2014 HONDA VALKYRIE
BY KIT PALMER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
W
hen Honda introduced
the first Valkyrie in
1996, it also introduced
what many consider was the first
of an all-new category of motor-
cycle – muscle cruiser. Boasting
more than 100 horsepower and
100 pounds-feet of torque from its
ultra-smooth 1520cc horizontally
opposed six-cylinder motor (bor-
rowed from the Honda Gold Wing)
it certainly was all muscle and a
beast, albeit a friendly beast. And
it was, without a doubt, the king
of burnouts. It was also a big hit
for Honda initially, but after hitting
its target base fairly quickly, sales
started to dwindle.
Honda tried to create new in-
terest in the Valkyrie by focusing
on a different group of riders,
offering a touring version of the
Valkyrie, and then the Valkyrie In-
terstate, but the Valkyrie in gener-
al had run its course and was dis-
continued altogether after 2001.
It returned briefly a couple of
years later as the 1832cc Valkyrie
Rune, a limited edition, concept-
turned-production custom cruiser
that featured way-out-there styl-
ing and a massive $25,000-plus
price tag. It was a huge departure
from the original Valkyrie and was
only offered that one year. For
Honda, though, the Rune wasn't
so much about making a ton of
money as it was about just testing
the waters and seeing what kind
of reaction it got from the general
public. It must've been fairly posi-
tive. Have you seen all the futuris-
tic machines coming from Honda
FIRST RIDE
P86
We take a spin on Honda's all-new Valkyrie
RIDES AGAIN
Valkyrie
