Happy birthday to the King of the road. Yes, it's 50 years since the Gold Wing was released back in 1975 as the GL1000 - a naked, yet super comfortable rig driven by a flat-four engine. Fifty years later, the Gold Wing is a fully dressed super-tourer, powered by a stunning six-cylinder 1833cc powerplant, adorned with every comfort you could want and with an amazing turn of speed and ease of riding that belies its commanding road presence.

Stunning. That's the only way to describe the quality of the Gold Wing. Every panel, every lick of paint, every small detail is so perfectly formed and perfected over 50 years, there's just not a part on the Wing that feels like it hasn't been honed to perfection.

The Wing copped a serious overhaul a few years back and the result was a physically smaller bike, with less weight and generally more performance. And if you haven't ridden a Wing before, it will surprise you with just how hard you can bang on one.

While chassis-wise the rear end is rather conventional, with the major update the Wing moved from regular telescopic forks to a double wishbone setup that separates suspension and braking performance, reducing dive under brakes and giving the Wing a solid front-end feel when tipping into a corner.

The suspension is electronically adjustable so you can set the Wing's stance to suit the load you are carrying.

The Wing is obviously a big unit, weighing in at 393kg with its 21-litre tank topped up. However, the glorious flat-six engine is slung very low in the frame, and although the voluptuous fairing makes it look top-heavy, it is not - most of the major weight is held as low as an ant's bum.

Now combine that low centre of gravity, a very accessible 745mm seat height and a surprisingly nimble chassis, and you have a rig that is far less difficult to ride than you may think. If you ever desired a Wing but balked at the idea of taking a test ride at your local dealership with a bunch of people watching, I encourage you to slough that off and do it - you'll be surprised how easy it is to ride.

Now, as I alluded to above, the Wing is powered by a flat-six-cylinder engine and it is a glory to bang on. It sounds kind of like a 911 Porsche - glorious - and it gets the Wing along seriously fast. It simply has power and grunt everywhere. It is smooth and refined yet does not lack character. It is one of the sweetest engines you'll ever come across and judging by the massive - and I do mean massive - kays that some owners put on their Wings, you'd have a hard time arguing that it is not absolutely bulletproof.

Now, if you're going to shoehorn an engine in a bike weighing almost 400kg you're going to need to haul the big rig up. No problem here! The Wing has a chunky set of six-pot calipers up front and the front and rear brakes are linked so if you apply front brake you get a little back brake automatically applied and vice versa. It's not clumsy like linked brakes of yesteryear and the system works flawlessly.

Honda will claim that the Wing's main purpose in life is to propel you down the road in maximum comfort, and of course it excels at that - it's simply the best in the business. I have a limited word count here, and if you're even reading this you know that the Wing excels at comfort, so I won't say much else, but its comfort and tourability are total and masterful.

We live in a day when our bikes are packed with every electronic gizmo under the sun and the Wing hasn't been left behind. ABS, traction control, sat nav, heated grips - you name it, and the Wing has it. The only omission is the lack of a radar system that facilitates features such as blind spot alerts and active cruise control. That this is missing from Honda's flagship tourer I find strange.

I've heard it said so many times: "may as well just buy a car." I would bet serious money that the majority of people ringing this bell haven't even ridden a Gold Wing, in which case the opinion is null and void - be off with you.

The Wing is simply impressive in every way. A glorious engine, surprisingly nimble handling, supreme comfort, great brakes, abundant tech and a road presence that is second to none - what's left to do?

It's a good question, because after 50 years the Wing is so sorted and so complete it's hard to see how Honda could make it better.