Controversial statement time: in my opinion, the Honda Gold Wing’s flat six – be it in 1500cc or 1800cc form – is one of the best engines in motorcycling. Possibly THE best. There are caveats to that depending on specific intended use, of course. It probably wouldn’t be the best powerplant for an off-road bike, for example. But, overall – broadly speaking – that engine is a joy factory.
So it’s always been a slight mystery to me that the Valkyrie wasn’t more popular. I mean, you take Honda’s fantastic 1582cc engine, strip away all the cumbersome fairing and ride around on a powerplant the size of a Volkswagen, delighting in oodles of power and torque and smoothness. In fact, more power and torque than a Gold Wing. What’s not to like?
And yet, it never really caught on. Certainly it’s true that the Valkyrie wasn’t a flop, but I can’t help feeling it didn’t achieve the iconic status that perhaps it should have. It may be that some of the blame goes to the bike’s aesthetic. It feels a little confused. Ostentatious – as any 1500cc cruiser would have to be – but not consistently so. “The Valkyrie possesses an odd blend of styling cues,” observed the July 1996 issue of Cycle World. “The nostalgic-looking valanced fenders and chromed headlight nacelle contrast markedly with the futuristic aerostyle mag wheels and inverted fork.”
“Fortunately, whatever misgivings we had about the Valky’s form were eradicated by its function,” continued the magazine. “None of the GL1500 motor’s traditional charms were lost in the hot-rodding process.” The Valkyrie promised peak power outputs of 100 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. Crucially, much of that power was available quite low in the range, with maximum torque coming in around 5000 rpm. This touring version was introduced in 1997 – simply a base model with windscreen and lockable saddlebags.
Some bikes age into beauty; things riders scoffed at decades ago can become iconic and endearing. And some other bikes… maybe less so. Twenty-seven years after this particular example rolled off the production line in Marysville, Ohio… what are your thoughts? Which of those two boxes do you think the Valkyrie falls into? If you’re inclined to see a classic, this certainly appears to be a well-kept example.
With 33,500 miles on the clock (pretty much just break-in mileage for this engine), this GL1500CT Valkyrie Tourer is for sale for $4,995 in Las Vegas, Nevada, here on eBay.