Honda Gold Wing
Honda's heavyweight tourer — the Gold Wing has been the default long-distance two-up motorcycle in the UK for four decades. The 2018+ generation modernised the flat-six 1833cc engine, added DCT (dual-clutch transmission) and airbag options, and shed weight to 380 kg (Tour DCT). UK buyers pick the Gold Wing for genuine continent-crossing capability: heated seats and grips, audio system, panniers + top box standard on Tour spec, and 380 kg of stability at motorway speeds. The trade-off is the mass — drop damage is expensive, and you need confidence at parking speeds. Theft risk is low (too heavy to wheel into a van).
- Engine
- 1833 cc
- Power
- 124 PS
- Weight
- 390 kg
- Seat height
- 745 mm
- A2 licence
- —
Flat-six (boxer), liquid-cooled, SOHC
wet
The short version
Forecourt score
Value 97 · Insurance 19 · Theft 100
The Honda Gold Wing holds its value strongly for a bike (around 13% lost over three years, against the 25-32% bike norm) and is expensive to insure (group 14). Theft risk is low.
A bike-specific blend of value retention, insurance and theft risk (weighted 40/35/25). Bikes carry no MOT reliability data, so reliability isn't scored. Higher is better.
Variant: Gold Wing Tour DCT
Engine
Petrol · 1833cc
Power
124 ps
Torque
170 Nm
Weight
390 kg
Seat
745 mm
Transmission
7-speed DCT (dual-clutch)
Economy
42 mpg
Tell us about the one you're looking at
Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical clean bike.
Estimated market value
£23,006
Range £20,705 – £25,307
HIGH CONFIDENCE
Holding value
Bikes hold value far better than cars — typical motorcycle 3-year depreciation is 25–32%, against cars' 40–50%. Some bikes (Hayabusa, Gold Wing, classic Z1000) actually appreciate in the 7–15 year zone as cult demand outstrips supply.
New
£28,000
At 5 years
—
At 10 years
—
Value loss by phase
Each band shows the share of original value lost during that window — not cumulative. Appreciation (green, marked +X% gained) is real for bikes that develop cult status.
UK new price by year
How we estimate this
Phase depreciation derived from observed UK used-bike pricing — classified ads, dealer asking prices, and end-of-auction figures. Bike residuals depend heavily on theft history, service-stamp count, and crash-damage signatures. The figures here are indicative for clean, fully-stamped examples.
What it costs to own
Indicative running costs at 8,000 miles a year — the UK rider average. Belt or shaft drive eliminates the chain/sprocket consumable; tax (typically £25–£100/yr) and depreciation are excluded — see the section above for value retention.
3-year total
£4,780
Per year
£1,593
Per mile
£0.20
Service costs assume independent specialist labour and OE parts. Tyre intervals reflect typical UK road riding — track-day usage burns through rear tyres in <2,000 miles. Fuel uses the variant MPG at £1.45/L. Lower-mileage riders see proportionally lower totals; higher-mileage commuters pay roughly linearly more.
Estimated insurance
Group 14 of 17 (very high — superbike/cult) · Comprehensive · 5 yr NCB
Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this bike. Bike insurance is far more sensitive to licence tier and rider age than cars — pick the combination closest to your circumstances.
Licence
Age
No-claims bonus
5 yearsRisk profile
Estimated annual premium · typical, age 30-39
£900/ year
Roughly £75 per month
Typical
Suburban postcode, 3+ years NCB, standard security (Thatcham chain + disc lock), no recent claims.| Age band | Lower risk | Typical | Higher risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 17-21 | £1,485 | £1,980 | £2,772 |
| Age 22-29 | £911 | £1,215 | £1,701 |
| Age 30-39Selected | £675 | £900 | £1,260 |
| Age 40-49 | £594 | £792 | £1,109 |
| Age 50+ | £540 | £720 | £1,008 |
How we estimate this
Premiums combine licence tier, rider age, no-claims bonus and a risk-profile multiplier on top of a bike-specific baseline. Bike insurance is materially more sensitive to licence tier (CBT / A1 / A2 / A) than car insurance, and young riders pay considerably more than older riders even on the same machine. Always get individual quotes before buying.
Theft risk
Bike-specific · Met Police + insurance reporting
UK bike theft rates are an order of magnitude higher than car theft. Nakeds and supersports lose more to professional gangs; large adventure bikes and tourers are statistically much safer.
Theft risk score · 1 to 4
1/4Low risk
Low risk
Not a typical theft target. Basic locking deters opportunists; standard insurance terms apply.How we set this band
Bands derived from Met Police bike-theft reporting (most-stolen lists) cross-referenced with insurance industry underwriting data. Model + postcode are the two biggest factors in motorcycle theft risk in the UK, materially more than vehicle value.
What goes wrong
5 known issues · sorted by severity
Documented failure modes from UK owner forums, dealer service bulletins, and aggregated mechanic feedback. Mileages are approximate — different riders see different intervals depending on use and maintenance. Always address "high"-severity items before resale.
High severity
0
Medium
2
Low / cosmetic
3
| Severity | Part / issue | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| medium | Airbag module fault Any | £900 dealer |
| medium | Rear shock ~50k mi | £500 |
| low | DCT software glitches Any (2018-2020 units) | £250 TSB |
| low | Final drive shaft service ~40k mi | £280 |
| low | Cabin electronics intermittent Any | Varies |
How we score severity
High — strands the bike or causes consequential damage if left. Medium — service item that affects ride quality or risks failure. Low — cosmetic or minor inconvenience. Costs are independent-specialist UK rates for parts and labour together; main dealer prices typically run 30–50% higher.
Safety recalls
Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Honda Gold Wing, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.
Check on GOV.UKOpens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.
Variant comparison
Default Tour DCT model. Manual variant exists (cheaper, lighter, ~370 kg) but DCT is the default UK choice. Standard Gold Wing (non-Tour) lacks top box / panniers.
Known issues
- DCT software glitches on early 2018-2020 (£250 TSB)
- Airbag module fault (rare; £900 dealer)
- Final drive shaft service ~40k mi
Strengths
- +Default UK long-distance tourer — nothing else does it better two-up
- +Flat-six 1833cc — smoothest motorcycle engine ever made
- +DCT option — twist-and-go in town, paddle-shift on highway
- +Shaft drive — no chain maintenance
- +Standard luggage on Tour spec (panniers + top box, 110L+ capacity)
Watch-outs
- −380 kg wet weight — drop damage is expensive (£1k+ for plastic)
- −Premium pricing — £28k+ for Tour DCT
- −Airbag module faults on early units (rare, but £900+ dealer)
- −DCT software glitches resolved via TSB on later 2018-2020 units
- −Not for taller riders despite mass (745mm seat is very low)