Thinking about purchasing a F6C

8661 Views 30 Replies 17 Participants Last post by tournewb, Nov 28, 2018

Tom Marsteller

Discussion Starter · Sep 19, 2018

Greetings,

I am giving consideration to purchasing a left over F6C available new locally. I figured I would review your folks bulletin boards to get some insight. Any personal feedback your willing to share, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,
Tom.......

Reactions: 1

1 - 20 of 31 Posts

Valkyrie0002

· #2 · Sep 19, 2018

If the 1800 Valk was available in 2000 I would have bought it instead of the 1500. The 1800 handles much better than the 1500 and actually handles great for its size. 1800 has FI and the LED lighting is superior.

Tom Marsteller

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 19, 2018

Thank you, how often do you ride this bike and for any specific types of rides?

Odin

· #4 · Sep 19, 2018

Tom, this bike is incredible on twisty roads. When I ride with people on any make of cruiser, I have to keep slowing down for them because their bikes can't handle the curves like this one. I have leaned this bike to angles I previously thought impossible, and still haven't scraped a foot peg.

That being said, it is not a touring bike. I'm planning on spending around $2,000 to get a comfortable seat and decent bags.

Patrick L

· #5 · Sep 19, 2018

I got a 2014 new 9 wks ago-I Got 6600mi on it already! Gets 50MPG, Never expected that high of fuel mileage! ,only needs 87 gas too!Front tire shot at 6000 mi Just put new shinko bias ply on Feels good should last much longer

George63

· #6 · Sep 19, 2018

Patrick L said:
I got a 2014 new 9 wks ago-I Got 6600mi on it already! Gets 50MPG, Never expected that high of fuel mileage! ,only needs 87 gas too!Front tire shot at 6000 mi Just put new shinko bias ply on Feels good should last much longer

at what speed are you getting 50 mpg - it really feels to me a 6th gear would be nice

4500 mile 2 week run, my tanks were 38-41 mpg - expressway keeping with left lane traffic

Rox

· #7 · Sep 20, 2018

Just get it. If you like it get it. The only true drawback on this bike is the "love it or hate it" styling. It's very well built, good design, the motor is just a sheer stump puller... Even at 750 lbs the bike actually handles, it stops REALLY well, and is just fun.
And with some good pipes the thing sounds like an old 80s Porsche .... Who needs that v-twin roar when you have the growl of a flat 6?

Reactions: 1

jfro5867

· #8 · Sep 20, 2018

If you want a cruiser, with a sublime and very refined torquey engine, sweet gearbox (1st to 2nd is very short and you quickly learn to ride around that), excellent brakes, excellent handling, perfect balance, a very very chilled out fiding position, with no vibrations, a lovely turbine kinda sound, Honda build quality at its best......you will love it.

Is it fast, yes it is. It feels like it could pull up fence posts in lower gears. I had a first gen v rod and it feels very similar to me but just 'bigger' sensations. I dont miss the 6th gear i am used to my 1100 Pan and that has 5 too. Its very tall geared in 5th with low RPM's. It feels so powerful that it could probably pull a 7th gear TBH never mind 6.

Could you get youself into a mess on it. Yep, easily. Go too fast on poor roads into a bend and physics will take over. It is heavy 340kg. Fact.

I have nothing against screens but personally i dont like them. The airflow is so clean onto you that its not uncomforable at all UNLESS you turn up the wick much above 60mph when it gets to be hard work. But no more than on any naked bike really.

I love the look and the rarity of it. Plus the fact its a Goldwing.

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Geepers

· #9 · Sep 20, 2018 (Edited)

I've only had mine a short time but do a 120km commute every day and have clocked up 7,500km pretty quickly.

Likes so far:
a) extreme smoothness (as in NO vibrations)
b) tons of seamless, turbine-like power
c) great ergonomics (with one exception…see below)
d) holds line superbly in bends
e) great brakes
f) "sports car" sound

Not so much:
a) long reach to clutch
b) handling is almost TOO light for the weight of the bike (sounds crazy but I'm finding it's a thing… will get used to it no doubt)
c) bit of a handful in slow, heavy traffic

Would I buy it again?
Yes.

Will I likely sell it at some point?
No. Not until I quit riding anyway

Overall: very impressed!

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Valkyrie0002

· #10 · Sep 20, 2018

I ride the short commute to work and hour or so pleasure rides. I started riding a CB900F standard and went to sport bikes from there. The 1500 Valk was quite different for me but I wanted a more comfortable bike that could easily carry a passenger and still perform well. The new 1800 Valk to me is a little like my 94 CBR1000F only its bigger, 200 lbs heavier, much better for 2 up riding and has a more comfortable riding position.

Odin

· #11 · Sep 20, 2018

Oh yeah, I forgot about the gas mileage! I always get at least 200 miles out of a tank of 87 octane. I ride quite aggressively, and my GL1500 barely gets 25 mpg or 160 miles out of a tank. I believe I am averaging around 42 mpg despite twisting that throttle hard every chance I get.

bscrive

· #12 · Sep 20, 2018

I have modified my bike pretty heavily and that is because I love it so much. Handling is great and the fuel mileage is excellent. I get about 45mpg. I won't be selling anytime soon. I have owned it since spring of 2015.
I have pretty much made the bike into a long distance cruiser. I will need that when I retire.

Downeast

· #13 · Sep 22, 2018

These are some great responses. A great help to those of us looking to make the leap. 👍🏻

KUGO

· #14 · Sep 22, 2018

I am 67 and have been riding since I was maybe 14 (which was a legal driving age for certain vehicles in the state of Iowa at that time) and have had a series of motorcycles over my lifetime that ranged from an Italian 125cc Lambretta scoot to a wide variety of English, Japanese and, of course, HD bikes. Bought my 2014 Valk used (3500 elderly miles; it was too much for him) and bought it sight-unseen (unheard of, for me) in December of 2016 as a gift from Santa (me) to me (me). I can't remember the last time I have been so satisfied with a quasi-major purchase, of which I've had many that turned into unmitigated disappointments. I am very happy to recommend it to others so that they can enjoy the same satisfaction that my wife and I have had. (And she used to ride her own HD. She loves this bike!) There are many on this forum that will back that up, regardless of previous various rides. This is a quality and unique machine, and if you buy one and don't like it for whatever reason, you'll get your money back whatever you paid for it. Just because they are so undervalued and relatively inexpensive (for what you get) in today's market. I'm really curious what the market will value them at in maybe another ten years. It will be competing with new electric motor bikes that will alter the entire motorcycle market of buyers. I'm kinda thinking that ours may eventually go up in value, due to several factors including scarcity (just didn't sell well) and the "no one else makes anything like this" appeal that will never die.
Buy it. And don't crack the throttle all the way the first time you're on it. Unless you've super-glued your gloves to the grips. 8)

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jfro5867

· #15 · Sep 22, 2018

Agree Kugo. Its a bit like the last of the dinosaurs for me and thats another reason i like it. I have been riding for 30 years and probably ridden maybe 70 or 80 bikes of different styles from scramblers to tourers and everything in between. it seems to me every modern ride by wire motorcycle that I have ridden of late, without exception, has poor throttle response. Some are worse than others but unless you are in higher gears at mid to higher speeds they are snatchcy, surgey (is that even a word?) and wont run smoothly on a steady throttle say tootling through a village. It drives me nuts. Other than ABS which is a good thing on a heavy bike like this there's nothing else to complicate. Its just me and my bike. If i ride it like a **** i will soon come a cropper and i like that. Its a more pure riding experience. I dont want traction control with 12 settings, lean sensors, Riding modes, electronic suspension, lap timers and all that guff. Its nice to be able to have a bike like ours, still, just. Its got bowden cables, 2 valve heads, its low stressed with bullet proof design honed over the last 40 years. I fear as you say everything will eventually go electric and no doubt they will be technical marvels but it just wont be the same.

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KUGO

· #16 · Sep 22, 2018

jfro5867 said:
Agree Kugo. Its a bit like the last of the dinosaurs for me and thats another reason i like it. I have been riding for 30 years and probably ridden maybe 70 or 80 bikes of different styles from scramblers to tourers and everything in between. it seems to me every modern ride by wire motorcycle that I have ridden of late, without exception, has poor throttle response. Some are worse than others but unless you are in higher gears at mid to higher speeds they are snatchcy, surgey (is that even a word?) and wont run smoothly on a steady throttle say tootling through a village. It drives me nuts. Other than ABS which is a good thing on a heavy bike like this there's nothing else to complicate. Its just me and my bike. If i ride it like a **** i will soon come a cropper and i like that. Its a more pure riding experience. I dont want traction control with 12 settings, lean sensors, Riding modes, electronic suspension, lap timers and all that guff. Its nice to be able to have a bike like ours, still, just. Its got bowden cables, 2 valve heads, its low stressed with bullet proof design honed over the last 40 years. I fear as you say everything will eventually go electric and no doubt they will be technical marvels but it just wont be the same.

Exactly how I feel. The same aspects of ride-by-wire accelerator pedals in many (formerly VERY responsive) cars, in my opinion, as what you speak of. (And "surge-y" is definitely a word, as it describes exactly the problem we're talking about.) I am very sensitive to that flaw in those vehicles, two or four-wheeled, and you can't feel as confident "on the edge" when you experience that. The Valkyrie is the closest thing to an electric motor or turbine-like engine that I will probably ever ride. And I mean that in a good way. A sewing machine with more torque than you'll ever need.

Geepers

· #17 · Sep 23, 2018 (Edited)

KUGO said:
The Valkyrie is the closest thing to an electric motor...that I will probably ever ride. And I mean that in a good way:

Yep. Can't wait for the electric revolution. Ultra-simple, ultra-performance and ultra-quiet. I think it really will feel like flying above the road

troy

· #18 · Sep 23, 2018

I have had three Valkyries before (1520 std, 1520 is, 1800 rune and this 2014 abs), and this is by far the best of the bunch. And the Valkyrie is the best of the cruisers, if you can handle the weight. My only complaint is there are not any hard bags that look good with the shape of the rear fender, imho. Even so, I would not have any other everyday rider.

Sleepngbear

· #19 · Sep 23, 2018

jfro5867 said:
Agree Kugo. Its a bit like the last of the dinosaurs for me and thats another reason i like it. I have been riding for 30 years and probably ridden maybe 70 or 80 bikes of different styles from scramblers to tourers and everything in between. it seems to me every modern ride by wire motorcycle that I have ridden of late, without exception, has poor throttle response. Some are worse than others but unless you are in higher gears at mid to higher speeds they are snatchcy, surgey (is that even a word?) and wont run smoothly on a steady throttle say tootling through a village. It drives me nuts. Other than ABS which is a good thing on a heavy bike like this there's nothing else to complicate. Its just me and my bike. If i ride it like a **** i will soon come a cropper and i like that. Its a more pure riding experience. I dont want traction control with 12 settings, lean sensors, Riding modes, electronic suspension, lap timers and all that guff. Its nice to be able to have a bike like ours, still, just. Its got bowden cables, 2 valve heads, its low stressed with bullet proof design honed over the last 40 years. I fear as you say everything will eventually go electric and no doubt they will be technical marvels but it just wont be the same.

Oh yes. No frills, and I love every one of them.

Patrick L

· #20 · Sep 23, 2018

Speeds have been kept under 65 mph mostly- Strong wind blast on highways with out wind screen-Easy 50 mpg many tank fulls- Cant believe it But its true!

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