All Duels – Duel Goldwing Vs Roadmaster: carriages with agile feet! – Dynamic: “not only beautiful”, agile too!

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Duel Goldwing Vs Roadmaster: carriages with agile feet !

All Duels - Duel Goldwing Vs Roadmaster: carriages with agile feet! - Dynamic: “not only beautiful”, agile too!

The Honda Goldwing and the Indian Roadmaster satisfy, each in its own way, the desire for absolute comfort on a motorbike, large engines generous in sensations and luxury. With a bluffing common point on such ultra-road: an amazing dynamism ! Duel.

Dynamic: ” not only beautiful ”, agile too !

With their intimidating dimensions (2639 mm long for the Honda and 2656 for the Indian!), The Goldwing and the Roadmaster evoke real "liners", which one wonders at first if it is really reasonable to do so. take the helm! In reality, both of them deploy treasures of amenities aiming to put at ease: forward all, commander !

First, their low saddle facilitates accessibility: with respectively 740 mm and 673 mm of seat height, the Japanese as the American get on easily. Already taken! Thanks to its less typical ergonomics, the Goldwing is more easily understood: the raised branches of its handlebars and its toe clips fixed directly to the bust induce a naturally upright position, close to that of a road motorcycle.

Like a good custom bike, the Roadmaster requires you to wedge yourself slightly backwards to catch the thick grips of its curved handlebars, while stretching your legs forward to put the boots on the running boards. Indian however avoids the excesses of an ergonomics designed solely for style: the position of the American flagship is pleasant and relaxed, without discomfort or discomfort..

The Roadmaster is generally more imposing, the fault of its handlebars and its larger tank. However, with 20.8 liters of capacity (25 for the Gold), it is not a disproportionate size: it even turns out to be a little undercut for this type of motorcycles. An aspect to take into account, especially since its consumption was shown to be higher than that of the Goldwing: from 6.12 to 7.49 l / 100 km on the Honda and from 7.14 to 8.43 l / 100 km on the Indian measured during this duel.

In town, not surprisingly, the American can not compete with the incredible maneuverability of the Japanese: its steering requires more effort, especially at low speed, despite its center of gravity placed very low and its front wheel in 16 inches (18 on the Gold). The Indian pays here the – logic – ransom of the specifics of the custom genre, such as its pronounced hunting angle (31 ° against 29 ° 15). But that, MNC sensed since the first U-turn described on page 1 !

Well helped by the flat positioning of its cylinders, favorable to the lowering of the center of gravity, the Honda clearly has no equal in this area. However, the Indian is far from being an anvil: unlike many customs, its front axle steers very correctly, does not "stick" to the asphalt and does not overly engage.

After the first km / h, the Roadmaster is even surprisingly responsive, neutral and precise. These rare qualities on such imposing motorcycles are combined with a very successful balance to allow natural and progressive bets on the angle, far from the "rowdy" behavior of many big customs..

Certainly, the Golwing retains the palm of ease and fluidity when tacking, gradually forgetting the Indian in traffic jams, then in tight turns. But the American surprises by its relative – and unexpected – ease: the Roadmaster is released but not completely released by what one can consider as the "motorcycle school of ultra-road". And that’s no small compliment !

The gap nevertheless becomes impossible to fill as the rows follow one another: the Goldwing benefits from its better ground clearance, its much more biting and powerful braking as well as the perfectly measured calibration of its damping to take the lead. escampette powder.

The Honda flies – literally – from corner to corner, as if insensitive to irregularities in the road. A curve suddenly closes? No problem: a push on the right pedal and the brilliant C-ABS coupled device slows down this "admirable vessel" with formidable force and precision. A pothole in the path? There again, no stress: the suspensions digest the obstacle with efficiency and discretion.

Less lively in the sequences and less serene in the bumpy, the Roadmaster enjoys a damping certainly very successful, but a tad too flexible to allow it to follow: movements appear at high speed while the Honda remains in one block. Same thing at the front, where the fork plunges quickly and too deep.

This perfectible restraint sometimes puts the ABS – not combined – of the Indian to the test: during sudden braking from the front, the control unit struggles to deal with the enormous mass transfer and the 130 mm tire (ditto on the Honda) screeches on the road, seeking grip. As with all customs, it is always better to use both brakes to avoid extending braking distances..

Finally, the last aspect where the Goldwing takes the ascendancy: the engine. Ultra-flexible, powerful at all speeds and provided with a beautiful extension, the "flat-6" leaves no chance to the American V-twin. This one however has a solid "trunk" and a remarkable availability: the Roadmaster sets off again without a bump at 1200 rpm until 4th and gently "cruises" at 65 km / h in 6th, the needle tachometer set at 1500 rpm.

To this elasticity is added a correctly adjusted injection, a transparent belt transmission and a very beautiful sound. Better still: the American offers a pleasant burst of energy between 3500 and 4500 rpm, quite rare in this category. This gives it a very good range of use, packed with torque at the bottom (138.9 Nm from 2600 rpm!) Then sufficiently energetic at mid-speed to allow rapid overtaking, even in the last gear..

Indian does not communicate the power of its engine – as is often the case with custom builders – but MNC estimates it between 85 and 95 hp. Note that in the United States, the Thunde Stroke delivers – legally – a big ladle of additional torque thanks to more "free" exhausts and injection: 164.5 Nm against 138.9 in Europe.

Despite its beefy revivals from 2000 rpm and its surprising energy in the second third of the tachometer, the Roadmaster’s engine is fined by the powerful Honda six-cylinder (118.3 hp): whatever speed, the Goldwing goes ahead, accompanied by the superb vocalizations of its exceptional engine. And her advantage is further increased at the top of the tachometer, where the Japanese almost sportingly lengthens her stride….

Its injection, however older, is a model of smoothness and progressiveness just like its transmission by shafts and cardan shafts: the Honda evolves gracefully and majestically, evoking a delicious mix between a luxurious cruising yacht and a racy racing sailboat….

Verdict: luxury, without vice

Jostled but not dethroned by the Roadmaster, the Goldwing retains its status as an exceptional ultra-road. Its magical balance, its surprising handling, its fantastic engine and its homogeneity make it a motorcycle almost impossible to surpass. Not to mention the nobility expressed by its mechanical architecture: to date, only BMW gives it the replica with its K1600 and their six-cylinder…

Hence the dilemma on which Honda is certainly working: to let its flagship road continue as it is, or to get down to its redesign in order to give it the necessary touch of modernism (electric windshield, more advanced sound system and instrumentation, starting keyless, etc.), at the risk of disturbing its brilliant balance…

The winged crest is probably also thinking of grafting its famous double DCT clutch, in order to further improve its approval by smoothing and automating gear changes. On this aspect, opinions differ: for some, the DCT would be ideal on the "Gold", especially in the context of urban trips. We obviously think of motorcycle taxis, no doubt delighted to be exempt from changing gears…

For others, the six-cylinder offers such reserves of power and torque that the double clutch would be of little use: once launched, the Honda can run in any gear – including the last – without worry about having to downshift. What interest in these conditions to add at least 10 kg on the scale and 1000 euros on the invoice by grafting it the Dual Clutch System ?

Especially since the Honda is already paying dearly for its exceptional motorcycle status: € 30,699, or € 1,209 more than during our (€ 29,490). A significant increase for a motorcycle absolutely identical to the model tested at the time !

Already produced from 1947 to 1953, the Roadmaster made a remarkable and remarkable comeback in the very closed circle of ultra-road motorcycles. Beneath its all-in-all classic looks hides a formidably balanced and powerful motorcycle: a custom "2.0", in a way. !

Its powerful and lively engine is a success, as is its surprisingly dynamic cycle part. As luxurious and beautiful to contemplate as it is pleasant to ride, the Indian – like the Honda – is close to perfection in its field: for a motorcycle so young, the feat is considerable !

Last detail and not the least on this motorcycle displayed at € 29,400: its reassuring five-year warranty, specific to the models of the Polaris group. On the Goldwing, extending its two-year warranty requires a supplement ranging from € 339 to € 699 depending on the age of the motorcycle and the extension period chosen (12 or 24 months). This is not enough to change the outcome of this duel, but this argument will undoubtedly resonate with bikers interested in the beautiful Indian !

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