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Watch Out Honda Gold Wing, China Has A New 8-Cylinder Tourer Coming

Posted by Admin on May 06, 2024

In typical Chinese fashion, the upcoming bike takes heavy inspiration from the already established Japanese beast

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Posted by Admin
on May 06, 2024

Watch Out Honda Gold Wing, China Has A New 8-Cylinder Tourer Coming

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Japan has long been the holy grail of the two-wheeler industry. Its bikemakers have been at the motorcycle innovation forefront for tens of decades, whipping up new engines, technologies, and features. But now, times are changing.

Chinese and European companies have well and truly entered the scene, in an attempt to take on Japanese giants with their own unique creations. Baoding-based Great Wall Motors–China’s eighth-biggest auto company–is the newest addition to this party, as it’s readying a one-of-a-kind eight-cylinder motorcycle lineup. One of the bikes will even compete against Honda’s mighty Gold Wing.

Great Wall Motors Patents Flat-Eight Cylinder Engine For Its Upcoming Touring Bike

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Great Wall Motors is not new to large-capacity automotive engines. It sells large pick-up trucks under the GWM name, while having several subsidiaries–such as Haval and Tank–which sell SUVs. Using that experience, the company has now whipped up an eight-cylinder engine for its first foray into the two-wheeler world. There’s no official word on the matter yet, but patents sourced by CycleWorld tell us plenty about what’s coming.The engine takes inspiration from Honda’s class-leading six-cylinder powerhouse seen on the Gold Wing. It has an identical flat-eight-cylinder layout, with four headers on the one side and four on the other. Similarly, the transmission sits under the engine to keep things compact and joins hands with a shaft-driven semi-automatic (probably DCT) transmission.

 

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Diving deeper, we can see dual radiators above the cylinders, ducted to both halves of the engine. It’s the same solution Honda employs instead of a conventional large radiator at the front. A key difference, meanwhile, is the double overhead camshaft setup on the Chinese bike. It promises more performance over the Wing’s simpler SOHC setup. Speaking of which, rumors suggest a total capacity of over 2,000 cubic centimeters and an output of around 130 horsepower (the Gold Wing has 1,833cc and 125 ponies, in comparison).

GWM Eight-Cylinder Engine Highlights

  • Layout: Flat eight cylinder
  • Dual overhead camshafts
  • Capacity: ~2,000cc
  • Power: ~130 horsepower
  • Cooling: Liquid-cooled (dual radiators)
 

The Underpinnings Also Take Inspiration From The Honda Gold Wing

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Engine aside, the Gold Wing also inspires the Chinese touring bike’s underpinnings. Leaked spy shots reveal a Hossack-type front end, paired with what looks like an aluminum chassis. Chunky alloy wheels are also part of the package, just like you know who. That’s not all, though. It seems GWM also has a cruiser in the works, this time based on the iconic Honda Rune. That’s been spotted with minimal front bodywork, the same eight-cylinder engine, and conventional suspension like the Honda cruiser.

 

As good as all this sounds, there are several question marks looming around. From weight to actual power figures, plenty of decisive details remain unknown. Not to mention, the reliability of such a complex engine that’s made in China. Lucky for you, rumors suggest the eight-cylinder duo could debut at the upcoming Beijing Auto Show towards the end of April 2024. Once out, these bikes should make their way to international markets sometime in the future. After all, GWM already has a strong global presence, and its top man (Wei Jianjun) has no shortage of funds.

 

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