2014 Valkyrie

[TEWKS]

Not sure what i'd do with it but, a proper power cruiser it is!

2014 Honda Valkyrie – First Look

 

Pat

[Ponch]

The funny thing is, it has an abs option, but not the F6B. Honda is meshuga.

[beemerman2k]

Reminds me of the Rune.

[Burt]

If I were in the market for a cruiser, it would be the Triumph Rocket III.

[Missouri Bob]

When the F6B came out, I thought (and continued to think) that Honda was on the right track by removing the GW's trunk and some of its weight. It seems like a move away from the two-wheeled Accord that the GW has become, and towards the original GL1000.

 

This new Valkyrie could be seen as another step in that direction, BUT its aesthetics don't work for this old man. Naively, I have hoped that the CB1100 would sell well enough to influence the design of other non-entry level Honda motorcycles. I guess not.

 

Although I welcome a simpler and lighter Gold Wing, a round headlamp and less plastic would make for a much more appealing bike.

 

Bob

[Matts_12GS]

Reminds me of the Rune.

 

Overpriced, ugly, souless engineering?

 

Must be a Honda. Or an extra from "Transformers 326 the battle for extending this franchise!"

[upflying]

Nice bike but it's not a harley.

Just another Gold Wing with different plastic.

Waiting now for the Sport Touring version.

[sardineone]

I'm not in the market for a cruiser either. With that said, I think a cruiser better have better looks than that Honda. My son's V-Rod Muscle would be the closest to my taste as it has a great engine although a bit on the heavy side. The only thing I can do about the motorcycle market's fondness to tonnage is to not buy heavy bikes!

[Shaolin Master Sergeant]

I hate the headlight. Looks like Suzuki's M109 and GW250. The rest of the bike doesn't push the right buttons for me. I was looking for a Valkyrie for a long time since I learned to ride on a friend's '97 Valk. But getting a K1600GTL stopped that quest.

[smiller]

Styling not my cup of tea. Plus if you don't mind heavy, complicated, and expensive (and obviously no one who is considering this bike does) then the K1600 has it beat to death.

[tallman]

Looks like you can take one hand off the bars and it still tracks straight...

[TEWKS]

Experienced every internet symptom except that one.

 

Pat

[EffBee]

I don't think Honda does focus groups any more. I feel tha they think, "Hey, we're Honda. They'll buy it."

 

Much of their motorcycle business is regurgitations of long since amortized basic transportation, built either in their foreign factories native to those foreign markets or licensed to a foreign company to manufacture to Honda's specs. Much cheaper than land, tooling, labor and logistics in Japan these days. And the tax breaks in exchange for the jobs are a big incentive, too.

 

The days of Honda having 45-50 models to choose from, and coming out with significant changes to them every two years, are long gone. Even though they sold fewer units back then (worldwide), the reinvested more of their money back into the motorcycle division. Today, they come out with three variations of the 500 twin, a 125cc 4/speed pitbike (fun as it is) that they've been third-world selling in less tarted up form as basic transpo, a 700 V-Twin, and a couple of GW variants. And that's the most significant on-road stuff they've done in a decade.

 

Let's face it. They're a car company hanging on to a legacy for history's sake. Only the efficiencies of local manufacture make that division feasibly comparable in ROI to their automotive division. And all else being equal, if they could divest themselves of the upper end of this two-wheeled albatross, they probably would. I wish it weren't so as I've owned some great Hondas. But time marches on.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Looks like a bike I saw in a movie once.

 

[fourteenfour]

Reminds me of the Rune.

 

Still makes me think there are too many Judge Dredd fans at Honda.

[Shaolin Master Sergeant]

The 750+ lb weight is similar between the K1600 and the new Valk but the power to weight ratio favors the BMW. The original Valk had torque to make it feel that it would pull your arms off but it was lower in the rev range. The K1600 has a different kind of torque. It'll rip 0-60 in 2.9 secs and 10 sec 1/4 miles. A 97 Valk did 1/4 miles in the 12s and 4.5 sec 0-60.

[Ponch]

The 750+ lb weight is similar between the K1600 and the new Valk but the power to weight ratio favors the BMW. The original Valk had torque to make it feel that it would pull your arms off but it was lower in the rev range. The K1600 has a different kind of torque. It'll rip 0-60 in 2.9 secs and 10 sec 1/4 miles. A 97 Valk did 1/4 miles in the 12s and 4.5 sec 0-60.

 

No K1600 does a 10 second quarter mile times, not that I have ever read.

[Shaolin Master Sergeant]

It was in an Aussie motorcycle website. Whether it can do it or not, the performance capabilities of a K1600 is beyond most mortals, bikes or riders.

[Ponch]

It was in an Aussie motorcycle website. Whether it can do it or not, the performance capabilities of a K1600 is beyond most mortals, bikes or riders.

 

You must like drinking Kool-aid. At best I have seen low to mid 11s @ 118-120. Hardly earth shattering, especially for all the HP and torque. If we were talking about a S1000RR, I might agree. The GTL? Hardly. Besides, I am not sure a K1600 can go very far without leaking coolant or it's switchgear failing.

[Shaolin Master Sergeant]

Found the source:

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/features/2012FebruaryK16vC14.pdf

 

[Bud]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Ponch]

Found the source:

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/features/2012FebruaryK16vC14.pdf

 

It's not a GTL and it's the fastest I have read. Most are in the 11s. First I've read in the 10s and we don't know how those numbers were gathered. Are they corrected for STP or the raw numbers? Don't even know where they tested it and how. Most motorcycle mags will give than info.

[Lone_RT_rider]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I thought that was "Beauty is in the eye of the Beer holder"?

[Matts_12GS]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I thought that was "Beauty is in the eye of the Beer holder"?

 

Is that a Kuryakyn beer holder or a Honda beer holders? Inquiring minds want to know!!

[beemerman2k]

Reminds me of the Rune.

 

Overpriced, ugly, souless engineering?

 

Must be a Honda. Or an extra from "Transformers 326 the battle for extending this franchise!"

 

Yeah, that Rune comparison wasn't meant as a compliment.

 

Also, the Suzuki BKing comes to mind, too. Another fugly bike, but I could overlook the looks based upon the performance alone. I'd be happy with that bike

[Shaolin Master Sergeant]

I just saw a projected price of $17k +$1k for ABS at Motorcycle Cruiser magazine. Triumph Rocket, Star V-Max, Ducati Diavel, R1200R, Harley VRod or Valk?

[John Bentall]

Hang on a minute Fernando!

 

I would agree that Honda haven't done much for our sport-touring segment recently. However I do regard the VFR1200 as a significant on-road development & don't understand why it has been such a flop in the market as a replacement for the CB1100XX. Is it just that the market has shifted to adventure bikes?

 

Honda is certainly in the business of mass transportation in local markets using local factories - and is very successful. It is what I would be doing if I ran Honda. China, India and South America is where the market growth is - and even the automobile companies can't build factories there fast enough.

 

Coming back to our segment - the CEO of BMW recently remarked that whatever anyone does H-D will still hold over 70% of the "heavy" touring market in the USA and H-D is doing extremely well in Germany, of all places.

 

So the answer seems to be the Honda is not investing in the high-end market during the recession in the developed world and focussing on emerging markets where simplicity with strong Western overtones is what sells bikes. I think the jury is still out on whether this is a long term strategy.

 

There is certainly nothing that I fancy out of the current Honda range (well, apart from my Honda scooter!)

[g_frey]

It never loaded for me, will try later.

[Rinkydink]

Not sure what i'd do with it but, a proper power cruiser it is!

 

Pat

 

I know what you wouldn't do with it....ride with a passenger on that joke called a rear seat.

[TEWKS]

Yeah, If the girl really likes you it's called a dating seat.

 

Versus the married seat below.

 

Pat

[EffBee]

Hang on a minute Fernando!

 

I would agree that Honda haven't done much for our sport-touring segment recently. However I do regard the VFR1200 as a significant on-road development & don't understand why it has been such a flop in the market as a replacement for the CB1100XX. Is it just that the market has shifted to adventure bikes?

 

Honda is certainly in the business of mass transportation in local markets using local factories - and is very successful. It is what I would be doing if I ran Honda. China, India and South America is where the market growth is - and even the automobile companies can't build factories there fast enough.

 

Coming back to our segment - the CEO of BMW recently remarked that whatever anyone does H-D will still hold over 70% of the "heavy" touring market in the USA and H-D is doing extremely well in Germany, of all places.

 

So the answer seems to be the Honda is not investing in the high-end market during the recession in the developed world and focussing on emerging markets where simplicity with strong Western overtones is what sells bikes. I think the jury is still out on whether this is a long term strategy.

 

There is certainly nothing that I fancy out of the current Honda range (well, apart from my Honda scooter!)

 

John, as you know, it's always a pleasure to read your well-thought-out observations. I think I agree with part of them, which means I'm in good company. But the market in the UK and Europe does differ a bit than the U.S. Certainy if Harley can maintain large-displacement market share in the U.S., and BMW/KTM/Triumph/Ducati grow theirs during the WWRecession, then Honda could, too. But over the past decade, it seems to have slowed new model development in that segment to a crawl. The VFR1200 being an exception, albeit a floundering one stateside (Europe, too?). So it kills off the ST1300/Pan and introduces the F6B and this new Valk? I don't see them as replacements, but a "bagger" GW variant and a resuscitation of a lamented model it also "wisely" chose to terminate.

 

We agree about the massive profits of emerging-market local production (tax breaks) of long-since-amortized small-displacement models with exceptional reliability records. And marketing's being handled through race wins and associative references to performance and reliability. But through the middle and up top, the Wing's been the same for nearly a decade (recent update being mostly cosmetic in the overall meaning of "update"). The cruisers are pretty stagnant (we see more Yamaha and Kawasaki high-bars on the road than Hondas here in CA). And apparently Honda sees only the entry level as worthy of new models, the CBR250/300 and three CB500 variants attesting, and even they are 5 years late to market. So, IMHO, Honda has changed its business plan. It is no longer interested in being #1 in all categories. It has decided that IF it's going to continue in the two-wheeled game, that its fortunes are tied to selective volume rather than overall volume. And those selective categories, to me, are global two-wheeled transportation, but only a little that I can consider a true, fully capable, excitement filled machines that I would call a "motorcycles." I still think Honda has, for the most part, abandoned that, although there are a few CBR examples in limited production and playing off the MotoGP rep, and in some cases, just the livery. So I see them actually sliding out of the "motorcycle" business and becoming the VW of two wheels in the underdeveloped or struggling world, which today is most places. Not a bad plan. But not the Honda with the killer instinct of old. Just the revenue instinct. As for whether this is a long-term strategy, if it isn't then Honda is betting that it can regain midsize market share on the strength of its name, rather than by maintaining at least a stagnant presence, which I think is dangerous when approaching current and future customers who would say, "Soichiro who?".

 

I think the game plan has changed a bit for everyone else, too. Yamaha's mid-size street bikes start with FZR's, and Kawasaki has almost nothing between their top selling 250/300 Ninja and the similarly branded 636 (although the Versys and variants could be considered mid-size in performance to their similarly displaced four-cylinder brethren). Suzuki, divested of its mishandled car division and clinging life every day by more and more than just its fingernails, survives by means of SV650, V-strom and ATV sales (and a few GSX-R's to the rare 19-y/o who has a job), strong marine sales, and a stubborn belief that Power Cruisers are what posers are really looking for.

 

I've spent my career in this industry. So that means what, that I've got about double the insight of the average consumer's 5% when it comes to figuring out what the Japanese are trying to do? That's still bupkus. But it's what I base my opinions on and unless I come to learn more than I currently know, I'm sticking to it.

 

Perhaps some day we can discuss this over a properly poured black and tan.

[Jim Nollet]

Always find it funny when a Harley guy is on a BMW board bashing a Honda, if you were not in a little bubble you would see the humor in this.. But anyways, Honda is the largest motorcycle manufacture in the world, their (and BMW) are faster, stronger more efficient. Not sure on the BMWs but know Harleys spend 12 times as much on maintenance then Honda's. Part of the irony of you posting this on a BMW site is the bigger part of Harleys appeal to the outcast after the WW2 was it was American made, that was part of the whole gang thing of people coming back from WW2, they had to have an American made bike, so mostly either a Harley or Indian, NO GERMAN bikes, German bikes were big in WW2 and were not allowed in the American culture at that time. This is where the whole American made started from, Japan wasn't really making bikes then. Germany was always known for their engineering, the Japanese were always known for their engineering. What was Harley always known for? Which manufacture has the worst safety record? Guess which one has the by FAR highest cost of ownership. Guess which one has the most problems. But your right, ya that's it, it has soul, that's what they keep telling you. Hate to burst your bubble on another thing, but do your homework on if you think the average Harley is American made.

You know personally I think if you like Harleys buy one, I am a BMW and Honda fan, and drive at least 8000 per summer and have for 35 years, some years while living in Florida, I have put 30,000 in a year. Bottom line is I find people who actually ride their bikes for the joy of riding which is everybody except for some Harley people don't care what you ride, just enjoying the sport.

Anyways just joined this forum because I always admired the boxer engine, and was thinking of getting either a Valkyrie or a BMW Boxer style, all I have heard is good things about the boxer engine and wanted to know more

 

[tallman]

If we're talking numbers, of 2 wheeled mc's/scooters, Hero Moto Co of India is #1.

Honda pulled out of their arrangement in India a while back.

 

Eric Buell has a deal w/them, they own 49% of EBR and

have the capital to produce and support his new bikes.

 

 

The Valk will find its niche.

[Bud]

Always find it funny when a Harley guy is on a BMW board bashing a Honda, if you were not in a little bubble you would see the humor in this.. But anyways, Honda is the largest motorcycle manufacture in the world, their (and BMW) are faster, stronger more efficient. Not sure on the BMWs but know Harleys spend 12 times as much on maintenance then Honda's. Part of the irony of you posting this on a BMW site is the bigger part of Harleys appeal to the outcast after the WW2 was it was American made, that was part of the whole gang thing of people coming back from WW2, they had to have an American made bike, so mostly either a Harley or Indian, NO GERMAN bikes, German bikes were big in WW2 and were not allowed in the American culture at that time. This is where the whole American made started from, Japan wasn't really making bikes then. Germany was always known for their engineering, the Japanese were always known for their engineering. What was Harley always known for? Which manufacture has the worst safety record? Guess which one has the by FAR highest cost of ownership. Guess which one has the most problems. But your right, ya that's it, it has soul, that's what they keep telling you. Hate to burst your bubble on another thing, but do your homework on if you think the average Harley is American made.

You know personally I think if you like Harleys buy one, I am a BMW and Honda fan, and drive at least 8000 per summer and have for 35 years, some years while living in Florida, I have put 30,000 in a year. Bottom line is I find people who actually ride their bikes for the joy of riding which is everybody except for some Harley people don't care what you ride, just enjoying the sport.

Anyways just joined this forum because I always admired the boxer engine, and was thinking of getting either a Valkyrie or a BMW Boxer style, all I have heard is good things about the boxer engine and wanted to know more

 

Wow, interesting first post to say the least.

 

 

[Shaolin Master Sergeant]

To Ponch,

I was too busy riding my K1600 and haven't noticed your internet-based expertise. Just as well, reading about my bike's capabilities is not as fun as finding out for myself. Have fun on the keyboard.

[Ponch]

To Ponch,

I was too busy riding my K1600 and haven't noticed your internet-based expertise. Just as well, reading about my bike's capabilities is not as fun as finding out for myself. Have fun on the keyboard.

 

As I don't have a K1600 or a C14, it's a moot point. What can I say, I am a stickler for details.

[Matts_12GS]

To Ponch,

I was too busy riding my K1600 and haven't noticed your internet-based expertise. Just as well, reading about my bike's capabilities is not as fun as finding out for myself. Have fun on the keyboard.

 

 

Full Point?

 

 

 

[Matts_12GS]

Always find it funny when a Harley guy is on a BMW board bashing a Honda, if you were not in a little bubble you would see the humor in this..

 

 

How about the Harley built Boxer?

[Ponch]

To Ponch,

I was too busy riding my K1600 and haven't noticed your internet-based expertise. Just as well, reading about my bike's capabilities is not as fun as finding out for myself. Have fun on the keyboard.

 

 

Full Point?

 

 

 

That and 2.50 will get you a ride on a NY subway. Honestly, I don't think I deserved that response.

[Glenn Reed]

How about if we just get back to talking about motorcycles here gang? This has gotten way off track.

[Matts_12GS]

Ponch, was just having a little fun based on the Shaolin screen name. No offense intended, just a little fun.

[Ponch]

Ponch, was just having a little fun based on the Shaolin screen name. No offense intended, just a little fun.

 

Sorry if I came off a little brash. I didn't expect that response and it's been awhile since I had posted originally anyway. I guess I just reacted.

[Glenn Reed]

Thanks for bringing the temperature back down guys.

[Exploreinman]

Exactly, it's not a Harley. It's smooth, corners well, and has precision braking...it's not a Harley!

[Dieter30]

Exactly, it's not a Harley. It's smooth, corners well, and has precision braking...it's not a Harley!

 

Is it possible that you don't like Harleys?

[Ponch]

Exactly, it's not a Harley. It's smooth, corners well, and has precision braking...it's not a Harley!

 

Is it possible that you don't like Harleys?

 

he probably invented the idea.

[Glenn Reed]

 

he probably invented the idea.

 

I thought it was Al Gore?

[Ponch]

 

he probably invented the idea.

 

I thought it was Al Gore?

 

No, he invented the internet.

[Jim Nollet]

Sorry, that was in response to some fool guy bashing the Valkyrie as a no soul bike, unlike his beloved harley. I just found it humorous a harley owner would go on a BMW site and bash a honda, is kinda ironic.

[The Unforgiven]

The Harley is a "Me Too" bike.

"I have a V-twin", "Me too".

This design does have a very loyal following because they are thin to sit on and are powerful. Quite a few motorcycle manufacturers have taken advantage of this by hopping on that band wagon. But the V-4, in-line 3 or 4, and opposing 4 or 6, are much smoother motors.

 

I'm looking to buy a new bike. I like big naked cruisers.

The Yamaha V-MAX gets 75 miles to a tank, has a high performance, bad-to-the-bone 175hp motor, but has the same up-keep that all high performance bikes have. The Triumph Rocket III, and the Honda Valkyrie have mid-performance motors that are so large, that these bikes are also considered to be high performance, yet are very low maintenance. I like everything about the Triumph Rocket III except the large air cleaner is in my way. The Honda Valkyrie is thin, and more comfortable for me to sit on. Since they've added fuel injection to the list of up-grades, it also gets 10 more Horse Power and better gas mileage. I also like the radiator design. In 1976, my KZ900 cost me $2,600. Man, have the prices gone up. The Triumph Rocket III is $15,999, and the Honda Valkyrie and the Yamaha V-MAX are both $17,999.