Why Valkyrie

[shooter64]

We love our Valks but there are other great bikes out there. A fellow with a Rocket III or Suzuki 109 is probably not longing for a Valk instead. What are specific reasons why you prefer a Valk over the others? Engine probably will outlast any other. Exhaust sound is unique. What else?

[Wolf1910]

    LOL   you know what they say.."If I have to explain...you probaly wouldn't understand"

[alph]

it's not a v-twinkie.   it isn't an old mans goldwing.  smooth ride, great handling, awsome power, comfort, looks, how many more reasons do you need?

[salty1]

The stock bling just stops em in there tracks! Add more and it's a case of out of control! She is unique!   

[Ice]

ValkyrieSlide	powered by Aeva

Must I say more?

[Patrick]

Back during the fall of '97 we were walking thru Lake Placid NY when a herd of Gold Wings went swishing past.. I didn't pay much attention to them until I noticed the last of the pack.. It happened to be this wild looking thing I'd not seen before and starting running after it and I'm no longer built for running.. By the time I caught up with them in the parking lot the folks were gone, but, I looked this wild looking black/chrome monster over and decided I needed one.. I bought one a few months later.. From the 60s during the Japanese invasion I said I would never own a Japanese bike, this is the first, and, the best bike I've owned..

[BIG--T]

   LOL   you know what they say.."If I have to explain...you probaly wouldn't understand"

Ditto! Besides the 109s and R3 are faster but who cares. The valk is a smooth, sweet and fast for what she is and most of all the reason I bought mine....UNIQUE and not everybody has one! I love to be different!

[Pete]

What is not to like?

It is smooth, quiet, comfortable, easy handling, reliable, long lasting  .......

Any questions? If you have questions, read line 2 again.

[Lyn-Del]

The stock bling just stops em in there tracks! Add more and it's a case of out of control! She is unique!   

I've gotten many more comments on the "stock bling" thing with the M109R than I ever have with any of the Valkyries --

But it's the 109 looking for a new home.  The Rocket III is still here, but if I had to choose one bike to get rid of, it would be next.  Why?

Because it's NOT A VALKYRIE

[Black Dog]

Not speaking for 'everyone' here, but here is my take...

The Valk is unique, just as (most of us) are an odd group of folks ( ), we are not a group that fits 'the mold'.  The vast majority of our membership is somewhere between 50 & 60 years old, so in most cases we've 'been there, done that' with the V Twin kinda bike.  We recognize the quality, but we also march to a different beat   

My lady is 15 years old, but she still is a show stopper...  Parked in a sea of HD's, the passers by will stop and look at the Valk... 

As others have said, power, beauty, all day smooth, and ya don't see one every time you turn around 

Black Dog

[da prez]

                                              V A L K Y R I E
  IF I HAVE TO EXPLAIN,YOU BETTER HAVE PLENTY OF TIME (until the fuel tank is full and I leave)
                                                 da prez

[Rams]

I first saw her across the room, yes it was a show room but her beauty made her stand out above the others.  I went over to her and tried to make conversation, she only nodded back but, when I finally mounted her, there came a confidence, a feeling of pure joy. She stirred the depths of my soul.   Then, I could feel her motor running beneath me, I was hers forever.  It took me several years to finally find her again but, she was worth the wait.  

Her beauty is beyond any of her so called peers, she can out perform the vast majority of the "others", she is endowed with a warrior spirit that is not afraid to walk alone and yet, she is a beast beneath all that and she brings out the best in all of us.  Not just because of her looks or strength but because she always beckons me to join her in the bliss of becoming one with her.  She brings out the best of my own spirit.   I've yet to see another that drew me away from her.  Unlike a cheap one night stand, she is a lady that doesn't demand my attention, she makes me crave hers.

[hubcapsc]

An interesting motor.

Interesting styling.

Giant good looking saddlebags.

None of that would matter if it wasn't also smooth, fast, good handling in the mountains and comfortable
on days-long trips, but it is all that too.

-Mike

[Serk]

She's paid for.

I know her...

Took me 8 years before I finally got her set up JUST how I want her, REALLLLLLY don't want to (And can't afford to!) start over getting a different bike set up just right for me...

Did I mention she's paid for?

Not the most romantic reasons, but they're there...

Oh, and there's nothing currently being made that interests me in the slightest. The Rocket 3 would be close, if it was made by a company with a bit more of a tradition of making reliable vehicles. But no matter how impressive the engine performs, I can't get over it looking like it fell out of a farm tractor.

[John Schmidt]

Referring to all of the above:  Yup, that about covers it.

It's the best and most unique bike I've ever owned, and barring an accident it will be the last. I'm certain it has at least another ten years left in it, whether I do remains to be seen. 

[Dogg]

"Ditto! Besides the 109s and R3 are faster but who cares. "
Sorry, maybe faster than your valk but not mine. And nowhere near the appel of a valk. The 109 sounds like a hopped up shadow. Doesn't do anything for me. The rocket III is just ugly. And doesn't handle anywhere near as good as the valk.

[FloridaValkRyder]

Referring to all of the above:  Yup, that about covers it.

It's the best and most unique bike I've ever owned, and barring an accident it will be the last. I'm certain it has at least another ten years left in it, whether I do remains to be seen. 

Ditto what John said. A classic Valkyrie moment happened in John's garage a month or so ago. We were looking at his project Valk (which some one needs to buy by the way, it looks and runs great) when a neighbor of his walked up the driveway. There were 3 Valks sitting there, my 99 I/S, Johns project bike and of course, Black Beauty (see photo above) The guy just stared at them, Asked something about 6 cylinders, I forget what exactly he said, John might remember. But it was the look in his eyes. You could see something was stirring inside him. He was seeing something he had never seen before and he was Excited!!
Sort of like me the first time I saw one.

[Hoser]

All she's got to do is outlast me.    Hoser
 

[MAD6Gun]

 My father (Solo1) got his in late 96. He let me ride it a few times. Could not get over the power and the smoothness. It fit me. I was riding a 82 Honda 900F at the time. I said to myself "someday I will have my own".  Two years later in early 99 I found and got a "leftover" 97 in black. Have had it ever since. Of course it has been repainted,new pipes and a whole lot of shinny stuff. Now it has almost 50k on it and it still looks and runs great.
 
 Like was said earlier in this thread. There is nothing that has come out since that I would consider getting rid of the Valk for. Zero,zip,Nada.......

[X Ring]

First Valkyrie I saw was in the Cobra exhaust section of the J & P Cycles catalog.  First bike that made my mouth fall open and no other bike has done it since.

Marty

[RainMaker]

Had Hondas all my life - they never let me down.  Actually looked at Harleys when I was shopping but couldn't get the time of day from the dealers to even compare. They even had a waiting list for delivery if you were fortunate enough to get their attention long enough to buy one.

Looked at the Kawasaki Vulcan but felt it was a poor copy of the HDs.  Looked at the 2000 Gold Wings but too much plastic.  The Valkyrie had more power, the interstate had all the features I wanted and it wasn't laden with plastic - it was like an update of my '81 wing, which was a good bike. 

Since then, have had no desire to even look at another motorcycle. 

[Paxton]

Everything has been said... 
Except that it makes my huge ass look smaller, especially if I wear Black! 

[BIG--T]

"Ditto! Besides the 109s and R3 are faster but who cares. "
Sorry, maybe faster than your valk but not mine. And nowhere near the appel of a valk. The 109 sounds like a hopped up shadow. Doesn't do anything for me. The rocket III is just ugly. And doesn't handle anywhere near as good as the valk.

What? You got to be kidding! I love my Valk but I'm also  realist. Unless yours is turbo charged and built to the gills it ain't happenning. Have you ridden  M109 or a Rocket 3? Your Valk better be kicking out 120-140 hp to run with them. 

[BIG--T]

"Ditto! Besides the 109s and R3 are faster but who cares. "
Sorry, maybe faster than your valk but not mine. And nowhere near the appel of a valk. The 109 sounds like a hopped up shadow. Doesn't do anything for me. The rocket III is just ugly. And doesn't handle anywhere near as good as the valk.

I didn't say anything about looks or handling.

[Serk]

"Ditto! Besides the 109s and R3 are faster but who cares. "
Sorry, maybe faster than your valk but not mine. And nowhere near the appel of a valk. The 109 sounds like a hopped up shadow. Doesn't do anything for me. The rocket III is just ugly. And doesn't handle anywhere near as good as the valk.

What? You got to be kidding! I love my Valk but I'm also  realist. Unless yours is turbo charged and built to the gills it ain't happenning. Have you ridden  M109 or a Rocket 3? Your Valk better be kicking out 120-140 hp to run with them. 

His Valk ain't exactly stock...

[BIG--T]

Haha, I see it ain't stock! lol. That 300 rear, drag bars, pipes kinda gives it away! 

I was talking about stock bike HP.  If we're talking drag racing, throw some built 109s and R3s and built Hds and I will fly anywhere to watch that! lol.

Speaking of dragging, have you watched any NHRA pro bikes run? I'll let ya guess who wins most of the time! 

[Irish-Valk]

Honda Valkyrie's may not be everybodys cup of tea, but then everyone to their own taste.
However, if you want a big, strong, reliable, comfortable motorcycle that drives and looks most like what the majority of people imagine a motorcycle should drive and look like while at the same time drawing a great big grin on your face and on the faces of most enthusiasts that get to see one - then the Honda Valkyrie fits the bill.
It certainly ticks 99% of all the boxes for me.

[BIG--T]

Honda Valkyrie's may not be everybodys cup of tea, but then everyone to their own taste.
However, if you want a big, strong, reliable, comfortable motorcycle that drives and looks most like what the majority of people imagine a motorcycle should drive and look like while at the same time drawing a great big grin on your face and on the faces of most enthusiasts that get to see one - then the Honda Valkyrie fits the bill.
It certainly ticks 99% of all the boxes for me.

Well said. I always ride with about 99% harleys and it's amazing that when we park people come up and check my bike out and I can't help but grin! 

[cookiedough]

At first sight, I thought the Valkyrie sitting in the Honda shop on consignment was a dusty piece of junk requiring serious help.  Dealer cleaned it up some and made it rideable.  First ride on the bike I was terrified being off bikes for 10 years.  It only took me 1 ride alone and 1 ride with the wife that convinced us to buy it.  For sitting in a barn for 2 years not riding, it was a little lathargic but knew when I cracked it open, it had potential.  Plus, the thing that I loved was the I/S has speakers (although not great), but also a hookup for an mp3 player that plays louder and better sound quality than just listening to the radio.  For 2001, that was ahead of it's time I think especially since the 2000 1520cc goldwings had a cassette tape deck (old school).  I also noticed right away for being such a heavy bike how balanced and easy it was to ride.  Some say the Valkyrie doesn't corner well at low speeds vs. say an equivalent HD, but I don't see that at all.  I also like the stock quiet exhaust and smooth NON SHAKING power unlike all V-twinkies being loud and rumbling potato, potato, potato sound.

Only 3 things I wish the Valkyrie had as options are electronic cruise control from factory like the goldwing has, 6th gear for better hwy. fuel economy, and fuel injection.  The HD crowd around me , just like a lot of places, don't realize what they are missing since almost all are brainwashed thinking HD or nothing.

[john]

                                    

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

The valk is a do-it-all bike. The foot pegs are under me so I can stand on the pegs when I need a change. I feel more in control on a bike with this layout instead of forward controls.

It's been said that "only accurate rifles are interesting". I think that applies to powerful, good handling motorcycles too. The slow ones just don't interest me.

I can ride the valk to town to pickup dog-food, groceries or booze. I can take a deer head to the taxidermist or pick up 20' of coiled hydraulic hose for work. Or I can ride it coast to coast, rain or shine, hammer down, or flower sniffing. It's an all purpose bike.

Top it off with being one of the best looking, longest lasting motorcycles on the planet.

[Wetrudgeon]

Having owned a Valk for four years and almost 30K miles and now the Beast (R3) for a couple of years and nearly 15K, we hold that the Valk is still the best overall motorbike we have ever had the pleasure to ride.  However, we must respectfully disagree with Dogg.  The Beast is measurably more powerful and faster than our Valk, and is considerably more nimble (for us, at least).  We concur that the Beast is not as pretty as a Valk, and not close to as smooth and comfortable, but then nothing is (as pretty and smooth as a Valk).  We very much enjoy the Beast, but still miss the Valk.  The day that Honda introduces a 1.8 liter Valk w/six forward speeds and ABS will be a happy day indeed.  Alas, we fear that day will never come.  Our $.02.

We trudge on.

[Moonshot_1]

The Valk is a wonder of engineering. It may not be the best at anything but it excels in virtually everything. Speed, handling, quickness, comfort, braking, styling, it has no equal.
It's a show stopper. In a line of V-twins, the Valk stops folks in their tracks.

[Jess Tolbirt]

in a line of v-twins the valk will get a lot of attention.. but in a line of Valks the harley will get the attention,,why? because its different than the majority thats there,,

[pBrain]

Because Chicks Digg IT!!!

[CajunRider]

Engine... All engine...

It's smooth as silk...
It's got good torque from 1500 rpm to red-line...
It's well built and good for 100K + miles...
It sounds awesome...  

[Moonshot_1]

in a line of v-twins the valk will get a lot of attention.. but in a line of Valks the harley will get the attention,,why? because its different than the majority thats there,,

A Harley in a line of Valks? A Harley that can keep up with a group of Valks would, indeed, be impressive. Probably even Mythical.

[Red Diamond]

I had just turned 58 years in '02, my first motorcycle was a Harley Ultra Classic, loaded to the gill. Paid a lot a lapp for that bike, nothing but trouble. After 10 miles of ownership it was leaking oil, never stopped, compensator nut loose, voltage regulator went south, the general sales manager felt so sorry for me, he bought it back, and that's the Gods truth. A friend of mine bought a 2K Valkyrie Interstate, begged me not to buy a harley, just had to have one, listened to all the bullshit about family and they don't leak oil anymore, you should only wipe it with a rag made especially for Harley paint, don't use synthetic oil, you name it.

Now, as was said, if I have to explain it anymore, I'm wasting my time.

[F6MoRider]

Mine called to me.  I was sleeping, actually napping, when I heard my name being called.  I woke up and realized I was sleeping but had an insatiable need to go to the local Honda dealer.

I had a Kawasaki 650 CSR for 18 years (1982) and loved the 4 carbs along with the simplicity of that machine.  I rode her from SoCal to CentralFla and got to know her well over the years. She liked the Dallas area and really liked having both me and my wife on her as we rode the twistys, always sure footed and strong.

Nonetheless, I arrived at the dealer and heard my name again.  I began to look at the fingerless gloves, as mine went missing that morning.  As I perused the rack, I kept hearing my name.  When I turned around to find out who was calling me, I saw her.  My Red/Black Phat Lady was looking right at me and asking me what took me so long to get to her (she also said she was the fastest color).  I talked to the house manager and we came to an agreement on her value, which he did not know or otherwise I would have never gotten her for the price I paid, and I took her home.  In the coming weeks, I learned she was a jealous lady.  So...

I said my farewell to my Kawasaki the next week when I donated her to the Dallas Kids Can Academy where she was promptly sold to help support less fortunate kids in their quest to develop their creative talent.

Funny thing is, I found my gloves when I got home with my new gal.  They were on the counter right where I thought I'd left them.  Go figure.  

12 years later, she still calls to me, and I still come when she calls.

[Challenger]

Been riding since 1966, I've owned a lot of bikes. (Bridgestone, Hondas, Harley.)  The Valk is my first Motorcycle