Riding the Gold Wing like a sportbike was loads of fun, but disappointing fuel economy made me decide to curtail my wrist twisting. After all, the 'Wing is a touring bike intended to cover vast amounts of earth, and I had an itching desire to try my hand at hypermiling the Honda, and finding out how many miles could be squeezed out of the bike's 6.6 fuel tank.
First, a quick update on an outstanding issue. You may recall that the side trunk was jammed shut, preventing me to access the owners manual for tips on how to properly wash the 'Wing. A visit to the service department at my local Honda dealership (Honda of Hollywood) fixed the problem, free of charge, in about 20 minutes; a bit more expensive was the fuel filler cap I ordered after I accidentally left the original one at a gas station. The price of my absent mindedness? $38.19. Incidentally, I found out I had a spare helmet hiding out in the recalcitrant side tank, and according to page 190 of the owner's manual, the Gold Wing is supposed to be washed essentially the same way as any other motorcycle.
Back on the topic of hypermiling, the Gold Wing is a paradox of potential fuel economy. On one hand, its torquey engine has such a broad powerband that revving isn't really necessary; you can easily trundle along in top gear at 30 mph. On the other, all that torque comes easily because the bike is powered by a 1,832cc, six-cylinder powerplant, a mill with more displacement than some car engines.
I entered into my little mileage experiment with the best of intentions; with a little bit of discretion, I figured I could pull some mpg numbers that could make a Prius green with envy. My first opportunity was a ride up to the central California coast for, ironically enough, the press launch of the 2009 Harley-Davidson CVO lineup. Cutting through the cool morning air, the Wing was comfortable and running effortlessly, though some buffeting hit my helmet at higher speeds and I could've used a few more decibels from the bike's premium audio system.
Did I say higher speeds? Uh, yes; the traffic heading up the coast was brisk, to say the least. Loitering along at 65 mph would have meant getting mowed down by SUVs barreling along at 90 mph, so I twisted the throttle incrementally in order to keep up.
Several hundred miles later, I found myself riding the Gold Wing through the city, short-shifting at a mere 1,500 rpm, which produced perfectly decent acceleration. But a taste of that buttery torque didn't keep me disciplined for long; I found myself starting to milk each gear just a little bit longer, squeezing more acceleration out of the Gold Wing and enjoying the rush—at the expense of fuel economy.
Could I produce better fuel economy than my top figure of 43 mpg? Undoubtedly. But this bike, with these circumstances (and my admitted weakness for speed) prevented me from exploring the bike's economy further.
Perhaps I'll revisit the fuel economy issue in a future update, but at least immediately I'm looking forward to riding more miles in a style that comes naturally to me.
MILEAGE LOG
- 485.3 miles / 13.508 gallons = 35.9 mpg
- Total odometer miles: 4,309
- Best fuel economy: 43.0 mpg
- Worst fuel economy: 31.2 mpg
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