New Owner of 2015 Black Valkyrie

[BoldlyGo]

   I traded a 2012 BMW K1600GTL.  One would ask why?  Well, the BMW consumed 1 cup of oil every 1000 km, constantly fell out of 2nd gear into neutral requiring me to "pre-load" and the bike became a 2x4 sheet in the wind.  My only complaint about the Valkyrie so far is the lack of touring comfort which I am working on thanks to posters on this thread like the windshield suggestion.  I also have purchased RIVCO highway pegs.  Has anyone here modified the handle bars to obtain a 1-1.5" extended reach?  I am wondering what was involved and the costs?

[dinosnake]

Instead of messing with the bars I had Corbin, as they were building my seat, move the rider pocket forward to my taste and needs.  Voila, perfect positioning.

[bscrive]

Hi BoldlyGo,
I changed my handlebars on my bike.  I went radical and made my own bars, because I couldn't find anything I liked. There is not much slack in the lines to put on longer bars and I doubt you will be able to find something to bring your bars back only 1.5".  I tried all kinds of things.  You have to make sure of the clearance between the bezel on the top of the tank and the bars. 
Finally, I decided that if I am going to get new bars then I will bring them back to where they felt the best.  I made mine 16" long (8" longer than stock), but I could have went to 12" (4" longer than stock).  You will have to extend your wiring, hydraulic lines and throttle lines.  I also changed the grips as well to Avon grips.
I have a thread on what I did.  http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,77811.0.html
Another member, hubcapsc, changed his bars as well.  He has a thread where he shows what he did.

[hubcapsc]

The photos on my thread are off-line until I
edit the post with new URLs...

It was a bit of work changing the handlebars - custom hydraulic
lines, throttle cables and I had to cut the controls wire bundle on
each side and solder in nine more inches of wire to each lead...



-Mike

[BoldlyGo]

Hello Bscrive, great bike!  That is exactly the vision I am pursuing with all but one change.  My wife likes to ride with me so I will provide more pillion back support.  So far, love the engine and transmission - scary acceleration if you really give her - gearing must be different than my BM'r which had stronger numbers.  I love the look of the hard bags, except, part of the reason I purchased a Valkyrie was to keep the weight down.  I think I will purchase Honda's hardware and purchase a cheaper leather bag set with a blank wall that I can custom drill for fitment.  Not sure how that will work out with the wide fenders?  Maybe the hardware takes care of that?

Love the bike.  Might also like different tires with more tread for country roads.  Any suggestions?  I found the stock tires with all of the acceleration to be iffy on damp roads.

[bscrive]

I just bought some avon tires, but most people seem to be leaning towards the Michelins.  You will have to go with a smaller tire on the front (120/70-19), but those who have done so say that the handling is much better.  If you read some of the posts by Adrian you will see what I mean.   

[Robert]

Congratulations and welcome on your most educated purchase, and joining the board   As for tires,
most including myself have had good luck with these.

[rogueleader_92]

I thought all the 15's were candy apple red....

[zackod]

If your Rivco pegs aren't to your liking, consider returning and going with Kuryakyn Ergo III.   Highly adjustable, looks great, automatically retract when not used.  Quality pegs made specifically to mount on your GoldWing engine.

[BoldlyGo]

Thanks Robert!  I have always purchased Michelin's in the past and have enjoyed excellent performance.  I will run with your suggestion.  Too bad I did not solicit feedback on this thread prior to purchasing the highway pegs - oh well, I will get my money out of them and then see.

I am keenly interested to see how the windshield works out.  2 years ago I wanted full body wind protection while riding.  Now, I want just enough to keep the wind pressure off my chest.  The boulevard screen from Honda actually works surprising well.  I just wanted a little more so I looked into a 10" tinted windscreen which I should receive shortly.

Thanks to everyone for your help. 

[ledany]

@Robert : last year the Michelin PR4 was the finest tire you could have on wet roads, according to german and french tests and this year, the PR4 is far behind the Metzeler Roadtec 01 and Roadsmart III, according to the same sources.
I have a Roadtec 01 on the rear, I'm not crazy about it, it slipped two or three times for reasons I don't understand, I don't feel as secure as with the PR4 
We'll see that soon as winter is coming 

[BoldlyGo]

I am still unsure whether I like this bike or not yet.  I love the engine/transmission, not convinced on the ergonomics.  I have slight back problems with the lean forward on long trips.  I have size 13 feet so the shifter does not work so well.   Cruiser Customizing has a set of floorboards/heeltoe shifter kit that looks like it will solve my shifting problems while providing more flexibility for foot placement on long trips. 

I was wondering if anyone knows if the F6B handlebars would fit my 2015 Valkyrie?  I know, I should have purchased an F6B except I obtained the Valkyrie for 0 funds as I traded my BMW on equal value. 

So, I hated the Valkyrie when I first rode it.  I then started to like it on the second ride.  I seem to like riding it more and more with every incremental ride.  I simple need to ensure I can go on long trips say 8-10 hours/day.  You have to spend 30-50k on a Harley in Canada to obtain the kind of power that a Valkyrie offers out of the box.  The Valkyrie will provide far better reliability and performance from the transmission/engine than most other bikes.  Honda falls down in the ergonomics and accessory departments - at least I can fix these things relatively easily.  This is why the Valkyrie is a great bike - great bones and the ability to customize to really work the bike.  just my thoughts.

[Kidd]

I jumped from  a 2010 R1200R  to the Valk and what a disappointment it was .
It took a month for me to shed the memories of the BMW  and understand the valk , they are direct opposites .

I now enjoy the  new Valk completely 
( if you don't consider the  awful ergos  ,  drone noise from mufflers and the silly electrical pulsing making add on lights difficult  )
Oh yeah , you'll need a new seat , but that goes for most bikes .

That's what ya need , a custom  seat from Russell 

I have racked up 13K miles since April , 2016

[Moofner]

I jumped from  a 2010 R1200R  to the Valk and what a disappointment it was .
It took a month for me to shed the memories of the BMW  and understand the valk , they are direct opposites .

I now enjoy the  new Valk completely 
( if you don't consider the  awful ergos  ,  drone noise from mufflers and the silly electrical pulsing making add on lights difficult  )
Oh yeah , you'll need a new seat , but that goes for most bikes .

That's what ya need , a custom  seat from Russell 

I have racked up 13K miles since April , 2016

No problems with adding lights here! Lol

[dinosnake]

So, I hated the Valkyrie when I first rode it.  I then started to like it on the second ride.  I seem to like riding it more and more with every incremental ride.  I simple need to ensure I can go on long trips say 8-10 hours/day.  You have to spend 30-50k on a Harley in Canada to obtain the kind of power that a Valkyrie offers out of the box.  The Valkyrie will provide far better reliability and performance from the transmission/engine than most other bikes.  Honda falls down in the ergonomics and accessory departments - at least I can fix these things relatively easily.  This is why the Valkyrie is a great bike - great bones and the ability to customize to really work the bike.  just my thoughts.

If you look at my posts I've spent 10-14 hours my bike on more than several occasions, all I did was have a Corbin Gunfighter seat that was customized to my needs and dimensions.  Add a shield and a set of highway pegs to taste.

In terms of pegs there are acres and acres of mods, all based upon the shared Goldwing chassis.

The bar is a standard 1-incher, the issue is (as always) the control cables, not whether or not the bar will mount up or not.  For me, once I got the seat settled, the stock bar's issue disappeared with just a bit of down rotation added.    

Seats are a bit limited due to the different body, Russell and Corbin make bolt-up seats and several others will modify the stock seat to your tastes.  

Custom-fit windshields are available from Honda (2 styles); Secdem (1 style with optional additional height in 4 colors); Gustafsson (9 styles, with 2 choices of mounting hardware and in 17 colors) plus a number of choices of universal handlebar mounts from many companies.

Anyway, again for me the entire secret was the seat.  My custom Corbin dramatically changed the way the bike fit and handled for me, and that's not hyperbole.  The stock seat kept my legs splayed pretty wide with a decent stretch to the bar, both of which made tight turns more difficult.  With the Corbin the bar is the correct distance, the tank-seat junction the proper proportion to my frame and the bike shorter overall, it just all fits better.

So mod the seat first, make sure you order it to fit and only take off-the-rack if you match that profile, and then worry about the bars and pegs once you know how the seat alters their effects on you.

[Kidd]

What dinosnake  stated , the seat should be the first thing you change , then , everything else evolves around the seat .

Problem with turn signal  pulsating current , to be more clear  as Moofner had  help from 
Add More Lighting

[BoldlyGo]

Thanks for providing the feedback.  I have already purchased the windshield and pegs - I can always have multiple windshields, however, I am sure it will be fine as I am 75% happy with the boulevard screen and my new one is double the size.  My highway pegs will be fine - not as convenient as kur, but fine. 

I am going to take your suggestion and now work with the seat. 

[Kidd]

Added Skene brake and turn signal lights and all worked perfect - except  left turn signal .

I am hoping it was the controller  thingy cuzz they sent a replacement .

Goes back in the shop to replace it  , unless I put the time into it and do it myself and I doubt I will

[Verismo]

So, I hated the Valkyrie when I first rode it.  I then started to like it on the second ride.  I seem to like riding it more and more with every incremental ride.  I simple need to ensure I can go on long trips say 8-10 hours/day.  You have to spend 30-50k on a Harley in Canada to obtain the kind of power that a Valkyrie offers out of the box.  The Valkyrie will provide far better reliability and performance from the transmission/engine than most other bikes.  Honda falls down in the ergonomics and accessory departments - at least I can fix these things relatively easily.  This is why the Valkyrie is a great bike - great bones and the ability to customize to really work the bike.  just my thoughts.

If you look at my posts I've spent 10-14 hours my bike on more than several occasions, all I did was have a Corbin Gunfighter seat that was customized to my needs and dimensions.  Add a shield and a set of highway pegs to taste.

In terms of pegs there are acres and acres of mods, all based upon the shared Goldwing chassis.

The bar is a standard 1-incher, the issue is (as always) the control cables, not whether or not the bar will mount up or not.  For me, once I got the seat settled, the stock bar's issue disappeared with just a bit of down rotation added.    

Seats are a bit limited due to the different body, Russell and Corbin make bolt-up seats and several others will modify the stock seat to your tastes.  

Custom-fit windshields are available from Honda (2 styles); Secdem (1 style with optional additional height in 4 colors); Gustafsson (9 styles, with 2 choices of mounting hardware and in 17 colors) plus a number of choices of universal handlebar mounts from many companies.

Anyway, again for me the entire secret was the seat.  My custom Corbin dramatically changed the way the bike fit and handled for me, and that's not hyperbole.  The stock seat kept my legs splayed pretty wide with a decent stretch to the bar, both of which made tight turns more difficult.  With the Corbin the bar is the correct distance, the tank-seat junction the proper proportion to my frame and the bike shorter overall, it just all fits better.

So mod the seat first, make sure you order it to fit and only take off-the-rack if you match that profile, and then worry about the bars and pegs once you know how the seat alters their effects on you.

How dinosnake, how tall are you and what modifications did you request with your Corbin, if ya don't mind me asking. 

[dinosnake]

I've shrunk a bit, so figure me at 5´7" with a 31-inch inseam.  I had Corbin move the seat pocket forward, gave the seat a "nose job" which narrows the front of the seat and finally had them soften the foam which they do by opening the mold during the foam casting to add air into the foam.  My seat's foam is cushy enough to press down with your fingers, yet still firm enough to offer hours of comfortable support.

Note that you don't exactly get something for nothing: I sit a bit lower overall on the bike, and a bit more forward than on the stock seat if I sat all they way back (which was possible but never really did much).   Both changes make the bike feel smaller and even more friendly but they increase my knee angle more;  the set of MOP DD's that I added are a welcome place to stretch my legs during a long ride.



First post of that new pic