Considering my first Valkyrie

[Disciple Kickstand]

Hello, my name is Devin, call me Kickstand.

I'm strongly considering my first Valkyrie.  I've been talking with a guy selling his 97.  It's a beautiful bike, supercharged, custom paint, 49k Miles on it, he says about 15 with the blower.  What should i be considering when looking into this bike?

https://touch.facebook.com/groups/511058225652786?view=permalink&id=869244736500798&comment_id=872506049508000&notif_t=group_comment_reply&ref=m_notif

[hubcapsc]

What should i be considering when looking into this bike?

running  ...

Maybe you really want a supercharged Valkyrie, but 15K is almost certainly too much.
If you aren't sure you want a supercharged Valkyrie, 15K is certainly too much.

Your picture is a private facebook picture of some sort, I don't have a facebook account
and can't see it.

There's a lot of good Valkyries out there for less than half that...

I'd look around for some well-cared for one with some chrome or
comfort (especially seat) add-ons, they're out there...

-Mike

[Bighead]

I think he meant 15 k miles with the blower,not 15k$

[Disciple Kickstand]

Bingo. That's how many miles have been put on the blower.

He is asking $8900 CND.  A touch steep but not outrageousf for a bike in northern Bc.  I can't figure out posting pics so I posted the fb page at the ad.  It has a video of the bike rrunning in it .

[Icelander]

A few questions come to my mind:

1. Why is this person selling it? Seems like a bunch of work has gone into it to sell after one or two years of riding. (Guess that's another question: How many years has this person been riding it?)

2. What is your riding experience? My NA Valk scared the piss outta me on my test ride with how quickly it took off when you romped on it. I can only imagine what a supercharged bike would do. If you've never ridden a big bike, this might be more than you want to take on.

3. Does the PO have any documentation on the conversion? Pictures. web postings. I didn't watch the video as I'm at work but I always look at customizations with a critical eye. You don't know how the guy turning the wrench did the work till you get into it yourself.

4. Have you talked with any of the local Valk guys? Maybe one of them would be willing to go with you to check the bike out.

Good luck in your search. Hope you find the right bike for you.

Icelander

[BF]

If you think you can handle it, hand him the cash, hop on it and go.    

Just be aware.  If you've never ridden a Valk before, just know that a Valkyrie is a whole lot of motorcycle.....and a blown Valk is a whole lot of Valkyrie.   

[BonS]

I agree with everything everyone else has said. I own both a normally aspirated and a blown Valk. PM me with any questions that you have and I'll try to help out. Blown bikes don't like cold weather when starting so that might be a consideration depending on where you live. They get around 30 mpg. Few have lived with them so you'll have little help if it needs additional tuning or tweaking the carb/blower setup. There are several generations of these blowers. The manifold design tells me it's a later generation and I think they're easier to live with and more responsive to the throttle. I got mine several years ago with 40,000 all-blower miles. If you're paying with USD then you're getting a great price!

[old2soon]

I was one of the fortunate ones to launch/ride/have a reality check on Big Mikes blower bike at Asheville N C. I "thought" my I/S was fast TIL I threw a leg over Big Mikes ride! You haven't stated your experience level here-yet. Most if not all of us agree the Valkyrie IS NOT a starter M/C and a blown Valkyrie is NO HOW NO WAY a starter M/C. All that being said IF you decide to go ahead with the purchase PRIOR to money changing hands take BonS up on his offer. Might also P M Big Mike. Now for a truly SHAMELESS plug for my Brother-da prez-he has a 98 I believe in strawberries and cream with 6 into 6 cobras for sale. AND I will add-that cursed thing is by far the fastest naturally aspirated Valkyrie I've ridden to date. He's had some lookee lous but no one with coin yet. I KNOW how cursed hard it is to NOT twist the tail of my I/S-I can NOT imagine having a blower bike-speed and hard launches STILL git my blood pounding!  And as we are all aware of-speed and hard launches MIGHT git expensive!  RIDE SAFE.

[Disciple Kickstand]

I'm not s new rider, or am I a stranger to powerful cruisers .This will admittedly be another level and I respect that, but the bike doesn't scare me. 

the dude says he is selling the bike for start up money to get another project. He has plenty of bikes.

 
My biggest questioni s this, for those who have or have had one of these bikes blown:
assumjng the build is all good, done correctly and the bike is in great shape, how much does the blower compromise long term reliability? Or will this be a high maintenance (pain in the button) machine.

Not many vslk owners round these parts anymore . Can't say I've even seen one riding around Fort St John in the last couple years.  I guess that's part of the allure, everyone and there dog is running harley around here. 

[Icelander]

Wow! You are WAY out there! 

Hope this works out for you.

Icelander

[BonS]

My biggest question is this, for those who have or have had one of these bikes blown:
assuming the build is all good, done correctly and the bike is in great shape, how much does the blower compromise long term reliability? Or will this be a high maintenance (pain in the button) machine.

My experience is that it's just as reliable as the basic Valkyrie. You lose six five carbs and gain a blower belt and pulley. Mine has been ridden for 40K miles and the engine is sound. As I said earlier they don't like starting in cold weather but mine has always started. You can see a short test video of mine here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy1lsQUh0dA

[Disciple Kickstand]

Oh man, that video got me all stoked for this bike.  just waiting for some cash to come through and I'll off to take a look at it in person.

[whitestroke]

If you decide against a supercharged Valk I've got a nice Valk I'll let go for 8K firm.
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,77413.0.html

[sixlow]

and by next week this time you will be considering your 2nd Valkyrie,  and so on !