I've just seen what may possibly be the most individual, and maybe a little scary, motorcycle ever built. And it's a Honda! The Valkyrie Rune looks like something that leapt out of the pages of a 1980's sci-fi comic. Or a Sylvester Stallone film based on it. Wide tyres, wide tank, wide bars, wide everything! It's a beast which begs you to break the law. So it can judge you.
It's the look of the thing that first grabs your attention. It's huge, it curves elegantly everywhere and there's just *so* much chrome! This is one Cruiser that knows which target audience it's aiming at. Big, brash and glittering it shouts 'look at me' with every beat of that throbbing exhaust note.
Let's be direct about this. This bike is insane. In fact I'm not so sure it's a bike at all. It's just a huge 1800cc flat 6 engine crafted into a solid 50's, retro styled frame. And I *mean* solid! The whole bike weighs in at 350kg but you really would never know it. All the weight is so well balanced and so low in the frame that when you sit on this colossus she feel more like a racehorse.
The engine is smooth as ice cream after being whisked. And there's just so much torque it's ridiculous. Leaning into a bend and squeezing the throttle pushes you back into the comfortable seat and drives you out to the straight with punch. It can keep you entertained for hours and without the aches and pains you might expect from a long road ride.
So why doesn't everyone have one then? Because Honda designed and built them for Americans, who as we know only ride Harleys (or mopeds), and didn't think there was market for them in the UK or Europe. So we have to either import one by ourselves - if we can find one - or hope that they come up for sale and then catch them before they are gone again.
However sometimes, only sometimes, one of the few of these bikes which were privately imported come up for sale. In fact, right at this very minute, one is sitting in a used motorcycle showroom in Leicester. Sitting and waiting for her next gleeful owner to arrive, to drool and to buy.
That's what prompted me to write this article as I saw her in the flesh and I wondered, for just a minute, where I was. Looking around I realised Judge Dredd wasn't, thankfully, looming over my shoulder but neither was a friendly bank manager so there she still sits.
But for now she sits there alone with a 13,000 price tag and demands your attention. Not just *your* attention either but in fact the looks and admiration (or consternation) of absolutely *everyone* who walks by. Go take a look for yourself if she's still there and hasn't already been sold. It'll be worth the trip and something you will most probably never see again or ever forget.
It's the look of the thing that first grabs your attention. It's huge, it curves elegantly everywhere and there's just *so* much chrome! This is one Cruiser that knows which target audience it's aiming at. Big, brash and glittering it shouts 'look at me' with every beat of that throbbing exhaust note.
Let's be direct about this. This bike is insane. In fact I'm not so sure it's a bike at all. It's just a huge 1800cc flat 6 engine crafted into a solid 50's, retro styled frame. And I *mean* solid! The whole bike weighs in at 350kg but you really would never know it. All the weight is so well balanced and so low in the frame that when you sit on this colossus she feel more like a racehorse.
The engine is smooth as ice cream after being whisked. And there's just so much torque it's ridiculous. Leaning into a bend and squeezing the throttle pushes you back into the comfortable seat and drives you out to the straight with punch. It can keep you entertained for hours and without the aches and pains you might expect from a long road ride.
So why doesn't everyone have one then? Because Honda designed and built them for Americans, who as we know only ride Harleys (or mopeds), and didn't think there was market for them in the UK or Europe. So we have to either import one by ourselves - if we can find one - or hope that they come up for sale and then catch them before they are gone again.
However sometimes, only sometimes, one of the few of these bikes which were privately imported come up for sale. In fact, right at this very minute, one is sitting in a used motorcycle showroom in Leicester. Sitting and waiting for her next gleeful owner to arrive, to drool and to buy.
That's what prompted me to write this article as I saw her in the flesh and I wondered, for just a minute, where I was. Looking around I realised Judge Dredd wasn't, thankfully, looming over my shoulder but neither was a friendly bank manager so there she still sits.
But for now she sits there alone with a 13,000 price tag and demands your attention. Not just *your* attention either but in fact the looks and admiration (or consternation) of absolutely *everyone* who walks by. Go take a look for yourself if she's still there and hasn't already been sold. It'll be worth the trip and something you will most probably never see again or ever forget.
About the Author:
John Vincent is fighting for freedom, liberty and space for his bikes. He also deals with information and advice on mopeds or used motorbikes in the midlands.
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