The Scarborough Gold Wing Light Parade is one of the country’s biggest and most colourful bike gatherings. And this year it was also a celebration of the iconic touring bike’s 40th birthday.
The charity event, which took place on 12 September, has been an annual fixture since 2008 and has raised more than £34,000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) so far.
Gold Wings are serious touring bikes, with a passionate fanbase. The original model, the GL1000, was £1,600, and more than 15,000 were sold globally in 1975, when it launched. It was a revolution when it first appeared, opening up possibilities of much longer distance touring.
Gold Wing owners at the parade each year include company directors, factory and store managers, doctors, photographers, former policemen, engineers and shop owners, says John Bates, the event organiser. And Gold Wingers, as they’re known, come to Scarborough from all parts of the UK, including strong contingents from Scotland and Wales, Cornwall, Essex, Cumbria and everywhere in between.
‘Anyone with a Gold Wing can simply turn up, register their bike and join in,’ says John. ‘It’s a great Honda Gold Wing weekend. At the last event we had a couple who came from Germany on their Gold Wing.’
The event included a display of the bikes outside the RNLI station in Scarborough followed by a parade as darkness fell at 8pm, when the bikes lit up to entertain the crowds. A huge fireworks display capped off the day.
Have you got a treasured Gold Wing? Has it taken you on some amazing journeys? We’d love to hear from you. Email honda@dreammagazine.co.uk with your story and pictures. The best ones will appear in a future issue to celebrate Gold Wing’s 40th birthday.
