The three of us rode about 150 miles yesterday with Steve and Ashley trading off on the '18 and me riding either my Old Wing or Ashley's ST1300. They may add to the discussion but the consensus filtered by me is that they both thought the new Wing has slightly more compression damping than necessary and the ride was a little harsher over sharp-edge bumps than my '06 Wing. Not a huge difference though, just something that can be noticed. The old chassis seems to be a little more nimble when tipping into a corner, like easier to lean and set the line. I noticed this myself when I first rode my 2006 after riding a 2018. It's not a huge difference but noted by all of us. The new engine is smooth and very powerful in the mold of the earlier generation which actually has a little more hp and torque but with both of them experiencing DCT for the first time much of the saddle time is getting used to how to manage and operate the transmission. Power is not a problem. Twist and go pretty much no matter what gear or what rpm. Plenty of poke. The new tech of the '18 in audio, navigation, and suspension settings soaks up attention as well. New owners of '18s will no doubt get beyond this when operation becomes second nature. Steve, whose garage and experience includes German bikes with the wonder wheel thought the Honda was easier to manage the available tech when compared to his BMW. Later in the day Brenda and I took a long ride on the '18 and the tech seemed fairly intuitive to manage on the fly. Engine heat is just not noticeable on the new Wing In this regard the 06 was better than the 04 ST but I'm used to it after 12 years. To me the ST takes more effort to get set up for a turn, more bar pressure to lean, but once in the corner the ST has got the ground clearance and the hp to get out and go. Riding Ashley's ST was like putting on a favorite pair of jeans. It just feels right.
