Honda’s globe-trotter is headed straight for the Indian market

Believe it or not, the touring bike market in India is growing by leaps and bounds. Harley has been around for a while, Indian Motorcycle’s brought along the Chieftain, its long-distance tourer, and now, it’s Honda’s turn to offer a bike that can handle cross-country trips. And it’s got just the product: the  Gold Wing.

Widely recognised as one of the finest touring bikes in the world, the Gold Wing gets pretty much everything you’d ever want on a motorcycle: a stereo, navigation system, heated grips, footrests and seats, ABS, and, you can also have it fitted with an airbag! A 1.8-litre, liquid-cooled six-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed transmission, is responsible for propelling this 400-420kg two-wheeler. 
As you may have guessed, it won’t be cheap. At all. Since it will be a direct import (and thus, we’ll have both variants the standard Gold Wing, as well as the F6B) when it is launched before the end of 2014, it’ll end up with a price tag of ` 35-40 lakh. Look at it as a more adventurous, slightly pricier way to tour  the world.