My Last Honda ??

[Sodbuster]

I got to thinking the other day about all the bikes I've owned over the years (mostly Honda's) and where I'm at now (Valkyrie). If I were to go out and buy another bike I really don't think it would be a Honda. I seem to think Honda has lost touch with the people who buy their bikes and are more concerned with their pocketbook. They truly don't make any thing currently that appeals to me.

Honda really lost something when they quit making the Valkyrie.

Long Live The Valkyrie

[Steve K (IA)]

I agree 100%.    I have 2 Valks.  The original thought was, having 2  I would never wear either one out.  Now my wife rides the Std., so we are adding up miles equally.  I still don't believe we will wear them out.  If I was to buy another bike, the Victory Vision would be the 1st one I would test ride. 

[Duckwheat]

This has been a common theme on the board over the years. I am in agreement with your sentiments.  When I attended Inzane in Colorado last year it was not hard to pick up on the demographics. I tried to check your profile for age first, but did not find it.

For the most part Valkyrie riders are fairly old to middle aged big white guys. If you were a manufacturer would you really invest a lot of money to try to capture our business. How long are you going to have it, 5 years, 10 years? You are not going to recoup your invetment.

We are on the downside of the marketing hill, get used to it. I had a friend who collects vintage auto's say that he expects the market to decline in the next 10 -15 years. Why, all  the BOOMERS who grew up with these cars are dead, dying, don't care, or have lost their minds to the creep of dementia. Less people want them, less money chasing them.

So you are a Classic, driving a Classic if you fit the demographics I saw at Inzane 9.

DW

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

I agree 100%.    I have 2 Valks.  The original thought was, having 2  I would never wear either one out.  Now my wife rides the Std., so we are adding up miles equally.  I still don't believe we will wear them out.  If I was to buy another bike, the Victory Vision would be the 1st one I would test ride. 

IMO the Victory Vision will go down in history as one of the ulgiest motorcycles ever made....The Screamin' Bozo 

[fudgie]

I agree 100%.    I have 2 Valks.  The original thought was, having 2  I would never wear either one out.  Now my wife rides the Std., so we are adding up miles equally.  I still don't believe we will wear them out.  If I was to buy another bike, the Victory Vision would be the 1st one I would test ride. 

IMO the Victory Vision will go down in history as one of the ulgiest motorcycles ever made....The Screamin' Bozo 

    

[Sodbuster]

For the most part Valkyrie riders are fairly old to middle aged big white guys.

You are pretty much on the money ... 57 yrs old here.

[fudgie]

For the most part Valkyrie riders are fairly old to middle aged big white guys.

You are pretty much on the money ... 57 yrs old here.

I also note that. Lucky for me I bought mine when I was 24.

[Popeye]

I agree 100%.    I have 2 Valks.  The original thought was, having 2  I would never wear either one out.  Now my wife rides the Std., so we are adding up miles equally.  I still don't believe we will wear them out.  If I was to buy another bike, the Victory Vision would be the 1st one I would test ride. 

IMO the Victory Vision will go down in history as one of the ulgiest motorcycles ever made....The Screamin' Bozo 

    

I have to agree with Joe and Fudgie.  One ugly motorcycle.  Victory does make other nice bikes tho
but once I got used to a faring with a radio, it's a must on any bike I purchase.

[alph]

....If I was to buy another bike, the Victory Vision would be the 1st one I would test ride. 

my self, i'd be for the BMW K1200LT.  sure i'd loose 300cc in engine, but i don't see honda making anything like the valk anymore. 

don't know, but i've heard that they're even getting rid of the gold wing???  any trueth to that rumor?

[Sodbuster]

..... but i've heard that they're even getting rid of the gold wing???  any trueth to that rumor?

Actually I've heard rumor (just a rumor) that they were going to bump it to 2.2 Liter. Hard to imagine they would ever dump the Wing.

When I was looking at buying a different bike last year it came down to a Road King -or- a Valkyrie. I think if I was going to jump ship I would go with the RK.  Triumph has some nice bikes and pretty bullet proof from what I've read about them.

[X Ring]

....If I was to buy another bike, the Victory Vision would be the 1st one I would test ride. 

my self, i'd be for the BMW K1200LT.  sure i'd loose 300cc in engine, but i don't see honda making anything like the valk anymore. 

don't know, but i've heard that they're even getting rid of the gold wing???  any trueth to that rumor?

I'd stay away from the Beemer.  I have a buddy that owns one and BMW has had a hard time with final drive bearings.  They use shims to preload the bearing and if it isn't done just right, you'll be having it replaced fairly soon.  I've watched him remove all the plastic and I wouldn't have one.  It looks more of a pita than a Wing does.  Just so you know, BMW stands for Bring More Wallets cause reliability is fleeting and very expensive.

Marty

[six2go #152]

IMO the Victory Vision will go down in history as one of the ulgiest motorcycles ever made....The Screamin' Bozo.

At one time I would've agreed with ya Joe, but I finally saw one up up close & personal at the RoadRunner rally in Bristol last weekend. I don't much care what others think my bike looks like, I only care about how it appears to me from the seat and how well it meets my needs. I thought the Vision was pretty durn nice from the rider's perspective. After all, I didn't buy the Valk because I thought it was an especially beautiful bike, it fit my needs and still does.

[Molasses]

I dunno, that ST1300 looks kinda good; still has shaft drive and even though there's two too few cylinders and they're kind of angled funny to each other, at least the engine is still laid out with the crankshaft running the right way.  Not to mention, I got behind a couple riding one on 16A/244 in the Black Hills about a month back and it looked like it handled really nice.  My biggest concerns have to do with it looking like the rider is in more of a "crotch rocket" seating position (and here I am, used to laying back against the backrest with my beer belly pointed at the sky and feet up on the highway pegs if I'm going any distance) and the teensy hard bags it comes equipped with.

Other than that one bright spot in the lineup, I'm hoping Honda either grabs their corporate ears and pulls downwards real hard or that my Valk lasts as long as I can ride a two-wheeler.  If it needs replacing before then, maybe a Rocket 3 or some kinda dual-sport (which would be a more practical bike for the rides I still have on my bucket list anyhoo).

[Serk]

Molasses - The spousal unit has a ST1300, and I LOVE it, _BUT_ I can only ride it for maybe 30-40 miles at a time before my back starts screaming in agony from the riding angle (And this is with risers and a peg lowering kit.) Of course, I'm NOT the average sized rider, but how many Valk riders ARE?

So, I can't ride it long distances, but WOW is it FAST, and NIMBLE... Makes the Valk feel like a dump truck, I have to admit...

As far as the age, yeah... I got my Valk when I was still in my 20's, and yeah, I always felt like a little boy with a bunch of off mall Santas at Valkyrie events... Sad part is, now I'm getting to look like Santa Claus, getting close to 40... *sigh*

[NITRO]

Old? I bought my first Valk at 22! I am in a small minority though, I'm well aware of that.

I would take the ST1300 in a heartbeat. I briefly considered buying one before getting my IS, but was reminded by my wife that there was no way she would ride with me on the ST. The things we do for women...

[BF]

I'm an upper middle aged big and fat old white guy too......and I'd like to think that Honda made the Valkyrie especially for me.  It does fit me pretty good. 

However, I'm in agreement that the current Honda line-up leaves me un-inspired to say the least.  I might consider a Wing, but other than that, there is NOTHING that Honda currently offers that I'd buy. 

The only other bikes that I'd consider are the Vision.  Agreed, the front end does look like Bozo, but the rest of it ain't bad in my opinion. 

Other than a Wing or the Vision, I might be swayed to go the Harley route.....but simply because there's so dang many of them out there and there's a dealer close by. 

I do wish Honda would again make the Valk, but I ain't holding my breath. 

[eric in md]

o my wait till you test ride one of those cruise ships.. i did clunky, no power , damn thing only has two spark plugs ..     on the bright side i fit on it nice . really . you sure will turn heads because you cant get out of the way. good luck when my valkyrie is done i guess i will quit riding .

[Valkahuna]

I also fit the "fat, white guy" label, except insted of middle age I am going to be 62 next month. I have been riding street and dirt since 1964. Broke my leg badly in the dirt in 1981, so I gave that up and got a 3 wheeler at the time, and kept riding on the road. I have always been a power freak, with cars and bikes, and have owned Brit bikes, and most of the Japanese U.J.Ms. I have had a Yamaha XS11 and loved that, and also a Honda V65 Sabre, which was actually scary fast, but I Loved it more.

Had Harley in the past as well, but I wanted a MC, not a life style. Then in 1999 I bought a new HD RoadGlide, and I have had a great time with it, although I have spent about $6K plus just on the  motor to get it to make the kind of power we take for granted. In about '98 I took a short ride on a Valk, and was really impressed. Could not get it out of my mind, but by the time I really recided to buy one, they stopped making them, and at the time I was not into anything "used", so that was that.

So, now I needed another motorcycle to keep in Florida at my winter house. Just could not bring myself to buy a new HD. I think that when you actually have to de-activate the rear cylinder at idle in order to stop the damn thing from melting, that there is something wrong.  If HD had built a touring bike with the Liquid Cooled engine from the VRod I would have bought one. But...


So I found an '01 IS with about 9,000 miles on it and I love it!!! Knew I would. So the problem is now that I like to ride it at least as much as my HD, and at first my HD riding buds gave me a lot of grief, but that is how it goes. Now this fall the Valk goes to Florida, and the HD stays up here in NE. So in Florida I am going to look for some Valk riding buds and start another identity.

As to what bike I would buy next, I think that the Valk will last quite some time. And if I need another bike after that, I will either ride my HD, or a vintage 77 BMW I restored. Or by that time HD will probably be forced into a liquid cooled motor just to meet EPA regs. So that might be a good choice by then. Time will tell.