Quick-N-Simple - Just how far did you go - to get the Fat Lady

[Fatboyman05]

I am hunting for what will be my fourth bike and my first Valk, and I was just wondering how far "everyone" wound up going to get their Valk's?

[Tropic traveler]

All three of ours were bought local.
My '97 was bought from the local Yamaha shop.
Kim's '98 we bought from her uncle.
The '99 we bought local too. One of my guys at work noticed it on the side of the road on his way in one morning. I rode over & looked at it at lunch then due to it's screamingly low asking price went straight to the bank & got the cash out. Called the owner & set up a time to meet after work. Test rode it, checked the title & VIN, paid the man then rode it home. 
All three bought within 10 miles of our house.

$14K worth of Valks..... Don't want to say how much I've put in them since to customize!
 

[Steve K (IA)]

The first one...2000 I/S, I lived 1 mile from the Honda Dealer and bought new.     A few years later, I traveled over 500 miles to pick up a used '97.    Only because the color was right.

This is how it looked a few months after getting the '97 and adding a lot of "things".


This is how it looks today.

[fordmano]

About 7 miles went and looked at her 3-4 times drug the wife over to help fill out loan papers waited for insurance broker to set up a policy (a Saturday night at 10:30pm) and rode her home. Just could not pass this one up, a 99 I/S with 232 miles on it and it was November 2005.

This was a consignment house and they actually had 2 other Valkyries but they were much MUCH higher mileage and one was neglected and the other was farkled way over the top for my taste too much fringe and it was a tourer. Exactly $12,000 out the door.

[Brad]

Went from Reno Nevada to Houston Texas to pick mine up.  Saw it on the internet and just had to have it.   

[Garfield]

I was bored one day, so I was just checking out the bikes for sale on Craigs List and ran across a very nice 97 red and white Valk with just over 18k on it. It took two days to set up a time to go and see it. He lived about 12 miles away from me. I know I had to have it so I went to the bank before I went over to look at it. I already had my mind made up that I was going to buy it as long as it looked like it did in the photos on Craigs List. It was in showroom condition. People still think its a brand new bike.

[HotRod]

My first I/S I bought off e-bay form a guy in MI, site unseen other then pictures and had it shipped to Vegas, My second I/S I also bought off e-bay in Colorado in the Denver area,I flew up with cash and helmet in hand and rode her 750 miles straight threw to Vegas.

[junior]

this might tick a few of you off..............but i traveled less than 30 miles, found it by mistake,didnt even know what it was that i was buying except for the fact it was a honda and it had a bigger motor than the 84 goldwing standard i was riding at the time. and i got it with less than 15,000 miles on the clock and under 7 grand 

[R J]

12 miles bought it new,

[ChromeDome]

You could say that mine was a purchase of oppurtunity ... I broke down in Albuquerque, NM and between the cost of the repair and air fare to/from Chicago I figured now was my chance to get a Valkyrie. That was back in 2001 & 100K plus miles ago!

[MP]

#1.  97 std.  First Valk    From SW ND to Florence, SC.  About 1800 miles

#2. 01 IS  For my sidecar   to Dallas, TX.  I believe 1600 0r so.

MP

[captsharky]

About 600 each way. I am in So. Florida. Now I am looking for an IS and found one in SC. Hope I can make the deal work.

[Buda]

170 miles a few months ago....Drove to Wisconsin looked at the Valk and a few others, bought it and  rode it home (central Illinios).  Went up there to look at the Valk, just rode the others for the hell of it.

[alph]

Bought mine off the local “tradin post” newspaper.  Took the wife and kids along with that years tax refund check to Neillsville, about 60 miles away.  Paid the guy $6900, left my eye glasses at the bank, and drove home!!  It was an extremely windy day, that cycle was dead straight on the road, never moved once because of cross winds!!  It was love at first sight!! 

Called the guy when I got home and asked him if I left my glasses there, then called the bank.  “Chip” drove all the way to Eau Claire and brought me my glasses himself!!!  That bike didn’t have a single scratch on it!!  That is until my daughter got on it!!  She put a 2” long scratch right along the right side cover!!  Told the wife “well, looks like it’s mine now!!”

[Jess from VA]

First, 165mi each way.
Second, 402 each way.  (took the train up to MA, rode home)

[ILcruiser]

I found mine on ebay last August; the seller was a dealer 2 miles from my house.   

[Quicksilver]

Found mine on the net LesPac.com in Quebec, 200 miles or so away. It was March in Canada 2 feet of snow still on ground. Contacted seller, 65000 km ( 40000 miles ) black standard 97 for 5600$. He said it was in storage and I should wait until April and call him back. I figured it would be long gone by then. He lives near Montreal a larger city. I tried checking on him using reverse lookup on the phone number and got a different name. I asked him about it and he said he had used his second name on the phone listing. He gave me the vin number and I checked to see if it was listed as stolen and tried to get the name of the registered owner, no luck. So without seeing it I sent him a cheque for 1000$ to hold it for me until the snow melted and he could get it out of storage. Yes I know it was a dumb thing to do but I figured if it was a bogus deal I just wouldn't be getting the bike I wanted. I couldn't afford anything more at the time and really wanted a Valkyrie. I made arrangements to pick it up April 21 when the weather would allow me to ride it home and he could get it out of storage. Well he cashed the cheque of course. As the end of April approached around the 15th I got an email from him asking if I still wanted the bike and to get back to him by the 17th to confirm or he would sell the bike to someone else. I was on the road and didn't get home until the 18th. I called him and told him I still wanted the bike and would be coming for it on the 21st when I would be off. He wanted to close the deal sooner and wanted me to pick it up on Saturday. We would be going to a local license bureau to change ownership. He was certain they were open on Saturday. He also wanted me to meet him in a different town from the one he was in ( at his girlfriends). I checked the net for hours of service for all the local license bureaus in the area where he would be, nothing was open on Saturday. To complicate matters further he only spoke French and I had my wife interpreting. So I called him and arranged to pick up the bike on the 18th a Friday when I knew the local office was open and also I would meet him at the location that his phone number said he was at. Ok so my wife and I drove the 2 1/2 hours to Montreal, found the address and I admit after all this I was extremely relieved to see the bike as pictured sitting in the driveway. The only obvious problem was a leaking fork seal. It had new E3 tires and started first flip. It turned out he was a prison guard in Quebec. He had every reason to keep his identity and location private. I rode it to the license bureau about 10 minutes away as my test ride. We finished the deal and paperwork in about 15 minutes and then we headed for home. It was a windy run and a bit chilly but the bike was solid. That was in 2009. Since then I’ve put an additional 30000 km on her and spent about 3000$ making her mine.

[Sourdough]

I found my I/S on Dallas Craigslist. It was the color I wanted with all the bling
I could want.. flew down and bought it. The bonus for me was a local Valk event
followed by a wrench party the next day  by DFW VRCC. Both were a 1st for me
and had a great time. I then drove her home.. 2100 miles.

[HayHauler]

Bought mine from my brother about 15 miles from the house.  He was recovering from Cancer and didn't have the strength to hold her up.  He is better now, but having some back problems.  This was back in 2006.  I always wanted a bike like his and when the chance to get it came up, I jumped on it.

Hay  
Jimmyt

[ptgb]

Valk #1 - 97 Standard (Black) - Dayton, OH  - 250 miles - VRCC Ad - Private Owner ---- I sold it

Valk #2 - 99 Interstate (Black) - Mentor, OH - 50 miles - Craigslist Ad (via VRCC heads-up) - Private Owner ----- Still have

Valk #3 - 03 Standard (Black) - Cleveland, OH - 50 miles - Heads-up on VRCC board - Dealer ---- Still have (soon to be trike)

Valk #4 - ? (Green & Creme Tourer) - ? - ? - ?  - About 2 years in the future, need a bigger garage first.

[olddog1946]

I found mine on the local Craigslist, and only had to travel about 80 miles one way..I had been looking for one for 6 months and though there were a few out there, no one was willing to trade for a C4 Corvette...the guy I got mine from had had his on CL for the same 6 months and told me he never even got one call on it, so he was happy with my offer to trade..Didn't hurt that the vette was the same color as his wife's pickup...

BEST TRADE I EVER MADE  !!!!!!

[donaldcc]

 

"drug the wife"

Hey fordmano that sounds like a good idea.  What kind of drugs did you use?  Might try that, I would like to get a second Valk but might have to use some more potent varieties to pull it off.   

[Mongo]

I got my 99 I/S at Max Pitts in early 2001 about 120 miles away. It was a still in the box leftover and got it for only $11,000

[alph]

 

"drug the wife"

i thought the same thing!!!  the drug i used was that i had to finish remodling the basement!!  the kids actually started nagging her to let me get the cycle!!  the basement was finished in june, got the cycle in august.

[Pete]

1st one 45 miles one way. Found via EvilBay
2nd one 20 miles one way. VRCC member posted a heads up on VRCC forum after finding it on CraigList.

THANKS again to IBSRP for the find. I still owe you dinner.

Only got to vote once since both were in the same catagory. So add 1 to catagory 1.

[John Schmidt]

About 250 round trip. We had a '92 Candy Red Wing with a matching cargo trailer, beautiful setup. When my wife reached the point she could no longer ride with me due to health issues, being the wonderful person she is told me there was no reason for me to stop doing what I enjoy...riding. So, with that she gave me permission to either keep the Wing or get something else. I immediately started checking the Cycle Trader, Craig's List, etc., for Valks. In the Cycle Trader I spotted a '98 Tourer in Gainesville, FL with around 6k on the clock, but they were just too proud of it....asking $10,200 eight years ago. Not a bad price back then, just too much for me at the time so I watched the Trader to see if it would come down...which it did. About every two weeks it dropped a few hundred and when it stayed at $8500 for three weeks I decided I had better move on it. I called one Saturday and asked if they still had it, yes....and one of the service guys had just come back from a ride to keep it "loose" as he put it. Later they told me it was something they did about once a week because they didn't want that particular bike to deteriorate from lack of use. I asked when they closed...5:00pm, it was now 1:30 so I told them I'm on the way and gave them my name and headed out the door. I hit the t'pike and let the Wing roll, one last good ride on what had been a trouble free machine. I never did let it all out, but most of the ride was in triple digits....had to see if it still had it. Noooo problem!  Final analysis...I GAVE them my Wing plus $2500 and rolled off the lot, their doors closed behind me. I got about two miles down the road and the bike quit so I coasted to the side and rolled up on the sidewalk. It was now dark and this was a busy street. I sat there for a minute collecting my thoughts and wondering what now, full of gas and the battery turned it over with gusto. About that time, a cop pulled up and asked if I had a problem, told him what had happened and he walked over with his flashlight to help check it over. Suddenly he bent down, reached under the left side and turned something, then told me to try it again. After a few seconds it fired right up, he grinned and said something about a fuel shutoff....and welcome to the "club of forgetting to turn it on." All the way home I was amazed at the power, pulling up behind a vehicle at 75 then hitting the gas and it was around and gone in nothing flat. I was grinning for 125 miles, never had I owned a bike like this...still have it, with many modifications. It, and the Wing, have been the most trouble free and comfortable rides I ever owned. Marvelous machines.

[BigMac NJ]

Both of mine were bought locally  . I live on the Jersey shore.
1st one was from Cincinatti, Ohio about 630 miles from here. It's stablemate  was even closer at 877  :)smiles near Atlanta, GA.

[Strider]

The late Paul "Bumblebee" Hughes found mine up near Nashville after I wrecked my first Valk and I flew up to Nashville, Tennessee and picked it up at Smith County Motorcycles (great place) and rode it back to Louisiana.  Paul picked me up at the airport and drove me over to pick it up.  I had talked to the shop before flying up and got a honest report from the shop, from Paul and Smokin'Joe (who had ridden over and checked it out) - so the deal was already made before I flew up. Got home the night before Katrina made landfall the next morning.

[SANDMAN5]

My first Valk I bought local (brand new). My current '98 I had to drive to
Smokin' Joe country (about 125 miles) to get. LOL, I was still so sore
and stiff from totalling my '03 that I couldn't lift my leg high enough to
get on the 98!! I had to stand back a little and use my wife for balance
so I could grab my leg and throw it on the seat, then I just slid on over!!

[BradValk48237]

53 miles.......

I was looking for an Interstate for 6 months in 09', had an 85 Wing. Had seen the bike on CL for about 3 months and finally the price came down to where I tough I could make a deal. Called the dealership (Monroe Powersports) and they said they still had it and were looking to move it. Called a buddy of mine and made a Ride out it, Me on the Wing and him on his HD Dresser. We got down there and once I saw the bike I knew I had to have it..... They wanted $9k for it, lots of chrome extras on it. I had been lurking here on the site and kinda knew how dependable it was and having had trouble free Honda cycling for the last 20+ years, offered them $8500 out the door, tax N' all, without even starting the bike. (I knew they had a 30 day return/repair guarantee, but was confident there would be no issues!)

They accepted and, what do you know, a branch of my bank was just down the street..... Told my buddy to hang on and was back within 20 min with the cash...... She was mine.

If they would have given me what I wanted for the Wing, I would've driven it home that day!

B

[Willow]

March 2004 -  2001 Blue and White Standard - 558 miles out - 558 mile ride home

October 2006 - 1998 Blue and Cream Standard - 886 miles away - 1,480 mile ride home

August 2007 - 1999 Green and Beige Interstate - 794 miles out - 831 mile ride home

May 2010 - 1999 Green and Beige Interstate - 1,927 miles away - 3,714 mile ride home

[Bama Red]

Had been looking for about a month and had several I wanted to look at, including one in Knoxville and one in Trussville, AL (145 miles, each way).

The one in Alabama was a red and cream '98 Tourer and the one in Tennessee was a black I/S. Both were the same price and the Tourer had about 12000 fewer miles. I was already on the way to Alabama when the I/S owner called my cell to give me info on his bike and I told him I would head to Knoxville if I didn't buy the Tourer. I had the trailer hooked on behind the F-150 with the motorcycle wheel chock bolted to the bed of the trailer and cash in my pocket. In other words, I wasn't going home empty handed!!! The only question was would my Valk be black or red? Tourer or I/S?

I could see the Tourer sitting in the seller's driveway from about five houses up the street and made up my mind right then and there. The seller saddled up a spare Kawi and we went for an hour-long test drive on country roads and interstates.

Esmerelda came home with me that evening.

[V-NAV]

I live in Austin, TX.  Drove to Grand  Junction, CO to pick up my 2000 I/S last Summer, and then trailered it home.  Roughly 1200 miles each way, give or take.

John

[bigdog99]

i told the wife when we bought ours, that she could pick it out no matter where it was and we would fly there and drive it home.
it didnt matter to me, as long as we got one.
 

[Stormrider65]

250 miles on my trip.  I wanted a Valk for 5 years and have been working my butt off to get the money up to do it.  (I still have a little bit of butt to lose though  ).  I've been off a bike for almost 10 years but when I swung a leg across and started her up,  thats all she wrote.  Thanks to Hayhauler and JoeValkIS and a few others out there to help me look at the right things to look at, Wall-E is in the back yard, covered up and getting chrome put on and shined up.  The other half is getting her gear together so we can ride to Houston and buy Hayhauler dinner.  And maybe meet up with other riders. 

Walt

[T.P.]

Got my Valkyrie 4th of July weekend 2004, I had decided not to buy one closer then 500 miles to Minneapolis.  MRS.T.P. worked for North West Airlines and with the free flights I was looking for a distance ride.  I flew down to Houston Texas and rode it home from Galveston (1200+ miles)  I had not been on a bike since 1987, but did a 875 mile stretch on my second day heading North.   T.P.

[sheets]

When I was ready to pull the trigger, I was wanting a silver/black tourer. Searched high and low at every Honda shop within 500 California miles from home. None to be had. Settled on a basic boring black one that was a hundred miles from home. With an aftermarket seat and a handful of bolt-on "things"... she continues to serve as my 700 pound tranquilizer.
 

[Bladedog]

Flew one way from L.A. to Ft. Worth, rode back to California.  One week before Christmas in '08.  Yeah, it was COLD.

[Mike in AR]

Live in central Arkansas. Found a '97 Black and Yellow in New Hampshire. Roughly 1500 miles one way. The wife and I, along with our 7 y.o. grandson, drove the truck up to get it. I had never heard of a Valkyrie, much less seen one, other than the picture on E-bay. We get there, and I take one look at the bike and tell the wife, I may have gotten more bike than I can handle. Anyway, had the PO load it up in the back of the pickup, and drove back home. First time I road it was unloading it from the truck. Had I known that it was not nearly as intimidating as it looked, I probably would have ridden it home. Needless to say, we have put several miles on her since then. Don't believe that I will ever sell it. Might have to trike it later on, but not sell.

[junior]

March 2004 -  2001 Blue and White Standard - 558 miles out - 558 mile ride home

October 2006 - 1998 Blue and Cream Standard - 886 miles away - 1,480 mile ride home

August 2007 - 1999 Green and Beige Interstate - 794 miles out - 831 mile ride home

May 2010 - 1999 Green and Beige Interstate - 1,927 miles away - 3,714 mile ride home

Willow...............only 4? i have seen pics of a dozen of you all on valks in that manncave..........lol