Honda Gold Wing gets Android – Africa Twin to follow?
The Honda Gold wing is to receive Android connectivity as well as Apple CarPlay
THE flagship Honda Gold Wing touring motorcycle is to gain a new layer of connectivity in the form of the Android Auto connectivity system.
The update will mean owners with an Android 5.0 smartphone or higher will be able to use music, media, and messaging apps. The system integrates with a Bluetooth headset and features a simplified version of the Google Assistant meaning both hands can be kept on the handlebars during use.
Could Honda announce this in the UK or on other models?
The update comes at no extra cost to the customer and will be rolled out in the US from June 2020 onwards. While the change is officially announced by Honda USA, there really isn’t much a reason the change couldn’t be implemented across the UK and mainland Europe either.
Honda could also introduce the tech to the latest bikes in the Africa Twin range, as they share a similar high tech dash set up and already have the Bluetooth module included – confirmation of this though is as yet not know.
How the Android Auto system would look on the Honda Gold Wing dash
The advantage of the system is that it can effectively mirror your phone's screen onto the dash of the bike, making setting up of navigation, via Google Maps, Waze, or similar, a much easier and more intuitive process. Because the phone is mimicked by the dash, it also makes the need for a handlebar-mounted phone cradle almost redundant.
Honda is the third of the big manufacturers now looking to Android for rider communication solutions, and they join Harley-Davidson and BMW, both of whom already run the Android system on certain flagship bikes.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
