Honda and Wings

[BobB]

Found a letter to the editor in the October Rider magazine dealing with the naming of Honda motorcycle models.  The letter rider, an ex-Valk owner, suggested that models were commonly named after aircraft.  He was specifically interested in the Valkyire.   The response from Rider was as follows.

Your letter intrigued us enough that we sent it to American Honda for comment, who forwarded it on to some very knowledgeable, recently retired long-time employees to get their take.   While many Honda motorcycles are named after aircraft, some of what you claim is accurate and some is not.   For the Valkyrie, the company went through a group naming process, and while "Valkyrie" was originally tossed in the ring by someone that loved the North American XB-70, the group ended up choosing the name for its place in Viking lore and the strength and image that relationship evoked....

Just to be clear, it has nothing to do with the Minnesota Vikings.  It's nice to see that our decade+ old Valks are still being talked about in the motorcycle press.