2018 BMW K 1600 Grand America vs Honda Gold Wing Video Feature

The problem with testing touring motorcycles is mindset. Everyone who reviews a Honda Goldwing, or any other mile-crushing machine on the market, always answers all of the questions that they think a consumer would have. Just about every time, the consumers are presumed to be boring baby boomers or someone who only cares about luggage capacity and seat width. Some people do it better than others, but it’s still kind of an unfair stereotype of a certain group of owners.

Yes, it’s true, yellow Gold Wings almost always have one of those stuffed yellow M&Ms strapped aboard for some reason. We can’t ask why, and it doesn’t help to wonder. It just is. The point being, these aren’t just data sponges who want the facts and nothing else, these are people—war veterans, business owners, parents, grandparents, and probably a few more veterans. These are riders who have earned the right to be comfortable and to have exactly the amount of wind in their hair that they please.

People want the motorcycle that best suits them, but they also want to be reminded of what it feels like to ride. Of the laughs that can be had on a hot and desolate road. Of the moments that only a motorcyclist can experience. What good is a standard touring test? It’s useful, I’ll grant you that, but what about the people who want a touring bike for all of the ways that it will help them feel alive? For them, we made this video. A road trip with all of the machines’ capabilities tested, without forgetting that motorcycles are fun.

That was the idea, anyway. But if you watch this video and think it’s useless, and you just want to know the hard facts, then click the link to the article above: We wrote a regular story, too.