Remember Great Wall Motor? It's OK if you don't because it hasn't been around for very long. In motorcycle world, there's even less to go on than there is in the car world. While the company has been making cars for a minute (including intriguing low-cost EVs offered in multiple markets outside the US, like the Ora Cat), it hadn't previously dipped a toe in the motorcycle waters.
That is, until it did.
In 2024, it showed off a crazy eight-cylinder engine that immediately lit the Internet on fire in multiple languages. Not long afterward, we got our first look at the massive touring bike that GWM planned to stuff its new flat eight into: the Great Wall Motor Souo.
Fast-forward half a year to the cold and dreary month of January, and there's news yet again. This time, GWM brought a multidisciplinary presentation to the show floor at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). From showcasing new GWM technology, including a new hybrid vehicle platform intended for cars and trucks, GWM also took time out to display its massive touring motorcycle in the flesh.
Now called the Great Wall Motor Soul S2000, the massive tourer not only has the aforementioned flat eight engine; it also comes with an eight-speed DCT. That's right; it's fully automatic. Also, it has a shaft drive; no chain or belt for this bad boy!
In a way, for a bike that's clearly intended to take on the Honda Gold Wing, that makes total sense. Since the comparison to the Gold Wing will inevitably be made, calling it an S2000 seems like a strange choice. Sure, it's nearly car-sized, but I mean .... the S2000 is probably not the comparison I'd make.
