drmbradford
Written: Dec 15 '02 (Updated Dec 28 '03)
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Pros: Unique, eye-catching, intimidating motorcycle
Cons: Huge, gas hungry motorcycle
The Bottom Line: A large, impressive, unique, 6 Carburator, intimidating sport cruiser that is in a class by itself
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| drmbradford's Full Review: 2000 Honda Valkyrie |
I'm a compulsive guy. I shopped around a lot before I bought My '98 Honda Valk, trading in my smaller Honda. Here's the "updated" scoop that I can tell you after 14 months of ownership (9-02 to 12-03) and lots of pleasant riding.
(1) It's a unique, large sport cruiser with an incredibly smooth 6 carbuerator engine. Uncannily smooth, the motor feels like a turbine. Definitely not a V-Twin vibration in the whole machine. Nothing else looks like it on the road. You will not be embarrassed parking it next to any motorcycle. People WILL notice you, if that is want you want. Everyone respects it.
(2) It uses gas, lots of it, between 30 and 40 MPG is what you'll get. But it's so fun, it makes you want to throttle on, throttle off, and waste gas. It's addictively fast, but it can putter around. It's very smooth to accelerate and it doesn't feel like a V-Twin at all. I want to repeat. . it does not vibrate like a V-Twin whatsoever. It's uncannily smooth and turbine-like, in a way you may have never felt on a motorcycle before. This is one reason some people love it as a cruiser. At higher speed, any vibrations or wind buffeting you experience are not the motor's fault. . the motor is as smooth as can be.
V-Twins are tuned to have low end torque, Crotch Rockets are tuned for HP at high rpm's, and the Valkyrie is in between. At about 100 horse power, it also has plenty of low end torque, but my particular bike makes me want to give it the revs and get the rpm's up there and launch it at a higher rpm than I did on my V-Twin.
The point I'm trying to make is that the Valk is a Sport Cruiser that feels like a cross between a V-Twin and a Crotch Rocket. It's like a large cruiser with a large crotch rocket motor, if that makes sense. If you want to really accelerate like a rocket you have to twist the throttle and get the rpm's going a bit higher than your V-twin brothers (but nowhere near as high as the crotch rockets.) If you don't mind twisting the throttle and power shifting through the gears, you will be rewarded with authoritative and rapid acceleration. One of my friends commented it was like a "turbine" and a "sledge-hammer" when accelerating. That big motor can "launch" you like you've been hit with a hammer. But the bike's smooth engine will feel like it's loafing as it quickly accelerates you to speeds beyond the legal limits. If necessary, it will poke around doing the low speed slaloms at your local parking lot. It has so much torque, you really don't need to give it much if any gas for some of those maneuvers. The point I'm trying to make, is that if you really want to launch this bike, it feels better launching when you give it some gas and let the rpm's build up higher than a V-Twin. Some V-Twins sound "ill" when you rev up the rpm's, not so on the Valkyrie. Don't worry, you don't feel out of control launching it, it will be smooth and there is no vibration.
Want a thrill? Twist the throttle and power shift this bike, it is steady, strong and amazingly smooth while feeling like it's hardly trying. Like riding a magic genie that still has a lot of tricks left up it's sleeve.
INTERSTATE CRUISING: A word about highway cruising or interstate cruising. That is not my favorite thing, but this bike is pretty good at it, better than several I've ridden. Even people who have traded their Valks have missed the smoothness of this bike on the interstate. People who have traded their Valks for the latest Goldwing (also an awesome bike) miss the "cool sport cruiser look" of the Valkyrie for around town riding. The Goldwing GL1800 is an awesome bike and probably (in my subjective opinion) the ultimate interstate cruiser at this moment. But to me, it doesn't have the "look" of the Valkyrie. If I were going across many states, I would probably prefer the Goldwing GL1800. But I ride around town and with friends, on short trips, to restaurants, work, etc. That was the look I wanted....not an interstate cruiser look. The Standard Valk (appropriately tricked out) can give you that cool around-town sport cruiser look, while doubling as an interstate cruiser when you need it to. If I were a diehard Valk Interstate Cruiser rider and I was planning on putting thousands of interstate miles on it, I would change the gear cogs to lower the total RPM's so it would cruise at a lower RPM at higher speed. This is just personal preference, but the RPM's are a bit higher than I would like at higher speed in 5th gear. But then again, it's not near as high in the rpm's as my friend's 4 speed Vulcan, as his rpm's are really high at cruising speed. Almost every bike I've had or have ridden I have wished for lower rpm's at higher speed. As far as my Valk, I wish I had a sixth gear when I go at high speeds for long distances. But after market parts are available to fix that. Some people don't seem to mind a little higher RPM at cruising speed. But please know that the Valk is geared great for around the town cruising. The gearing is perfect with torque anytime you want it. It's got so much power and torque, that you have power in any gear, almost any time. Gears are pretty easy to find and if you miss a gear, you can probably launch it in almost any gear you happen to fall in. This is testimony to the torque and power of it's 6 cylinder motor.
(3) It handles great for such a big cruiser. It's surprisingly agile when you get it rolling. But it's not an ideal bike for people who want to ride narrow back roads or dirt roads, that is not it's style. This is a boulevard or highway cruiser, also a great around-town cruiser or interstate cruiser.
(4) It's heavy. (Note: So is the VTX, Road King, etc.) If you get it off balance at a redlight, you will be in trouble unless you are really strong. I have dropped mine once, it did not hurt it. Amazingly, the engine guard caught it and it kind of just lay there tilted over. .. but not really all the way down. It scratched the engine guard (tiny scratch, not even noticeable), but did nothing else to the bike (Thank God!) Please be aware that it might be too heavy for some people to pick up if you drop it! (I used to have a small bike that was so light, I could manhandle it into about any parking spot). Now with a big Valkyrie, I stay away from hillside parking spaces, drive-in's on hills with difficult parking, etc. Again, this would be the same problem for many large bikes by the other manufacturers.
(5) It's Big: Most Valkyrie shoppers are initially intimidated by the size of this bike, before they drive it. But you get over it once it starts rolling even a little. This hugeness was the one thing that scared me the most when considering this bike over other ones. I went back over and over and sat on it at various dealerships, trying to get past the initial fear of the size of the machine. I read review after review trying to see if others felt the way I did before I rode it, and when I was just sitting on it. It is huge and intimidating when you first sit on it, but once you get rolling it is docile and easy to control, and it's easy to get rolling. Please remember that any bike this size (Harley, Yamaha, etc) is going to be heavy and any of them needs your immediate attention when you stop at a red light or stop sign. I just remember to wear good shoes or boots so my feet won't slip on an oil slick, and I pay careful attention when coming to a full stop to get my feet down. Also, my wife says this bike looks like it's made for a bigger person. If you are short, it may not be the bike for you, and you might want to look elsewhere. If you are small in stature, you may look small on this large bike, and you might want to consider that. On the other hand, if you are on the heavier, stockier or taller side, your size will fit this bike better as far as appearance riding it. (I know, I know, this is a subjective opinion.)
(6) It is comfortable for long or short trips. I have a Mustang seat, extremely comfortable, but it raises you up another inch higher. . something that some shorter riders need to remember. Corbin's seats lower you about an inch lower than stock, and are a better choice for those short of leg. Also, this bike has an "upright" seating position that I find very comfortable. I have a Mustang backrest which I use for longer trips, but take it off for around town and most cruising. My rear end never gets tired on this Mustang seat, but my legs get a little tired on long trips with the upright position. Part of that is because you have to spread your legs a little wider on this bike, because of the huge engine between your legs. To combat this occasional uncomfortable leg feeling on long trips, I have some forward pegs mounted. It's a common mod I see on many Valks and it's fairly inexpensive to do for you interstate cruiser types.
(7) It doesn't require much maintenance, unlike old Harley's. In fact, my bike now has 9500 miles, is 5 years old, and looks like it just came out of the show room. It has had zero repair, still has the same original battery, starts and runs like a top. It has "zero" leaks, never has. It has had the oil changed with synthetic oil every spring. But it may require the occasional trip to Honda and some of the labor/parts aren't dirt cheap. But then again, Honda's don't seem to need as much repair as many other brands. The motor uses "no" oil and the engine feels like it could go thousands and thousands of miles.
The big Dunlop tires tend to go quickly (7 to 10,000 miles might be optimistic) but they are coming down in price. Aggressive driving makes the Dunlops go faster. There are loads of aftermarket parts, plenty of opportunities for customizing, and my bike is a subtle yellow and white custom job. This machine has the feel of excellent engineering. . . over and over again the parts give you that feel, the handling through curves, the solidness and stability it has at speeds, the brakes, etc. It's an impressive feat of engineering and the Honda Valkyrie exudes quality. You get the feel that you can get on the bike and go cross country now, and there are no rattles or sounds that give you cause for worry. This is very unlike a few other brands I won't mention.
That's about it. If you are reading this and trying to decide whether to spring for one, don't let the "bigness" stop you from riding one or considering it because honestly, once you get it rolling or drive it you will quickly forget how big it felt at first. That is now a fading memory, now I just get on it and grin, and take off. Overall, if you are looking for a big cruiser that garners attention and respect from most all corners, you will like this bike. If you are a chrome lover, you can buy all kinds of chrome for this bike and motor, and that 6 cylinder motor will look awesome. If you are looking for a small cruiser to toss around because of it's light weight, and to knock around back roads and get great gas mileage, this is not your bike. You are better off buying something smaller for that, better yet buy two bikes: One cruiser like this for around town and highway driving, and the smaller bike for the backroads. But be warned, the smoothness and power of this bike is addicting. Once you own a bike of this size and power for the street or highway, it's hard going back to a smaller bike with less power.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8250
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1998
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Epinions.com ID:
drmbradford
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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