Honda Gold Wing F6B 2013 – “golden wings” from Honda

Honda GL1800 F6B Gold Wing touring motorcycle model

appeared in 2013 as a modification of the Honda GL1800 Gold Wing. The model is a bagger version with a shorter windshield, no central case, no cruise control, no reverse system and a lower seat. In all other respects, this is the same Honda GL1800 Gold Wing.

For 2014, the Honda GL1800 F6B Gold Wing (Bagger) is updated with cruise control, reverse gear (via starter reverse) and a new exhaust system (maximum power increased to 118 hp). This year's modifications also receive a commemorative badge in honor of the 40th anniversary of the GL series.

2017 was the last year of production of the F6B Bagger model, after which the entire Gold Wing series was seriously updated and consisted of 2 modifications - Gold Wing (bagger version) and Gold Wing Tour (regular version).

Brief history of the model

• 2013 - start of production and sales of the model.

Model

: Honda Gold Wing 1800 F6B (Bagger) (Europe, North America, Australia, Japan).
Factory designation
: GL1800BD.

• 2014 - model update. Cruise control and a reverse system are added. New exhaust system. Maximum engine performance increases: 109 → 118 hp; 161 → 167 Nm. Curb weight increases: 385 → 392 kg.

Model

: Honda Gold Wing 1800 F6B (Bagger) (Europe, North America, Australia, Japan).
Factory designation
: GL1800BE.

• 2015 - no significant changes.

Model

: Honda Gold Wing 1800 F6B (Bagger) (Europe, North America, Australia, Japan).
Factory designation
: GL1800BF.

• 2016 - no significant changes.

Model

: Honda Gold Wing 1800 F6B (Bagger) (Europe, North America, Australia, Japan).
Factory designation
: GL1800BG.

• 2017 is the last year of production.

Model

: Honda Gold Wing 1800 F6B (Bagger) (Europe, North America, Australia, Japan).
Factory designation
: GL1800BH.

I decided that I would write a post here about my new mot. Although it has been on the market for 4 years already, there are quite a few reviews on it as such - only Alice right there, at the bike post, and a few technical ones, in various online publications. But I just want to tell you my impressions. It would be more logical, of course, to keep a logbook on the goldovod forum, but, frankly, I don’t see the point in telling goldovods about goldov. Even if it’s not completely gold :) If we start from the beginning (sorry for the tautology), then after the sale of my Strat, which happened in less than a day (I posted an ad in the morning, in the evening the buyer already contacted me), I spent about three days wandered between two salons - BMW and Honda, choosing, respectively, between a big goose and a bagger. The choice, of course, is a little strange, but it was exactly like that - after 100,000 km on the Strat, I wanted something more technologically advanced. Moreover, it is the bagger, and not Golda, because, firstly, it is closer to the classic cruisers that I am used to, secondly, I like exactly this appearance, without the “pyramid” at the back, and thirdly, they have not yet become such pop as classic GW. I like it when there is something that is not like everyone else, but within reasonable limits (that’s why exotics like Indians or BossHoses go out of the way :) In short, I took all the brains out of the sellers, I took out even more for myself, but I just couldn’t make up my mind. The impetus was the offer of Alice, the owner of the red bagger Kanfeta, to take a ride and try it. I know how a goose rides from my work - I spent the whole summer on them. But f6b was a mystery to me. And after the test ride the decision became immediate. Want!

Yes, German cars are more productive, versatile, and more technologically advanced. In terms of money for servicing, I think it’s on the same level. But my soul doesn’t belong to them and that’s all. They don't evoke any emotion at all. They drive sharply, turn sharply, but for some reason this childish delight from driving does not come. That same “Hey, damn it!” that you so want to experience all the time while driving two wheels. So the scales have tipped. All that remains is to find a suitable device.

By the way, there are very few baggers on all sorts of sites selling booze - when I looked, there were only 4 of them. Moreover, a pair with normal mileage (under 40 thousand). And I wanted either a new one, or as close to new as possible, because I have never had a new waste happen to me. There was one red one, 13 years old, without mileage, even for the money I was counting on. But upon arrival at the Honda showroom, it turned out that it had additional additives (Kiryakin chrome) at +200 thousand to the announced price. And this is already beyond the bounds. Therefore he had to refuse. Moreover, the bagger that you now see in the pictures stood nearby. No chrome at all (and I’ve been a bit tired of polishing it on Liner lately) and in a stunning color. And this same “Agegey, damn it,” suddenly surged and did not let go)

In general, so much has already been written about 1800 on the Internet that I will probably repeat everything I would like to tell you. Nevertheless, there are still differences from the “big gold”, and in some places they are significant. Moreover, mine (40aniversari) even has differences from the previous generation - 13 years old.

It completely slipped my mind to take a photo of the remote controls, but this picture shows that the 2015 has reverse gear and cruise control. The rear one will save you if you park your face into a curb under a hill - pushing out 400 kilos with your feet is not much of a pleasure (hello to the owners of Ventures). It is not clear why they got rid of it in the first version. The drive is electric, works through a starter. By the way, a life hack: it’s convenient to use the rear one not so much for actually getting out of problem areas - anyone who has had a heavy cruiser always parks correctly out of habit. The rear one on the Gold is an excellent parking brake. Since it can only be turned off when the ignition is on, it becomes impossible to roll the bike away by placing the front wheel on the skateboard. Only by dragging, and with a 400-kg motorcycle this is already a very big problem. Well, electronic cruise is a mega-thing on a long-distance route. Here it is a little strange - you turn it on, close the gas, she (gold) thinks for a couple of seconds, slows down the engine by 10 kilometers per hour, and then quickly picks up to the speed that was at the moment the CC was turned on. Not critical, of course, but strange. By the way, I’m sorry that the car is very dusty - everything was filmed in late autumn and in those frosts there was no desire to stop by the car wash.

The main difference from the GV, of course, is the absence of a central case. Minus 10 kg from the highest point of the motorcycle had a very significant effect on handling. I rode “big gold”, including gymkhana, I know what I’m talking about. Bagger became more accurate, more sensitive, less inert than his sister. Putting it down to the footrests is a pleasure. Well, in traffic jams - chic (again, in comparison with Golda, and not 48 HD, for example)

By the way, tuning the footrests was the first global change that I made with my purchase. The fact is that straight from the salon I went to our site [G] and, after driving on the track for only half an hour, I ground off the factory sliders along with the rubber band. The sliders are full, the elastic is half the width. This is because at the factory, tiny bolts are placed on the back side of the footrest in the hope that, apparently, gold drivers drive sedately and do not lean in turns. In general, having swapped the ground down footpegs for new ones, I immediately carried out a “file modification” - I bored out the holes for the factory bolts by 2 mm and now the large sliders that I made in my time for the Strat in huge quantities fit perfectly there)

Golda had a birthday last year - 40 years since the launch of the model. The Bagger, although positioned as an independent vehicle (with the same engine, chassis and similar exterior), was also awarded an anniversary badge.

Since the color and shape of the first-level associations very much reminded me of the American stealth aircraft Stealth, it was decided that my motorcycle’s name would now be Stella, about which an anniversary (almost) sticker was issued on the right torpedo)

The lock next to it opens a fairly spacious glove compartment in the central part of the console (some Goldwings have an airbag hidden there, older ones have radio buttons). A handy thing for carrying all sorts of small things that it would be a pity to leave in the unlocked glove compartment in the left dashboard)

The second necessary tuning was installed in it (the same glove compartment in the left dashboard) - a cigarette lighter socket to charge a smartphone, which always dies at the most inopportune times. Well, besides the phone, all sorts of other little things fit in there, such as business cards, keys or half a pack of dryers, for example)

The third necessary tuning was more of an aesthetic nature. Since I continue to drive until winter, until the roads are completely covered with snow, I have to do it in leather pants. With thermal underwear underneath it is not cold for at least 5 hours at -2 0 +2. But there is one problem - the leather rubs the tank perfectly, acting like a sandblast along with road dust. So I had to buy overlays until everything was worn down to the plastic. However, I like the way they look, because they are made specifically for Golda. And “carbon” reminds us of Liner.

Another significant difference from the GV is the seat. No, not a seat - practically a double bed. It is a) huge, b) comfortable, c) soft, d) does not clamp you in one position, like Golda’s saddle. You can cling to the tank when you need to maneuver a lot, or move away to the lumbar support when you go on a long drive. There are no restrictions - you feel free and relaxed.

The driver's backrest is optional. Installed on the stock saddle by cutting a hole at the border of the passenger and driver seats and using three bolts in the frame with an emphasis on the frame. But if you take it from an off-dealer, it costs astronomical money. And this hole is ugly if you remove the back when it is not needed. I found a slightly bushy sofa from f6b with a backrest already installed. In the end, I bought it cheaper than hauling one backrest from abroad at the current rate. So now I will change the entire sofa back and forth when, for example, I go on a long-distance trip. I like it better in the city without a backrest.

A passenger backrest with a trunk is also an option and costs even more money (about 70 thousand for Honda). I found it in exactly the same way at a flea market - someone took it from the same bagger. I need it, because from time to time I have to carry oversized items that don’t fit into the trunks, and there’s nowhere to attach the net without a trunk. In the front you can grab the passenger's handles, but in the back... In general, now there is a backrest, it looks organic. I like.

I also installed a center stand on my beautiful car - it’s good when someone builds a trike out of gold - the side supports and center steps are no longer needed in principle. In winter, I continued to equip the moto and installed a heated steering wheel. Thus, I only have to correct one discrepancy with the f6b Deluxe version - find and install an automatic turn signal switch. It turned out to be difficult, but I think that by spring I will find the part number for the spare part I need.

The passenger handles are very convenient for the plus side, but hide an absolutely inconvenient and useless helmet lock.

I tried to hang my hat there - either it hangs with a hole in the sky and gets filled with water when it rains, or the helmet strap does not reach the lock. Alas and ah. So, according to the good old tradition, we use a mirror in the parking lot.

The mirrors on the bagger, like those on the GW, are beautiful and give a complete picture of what is happening behind you. At a speed of even 180 they do not vibrate, do not turn away and are not needed. That's a pun. No, but seriously, why look at 180 degrees in the mirrors? If only you avoid hayabusas. In fact, it took me the longest to get used to mirrors. They are not on the steering wheel, but slightly ahead and do not move if you just move the steering wheel back and forth) So the first days in traffic jams were careful. But after some time I got used to it. I must say that this location is very convenient - you don’t need to be too distracted from the road - just squint your eyes a little, leaving what is happening ahead in the field of peripheral vision. A big plus for safety.

In the same way, you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to look at the dashboard. Look down a little. Yes, it doesn’t look as cool here as on the Liner and is more reminiscent of a car – from a Civic or Accord. But it contains exactly the information you need, everything is extremely simple and clear. In fact, I would just add an indicator of the gear engaged (and right now I’m waiting for it with Ali, so that I can install it for the season) - by default there is only a mark for the engaged gear - 5th. And since the 6-pot engine is sooooo flexible, sometimes you really don’t understand whether you have the 2nd, 4th or 3rd. Again, the difference from a V-twin is that the engine idles in any gear, without jerking or trying to stall.

Another inconvenient thing on the bagger is the location of the hazard warning button. Sorry it's out of focus, I didn't pay attention when shooting. The emergency light is located here under the knee. When you're standing broken down on the highway, it's not a problem. But during quick maneuvers in a traffic jam, when you want to say “thank you” or “sorry,” removing your left hand from the clutch to feel for a small button behind your knee among a dozen of the same ones is an undertaking doomed to failure. I can't stick it in with my knee - I tried.

Therefore, over the winter I made a useful upgrade - I duplicated the emergency warning button on one of the unused keys in the Russian Federation on the left remote control - TA. In America, it seems to be used to display all sorts of news about traffic on the board, but I’ll have it now for politeness’ sake. As long as you hold it with your finger, it works. I let go and it turned off. The hand does not remove from the steering wheel, everything remains under control. You can return the button to its original function in one evening, if necessary. But I think it won't be necessary.

Undoubtedly, one of the most useful extras for a bagger is replacing the standard optics with lensed bi-xenon. You go out into the field at night and understand - this is LIGHT. You can see everything and far away.

All four lenses work in the “near-far” mode; I recently separated the “angel eyes” into a separate button so that they can be used as daytime lenses during the day.

The turn signals have now been replaced with BigBike ones, smoky, with orange lamps. They fit well into the overall style of the moto and, again, make you more visible on the road, especially together with the fog lights in the lower console. It turns out to be an inverted triangle of light. However, the fog lamps themselves have already been ordered new, because the dealer managed to stick me round ones (from older versions of the gold ones) into the rectangular holes of the plow (which came from the 12th year). And it pisses me off. The new ones will be add-on ones, with daytime LED running lights and turn signal repeaters. I'll show you when I do.

The original “glass” f6b is purely decorative, and the wind flow from it is directed directly into the eyes. And I really like to drive with an open visor. Therefore, I made another upgrade - I ordered and installed glass 2.5 times higher, exactly under the line of sight. I don’t care about tinting, this ban on motorcycles in the Russian Federation does not apply. I haven’t tested it yet, but it should be just right.

Well, the last thing I wanted to talk about today is panniers. Two pieces. The right one has a slightly smaller internal volume, because behind it comes the rear wheel gearbox. The left one is a little bigger. They are opened with a key in the back of the moto (it hangs to the left of the number), the covers are held on the elevators and secured with a thin rope so that they do not come off. According to the manual, they are designed for 9 kg load.

In principle, I can fit all my photographic equipment into one, which fit into Strat 1.5. I actually tried them on with my backpack before purchasing) I was completely satisfied with the result. There is also a USB socket for a flash drive in the left one. Why it was necessary to take it out into the trunk is not very clear, it was probably inherited from the GW. Although even there it’s unclear, what for) In the glove compartment on the left dashboard it would be more logical.

By the way, if the case is open, a warning flashes on the display. However, on the first or second day I still managed to drive 5 kilometers with the lid open - I just didn’t look at the display. Well, at least I didn’t get into the aisles)

Overall: f6b is a chic spender. So chic that I'm afraid I'm unlikely to return to iron cruisers. It pulls, steers, brakes (abs, a combined brake system on both the handle and the pedal. The detonation is crazy, especially for such a mass. Yes, there are some problems that I will only learn about. But there are no ideal motos, otherwise If only everyone would ride them by now)

And, yes, I understand what I'm talking about. In a little more than a month and a half of riding in late autumn, the odometer crossed 7500 km. And there was not the slightest discomfort, despite the lack of heating.

Thank you all for reading.

Specifications

Technical characteristics of Honda GL1800 F6B Gold Wing (Bagger):

Weight

As for weight, the lightest model is separated from the heaviest by “only” 48 kilograms. And the most elegant, oddly enough, turned out to be a six-cylinder BMW, dressed in light plastic, unlike Yamaha, which really wants to be a real American iron cruiser (remember that Star is an American line). Following BMW is Guzzi (360 kg), then Honda. The Road Glide (384kg) and Challenger (378kg) are among the heaviest bikes, with the Vaquero lurking between them at 383kg. Okay, let's be honest: usually weight does play a role, but in the case of cruisers it's far from the main thing. The most important thing for them is to look cool and take your breath away.