2000 Honda Valkyrie.

2000 Honda Valkyrie.

Phrases like “attention grabbing” and “curb appeal” are certainly apt when describing the Honda GL 1500 Valkyrie. It is hugely impressive visually, with its massive shiny engine and traditional styling it stops traffic wherever it goes.

I had just returned from a trip to the 2010 Sturgis Rally in South Dakota, USA, and was in the market for another motorcycle, when I stumbled across a 2000 Honda GL 1500 Valkyrie F6C looking for a home. The Honda Valkyrie had always fascinated me, especially since a friend of mine told me that had seen a course marshal at the Isle of Mann TT, set off on lap to clear the course before the start of the race. The marshal returned in a hugely impressive lap time, a time that would have been impressive on any motorcycle, let alone a 660 Lbs./300kg Valkyrie, and to top it all off, upon removing his helmet he appeared to be in his late sixties!!

Within a few days of my return from the Sturgis, I was the proud owner of a Honda Valkyrie F6C. The Valkyrie is a large motorcycle and its size can be quite imposing, until you start to ride it. Firstly it has a low seat height which allows for a decent bend in the leg and a nice flat footed stance when stationary. It also has wide bars, giving plenty of leverage and making the bike a pleasure to ride even at very slow speeds. Even at higher speeds the handling is impressive and always composed. I found the Valkyrie to be one of the easiest motorcycles to ride despite its size. The addition of a passenger made no difference to the handling or the ease of riding.

One of the first things you notice when walking around the Valkyrie, is the build quality and the quality of the components. It becomes obvious that little expense was spared by Honda and that this really is a special motorcycle, a motorcycle designed to last for decades and decades. There are reports of Valkyrie engines running for hundreds of thousands of miles trouble free.

 

The 1520cc (93 Cu in), engine is derived from the Goldwing but has been tweaked for extra performance. It has hotter cams and six carburettors instead of two. It also has lower gearing. All this translates to 100 HP (75KW) at 6000RPM and 96 ft –lb (130 nm) at 5000 rpm, making the Valkyrie, the original power cruiser. Performance is brisk to say the least, with the combination of arm stretching acceleration and the intoxicating sound of the six cylinder engine being quite addictive. The water cooled flat 6 layout of the engine is identical to Porsche 911 engines and the sound is remarkably similar to a Porsche at full cry! The engine has incredible torque, more so than the figures suggest and pulls without fuss from very low down in almost any gear. If there’s a smoother engine in the world of motorcycling, I’ve not come across it.

There is however a downside to having six carburettors, and that is fuel consumption. The average consumption figure in my experience was 23 to 24 mpg (10km/l), better figures are probably achievable if you’re not enjoying the performance of the engine, but not significantly better. Add to this the fact that there is no fuel gauge or low fuel warning light, but rather an old fashioned fuel tap which you have to manually turn to reserve when she starts to run out and you have one of the few negative aspects of the Honda Valkyrie. The fuel consumption issue is a factor when touring and it is good advice to plan your trip and your fuel stops carefully in order to avoid running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere.

If you’re planning to tour on the Valkyrie, it’s probably a good idea to get yourself a touring screen. I  have a quick release one on mine, which easily clips on and off  depending on your riding needs. I also have leather saddle bags which also make life easier for day to day real world riding and commuting. The sissy seat is standard and is much appreciated by my wife. The riding position is comfortable and relaxed and is pretty well suited to long distance riding, provided you have the touring screen fitted. There are a host of accessories available on the internet for the Valkyrie. Sales of the Honda Valkyrie were hugely successful in the US, and many owners choose to customize their bikes. Interestingly the Valkyrie was built in the United States at Honda’s plant in Marysville Ohio.

Since the advent of the Valkyrie, numerous other more modern power cruisers have hit the market, many of them comfortably outperforming the Valkyrie, but few have the charm or the outright curb appeal of the Honda Valkyrie. If you ride a Valkyrie, get ready for LOTS of attention, from bikers and non-bikers alike. People approach you at filling stations and strike up a conversation about the bike and fire questions at you left and right. It really does have mass appeal, and has a way of making its rider feel very special.

It’s a bit of a sad thought, that in a new world of credit crunches and declining oil stocks that outrageous motorcycles like this are probably on the endangered list. As a result they are fast becoming collectable. The 1500 Valkyrie’s bigger brother, the 1800 Rune was probably Honda’s last outrageous project. The Rune however was never an everyman motorcycle, and sold only in limited numbers.

Honda quality and reliability make 1500 Valkyries a pleasure to buy used. The value for money is astounding. They are also the sort of bikes that people tend to look after and treat well, as they are special bikes and they have that sort of effect on people.

My ownership experience has been pleasant and special. I love the bike and can honestly recommend a Honda GL 1500 Valkyrie to anyone looking for an outrageous yet reliable, user friendly power cruiser. I hope my review of the Honda Valkyrie has been useful.