Honda Valkyrie Interstate

And that's where the trouble started - the two-up thing. Up till then I'd owned a string of tasty sports-tourers back at home, but my ever-growing daughters were noticably absent from the rear seats. However you throw a GoldWing-sized bike into the equation and suddenly you're fighting the perishers off with a stick.

Though I adore those special solo trips on a capable and fast motorsickle, I also thoroughly enjoy travelling with a passenger. Sometimes they make you do things you wouldn't normally consider, or just provide company when you pull up for an ale or coffee somewhere.

A few weeks in America with a Wing, with daughter Ms M junior on board, proved I could not only live with a big tourer but would enjoy it. So it's Honda's fault for providing the test bike.

Back home
Much as I like the Wing, the $40k ask is out of my range. However a Valkyrie Interstate demo came up at a more modest price. That's mine, and it's been named "Mac". Don't ask...

It was somehow inevitable that a Valkyrie would sneak into the shed. I've long been a fan of the naked Valks, mostly because they were the only performance cruisers (yeah, I know, an oxymoron) out there for a while and the whole idea of a hot-rodded flat six powerplant was just too silly to ignore. Along the way they proved to be reliable, while delivering enough performance to keep your mind on the job.

I'll admit to being suckered a little by the hot-rod styling influences, like more chrome than you could shake a conrod at, or even the "frenched" (that's hot-rod-talk, apparently) tail lights in the "trunk" (topbox, for the rest of us). So now Mac the Valk, a 2000 model, sits in the shed.

Most of the time it quietly sits under a dust cover in the garage. And when the cover comes off, I still (months into ownership) get a shock at its appearance. It's about as subtle as a smack in the head with an anvil. Or as fellow Lemmings MC member Morally put it one day, "I see you got the full gargoyle pack." There's chrome and cylinders in every direction and one doesn't so much arrive at a destination as make a guest appearance. Sometimes the front wheel seems to arrive half an hour before the rider. Silly.

But does it work?
It depends on what you define as working. One punter I spoke to recently reckons the Valk Interstate is more true to the 'original' GoldWing touring idea than the current 1800. That's debatable, though Honda's revival of the Interstate name is more than a coincidence.

What you get is part Valkyrie, including the six-carb screw-and-locknut tappet version of the 1500 engine. It claimed over 100 horses in the naked bike, and claims further tweaks to boost mid-range power in this. You also get a modded frame, lower seat, altered suspension and bigger fuel tank (up significantly to 26 litres). Brakes use the two-piston calipers shared by the naked Valk, and a host of other Hondas over recent years - the front end runs semi-floating discs.

Added to that lot is the steering-mounted fairing, panniers and topbox. Stock trim includes a radio, with front speakers only - plus wiring for lots of add-ons.

All up it weighs a heftly 350 kilos (claimed), which isn't outrageous for such a big motorcycle.

Performance is respectable - it accelerates at an indecent rate. Cornering ability is limited by the modest (good in cruiser terms, but poor in any other) cornering clearance. The happy news is the suspension is capable and the tyres allow you to hold the footpegs on the deck as long as you like.

Steering is slow, to the point where it has a strong tendency to run wide. You need to plan ahead. Which means enter the turn wide and slow, pull in narrow, fire the throttle, and be prepared to bully it. Steering is very much via the handlebars (much like the 1800 Wing), as 'body-english' has little or no effect.

Braking is okay, even fully-loaded, but nothing to write home about. Again, you need to be assertive.

Stability is excellent at anything up to 160kmh. Beyond that, there can be times when a stray wind gust will catch the fairing and make the steering a little wobbly.

The stock tyres work well in the dry, but feel vague in the wet - that's cruiser tyres for you. The Valk is heavy enough to make them grip, and mileage seems to be about 10,000km when used hard, or half again if treated gently.

One feature that's copped a caning elsewhere on the web is the 14-button (more or less) stereo control on the left handlebar. It looks complex and will severely test the patience of a test-rider. However an owner will suss it (particularly if you have a teenager nearby), even without a manual, and it works better than the GoldWing's combo of handlebar and tank-mounted controls. Harley has been running a similar unit for years.

Recommended mods
Something which annoys me about this bike (and the Wing) is rear speakers and dual headsets are not stock. I have both fitted to this bike.

The headsets are particularly valuable (despite the @ $900 ask) as they provide infinitely better sound from the stereo, and include an intercom. You will however have to modify a pair of helmets to make them work properly, which means cutting into the lining - despite what the instructions say. They are worth their weight in the proverbial.

Another useful addition is the MCCruise electronic cruise control on this bike. This is a modified aftermarket car item, with adapters made for the model, and works a treat. I haven't checked the price for a while, but look for MCCruise.com on the web.

Standing about 6'3", I also had difficulty with the windscreen which I could easily look over. It gave me a fair bit of buffeting and noise - so it was off to Tulsa Enterprises in the USA (via the F6 Valkyrie web site) for a taller item. It's six inches (@18cm) higher than stock, and significantly wider, costing about $300 landed in Oz. Fit is fine, though be warned you'll be looking through, rather than over, the screen. What I'm now getting is more mechanical noise reflected back at me, but no more wind hassles. Happy with that.

Though performance is strong, it also feels strangled. After a lot of research on the web, I discovered that Cobra's six-into-six pipes look (and sound) sexy but cost you horses. The best bet in performance terms is Two Brothers Valk system, but it would cost something ridiculous like $3000 to land one here.

I ended up buying Honda's six-pipe muffler ends, which were a dress item only. But while fitting them I discovered the Oz muffler restrictors (which reduced the six outlets from around 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch) and cut them off with an angle grinder. Not subtle, but an accompanying change to 8-range NGK plugs (from 7-range) delivered sharper throttle response and a little more noise. Plug readings since then indicate no damage - just a nice light grey/tan on the insulators. Didn't want the noise, but the sharper throttle response is welcome.

Pillion reports
So far, so good. You need to train your pillion to stand on the nearest peg to mount, otherwise they'll belt (and scratch) the offside pannier with their boot. Even experienced rider Ms M senior likes travelling on the Valk, mostly because it feels secure, and partly because I found that virtual jukebox show she was after on the radio.

Ms M Junior bought me a Sony Discman for it, which plugs into an easily-found jack under the seat. Ms A junior reckons it looks "cool".

In any case, the pillion perch is good. More experienced Wing fans reckon it sits somewhere between the old 1500 and the current 1800 in the comfort stakes.

Luggage
The topbox takes two large Shoei or Arai helmet shells with a little room to spare. Fantastic. There are also two external helmet locks. The panniers are a little more difficult - heaps of space, but they're top-loading through a narrow opening.

Servicing
Recommended service intervals for the tappets are 18,000km. Jack at the local Honda emporium assures me this is ultra-conservative, and that it will easily make 20,000. So until further notice, I'm changing the oil and filter at 5000 intervals and plan a major service (including a carb synch) at 20k. The first set of brake pads went west at 15,000km.

Wing engines - fours or sixes - are famous for doing big miles, with 200,000km being well within reach. You'll probably change the timing belts at the halfway point.

How does it stack up?
When it comes to price, it's 12k under a Wing, which gives you a fair margin to spend on a few extras - the latter has cruise, ABS, bigger side-loading panniers and more grunt from an injected engine.

BMW and Harley are the only other serious competitors. The Bimm K12, at the time or writing, stacks up very well when it comes to features for dollar - albeit at about 5k more than the Valk.

And the Harley Glide? I'm a fan of the ElectraGlide series and one reason I bought the Valk was it reminded me of the H-D, but offered more horses and real-estate.

I like the Valk, partly because it's so outrageous and partly because I know I can rely on it. So far so good...

Story: Guy Allen