HONDA VALKYRIE TOURER
Every conversation about the Valkyrie starts with its engine. Absolutely unique in cruising, that mammoth flat six is imposing, intriguing, eye-catching and exciting. Its almost automotive design springs from its original duty, powering the Gold Wing touring bike. It was something of a shocker when transmogrified for cruising duty. With a brief wave of the hot-rodder's wand, Honda also made its cruiser a musclebike.
Powerful, smooth, and reliable, the Valkyrie invited you to go traveling, even before Honda started equipping it for that purpose. The Valkyrie Tourer, introduced for '97, broadened that invitation with a windshield and saddlebags added to an otherwise standard Valkyrie. This year Honda went further still, making major changes to create the Valkyrie Interstate, which takes the flat six almost back to its Gold Wing form.
The basic Valkyrie garnered top marks in our Flagships comparison last August. Power, handling, comfort, great brakes and a singular, self-confident style helped it to best seven other brands' top cruisers in the eyes and the seats of the pants of our testers. The conversion from basic Valkyrie to Valkyrie Tourer involves nothing more than the addition of a windshield and hard saddlebags. No other parts need to be altered, beefed up or reconfigured to handle the additional equipment and load. Aside from brackets and colors, the bikes are identical.
The Valkyrie engine represents...
The Valkyrie engine represents Honda tradition, having sprung from the 1500cc Gold Wing pure-touring machine introduced in 1988. With six cylinders and carburetors, the Valkyrie's flat six is also the most powerful of the engines in these touring cruisers, and it has the widest power spread, pulling smoothly from just off idle to redline. Finally it is the smoothest engine engine here.
No one mistakes the Valkyrie for a Harley. That long, flat, liquid-cooled engine with its polished-chrome covers over the single overhead cams on the sides and cam-drive belts in front doesn't make the least pretense of being another air-cooled V-twin. Then there are the carbs with their manifolds curving down into the engine. And the smooth, quick-revving sound speaks more of a highly tuned race car than a lumbering V-twin.
Honda took it own course elsewhere too. The gracefully curving lines of the headlight's eyebrow, the fat upside-down fork legs and the squared-off fishtail-esque style of the removable muffler tips are all originals.
You can see much of the motorcycle's design philosophy in the instruments. Instead of setting them in the trendy but hard-to-see site atop the fuel tank, Honda put the gauges up above the headlight. There is also a tachometer, a rarity among cruisers. It tells you that Honda is serious about performance of this bike.
Specifications
1999 Honda Valkyrie Tourer
Designation: GL1500CT
Suggested base price: $14,199
Standard colors: Black
Extra cost colors: Red/ivory, black/silver, add $500
Standard warranty: 36 mos., unlimited miles
Recommended service interval: 8000 miles
ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
Type: liquid-cooled horizontally opposed 6
Valve arrangement: SOHC, one intake, one exhaust, operated by rocker arms, screw-type adjusters
Displacement, bore x stroke: 1520cc, 71mm x 64mm
Compression ratio: 9.8:1
Carburetion: 6, 28mm
Lubrication: wet sump, spin-on filter, 4.5 qt.
Transmission: hydraulically actuated wet clutch, 5 speeds
Final drive: shaft, 2.833:1
Our favorite bike in this...
Our favorite bike in this group, the Valkyrie Tourer, was discontinued after the 2000 model, shown here.
CHASSIS
Wheelbase: 66.5 in.
Overall length: 100.2 in.
Rake / trail: 32.3 degrees / 5.98 in.
Wheels: Cast, 17x3.5 front, 16x5.5 rear
Front tire: Dunlop 150/80R 17 D206F tubeless radial
Rear tire: Dunlop 180/70R16 D206F tubeless radial
Front brake: 2, single-action dual-piston caliper, 11.65-in. disc
Rear brake: single-action caliper, 12.44-in. disc
Front suspension: 45mm inverted, 5.1 in. travel, internally adjustable spring preload
Rear suspension: 2 dampers, 4.7 in. travel, adjustable for spring preload
Fuel capacity: 5.3 gal., (1.1 gal reserve)
Wet weight: 775 lb.
GVWR: 1166 lb.
Handlebar width: 34.0 in.
Seat height: 29.1 in.
Inseam equivalent: 33.8 in.
ELECTRICAL & INSTRUMENTATION
Charging output: 546 watts
Battery: 12v, 12AH, maintenance-free
Forward lighting: 7-in. 55/60-watt headlight, position lights
Taillight: single bulb
Instruments: speedometer, odometer, tripmeter, tachometer; warning lights for high beam, turns signals, neutral, low oil pressure, sidestand
PERFORMANCE
Fuel mileage: 31 to 38 mpg, 34.0 mpg average
Average range: 180 miles
RPM at 60 mph, top gear: 2990
200-yard, top-gear acceleration from 50 mph, terminal speed: 73.0 mph
Quarter-mile acceleration: 12.95 sec., 101.4 mph