BIKE TEST

HONDA VALKYRIE
SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT WORDS STUART WOODBURY & THE BEAR PHOTOS THE BEAR

I’ve ridden my share of unusually big bikes, all the way from a mate’s R 60 BMW frame powered by an alloy V8 out of a Daimler SP250, by way of a Honda Rune to a Boss Hoss, and I have never seen the point in building or buying these things. That part BMW handled like a wheelbarrow full of walruses around corners (though it was pretty fast in a straight line) and would have been much better with the lighter Rover V8 (what am I saying!?); the Boss Hoss was simply a terrifying lump of metal which seemed poised to fall over the moment you got it past a degree or two of lean.

Handling? Who knows? And why bother when you can go into any Honda bike shop and buy a Valkyrie? You’d have to hope, of course, that Honda has not fallen prey to Nominal Determinism. This is the phenomenon known to the Romans as nomenest omen: your name is a pointer to your job or role in life. In Norse mythology, Valkyries carry the slain (dead, to you and me) to the afterlife.

Admittedly an afterlife of boozing and carousing, but still…

People often underestimate the “donor bike” for the Valkyrie, namely our old friend the Goldwing. Not only has the ‘Wing always been fast, it has also been a pretty good handler for several models now. Ground clearance has been one of its limitations, and the Valkyrie addresses that with higher footpegs which provide a significantly larger lean angle.

But it’s time to hand the Valk over to Stuart, for his impression – he rides a wee bit harder than I do…

After jumping off our long term Yamaha MT-07 onto the quite large Valkyrie, it took a few minutes to acclimatise. This certainly is a man sized motorcycle, yet is relatively easy to manage thanks to the bulk of its weight being set low in the frame.

The engine is the familiar 1832cc fl at-six Honda Goldwing/F6B powerplant. It has loads of go thanks to the Valkyrie being 80kg lighter than its donor, the Goldwing and 44kg lighter than even the F6B. And with so much go, you fi nd that 1st gear is very short. The torque curve must drop away reasonably quick once you get it up over 5000rpm. It feels like a limiter, but you just need to shift really quickly up through the

gears to keep it in the fat mid-range which is lower in the rev range than on most other bikes – if that makes sense.

Handling feels solid and stable.

Thanks to the foot pegs being a little higher and a little more forward than on the Gold wing/F6B, the Valkyrie lets you crank it over a bit more in corners and enjoy the fun a big power cruiser like this gives. The Valkyrie has the same travel front and rear as the Gold Wing and F6B, with damping that Honda says is calibrated for the lighter machine. It is firmer than either of those bikes, which I find to be a good thing, as the Gold wing and F6B are a little soft for my liking.

“BUT, AS MUCH AS YOU MIGHT THINK THE VALKYRIE IS WHOLLY AND SOLELY BASED ON THE GOLDWING, YOU’D BE WRONG”

You also get more stopping power to suit the Valkyrie’s sportier intent, with dual opposed 4-piston calipers up front with 310mm discs that are larger than the Goldwing/F6B’s 296mm discs. A 3-piston caliper grabs the 316mm disc in the back.

Styling reminds me instantly of the Honda Rune (remember that?).

The Rune was a super expensive, very limited production and wildly futuristic bike that got very mixed reviews at the time. Some loved it, some loathed it. But, as much as you might think the Valkyrie is wholly and solely based on the Goldwing, you’d be wrong. The Valkyrie shares a lot of the thinking behind the design of the Rune, like the single sided swingarm, the big, bad ass styled vibe that the bike gives off and the futuristic appeal with LED headlight, tail light and indicators. It’s hard to get the photos to do the Valkyrie justice, you really need to see it in the flesh to appreciate what it is all about.

There is a limited number of accessories available for the Valkyrie.

Mainly billet and chrome items, but you can also get a screen and a backrest.

Honda’s Valkyrie is a futuristic hot rod that will get attention wherever you ride it. Times have changed from the days of the Rune and this “new” incarnation fits right into the modern day.

SPECS
HONDA VALKYRIE

PRICE: $20,199 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY: Two years,unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 6000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled fl at six cylinder,4-stroke, SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder
BORE x STROKE: 74 x 71mm
DISPLACEMENT: 1832cc
COMPRESSION: 9.8:1
POWER: N/A
TORQUE: N/A
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multi-plate clutch, shaft final drive
SUSPENSION: Front, 45mm telescopic fork, non-adjustable, travel 122mm. Rear, mono shock, adjustable preload, travel 104mm.
DIMENSIONS: Seat height 734mm, weight 341kg (wet), fuel capacity 23.2 litres, wheelbase 1707mm
TYRES: Front, 130/60/R19. Rear, 180/55/R17
FRAME: Aluminium twin-spar
BRAKES: Front, twin 310mm discs with four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 316mm disc, three-piston caliper.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 7.02 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 330km
COLOURS: Graphite Black, Candy Prominence Red

VERDICT: HOT FOR THE FUTURE

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