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Out with the Inteceptor, in with the Valkyrie

2134 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  BlackWing
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Hey guys, new to the forum. Just purchased my 2014 Valkyrie last month after trading in my beloved 2007 Interceptor VFR800. I loved that bike and it performed flawlessly. Unfortunately, it was not the most comfortable, nor powerful thing for riding with a passenger ( it was the bike or the girl and it's a pretty good girl so a new bike it was...).

My dad and friends that i ride with all have Harley's which I don't hate but don't particularly like either. I figured my last honda was great, lets see what they are offering these days in a more cruiser type of bike, as that was perfect for my preferred type of riding. Alas.... i feasted my eyes on a black 2014 Valkryie. At which point, it became "what bike should i get", to "Where do I sign....take my money".

I haven't looked back and feel I made a great choice. It turns heads as much, if not more than all the Harley's I ride with (and it doesn't break down also...). I'n not really one for the rock and roll, leather, and tattoos vibe so the new Valk fits me perfectly as its more of a classy gentlemen that turns into jame's bond and kicks butt in the shadows. Plus, you gotta love that flat six!!!

As with any new machine the "to-get" list is pretty big right now: I want some sort of bags for storage and to even out the gigantic front end. Corbin touring saddle is soon to come also. So far I have added a Slipstreamer B-Wing 18" which i have not seen any one else do yet so let me know what you think. I think the size is just right and the fit and finish is superb. Also does a great job blocking unwanted wind gusts but still letting in a nice breeze to let you know your still on a motorcycle. I also removed the mufflers as I hated how quiet it was. Now the flat six growls like a racing Porsche. Working on some nice exhaust tips. I thought the mufflers looked to long also and covered the nice single sided swing arm.

Anyways, I'll stop rambling, happy to be a member. Here's some pics of her:

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I wonder if it lost bottom end without the back pressure of the 2 mufflers. Honda designed the exhaust for a specific sound at low and high rpm. Hence the reason the right muffler has a smaller capacity than the left. Coincidently, the swingarm is on the right which takes up some room and the smaller muffler was ideal on that side. Who knows, that actually might be the reason of the two different sizes. The two cats might provide enough back pressure anyways. A nice turn down and slight outward tip painted matte black might be just the right look. Please upload sound clips. I haven't found company making an aftermarket exhaust for the F6C yet. What is the diameter of the pipe end - 2"?
Will work on the sound clip today. I'll try to get it posted tonight. It sounds amazing, like a straight-piped diesel engine at idle but really evens out with revs. It sounds the same at cruising speed (40+) as it does with mufflers. Then when you give it the beans, its a monster. It's still not as loud as a straight piped Harley with fishtails, which i hate. I did not think about the back pressure issue, might look into it. The engine still feels great and performs well. I wish Honda made it sound how it looks. It's barely louder than an ST1300 with the mufflers on. I felt it looked nerdy being such a masculine bike but sounding like a sports-touring bike (like a muscle car with a Prius motor)... hence why i took off the mufflers. I might go to the guy that straight piped my 67 Dart with a slant 6 and see if he can whip me up a set for it to try and get some pressure without loosing decibels. His welds are amazing and are showroom quality with mandrel bends (could make 'em matte black also).
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I wonder if I cut with a rotozip the exhaust tip weld if the end caps would come off opening up the baffles. Might try that this Sunday.
Another thing to be cautious of is it can lean the bike out to much making for some pretty bad consequences. Motorcycle ECU's don't have a lot of wiggle room for modifications so you can quickly get outside the ECU's parameters. I don't need to describe what lean conditions can do at 6000rpm on a nice hot day. Mini Chernobyl.

Thankfully every time I've asked usually you can do one of the two big mods and the ECU can compensate for it, either do exhaust or do intake but don't do both without fuel management. The bike will way to lean. I would recommend spending the $100 for peice of mind and take it to a local dyno that has a/f measurement and have it dyno'd. Beats putting in a new engine. Also if you start to see crazy good fuel mileage that's sure sign of a lean condition. I would recommend running premium fuel if you start to hear any "pinging" in the hot weather, not to be confused with the normal valve train clatter you hear though LOL... Typical of the flat six all mine do it.
I read up on the backpressure issue so im just gonna put the mufflers back to how honda designed it. I bought a honda because i wanted a bulletproof motorcycle, not one that is going to break down the line because i wanted to change it. I want a happy flat 6.

I tried to make a sound clip but it doesn't do any justice as to how it sounds in person. Same with that Brazilian video with the blue valk. That's not how the bike sounds in person without mufflers.
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