Honda Valkyrie F6C Vs. Honda VTX1800

“Don’t let the fear of what could happen to make nothing happen.”

Motorcycle riding is an exciting activity that requires skills and expertise. Following traffic laws and wearing appropriate riding gear help ensure a safe riding experience. The rider also needs to learn and practice gear shifting, leaning, and turning tight corners.

Experienced riders tend to ride fast, agile, and powerful motorcycles with large displacement engines. Honda is a top motorcycle brand that produces powerful and bulky motorbikes with large engines. The Honda Valkyrie was introduced in 1997 with an engine displacement of 1520 cc. It has the same horizontally opposed flat-six engine as the Honda Gold Wing. The Honda Valkyrie received major structural and performance updates over time. In 1999, the Honda Valkyrie Interstate (Touring) was built for long-distance rides with improved comfortability and storage capacity. It was fitted with saddlebags, a large trunk with an integrated passenger seat, and a fork-mounted wide fairing with a large windscreen.

Later in 2003, the Honda Valkyrie Rune was introduced with a bigger 1,832 cc engine and a completely redesigned innovative frame. In 2014, a variant of the Honda Valkyrie Rune with a better design and performance was created known as the Honda Valkyrie F6C (Flat-Six Custom).

In 1999, the first motorbike with the largest V-Twin engine in the world was born, the Honda VTX1800 (V-Twin Extreme). The Honda VTX1800 had a muscular look and low ground clearance. Despite being an older bike, it came with Honda’s Programmed Fuel Injection for better fuel delivery to the engine and twin counterbalancers to effectively reduce vibrations produced by a large 52° V-Twin engine. Several variants of the Honda VTX1800 lineup were introduced, including the VTX1800N, VTX1800T, VTX1800C, VTX1800S, VTX1800F, and VTX1800R. This article is a detailed comparison between the Honda Valkyrie F6C and the Honda VTX1800.

The 2014 Honda Valkyrie F6C is an innovatively designed muscle cruiser with bulky and bold looks. The 2014 Honda Valkyrie F6C has a compact design with a blacked-out finish. The separate dual mufflers on both sides are the only chrome parts. The Honda Valkyrie F6C’s six-cylinder, flat boxer engine gives this motorbike a muscular and bulky look. But overall, it is a simple cruiser with a slightly sporty stance. It is fitted with a sporty front fender and a normal-sized rear fender with a small tail light, rear turn signals, and a license plate bracket.

The Honda Valkyrie F6C’s chassis has been redesigned, with its rake angle increased to 29.5° and its wheelbase also increased. Its increased overall length has helped it perform better while turning tight corners and has made handling and steering easier. The Honda Valkyrie F6C’s side-mounted radiators are covered with two bulky side pods. The side pods are extended toward the front forks on both sides to form a nacelle around a stylishly-shaped headlight. The Honda Valkyrie F6C has a minimalist cockpit design with a small digital display meter attached to the low-mounted, pulled-back handlebars with chrome side mirrors. It comes with two-piece flat and less-cushioned seats with passenger grab rails capable of two-up riding.

The Honda VTX1800 is a heavyweight, classic cruiser with a chrome finish. The chrome parts include separate dual exhaust pipes, front forks, headlight nacelle, handlebars, cylinder heads, and rear dual shocks. The Honda VTX1800 has a raked-out front end and a longer wheelbase. It is a larger motorbike with a powerful engine meant for experienced riders. The Honda VTX1800 comes with a stylish two-piece saddle capable of two-up riding. It is fitted with a bobber-style front fender and a slightly high-mounted rear fender. The Honda VTX1800 also comes with a large blacked-out radiator in front of the V-Twin engine due to being fitted with a liquid-cooling system. The 4.8-gal peanut-shaped fuel tank comes with mounted gauges. The pulled-back handlebars with normal risers have chrome side mirrors.

The Honda Valkyrie F6C is fitted with a 1,832 cc liquid-cooled, six-cylinder flat boxer engine capable of horsepower of 118 hp at 5,500 rpm and a torque of 167 Nm at 4,000 rpm. Despite being a muscular, high-performance bike, it comes with a five-speed transmission connected to a smooth shaft drive. The programmed fuel injection (PGM-FI) with a 40 mm throttle bore and automatic choke ensures optimal fuel delivery to the engine and a fuel economy of 39 mpg. Despite being fitted with a six-cylinder flat boxer engine, the Honda Valkyrie F6C has a low overall weight due to its aluminum twin-spar diamond frame.

The 2014 Honda Valkyrie F6C’s air filter and exhaust pipes produce a deeper exhaust note. It is fitted with a 45 mm telescopic front fork with an anti-dive system and a preload adjustable rear mono-shock. The front fork has a wheel travel of 4.8 inches, while the rear mono-shock has a wheel travel of 4.1 inches. The Honda Valkyrie F6C also comes with 310 mm dual front discs and a 316 mm single rear disc, along with a two-channel ABS for reliable braking.

The Honda VTX1800 is powered by a 1,795 cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke 52° V-Twin engine capable of a torque of 159 Nm at 3,000 rpm and a horsepower of 101 hp at 5,000 rpm. It also lacks the sixth gear necessary for a smooth touring experience. However, the Honda VTX 1800’s final shaft drive ensures a smooth riding experience and provides a cleaner look. The 52° V-Twin engine is fueled by a programmed fuel injection (PGM-FI) with an automatic choke and a Manifold Air Pressure (MAP) sensor. The Honda VTX1800 also comes with catalytic converters and an air injection managed by the emission control system (ECU). To effectively reduce the large V-Twin engine’s vibrations and ensure better balance, it comes with an offset dual-pin crankshaft and primary shaft-mounted dual counterbalancers. Being a heavyweight motorbike, it is hard to stop it at high speeds with only its dual front discs and single rear disc brake. The combined or linked braking system (LBS) was integrated to make it possible to apply the front and rear brakes together at the same time. The Honda VTX1800 comes with a large 45 mm inverted front fork and dual rear shock absorbers with an internal valve system, ensuring a comfortable riding experience and longer wheel travel.

The Honda Valkyrie F6C is a muscular cruiser with sportier ergonomics and a bulky front end that ensures neutral front fork handling. It is a comfortable motorbike with mid-mounted foot controls and low-mounted, swept-back handlebars. The Honda Valkyrie F6C has a seat height of 28.9 inches and a ground clearance of 5.7 inches. The handlebars position, seat height, and mid-mounted foot controls ensure a slightly forward and aggressive riding position. The Honda Valkyrie F6C is comfortable when cruising on highways and open roads. However, it becomes uncomfortable on long-distance rides due to its compact legroom and slightly slouched back position. Though it is a heavyweight motorbike, the Honda Valkyrie F6C does not come with standard luggage options, wind protection, and floorboards.

The Honda VTX1800 is an ideal cruiser design with comfortable ergonomics. It comes with forward-mounted foot controls, ensuring adequate legroom for both average and taller riders. The Honda VTX1800 also comes with low-mounted, pulled-back handlebars ensuring an upright back position. The dip in the rider’s seat provides lumbar support to the rider. The Honda VTX1800 has a low seat height ranging between 27.4-27.9 inches. It is quite comfortable for taller riders due to its adequate legroom and upright back position. However, average and shorter riders must stretch their arms slightly to reach the handlebars which result in a slightly aggressive riding style. The riding position can be more comfortable by installing swept-back, buckhorn handlebars, and floorboards for a laidback touring experience.

The 2014 Honda Valkyrie has a powerful engine and a quick throttle response that ensures quick acceleration. With its five-speed transmission and shaft drive powering the rear wheel, it can attain a top speed of 130 mph. The 2014 Honda Valkyrie F6C can jump from 0-60 mph in just 3.5 sec and can complete a quarter-mile sprint in 12 sec.

The Honda Valkyrie F6C and the Honda VTX1800 are muscular cruisers with high-powered engines. Both motorcycles have a liquid-cooled engine, five-speed transmission, and shaft final drive. However, both motorcycles have unique looks, class, performance, and ergonomics. The Honda Valkyrie F6C is a bold and innovative cruiser powered by the Honda Gold Wing’s six-cylinder flat boxer engine. It is a bulky motorcycle with side-mounted radiators and a stylish headlamp enclosed in a nacelle. Despite being a cruiser, the Honda Valkyrie F6C has a slightly sportier stance and aggressive ergonomics with its mid-mounted foot controls and forward riding position. Meanwhile, the Honda VTX1800 has a classic cruiser design and ideal ergonomics. It provides adequate legroom and an upright back position. If you want more powerful performance with greater torque and horsepower, the Honda Valkyrie F6C is the ideal option. However, if you want a comfortable long-distance riding experience, the Honda VTX1800 offers better ergonomics. The Honda VTX1800 is also available as a touring model known as the Honda VTX1800T, complete with stock saddlebags, a large windscreen, and large front and rear fenders. If you own any of the Honda VTX 1800 models including VTX1800N, VTX1800C, VTX1800S, VTX1800F, and VTX1800R, Viking Bags has specially designed saddlebags for all the Honda VTX1800 variants.