Moto-Charlie
Vendor
I owned a ST1100 for several years followed by a ST1300 for 2 years. I have also ridden a variety of rental motorcycles over 35+ years as part of my tour business including the R1100, 1150, 1200 and 1250RT - all good bikes, but for me my 2018 6spd Goldwing is the best bike I've owned. As others have mentioned, it has a noticeably lower of center gravity, it's very well balanced, virtually no heat (my ST1300 threw a lot of heat), enough tech to be useful without being excessive, better passenger accommodations, reverse helps on my uphill driveway and the Goldwing just has a more refined feel.I bought a 2018 Gold Wing Tour. In my opinion, this is the best compromise between a ST-1300 and a Goldwing. It handles almost as light as the ST and has the Goldwing boxer 6 cylinder so the CG is low.
I'm 5'10" and I find the wind management to be superior to the ST1300, especially after adding small wind wings under each mirror. If it's hot I can get a lot of air on me and if it's cooler I can close the dash vent, raise the windshield, tilt the mirror wings and I'm covered - also works well for passenger comfort at speed. I use the bike to run errands, enjoyed a track day on it, and often run it in "Sport" mode when out of traffic on the open road. Sport mode firms up the damping a little bit and gives me all the acceleration I need.
I originally purchased the GW to keep my wife riding with me a little longer as we get older. However, it has exceeded my expectations by a fair bit, and I truly enjoy riding it.