saddle capable of two-up riding. There is a dip in the rider’s seat resulting in a low seat height of 25.9 in and lumbar support for the rider. The Harley Road Glide is fitted with a chopped front fender and a full-sized rear fender with a small tail/stop light, a license plate bracket, and rear turn signals. It comes with stock crash bars, floorboards, and hard saddlebags. The Harley Road Glide has a blacked-out frame and chrome front forks, cylinder heads, air filter, gearbox cover, handlebars, crash bars, and dual tapered mufflers on both sides.

The Honda Gold Wing is available in four trims: the Gold Wing Automatic DCT, Gold Wing Tour, Gold Wing Tour Automatic DCT, and Gold Wing Tour Airbag Automatic DCT. All Honda Gold Wing models are powered by a 1,833 cc liquid-cooled, horizontally opposed, six-cylinder engine capable of horsepower of 124.67 hp at 5,500 rpm and a torque of 170 Nm at 4,500 rpm. The six-cylinder engine is capable of smooth torque delivery and high-power output.

The 2023 Honda Goldwing engine is 13 lbs lighter than the previous models’ engines due to its lightweight Unicam® cylinder design. It has a seven-speed automatic DCT transmission with reverse and walking functions that connects to the rear wheel via a shaft drive. However, if you are looking for a motorcycle with a manual transmission, the Honda Gold Wing Tour has a six-speed manual transmission with reverse gear. The automatic DCT transmission and multi-plate, slipper clutch ensure smooth gear shifts and ensure a comfortable cruising experience on open roads.

Despite being a heavier, more advanced motorbike, the Honda Gold Wing has a fuel efficiency of 42 mpg due to its programmed fuel injection (PGM-FI) and 50 mm throttle body. The fuel efficiency can be enhanced by using the Eco-ride mode setting. The Honda Gold Wing also comes with a standard ABS, cruise control, four ride modes, a tire pressure monitoring system, throttle by wire, Honda selectable torque control (HSTC), and hill start assist. The Hill Start Assist feature prevents the Honda Gold Wing from rolling backward on an inclined surface, allowing the rider to start the motorbike and accelerate without applying the brakes. Despite being built with several ride-assist features and being a heavyweight bike, the Honda Gold Wing is easier to handle due to its low center of gravity and balanced weight distribution.

The Harley Road Glide is fitted with a 1,753 cc air-cooled, Milwaukee-Eight engine capable of producing a horsepower of 93 hp at 5,020 rpm and a torque of 150.5 Nm at 3,250 rpm. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission that drives the rear wheel via a belt drive. The Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin engine has smooth power output and torque delivery while producing a soul-satisfying noise from the exhaust. However, being a heavyweight bike, the Harley Road Glide has a slow throttle response. The mechanically actuated slipper and assist clutch provide easy clutch operation and smooth gear shifts.

The Harley Road Glide is fitted with dual front discs and a single rear disc brake, along with a reflex-linked Brembo braking system and an optional ABS to ensure reliable braking. It also comes with a standard cruise control feature to ensure a better cruising experience.

The Harley Road Glide is also available in two trims: the Harley Road Glide Special and the Harley Road Glide Limited. The Harley Road Glide Special and the Harley Road Glide Limited are powered by a more powerful 114 cu in Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. However, the Harley Road Glide Limited also comes with a large trunk for extra storage and a comfortable passenger seat for comfortable, long-distance two-up riding.

Suspension plays a crucial role in a motorcycle’s overall performance and comfort level, especially on long-distance rides. The Honda Gold Wing does not come with a traditional front fork. Instead, it has a double-wishbone suspension that ensures a comfortable ride and reduces unwanted nose dives when brakes are applied. As most of the Honda Gold Wing’s weight is distributed towards the front end, the double-wishbone front suspension is the best choice for long-distance rides.

The Harley Road Glide also comes with a high-performance, double-bending valve to ensure comfortable rides on smooth and bumpy roads. The benefit of a double-bending valve is that it can be easily adjusted or upgraded to ensure better-touring performance. Meanwhile, the Honda Gold Wing’s double-wishbone suspension cannot be manually adjusted for better performance.

The Honda Gold Wing is one of the most comfortable and fun touring motorcycles for long-distance rides. It comes with mid-mounted foot controls and handlebars are within comfortable reach of the rider, ensuring an upright riding position. Due to being a sport tourer, the Honda Gold Wing has slightly sportier ergonomics.

The Honda Gold Wing is fitted with comfortable rider and passenger seats, with the Honda Gold Wing Tour variants also including a passenger backrest and armrests. The Honda Goldwing windscreen can be electronically adjusted for better wind protection.

When it comes to riding position and ergonomics, the Harley Davidson Road Glide offers better comfort across long distances. It has mid-mounted, swept-back handlebars within comfortable reach of the rider, ensuring a relaxed riding position. The forward-mounted floorboards provide adequate legroom and allow the rider to comfortably rest their feet. The Harley Road Glide is comfortable for taller and shorter riders. However, the Harley Road Glide can be transformed into an ideal touring bike by fitting it with a larger windscreen and adding luggage racks, sissy bars, and backrests.

The Honda Gold Wing is a comfortable touring bike with its slightly sportier ergonomics and its mid-mounted foot controls and handlebar position ensuring an upright riding position. Meanwhile, the Harley Road Glide has a more comfortable seat suited for long-distance two-up riding. The Harley Road Glide’s low seat height of 25.9 inches, swept-back handlebars, and forward-mounted floorboards ensure a relaxed riding position and provide adequate legroom. It is ideal for both taller and shorter riders. However, due to being heavier than the Honda Gold Wing, it is difficult to handle at low speeds and is not beginner-friendly.

The Honda Gold Wing handles better than the Harley Road Glide due to being lightweight and having a low center of gravity. Meanwhile, the Harley Road Glide is a heavyweight motorbike that is difficult to handle, especially at lower speeds and while riding through traffic.

The Honda Gold Wing and the Harley Davidson Road Glide are popular touring bikes best suited for comfortable, long-distance rides. Both motorcycles come with a stock infotainment system for a fun touring experience. The Honda Gold Wing has a modern and sportier look with technologically advanced features, making it fun and easy to ride. It is more powerful, maneuverable, and accelerates fast due to being fitted with a powerful six-cylinder engine. The Honda Gold Wing also handles better than the Harley Road Glide due to its low center of gravity. Meanwhile, the Harley Road Glide has more comfortable ergonomics and a classic look. Also, it is popular among custom builders due to being easily customizable. The saddlebags, shark-nose fairing, and crash bars can be removed for a stripped-down cruiser experience. The Honda Gold Wing is an expensive motorbike, but due to being built with several latest ride-assist and enhancement features, it offers better safety than the Harley Road Glide.