The Thrill of the Hunt

[Fatboyman05]

First of all, I would like to thank you all for creating and maintaining such a friendly and informative site. Please forgive my numerous questions and such a long thread, but in my searching I couldnt find any threads that really summed up buying a first time Valk.

I have been without a bike for four years now, with my last one being a 95 inch Fatboy. The one before that was a Roadking. I made the decision that its a perfect time in my life to finaly get another motorcycle. The decision to sell my truck and replace it with a car and a BIKE tok a couple months, the decision to get a Valkyrie was instant once I ran thru the list of bikes I had looked at but couldnt afford in my past.

Short of my truck selling soon, I should wait until January (I do live in Florida..  to buy my bike, but, it's not set in stone, it will just hurt me some more on taxes this year....

I have been looking at Valks for several weeks now and have called on 6 or so and looked at three so far. I'm having some concerns with the miles I'm seeing, both low and high. too low and there is improper lubrication, too high and other things become suspect, which leads me to my first question, what is too little or too manny miles?

second question, in looking at prices, I have to wonder if book values are useful in comparing different bikes. Are book values worth anything as a guide?

Aside from the small variations in model years, does the year matter at all, either in desirability or in price?

so far, Ive looked at a 97 w/ 52K mi, hard bags, custom paint, driver floarboards, floarboards for highway pegs, custom seat with ual backrests, and a bunch of chrome and a crazy looking heel toe shifter for 5900

a 99 w/ 29K miles but the worst corrosion so far but with an eagle paint motif for 5500

and a 2000 w/ 40K miles, chromed, leather bags and 6 pipes for 7K

my priorities are, in order, windshield, bags, passenger backrest for my T-bag, and a drivers backrest or floarboards would be nice....

With it being 4 years since riding and hearing about how powerful the Fat Lady can be, is she mild mannered?

Any insight to the hunting for my first Valk will be greatly appreciated.

[TearlessTom]

First off welcome to the boards.

I bought my baby, a '97 about 2  years ago for around $6000. with low 30,000 on the odometer.

I now have 48000. of  trouble free miles. I've done lots to the bike but the things I had to do were routine maintenance items.  Actually there was nothing I had to do, I just did  them because only the best is good enough for her.  The only time she ever let me down was not her fault but a bad battery.

As for mileage it really doesn't matter as long as it has been maintained,. I think proper lubrication is the biggest thing.

Others can give you better specifics of things to look for.

As for manners, well she is a lady, a fat one at that. She is very well mannered.   She can be a bit heavy in the parking lot of backing out of a not so flat parking spot but once the wheels start turning the weight melts away. What is left is a very solid feeling but nimble bike.

Power, well that is something you will appreciate. She is VERY smooth so don't worry. No jerky spots in the throttle. Will do a 25 mph full throttle in 5th gear and never skip a beat or a grunt or groan. A full throttle in 2nd gear and she feels like she will pull your arms out of socket.

As for price that is very subjective. What the book value of mine is about 1/2 of what I think she is worth.
We Valk owners become very emotionally vested in our ladies!

Hope this help a little.

Tom

[Bama Red]

Lets see......by my count that comes to a grand total of $18,400.00.

Hell, buy all three!! That's just about the cost of a new HD Road King!!

[TearlessTom]

Lets see......by my count that comes to a grand total of $18,400.00.

Hell, buy all three!! That's just about the cost of a new HD Road King!!

Sounds like a deal.

Oh I forgot to mention I bought a Street Glide last month. Its for sale !

I hate get  off topic but Bama Red, you do realize you live in Tenn.?

[Sludge]

As for manners, well she is a lady, a fat one at that. She is very well mannered.   She can be a bit heavy in the parking lot of backing out of a not so flat parking spot but once the wheels start turning the weight melts away. What is left is a very solid feeling but nimble bike.

Well said.  

I dont have that many miles on my Valk to tell the truth.  I got it with putting a supercharger and racing pistons in it in mind and did so pretty much right off the bat.  However, as time has went by... I have really fell in love with the un-modified Valks.  Its pretty much like the Goldwing.   A bullet proof bike.   10,000 or 100,000 miles... It just doesnt seem to matter to me.  Its a great bike no matter how many miles are on it.  The only specific thing I can think of to caution you about is to check the splines at the rear wheel at every tire change and lubricate them accordingly.  Dont worry about the engine.  Its solid.

[BF]

Welcome.  We're all attracted to chubby chicks here.  Look for a Tourer with the OEM hardbags and as many accessories as possible.  The OEM windshield that comes on the Tourer is hands down the best shield for the Valk. 

If you get a Valk without the things on it that you most want, you might find your search for some of those things a bit difficult....and expensive.  OEM hardbags can be hard to find and expen$ive. 

[Bama Red]

T-Tom, yeah, I live in Tennessee (which is God's country, BTW!), but I lived in Alabama from '58 thru '02. "Bama Red" is an internet handle I've used for at least ten years. It comes from my state of residence at the time and the color of the hair I used to have. Red is also the color of my favorite antique tractors - IH Farmall's (although I now have only an old John Deere here at the farm).

[tank_post142]

where in Florida? we have members everywhere all willing to help out!

[Fatboyman05]

I'm in Ormond Beach, mol and I do get to tampa every other month or so... Thanks for all the advice so far

[SANDMAN5]

High miles is a relative term. Several people here are over 200,000 miles and so
are their Valks. If you buy a low miles bike, just do the simple stuff...vac lines,
fuel lines, change fluids, etc. No matter how many miles, check the rear splines.
They're probably the closest thing we have to a weak link. Also, do the starter
button maintenance. Only takes 10-15 minutes. I do mine once a year. Welcome
to the jungle. I foresee thousands of smiles in your future!
As far as price....you'll have to figure that out. Look around and compare this
Valk to that one...etc.

[TearlessTom]

Welcome.  We're all attracted to chubby chicks here.  Look for a Tourer with the OEM hardbags and as many accessories as possible.  The OEM windshield that comes on the Tourer is hands down the best shield for the Valk. 

If you get a Valk without the things on it that you most want, you might find your search for some of those things a bit difficult....and expensive.  OEM hard bags can be hard to find and expen$ive. 

My Tourer did not have the original OEM bags, so I put the Tsukayu Jumbo Strong bags on her. They are a good bit larger than OEM cost a bit over $600. then you have to paint unless you have a black bike.   I've been pleased with them so far and they do hold a lot.

[croaker]

I just bought a 2001 Standard with only 9000 miles.  Had two windscreens, soft bags and nice aftermarket pipes.  $7k.  It was showroom clean and runs great.  There were a few issues to deal with, but nothing major so far.  I am enjoying going over it and learning the bike.  One thing I discovered early in my search for the Valkyrie was the huge range in pricing. 

[R J]

I only know of 3 problems that can occur.  You know, the ones that will bite ya in the butt.

1.   Improperly installed driving lights.    They will melt some connectors and bike no go.

2.   Rear splines, need serviced every 10 to 12,000 miles.    I run a car tire so it gets removed once for service and then 12.000 later for a new tire.    Learn all ya can here.    3 rubber o-rings, I use Waterproof front wheel bearing grease.

3.   U-joint.    check and service as needed.

I have 242,000 + change miles on my bike, it is a 97 Tourer, and has been ridden hard and put away wet a few times.   Only failed me once.  See the picture.



Blew a relay and I ignored repairing it.



Parts needed to repair problem in 1st picture.

You are aware these bikes have been out of production for several years.
Parts are getting hard to find, and add-ons are almost done for. 

There are 2 good places for accessories, I don't have the links close but someone might jump in and help out here.

[Dave M]

 I bought my VALK standard with Honda windshield end of March this year, picked it up end of april. It had 5500 miles, i paid $5100 and bought interstate bags from Jim L . I've put 6100+ miles on it so far this year and every thing is just fine. I've put two new tires on it and checked and relubed the splines. It  always starts and runs well with no choke no matter what the air temp is.  I LOVE THIS MOTORCYCLE.  Bye the way it is  FASTBLACK AND CHROME.

[Fatboyman05]

   Well, I've looked at 4 bikes in person and I'm more confused about it all. the lowest mile bike was the worst for pitting and a few scratches, the two middle mile ones were medimum and heavily chromed (and custom painted) while the last one has over 70K miles and is the best looking condition as for paint and pitting. this last one is nearly stock. I think I'll have to put a little more value into the chrome. I'd hate to get one and not be able to find the parts to dress it up some.

I gotta quit looking for a couple days or something so I can get some work done. I keep dreaming about a Fat Lady.

[ILcruiser]

I bought my '99 Valk Standard in August of this year, moving up (definitely) from an '05 Honda VTX 1300C.  I did several months of online and in-person research before I bought, and here are my impressions:

1.  Low miles are less important than prior maintenance.  I was lucky enough to find one that both had low miles and had been properly maintained, but realize that you're buying a bike that's at least 7 years old.  S**t happens in that kind of time.  If the fuel wasn't stabilized before the bike was put up for the winter, or if it just sat for extended periods of time, plan on having to do some work on the carbs.  Mine ran well, but not as perfectly as I knew it could, so I ended up pulling the carb bank and replacing the jets; two of the slow jets were clogged.  It doesn't take much to clog those #35 OEM slow jets.  Other than that, the other obvious things like oil, coolant, brake and clutch fluid changes, should be checked.  The right kind of Valk owner will have kept records of when those things were done. 

2.  +1 on the final drive splines and o-rings.  Take the time to find out if the splines have been lubed and o-rings replaced.  Certainly by this time, the tires have been replaced at least once.  If there's any question, pay to have the rear tire pulled and inspect the splines. 

3.  More, I think, than other brands/models of bikes, Valk owners seem to leave aftermarket accessories on the bike, rather than removing and selling them separately.  If you're able to find a bike with the accessories you'd like to have, you'll likely save $$ by buying them with the bike, rather than separately.

4.  Check all the online resources, including the VRCC and Valkyie-Owners classifieds, cycletrader.com and ebay.  I was amazed at the selection of really nice Valks out there. 

5.  Obvious corrosion should be a red flag.  It's not that you expect a bike that's never been ridden in rain, but you'd like one that's been dried off afterwards.

6.  If you haven't already, test ride it.  The riding position isn't for everyone, and while there are remedies, there aren't radical ones; she's still very fat down low and where the pegs are on most other bikes.  I'm 5'9" with a 31" inseam; I got used to the riding position in about 5 minutes 

7.  I bought a Standard because of the type of riding I do, which is far more suburban than touring.  I wanted to add to the bike, rather than have things on it that I'd rarely need to use.  But much as I hate to say this, and as much as I LOVE the bike, I'd look real hard at an Interstate if I had it to do over.  As well as the Valk carries its weight, the extra "baggage" on the I/S wouldn't be much of a factor, and because of the tweaking Honda did with the ICM, carb springs, etc., I'm sure there's little if any sacrifice in performance.  And purely as an investment, I don't think there's a better bike out there than the I/S, at least among bikes manufactured in the last 20 years.

8.  Read the "Technical Board" section of this forum; it's a great tutorial on what problems are common (there aren't many) and how to avoid and/or fix them.  The pics will also show you what accessories you might like, as well as the colors available in different years.  Mine's yellow and cream; I wasn't particularly looking for that color, and when I bought it, was silently praying that the yellow would grow on me.  Turns out it did and I love it.  Also, turns out there was an extra charge for it, probably because it's the fastest color.  Side benefit is that if it ever needs touching up, I can use Illinois Department of Transportation yellow lane-marking paint!

Good luck on your search; I'm sure you'll find just the right bike for you, and since it'll be a Valk, what's not to love?

[sugerbear]

and don't forget the interstate. has a larger tank, more timing advance and different carb springs.

many of these are added to the standard and tourer by their owners.

search supervalk in our archives.  you might like that route too.


price........whatever YOUR comfortable with

good luck and we need pics when you buy one.
 

[houstone]

Some really great words here!  I found the dreams ratcheted up after I got her!  ;-)

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Check PM...Fatboy 

[Thunderbolt]

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/vrcc_florida.cgi?review=1487595

We have members all over the state and try to ride to eat on weekends and some of the retired folks even ride for breakfast during the week.
Just look for someone posting a ride to eat and show up.  Last Sat. we rode to Dade City near Tampa.  Should be seeing more of them posted since it is just getting to be good riding weather. 

[Hoser]

Bought this one in 2002 for 7850 bux with 6000 miles on the clock.  77K now with no problems.  This is a  picture taken this year.  I wouln'nt sell it for twice what I paid. Sold a purty good one last month for $5200 28K on it. pic with my tourer also below.  Hoser

[valkmc]

where in Florida? we have members everywhere all willing to help out!

Ride now in Ocala has a 99 IS for sale. It is overpriced to me $9,999. It has a trailer hitch and some nice highway pegs on it. It is green and silver and has some nice pin striping. It does not appear to have been well maintained as far as apperance things. Some of the chrome and and other things are corroded. The previos owner's wife works with me and she told me he traded it for a Shadow 1100, used I believe. I believe they take their bikes to the dealer for service, (She has a shadow also). 56,000 miles on the IS.

[Spirited-6]

Fatboyman, welcome, as has been stated.  It is hard to understand why you can not buy a Valk at a good price, what is a good price ? One that the owner will take and one that you can afford and a bike that you "LOVE". I am in awe at the Valkyries on Ebay that don`t get any big dollars bid on them. I paid too much for my Tourer in 07 because I let my heart rule my head. But I would do it again because of the enjoyment the Jade Lady has given me and the wife. Good luck in buying your Valkyrie. 

[fudgie]

I dont know, I have 67k on my 98 and i'm still paying on her. I think i'm up to $15,000 by the time she is paid for.....again.