VOL. 51 ISSUE 16 APRIL 22, 2014 P91
its weight well. Its long 67.2-inch
wheelbase, 29-degrees of rake
and 4.5 inches of trail, low cen-
ter of gravity and wide tires com-
bine to offer up a stable yet re-
sponsive ride. Nothing happens
quickly on the Valkyrie when it
comes to handling but it still feels
remarkably light, agile and very
maneuverable on the twisties.
You do, however, start feeling its
weight in the parking lot, but the
low seat height helps make low-
speed maneuvering more man-
ageable.
Compared to the F6B, the
Valkyrie's rubber-mounted han-
dlebars are set 1.3 inches farther
forward, are 1.5 inches taller and
are a little over a half-inch wider.
Footpegs are positioned 1.3 inch-
es higher and 0.6 inches forward
for a more aggressive seating po-
sition.
The wide handlebars provide
great leverage for easy corner-
to-corner transitions, keeping
your confidence high when the
ride starts getting more spirited.
You'll be scrapping the pegs be-
fore you know it, but not as soon
as you would on the F6B or Gold
Wing. Still, you'll be surprised
how fast you can go before the
scrapping starts. It's very sporty
for a big cruiser.
We found the Valkyrie to be
well suspended with its 45mm
fork, which incorporates a car-
tridge damper, and single-shock
Pro-Link rear suspension system,
with a single-side swingarm/
driveshaft. The Val' has a firm but
livable-with ride and we didn't re-
ally miss not having damping ad-
justments (but that could change
if we were to live with it longer).
Preload, however, is available in
the back, via a dial-type remote
adjuster, but we didn't feel the
need to change it.
The braking system is pretty
basic on the Valkyrie. They aren't
linked in anyway, so you are re-
sponsible for braking operations
of both ends. Overall, there is
plenty of braking power from the
Valkyrie's larger 310mm (296mm
on the F6B and Gold Wing) dual-
floating rotors and four-piston
calipers up front and the 316mm
single rotor in the back, and
Honda went for the Raging Bull look
with the Valkyrie. It looks even more
impressive in person.
