Episode 90 of the Brap Talk motorcycle podcast is out with another “weekly” episode, for your two-wheeled listening pleasure.
In this episode, we did it…we finally did it. We finally produced the long-lost Honda Gold Wing episode, which is actually also our first video podcast.
There were many naysayers amongst you – and if we’re honest, there were some naysayers in the Brap Talk ranks as well – but we got it down, only two years and change after its original recording.
The venerable Honda Gold Wing is getting a recall that affects only the manual transmission model of the long-distance tourer.
According to NHTSA documents, the recall affects 1,740 units from the 2020-2022 model years, and concerns the ignition timing programmed into the bikes’ ECUs.
This recall does not affect any Honda Gold Wings that have the company’s dual-clutch transmission (DCT) installed.
If there is one complaint to make about the current edition of the Honda Gold Wing Tour, it is that Big Red really screwed the pooch when it came to the size of the integrated luggage compartments.
At the time, the thinking was that the modern motorcyclist needs less room to pack for a weekend getaway, thanks primarily to the fashion and use of compact camping materials.
That thinking lead the Japanese down a fatal path though, as the panniers became awkwardly shaped and small, and the top box couldn’t even fit two full-face helmets inside it (despite Honda’s insistence that it could).
Well, for the 2021 model year, Honda has finally answered the call for a revision on the luggage situation on the venerable Gold Wing.
It is hard to believe that it took until the year 2020 for the Android Auto media software to come to the motorcycle industry, but yet here we are – five years after the software’s initial release.
Available on Harley-Davidson motorcycles starting in March of this year, now we see that the Honda Gold Wing will also include Android Auto (the Gold Wing was the first motorcycle to have Apple CarPlay too, by the way).
You know how every family has that one weird uncle? That is what the Honda Gold Wing is to the motorcycle industry – or more specifically, that is what Honda Gold Wing riders are to the motorcycle industry.
They are nice. They ride a lot. They are into it, and generally mean well. But…Gold Wing riders are just a little different from you and I.
Episode 9 of the Brap Talk podcast is out for your two-wheeled audio pleasure, and again this is an extra long show, as we catch back up with the motorcycle happenings.
Recorded just moments after Episode 8, this edition is a bit more newsy and covers the recent Honda Super Cub press launch, as well as some current events.
Also of note, we have a Honda Gold Wing Tour to play with over the next few months, and this show includes our first thoughts on this behemoth of a machine (be sure to read Jensen’s ride review from last year’s press launch).
This is it, the final countdown. The new year is already starting its first hours in other parts of the world, and we won’t have long to wait until 2019 is upon us here in the United States of America.
So, allow us to squeak in just one more “2018 in review” type of story, as I wanted to share with our readers the most important motorcycles that we saw this year – and also got to ride.
The list is an interesting one, as not only is it comprised of a number of machines that lead their segments, but also we picked motorcycles whose debuts carried gravitas for the industry.
As such, these are the motorcycles that defined 2018 model year, and now we only have a matter of hours to begin seeing the bikes that will shape 2019 for motorcyclists.
It has been a busy month since our inaugural edition of “What We’re Reading” column, so there is plenty to catch-up on reading-wise. Again, our reading list spans stories that go between the motorcycle industry and also non-endemic media outlets.
This edition focuses heavily on the racing world, and in it we get a glimpse into the world of the MotoGP Championship, from the riders’ perspective. We also see what’s happening in the automotive industry, as well as the media landscape as a whole.
Many of our stories can be brought back to the motorcycle industry, as our industry faces analogous problems to other sectors. Of course, some of the pieces made our list simply because I thought they were interesting and thought-provoking.
Part clearinghouse for stories that we will never get our full attention, and part book club for our loyal readers who are doing their best to survive the work day, say hello to the next installment of the “What We’re Reading” column series.
Have you ever lost the key to your bike? Forgotten where you parked? Can’t remember your last dank whoolie? Episode 72 is kinda of like that for us.
What should have been something like the 68th episode in our queue, comes to us today as the great Lost Episode of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast. It’s a good one too.
In it, we talk about what it’s like to ride the new Honda Gold Wing, as well as the new Ducati Panigale V4. Quentin also gets a few good kickstand jokes in there, and my asshole cat even makes an appearance.
All in all, pretty standard podcasting fodder from your favorite enthusiasts podcast.
You can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.
We hope you will join the conversation, and leave us some audio comments at our new email address: twoenthusiasts@gmail.com.
In Episode 2 of the MOTR Podcast, I sit down with motorcycle journalists Adam Waheed (freelance), Lemmy (RevZilla), and Abhi Eswarappa (Bike-urious) to discuss what it’s like to ride Big Red’s flagship motorcycle, the Honda Gold Wing.
Recoded at the international media launch for the Gold Wing – in Austin, Texas – the four of us gathered around the microphones to discuss the sixth generation of this iconic touring machine.
With no shortage of opinions, the show is an interesting discussion about our first impressions of the Gold Wing and Gold Wing Tour models. We think you will find it quite interesting.
To get our full opinions on the new Honda Gold Wing you can read my review here on Asphalt & Rubber, as well as Adam’s reviews on Rider’s Domain, Lemmy’s review on RevZilla’s Common Tread, and Abhi’s review on Bike-urious.
You can find the latest episodes of the MOTR Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or via your RSS feed, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.
If you’re not already, you should also listen to our sister podcasts, the Two Enthusiasts Podcast and The Paddock Pass Podcast.
Of all the words that you never want to see in a recall announcement, “explode” probably ranks pretty high on that list.
But, this is exactly what we saw for this recall that affects the 2009-2016 Honda Gold Wing models equipped with an airbag, as the “air bag inflator may explode,” according to the recall headline.
This recall is of course part of the ongoing set of recalls that affect vehicles equipped with Takata airbags – of note, the new 2018 Gold Wing Tour Airbag model does not use a Takata-made airbag.
In total, this recall only affects 960 units (2009-2010 and 2012-2016 model years), though this is the third time that Honda has had to issue a recall for its Gold Wing models, because of Takata.