I can understand why the Valkyrie wasn't more successful in sales than it was. In 2001 I bought a new 1100 Shadow without being able to test ride it and I asked the Salesman if it had the power of a V-65 which he said yes it does. No it didn't !! I called him after a week of riding it and told him it did not have the power of a V-65 which I had ridden my neighbor's 1984 when he bought it new and the difference between the two was night and day. He told me to ride it some more to get it broken in so I rode it for three more weeks and it was still no better so he told me to bring it back and we would talk. Rode to the dealership and went up to his office to discuss the situation. He asked me what I was looking for in a bike and I told him power and comfort then he mentioned a crotch rocket but at 6'2" 300 pounds that wasn't an option. He thought for a couple minutes then blurted out Valkyrie I said what then he repeated it. As of 2001 I never even knew that Honda made a bike by that name. He had two Standards one black and the other blue with the white stripe so I chose the black one. I didn't fully appreciate the looks of them at the time and my first thought was it will probably ride like a Dump Truck but I took it but wasn't really happy plus it was $13,600 vs the Shadow being $7999 but he did give me the full purchase price back trading the Shadow in so we did the paperwork. I put on my Burgundy helmet which matched the Shadow and mounted my black Valkyrie and let it warm up for a few then left the lot. I went to 2nd gear got it up to 3000 rpm then twisted it good and just about lost my grip damn this ain't no Briggs and Stratton here. I rode it out to the country and was shocked as to how well it handled in the curves. So out of that whole process I learned a good lesson don't judge something just by looks because looks can be deceiving especially with the Valkyrie.
Two other times I saw the same thing happen. My buddy bought a 2002 Honda CBR954RR a few months after I bought my first Valk. We rode every weekend and finally he asked if we could swap for a while. I didn't want to but did and let him lead. After 20 miles or so my back told me I wanted to swap back but he kept going. I passed him and stopped at a store to swap back but he wanted to keep riding the Valk he said he was shocked that it handled so good in the curves. His bike had over 150 HP and a 6th gear so it was fun but uncomfortable.
The other time was last weekend with my Son. He started riding a few years ago on a 2003 Honda magna 750. I joke with him telling him to get rid of that mini bike and get a Valkyrie. He says the same thing I said before I actually rode one as far as being too big and he thought it would be hard to handle. My second Valk is a 2001 blue with the white stripe so I finally got both colors because it was a hard decision when I picked the black one back in 2001. Bought it for $3000 just in case I couldn't find parts for my 1999 but it is as nice as my 1999 so I did all the service and put new tires on it and ride it every 3rd or 4th ride. I took it last weekend and asked my Son if he wanted to ride it and he did. We swapped and I followed him. After a while I wanted to swap back and he didn't seem too happy about that. We stopped at a store for a drink and he told me he was surprised at the way it handled and was impressed with the power. His Magna at half the engine size has almost identical 0-60 and quarter mile times as the Valk they just go about if different. His Magna really comes alive at the same rpm the Valk is near the redline. I told him it won't be long and you will buy a Valkyrie to which he says why I already have two. Not yet Grasshopper not yet. I have rode a lot of motorcycles over the years but nothing as good as the Valkyrie.
