1400 Touring or Honda Valkyrie?

[vf84pc]

I know it is a "apples to Watermelon comparison but we are contemplating a cross country ride next year, I showed my friend a good deal on a Cali 1400 touring in PA.  He found a 2000 Valkyrie Interstate both are in other states but driveable distances in opposite directions. we searched here for California opinions and found good and bad, the bad being mostly quality issues repaired by owners. Anybody have experience with a Valkyrie? I know they are "BIG!!" I called them the "Winnebago" of the motorcycle world. I sat on a 99 standard at last week's cruise night and it felt good and had a low seat height (My pants are 29 or 30 inseam) my friend has slightly longer legs (Adventure bikes are not our friends) I heard the Cali had a 34" seat height any thoughts? The Valkyrie is $3000.00 the California Touring is $6000.00

[faffi]

According to this, the Guzzi has a 29in seat height https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/moto%20guzzi/moto_guzzi_california_1400%20touring%2014.htm

With the poor fuel quality seen in many USA states, having fuel injection will be helpful for anything not ridden regularly. The Honda six has six carbs to clean if they clog up. There are a few videos showing what's involved on YouTube if you are interested.

Both bikes are generally understressed and reliable, and the Honda will easily to several hundred thousand miles without mechanical issues if taken care of. It also handles surprisingly well for such a big thing. If I should hazard a guess, the Honda will be better made, have better finish and less niggles, all things else being equal. However, they are not; the Valkyrie will be much older than the Guzzi, and age has a tendency to take its toll, especially on rubber parts. These can be replaced, of course, but that takes time and money.

Personally, I would go for the Guzzi if I could afford it. Not because I am a fan of the brand - I honestly do not have a brand I prefer, I go for the bikes that suits my desires and needs, regardless of the name on the tank - but because it is simpler, newer, has fuel injection and most importantly just two cylinders. The older I get, the more I am annoyed by the noise emitted by multies. I find they sound stressed and always in a hurry. YMMV.

[faffi]

You may want to read this https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=97244.0 and this http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php?topic=51704.40

[kingoffleece]

As much I as like the Honda, I'd have to completely rebuild the carbs and replace all the rubber fuel and brake lines on a machine that old before I'd trust it cross country. Not $$$ that I'd want to spend by a long shot.

[JohninVT]

I couldn’t get used to the cruiser ergonomics but otherwise thought my California Touring was pretty great.  The brakes were phenomenal for such a big bike and electronic cruise control is a wonderful thing. 

The Cali doesn’t have a 34” seat height.  It’s 29.5” and the Valkyrie is 28”.  The Cali is considerably less cramped than the Honda.  Sounds like that wouldn’t be an issue for you but taller riders might prefer the Guzzi.  The weight and power are roughly similar but the electronic package on the Guzzi is fantastic. 

If I was buying a bike specifically for the trip I’d get the Honda because the $3,000 difference in price would pay for trip and if something went wrong there are a million Honda dealers.  If I was buying one to keep it would be the Guzzi, hands down. 

[s1120]

Really the biggest issue with the Cali is if you need someone to work on it at some time during the trip. Not a lot of good dealers out there, but we do have a pretty big network of helpful people. TONS more Honda dealers around. Not that I think they will be jumping for joy to get involved in a 23 year old Valkyrie. Either one you would want to spend some time going through. Also if the Cali is real low miles Id probably pass it by unless I could spend some real time riding it to work any bugs out. Some of the bikes, and years did seem to have some issues that I have seen talked about here, that I would worry about if its a real low mile, earlier bike.

[bigbikerrick]

I have owned a Valk, three 1500 goldwings,and currently have a GL 1800 trike. They are fantastic bikes, although a bit long in the tooth ,compared with the Guzzi. If the Valk were running well, I would have no problem taking off cross country on it, after giving it a basic fluid change maintenance. The carbs are not "finicky" as long as they are not allowed to get gummed up with old gas. If its been ridden regularly, it should be good to go.
  If your idea is to save money, the Valk would get the nod. Taking the same trip on the Guzzi would be more fun and interesting, though. You cant put a price on that!
Rick.

[ff73148]

You didn't say how many miles are on these bikes. Plus what year is the California?

[ridingron]

How long do you want to you ride? The Valkyrie tank has about 4.2 gallons of usable fuel before switching to a very small amount for reserve. After 70-75 mph, it starts inhaling fuel in vast amounts. Remember, there are 6 cylinders with each one having it's own carb. Depending on the terrain and your right wrist the mpg can vary from mid 20's to high 30's. That's about 120-140 miles between fill-ups. I wouldn't consider the Valkyrie for a cross country ride without an auxiliary fuel tank. Some of the guys have put Interstate tanks on their Tourer or Standard models. The Interstate tank is larger holding about 7 gallons. My opinion of the names of the models, Interstate and Tourer are very much misnomers.

[dirtiegirtie]

I have a 2001 Valkyrie Interstate. It's smooth as silk and ultra reliable. If you are in the Massachusetts area and want to take her for a test ride, just let me know. I find this thread interesting because I'm considering selling the Valk and getting a 2014 Cali.
I have not ridden a Cali, but I can't imagine your passenger would be as comfortable as they would be on the Valk. My daughter loves riding on the back. My only grievence is the knee position. I've finally figured out that I don't like my knees bent with pegs right under me on long hauls, I prefer my legs more straight.  The Valk keeps your legs bent.  Highway pegs help, but with that wide engine, my hips hurt quickly.
I don't intend on having a passenger on board for more than an hour, so I think the Cali would be better for me. But if I was going to do a cross country ride... the Valk would be my choice any day of the week.

[blu guzz]

I have a riding friend with 2 1400 series bikes with very high mileage and he reports little to no trouble.  I am on my 2nd 1400 series, this time an Eldo that is coming up on 20k miles and very solid, but that is to be expected at such a low mileage.

[bigbikerrick]

I think The Valk Interstate is the coolest model, with that" funkadelic" fairing, and trunk! Some folks may say, why not just get a goldwing.....

Rick.

[Navydad]

The tourer and the standard are not bad handling for a big bike, but the Interstate isn't much of a corner carver. That fairing puts a lot of weight on the handlebars. One thing to check before buying are the vacuum lines on top of the engine in between the carb banks. They get brittle and tend to split and then you have a "miss" that you can't find. My Interstate had this issue at two years old so one 23 years old should have seen them changed a few times. There is also a way to get rid of those lines which I eventually did, but it has been several years so I don't remember what was involved. I know they were a major pain to get to and a pair of very long medical forceps helped a lot. This was a common fix so that bike may have it done already. I didn't see anything about mileage so ask about valve adjustments as well. The Valk valves unlike the 1500 needs to have the valves checked and adjusted if need be. Now here is the BIGGIE. No matter what make sure to INSPECT the rear splines. This involves pulling the rear wheel, but this was a notorious weak spot on the Wings and the Valks. The splines often don't get lubed properly and the o-rings don't get changed at tire change time. If the splines are dry or worn WALK AWAY. Parts are getting tough to find and may be very expensive. Personally I won't consider an older Wing or Valk for this reason. My mechanic pal had a 1200 Wing in his shop for six months while searching for a final drive with good splines. The 1500's are getting to be the same way.

[Shorty]

I agree with the statement about the Valk's limited range . I went on a trip with a friend, me on the Convert, he on his Valkerie. Mostly out on the prairie with few gas stations available. He kept his speed down in the 60s mph range. I thought he was worried about babying my ancient Guzzi, but he revealed he was afraid of running out of gas at normal cruising speeds.