2014–2017 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Sold in the US as Honda Valkyrie GL1800C
The Flat-Six Muscle Cruiser
Strip the bodywork off a full-dress tourer and you get this: 1832 cc of liquid-cooled flat-six sitting in plain sight, 116 hp at 5,500 rpm and 125 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm going to the back wheel through a shaft and a 5-speed box. There is no fairing, no luggage, no touring furniture. What stays is the part Honda never compromises on, the engine and the rigid chassis around it. ABS and tire pressure monitoring come standard, and that is the whole electronics story. In its class it is the outlier: the touring drivetrain, none of the touring shell.
It rides like a big machine that shrinks once the speedo passes walking pace, and it ages the way Honda flat-sixes age, which is slowly and without drama. Reliability is the highest number on its scorecard for a reason. This suits a rider who wants effortless roll-on and real presence on a two-lane road, and who does not need the bike to solve weather. The honest caveat: at 746 lb with no screen, no cruise control and no factory bags, the long days you plan on it are days you have to want. Comfort here is engine comfort, not shelter.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 116 hp (85 kW) @ 5,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 125 lb-ft (170 Nm) @ 4,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1832 cc |
| Engine | Flat-six (boxer)Motorcycles With Boxer Engines → |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 5-speed |
| Final drive | ShaftMotorcycles With Shaft Drive → |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front tire | 130/60-19 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Seat height | 28.8 in (732 mm)Motorcycles With a Seat Height Under 30 Inches → |
| Wet weight | 746 lb (338 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.1 gal (23.2 L) |
| Fuel economy | 42 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Safety
This is what I've picked up over years of listening to Valkyrie owners: talks in the paddock, club-night conversations, and the steady flow of emails and messages from riders who have lived with one. The pattern is consistent. Owners rave about the engine and chassis and trust the bike to keep running. They split hard over the looks, and most of their complaints come back to how little the bike does to make a long day easier.
The flat-six gets the most praise, and riders describe it the same way again and again. It pulls from just above idle, it pulls cleanly in whatever gear you happen to be in, and it growls when it revs. The handling comes close behind. Owners expect the size to dominate and instead describe steady, composed manners in corners once they're rolling. When riders talk about reliability, they talk about the Gold Wing it came from: the engine and shaft drive cover very high mileages on basic servicing, and owners report virtually no major mechanical trouble. The brakes get less attention, but the praise is consistent. Riders describe strong, well-balanced stopping with good feel, and several like that the front and rear aren't linked.
Nothing about this bike gets talked about more than the side-mounted radiators and the sculpted shrouds around them. Plenty of owners love the presence and the attention it draws. Others find the angular shape off-putting, and some riders believe it is part of why the bike sold slowly.
The most common gripe is the wind blast at highway speed, and many riders say that alone rules out extended touring on a stock bike. Just as often, owners mention what it cost them to add the missing touring gear. The broad, flat seat starts to hurt after an hour or two for a lot of riders, and because so few were built, seats made for this model are hard to find. Being rare also means almost no dedicated aftermarket parts, and the 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels limit tire choice. In parking lots and tight U-turns, owners describe moving it around as hard physical work.
Kill switch causing intermittent engine cut‑out
A few owners report the engine cutting out when the kill switch is accidentally hit or vibrates, possibly due to poor contact. Some advise not using the kill switch routinely.
Where this Honda Gold Wing F6C pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Gold Wing F6C is actually built for.
The drivetrain and the range are exactly what you want, but there is no screen, no bags and no cruise control. Go in knowing the weather and the wind are yours to handle.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
This is the closest thing to a rolling statement Honda has built. A visible flat-six, 125 lb-ft and a sound nobody else in the parking lot is making.
Made for Florida State Road A1A · Black Hills · Main Street, Daytona Beach
It handles better than 746 lb has any right to, and it is composed once rolling. For repeat runs on tight mountain roads, though, you are working harder than you need to.
Made for Tail of the Dragon · Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Honda Gold Wing F6C. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2015–2016
The Fully Loaded Mile Eater
Roughly $2,700 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Competitor · 2015–2016
Factory Custom, Wired for Miles
Roughly $11,000 pricier used than this bike at 11 yr
Competitor · 2011–2016
Fully Loaded American Long Hauler
Roughly $6,800 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Competitor · 2014–2016
Six Cylinders, Zero Buzz
Roughly $1,400 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Competitor · 2017
The Low-Seat Long-Hauler
Roughly $2,500 pricier used than this bike at 9 yr
Competitor · 2014–2016
Top-Shelf Tech, American Iron
Roughly $11,100 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr
Compare it with every bike that shares the same spec or equipment.