Honda previews 50th Anniversary Goldwing
Honda’s iconic Goldwing turns 50 this year. Its evolution over the past five decades has seen the original 999cc flat four grow to an 1833cc flat six, and what started as a naked is now a full dresser tourer with some of the most advanced tech available on two wheels.
To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Goldwing, Honda Australia has announced details of a special edition that’ll be available on both the standard Goldwing “bagger” and full-dresser Goldwing Tour Premium.
50th Anniversary features
The 50th Anniversary Goldwing is primarily a cosmetic package, adding special badging and identification, along with new colour schemes. There are no changes to the 1833cc engine, seven-speed DCT, suspension, brakes or rider-assistance tech, but wireless compatibility for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto does make its Goldwing debut with this special edition.
The standard Goldwing 50th Anniversary comes in Matte Ballistic Black Metallic, with subtle Goldwing ‘GL’ logos added to the panniers and fairing. The control panel for the instrumentation, audio system, heated grips, etc., that sits ahead of the fuel tank adds a badge with the Goldwing logo, ‘50th Anniversary’ and ‘Goldwing Since 1975’ script. On the instrument screen, ‘Since 1975’ is added to the start-up animation.
Outside of these features, this model’s modern bagger aesthetic is unchanged, including the blackout treatment of the engine, wheels and bodywork.
For the Goldwing Tour Premium, two new colours are offered - Bourdeaux Red Metallic and Eternal Gold. The Bourdeaux Red version adds fadeaway patterned accents to the fairing, top box and panniers that are outlined in gold.
Eternal Gold adds large bronze panels on the fairing, top box and panniers in a look that echoes the Goldwing Aspencade from the 1980s. Choose this paint option and the exhaust is chromed, with more brightwork on the engine and a bare metal finish for the wheels.
Both Tour Premium paint options add gold ‘Goldwing’ badges to the panniers, a badge with ‘50th Anniversary’ and ‘Goldwing Since 1975’ script in front of the seat, as well as ‘Since 1975’ on the instrument screen’s start-up animation.
Added Extras, Unknown Pricing
Purchasers of the 50th Anniversary Goldwing will receive a commemorative ‘split’ scale model (with the 1975 bike on one side and 2025 bike on the other), Goldwing giftbox and a special coffee-table book detailing the model's long and rich history.
Australian deliveries of the 2025 Honda Goldwing 50th Anniversary edition are expected in Q2, 2025, but pricing had not been confirmed at time of writing. MY24 Goldwings list at $41,999 for the standard model and $49,999 for the Tour Premium, so expect the 50th Anniversary editions to cost extra, given their collectable status.
Goldwing History – From 1975 to now
Off the back of the successful CB750 that was launched in 1969, Honda started development of a new model. This was originally going to be another sports naked, like the 750, but after observing the market in America for long-distance touring bikes, the project changed. At the time, only BMW, Harley-Davidson and Moto Guzzi were active in this space, offering big twins designed to eat up mile after mile of highway, with torque prioritised over power.
Honda’s first prototype featured a 1.5-litre flat six, but this big engine proved unable to accommodate the all-important rider comfort that a touring bike needed, so was cut down to a 1.0-litre (999cc) flat four with shaft drive. In this form, the first GL1000 Gold Wing (both ‘Gold Wing’ and ‘Goldwing’ have become interchangeable over the years) made its debut in late 1974 and a ’75 model.
Despite being billed as a touring bike, the first Goldwing offered no luggage, no fairing and no windscreen. Essentially, it was a big naked. The American market didn’t seem to mind, though, buying almost 100,000 Goldwings between 1975 and 1979.
The second-generation Goldwing arrived for the 1980 model year, defined by an increase in engine capacity to 1,085cc (and new GL1100 model designation), new ratios for the five-speed gearbox, a longer wheelbase and the introduction of air suspension. The Goldwing was now facing competition from the other Japanese manufacturers who had seen its success in the important US market.
Perhaps more important was the release of the Goldwing ‘Interstate’ in early 1980. This variant came with the fairing, windscreen, topbox and panniers that the Goldwing was intended to have from the beginning, along with a long list of factory options. In 1981, Goldwing assembly moved to the USA, although engines were still being built in Japan.
In 1982, the Goldwing family expanded to three with the introduction of the ‘Aspencade’. This was plusher than the Interstate, with more storage capacity and many of that variant’s optional extras as standard.
Engine capacity increased again for 1983, this time to 1,182cc (GL1200), with the frame strengthened to manage the Goldwing’s ever-increasing weight. By this stage, engines were now being built in the US and sales of the Interstate and Aspencade were consistently outstripping the standard Goldwing, so it was dropped after 1984.
By the mid-80s, it was clear the flat four was at the limit of its development, so the fourth-gen model that debuted in 1987 introduced the now familiar flat six engine. This was initially offered in 1,520cc form (GL1500), with only two carbs, instead of one carb for each cylinder.
With the Goldwing now weighing 360kg (the original was almost 100kg lighter), the introduction of an electric reverse gear was welcomed, but the Goldwing proved to be so right for its time and the market that only minor changes were made for the next 13 years. These included upgrades to the engine internals, brakes and audio system, as well as improvements to the pillion seat.
In 1996, the millionth Honda motorcycle produced in the USA was a Goldwing Aspencade, while nostalgia for the original version saw the GL1500C ‘Valkyrie’ (known as the F6C in markets outside the US) introduced in the same year. This was more of a cruiser than a tourer, but could be optioned with a windscreen and panniers, amongst other accessories. Various anniversary models (for Honda, Honda America and the Goldwing itself) were released over the fourth generation’s lifespan, too.
When the fifth-generation Goldwing arrived for 2001, its GL1800 designation signified a capacity increase to 1,833cc. Fuel injection was introduced and weight dropped again thanks to a new aluminium frame. The fifth-generation Goldwing remained in production even longer than the fourth, continuing until 2017. Production was moved back to Japan during this time, while innovations like ABS, satnav and the world’s first motorcycle airbag system were available on a Goldwing.
In 2018, the sixth- and current-generation Goldwing was launched, retaining the same engine capacity, but introducing ride-by-wire throttle, selectable riding modes, a dual clutch transmission and double wishbone front suspension, amongst other innovations. Improvements in materials and construction methods saw weight drop again, with more luxuries and tech features introduced, too.
In this form, the Goldwing ushers in its 50th Anniversary and is the basis for the soon-to-be-released special editions.
