The new Goldwing feels more compact, unified and tight than the "old" Gold Wing. I like it a lot. The DCT is very interesting to ride but I have to say, I like the feeling of control associated with the six speed manual transmission. I am used to having clutch, brake and throttle to negotiate low speed handling but with the DCT it is just foot brake and throttle. You get used to it. It shifts seamlessly and intelligently, supernaturally so. The machine is very comfortable and stable at speed. My wife liked it very much. Felt very smooth to her. The front end is devoid of shakes or bumps. It has tons of grunt and feels very quick and eager to accelerate at highway speeds. It has what I would call a very spare and neat layout. It feels much more lean than the previous design, but make no mistake, it is a lot of bike. I am really torn about getting one versus a late model Goldwing. I just don't know that I like the 2018 version so much that it is worth the extra cash. I don't have to make that decision until I sell my FJR.
But it has a few of what I would call design "flaws" (choices, really). No touch screen. Limited ability to use NAV system while moving. Less storage space. Anything you might expect to come with it (even the top of the line model) is "optional" and adds to the already high price (running lights, bag liners, trunk luggage rack, etc.). The electronics package is a bit limited. For example, if you have an iPhone, there is Apple Car Play built into the bike's interface. If you are an Android phone user, it will connect but with far more limited features. Rider to passenger communications integrated into the bike itself are not possible in the stock formulation, so plan on using BT intercom radios, although they will of course connect to the bike and thus to your smartphone. (On the Star Venture, there is a corded set up that allowed rider to passenger communications with higher fidelity and clarity, I am told, than BT). I read on the Internet that some people think there is a design weakness in the front suspension of the new Goldwing due to a part made of material that might wear out or down faster than some think it should. I don't know much about that.
The FJR is still the yardstick among motorcycles for solo riding, IMHO, but for a two up mount for folks my and my wife's age, not so much. Wish it weren't so.
Overall, the new Goldwing feels more integrated and "together" than the Star Venture. But there is nothing about the Star Venture I could not readily live with if it did not feel so underpowered for such a large machine. Yamaha can croon about the "emotional" V-twin all they want, but it does not do it for me. It has plenty of low end torque, and if your only goal on a ride is to get up to 75 or 80 mph and just go, then it may be for you. But there is an awful lot of noise and commotion to do much more than that, and even then, it runs out of steam pretty quickly. I have little doubt that Yamaha's market research lead them to believe there is a customer base waiting for this bike; but for the power problem, I might be one of them because I am a Yamaha owner going way back. For $27,000, I want something that does not feel like a tractor at 70 mph.
