The Classic Valkyrie
As a Journalist, car and bike enthusiast people are always asking me what kind of cars or bikes in this case will ever become real classics. My response is always the same "something different but still practical". This is the case with the Honda's Valkyrie (val-ker-re).
This bike is like no other I have ever ridden. A motorcycle like the Valkyrie is hard to classify. Most people will look at the Valkyrie and say it is a cruiser, but I beg to differ. Having spent a little over a week with the bike, I would have to say it is a little bit of all types of bikes rolled into one. A kind of general bike that does it all really well.
Lets start with the Valkyrie's size. At 1689mm.(67in.) the Valkyrie is one of the longest bikes made. Surprisingly the Valkyrie is quite nimble and handles fairly well in and around traffic. Tires are radial 150/80-17" at the front and 180/70-16" at the rear, bigger than some cars. At higher speeds, the Valkyrie needs a little more care in the turns. This kind of longer wheel base needs a little more time to turn than a smaller bike. Common to most cruising bikes of this size.
As for weight, the Valkyrie tips the scales at a hefty 324kg. (714lbs.dry). The big weight allows it to cruise as well as any fully decked bike is this class. In tight spots it can be a little heavy to move about, but after a few days you get use to the weight. Almost the weight of the big touring bikes.
Suspension on the Valkyrie is as smooth or as stiff as you might want. The inverted front forks are
state of the art, allowing for good handling at high or low speeds, like a sport bike.Braking comes by the way of three disc brakes (two front one rear). These are all double piston calipers giving the bike incredible stopping power as good as any sport bike.
Power is one of the biggest pluses of the Valkyrie. Estimated out put of the Valkyrie is around the 105 to 110 Hp. range (Honda doesn't give Hp. figures).
The Valkyrie's power comes from a six cylinder 1.6L. flat (boxer) single over head cam engine with six 28mm. carburetors. All this gets to the back of the bike via six individual pipes. This gives the bike lightning speed second to none on the street. This kind of power also lends itself so easily to good cruising around the streets.
Looking this over, you can see how the Valkyrie can fill many needs of it's owner. It is as competent on the highway as it is cruising or touring this great country of ours.
The Valkyrie comes in two versions, the Valkyrie and the Valkyrie Tourer. The Tourer comes with
fiberglass saddlebags and windscreen. As you might expect the Valkyrie comes with a host of accessories to make it look any way you want.I really like this bike. It is a great all around bike that does just about everything as well as the specialized bikes. To top it off if looks just great, not quite like any one style of bike.
© Glen Konorowski
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You can e-mail comments or questions to Glen at: glenski@pathcom.com