Honda GLX 1500 Gold Wing SE

On the move, it is not the size of the GL1500 that is the most obvious thing. It is the smooth and fluid engine; its capability of running at well over the ton for mile after mile, never straining, always comfortable, and never, ever, feeling short of power.

Honda's Gold Wing of the mid-1970s started big and kept getting bigger. In its original form it was an unfaired machine, and the liquid-cooled flat four engine displaced 1000cc. At that time, nobody had seen anything quite so enormous.

It was not long before luxury touring riders in the USA started fitting out their Gold Wings for the long haul down Easy Street. Their requirements gave birth to an accessory industry supplying everything from super-soft 'King and Queen' seats to gigantic fairings with matching three-piece luggage equipment, as well as air suspension to smooth the ride to the standards of a family car.

The 1983 1200cc Aspencade (named after the biggest gathering of touring riders in the USA) was Honda's answer. It came equipped with everything. With panniers and a gigantic top box, you could load luggage enough for three. Want to take the barbecue? Load it right on.

A massive fairing offered not only complete weather protection but was built to the highest standards, with plenty of lock-up storage compartments and a ventilation system. A full stereo radio and tape player added music to the passing zephyr. The engine certainly made no noise loud enough to drown it.

Honda also installed their own air suspension - with an extra refinement. An on-board compressor was built into the bike and the suspension could be made harder or softer without even stopping: firming the ride up for more stability when swinging through the mountain bends, and then softening it to a lulling wallow on the long straights through the deserts'.

All this was carried through to the latest model - the 1988 GL1500, the ultimate full dresser and with a major engine change. Bigger than ever, the new Gold Wing's motive power is now a flat, six-cylinder engine.

The gross tonnage of the Gold Wing is rarely a problem on the roll. Despite limited ground clearance this behemoth is quite nimble and handy on a tight road as long as the rider doesn't get too enthusiastic and let the huge rolling mass run away from his control. The silky-smooth, turbinelike engine redlines at a low 5500rpm, makes enormous torque (11 Olb-fts) and retains healthy acceleration from low to high speeds as well as an ability to cruise relatively economically in its overdrive top gear. With shaft drive and that big, lazy engine, maintenance is an infrequent chore.

The Gold Wing was developed with long distances as well as high speeds in mind. It will keep on running as long as its pampered and cosseted rider wants it to.

There is a huge array of gadgetry to play with. The current model sports a 25-watt, full logic audio system with presets, auto scanning, auto volume levelling and CB radio function. Then there's cruise control, climate control, a two-way intercom, adjustable pegs (with foot warming options) plus both analogue and digital display information for speed, rpm, temperature, fuel level, time, audio functions and suspension pressures.

The latest innovation on the 1500, and one fully acknowledging its dead weight, is a reverse gear, operated off the starter motor at low speeds and designed purely to help park the motorcycle since pushing or rolling it backWards is no longer a task for mere mortals.

The Gold Wing always was designed primarily for the USA and is as American as a Japanese bike can be. Honda by-pass import restrictions by assembling Gold Wings in their own US factory. Also popular in Europe, the Gold Wing has spawned numerous imitations from Japanese rivals but remains in a class of its own. Honda did it first and the bike is still the definitive heavyweight luxury tourer. For over 15 years now Honda have kept faithful to the Gold Wing tradition of giving you an awful lot of motorcycle for your money.