Not many motorcyclists would argue if you called your motorcycle “therapist” or described riding as a “therapy session”. I certainly wouldn’t, and I’ve been living with some relatively serious mental health issues for the past decade. It’s not something I speak about on RideApart too often, but for this article, it’s important to note.
Therapists, psychiatrists, and even monks: I’ve seen them all. I looked for answers from Eastern and Western medicine, plenty of things in between, and took what worked for me where I found it.
But I’ve always had one sanctuary, a remedy to my issues that has never failed to take some of the load off—going for a ride.
Whether that ride takes the form of railing my Street Triple around my local canyon roads for three hours, lapping Willow Springs on a BMW S1000RR, or hitting a motocross track, it always felt like a fairly similar therapy session. When I’d get off the bike, I’d feel brighter, lighter, and able to face life’s problems with a more optimistic approach.
But after riding Honda’s 50th Anniversary Gold Wing from Birmingham, Alabama to Daytona, Florida, and covering around 700 miles, I saw a side of motorcycle therapy I’d never seen before because I’d never ridden a bike like this before.
Unbeknownst to me, I was the perfect person to test out this two-wheeled therapist because I’d been dealing with a couple of personal issues right before the ride.
Never Ending Roads
Seemingly endless straight roads lay between the start of my ride and my final destination, but thankfully, I got to hustle the 2025 Gold Wing and 1975 Gold Wing GL1000—the inaugural model—around Barber Motorsports Park before we set off, relieving any pent-up curve-related anxiety.
Long, straight stretches of pavement are the kinds of roads I’d usually think of as a means to an end, with the end being twisties. But, on the Gold Wing, I came to see through new lenses.
Instead of impatience or borderline annoyance—as I’d usually feel on these roads—I felt a sense of zen once I let the Gold Wing do what it does best—glide. I crunched miles upon miles in this state, watched the leaves change shape and color, and got lost in the strobe light effect the sun had as it came through the trees around me.
It was like uploading artwork onto an empty hard drive.
But, eventually, my brain fired back up and the thought factory was in full flow. You see, I rode for a few hours, which is about as long as I’d normally ride. When I snapped back into, well, myself, I did so with all the serotonin that a normal ride would give me. But I was only a third of the way into a near-400-mile trip, so what was I supposed to do now?
Well, those personal issues I mentioned earlier sprung to mind and now seemed a lot more approachable.
The road didn’t stop, so neither did I. That forced me to sit with my issues, but thankfully with an optimistic mind, gifted by the previous few hours of serotonin-producing riding. I even came up with some possible solutions for said issues. That’s about as successful a therapy session as you can hope for, but I still had several more hours left in the saddle, so back into zen I slipped.
After logging around 300 miles my brain switched back on, again brimming with even more dopamine and serotonin, and with the memories of the solutions I’d come up with for my issues, a thought said, “What are you waiting for? This is where we’re going to be for the next few hours.” With the use of my Cardo, the bike’s built-in Android Auto system, and the Gold Wing as my life coach, I started making calls.
I made more progress with problems during the two days I spent on the Gold Wing than I would’ve in two weeks had I been left at home.
The updated user interface and wireless Android Auto deserve a shout-out here because I don’t like messing around with settings while I’m on the move unless it’s incredibly intuitive, and while I feel there’s potential to further refine the system, it didn’t take long to get to grips and use it while riding.
More than progress with problems, I made some life decisions, but not because of time spent on the road—I believe it was the Gold Wing itself that empowered me to make them.
Riding an Ocean
Normally, when I come back from a spin to clear my head, I have high, positive energy but it’s frantic because that’s how I rode—it's the energy my Street Triple calls for. But my state of mind after spending hours on the Gold Wing was completely different.
I felt both the calm and power of the ocean were on my side because that’s what the Gold Wing has.
It was as though the characteristics of the motorcycle crossed my brain/blood barrier, and I was embodying it—I suppose that tends to happen when you spend 11 hours a day on a motorcycle.
More than anything, I felt empowered and I know that’s coming from the relentless, yet smooth, 1833cc flat-six motor, which puts out around 125 hp and a frankly ridiculous 125 lb-ft of torque and sends you forward with a woosh rather than a frenzied pull. But when you’re riding an 800 lb-plus motorcycle, you need more than bottomless power to feel confident.
Honda’s leading link front suspension setup and linked braking system gave me more stability than I imagined when hitting the brakes or performing low-speed maneuvers. Keeping its composure is one of the bike’s strong points, and it helped me do the same as a result.
But comfort, bags of power, and an easy-to-manage package was what I was expecting. What I wasn’t expecting was something that’d like the corners as much as I do.
After a long stretch exploring the open road and my open mind, I came upon a series of fast-sweeping bends and said to myself, “Oh yeah, corners, I love these.” Once I tipped into them, it was as though the Gold Wing responded with, “Oh, yeah, you’re not the only one.” I felt as stable nearing the bike's 40-degree maximum lean angle as I did upright on the freeway at 70 mph.
In every sense, I felt both the calm and power of the ocean, whether performing a u-turn, cruising the highway, or eking the cylinder heads ever closer to scratching their casings. It meant that 350-plus mile days in the saddle didn’t pass in the blink of an eye, but rather with the presence that they deserved.
Humble Pie Never Tasted So Good
I’ll hold my hands up and say I’ve made jokes about Gold Wings and Gold Wing owners in the past, but I’m happy to have egg on my face because I understand now. I understand how this model has outlived almost every other, why it has sold more than 700,000 units, and garnered a cult following around the world.
I’ve never experienced long-distance two-wheeled travel like I did on the Gold Wing. Mentally, it brought me to new depths and physically to new places. I happily took long, straight roads that I’d never have dreamed of riding for fear of boredom, and I was all the better for having done it.
I used to think that Gold Wings were for old people, but I was wrong. This is a bike for motorcyclists with time and money to spare, they just happen to be two things retirees often have in abundance. If I had the time and money to buy a Gold Wing, I’d be right there with them. And Honda is making sure by the time I’m ready for one, it won’t disappoint in terms of sporting ability.
The Gold Wing is unquestionably comfortable—Honda would have to really fumble the ball to mess that up. But a presentation before riding the latest model around Barber Motorsports Park, revealed that engineers focused on making the model sportier for the last several iterations in preparation for the next generation of Gold Wing riders, and I can tell you it was energy well spent.
If you have the time to take off for days on end and can afford the Gold Wing’s starting price of $25,200—although the one I’d opt for is the 50th Anniversary Gold Wing Tour DCT, which has a base MSRP of $29,700—go to your local dealer right now and test ride one. At the very least it’ll rewrite your definition of what it is to ride a refined motorcycle.
