New Valk in twisties

[Bamaburt62]

See if you can pull this one up on YouTube .  It's me and some friends in some fair twisties in Missouri.
https://Youtu.be/JW5hmwNAPFc

[sleepngbear]

Nice. That'll get the adrenaline pumping. 

Was that a little scrapie I heard around the 9 minute mark??? 

[Bamaburt62]

Yes a little scrape.  We topped the hill about ten miles up the road running about 120 and six county cars had the road blocked.  We are all ex officers so they were cool.  Kinda hate to post that vid.

[AdrianR]

Yes a little scrape.  We topped the hill about ten miles up the road running about 120 and six county cars had the road blocked.  We are all ex officers so they were cool.  Kinda hate to post that vid.

Oh, I suppose that's good for you!  BS for the rest of us!  This country and it's hypocrisies and double standards suck fing arse!

Any of us local folk get a ticket 30 over or more and it's automatic jail, suspension of drivers license, and the impounding over your vehicle WTF?????????????????

Great video though...love the sound of the bike...

[Bamaburt62]

I ride with twenty retired and current officers and most of the guys like to cruise.  I've got one guy that does a pretty good job keeping up with me when he goes.  He's ridden since he was six or seven like me he's just a little hindered by the dynamics of the f6b but he does damn good for what he's working with.  The center of gravity on these bikes make it able to do amazing things in curves.  You'll drag your crash bars off if your not careful though.

[Bamaburt62]

We do the fast thing on a very limited basis and we get tickets too.  Kinda hard to resist when your in the middle of nowhere on some winding roads.

[Bamaburt62]

Oh yes Adrian I appreciate the compliment on the sound.  Took a lot of time and work to install those guys.

[AdrianR]

We do the fast thing on a very limited basis and we get tickets too.  Kinda hard to resist when your in the middle of nowhere on some winding roads.

I absolutely LOATH tickets!  Their brutal for CDL holders...  Municipalities and other governing bodies love *UCKING you over if you have one!  It doesn't matter what vehicle you get a ticket on...your bike, your car, scooter, WHATEVER...  A typical speeding ticket for a regular license is typically a C-note or so...with a CDL...geezz, multiply that by at least 3.5!!  This country sucks in allot of ways...anyway they can SCREW you..honest citizens that is...veterans...hard working, tax paying..etc... THEY WILL.  In northern Illinois there are SO, so many damn county sheriffs in brand new 50K cars...you have to be VERY careful on the back roads...just as you would through any town..  In order to pay for their existence they are forced to right so many tickets...and the court costs? Holy crap!  One must wonder why cops are getting shot...and crap is going down...  People are sick and damn tired of being exploited..

[Bamaburt62]

I trained them for a long long time.  I was a weapons sales representative for HK/Benneli so my sheriff put me through the academy.  Did that for years but we were so under staffed we didn't write traffic tickets.  I never pulled anyone over for speeding. I always thought there was much more important things to do in law enforcement.

[AdrianR]

I trained them for a long long time.  I was a weapons sales representative for HK/Benneli so my sheriff put me through the academy.  Did that for years but we were so under staffed we didn't write traffic tickets.  I never pulled anyone over for speeding. I always thought there was much more important things to do in law enforcement.

Within reason you know?  I mean really. Obviously you've stuck a nerve here man.  Someone speeding through a residential section...you know where the kiddies are...absolutely man...especially if their way over...but man...  Going to work at 4am...NO ONE is on the road...you have to run the gauntlet through these stupid little municipalities...You screw up for one moment...adjusting your coffee cup...changing the radio station...and you do 11 over for a second or so...DONE...you will get a $120-$400 ticket!  Preying on hard working stiffs..just trying to get to work... because THEY KNOW they have income and can pay the ticket. It's BS!   What they should be doing it going after the cop killers, the female abusers...the rip off artists...the REAL criminals...    But it really isn't the cops fault as much as it is the governing bodies that FORCE them to write such shitty tickets... Everyone is after the buck and they don't care how it comes about.

ANYWAY...glad you enjoy your Valk man!  I love mine!  I just have to be so careful...  just feeling any fun sees you over 80mph on these things...and the wolf is ALWAYS at the door out here.

[Bamaburt62]

I'm in your corner on that one.  If you have a CDL it can be absolute terror.  Find a front door and try to have a little fun.  Yes and I too love this bike. Half cruiser half beast.

[Kidd]

Geez , A man, if it bothers you that much  , maybe you should move where there's more open road , fewer cities    and year round weather to ride in

I've got 8K miles on my 'Kerry and I go way over the speed limit all the time and no tickets , yet

[AdrianR]

Geez , A man, if it bothers you that much  , maybe you should move where there's more open road , fewer cities    and year round weather to ride in

I've got 8K miles on my 'Kerry and I go way over the speed limit all the time and no tickets , yet

I agree...but I guess I haven't mustered the gumption to do so...  Not to mention it is tough trying to sell a house these days!

[st2sam]

Yes a little scrape. 

I hear you Burt!  




This bike corners so well I'll need new pegs before summers end.

[sleepngbear]

Yes a little scrape. 

I hear you Burt!  




This bike corners so well I'll need new pegs before summers end.

That looks like the pegs on my VTX1800. I scraped them so much, I thought I'd have a little fun and tapped titanium screws into the bottom edges. Gave my riding buddy a show and he'd pee himself laughing whenever things got a little spirited. Turned into a bit of an expensive past time, but it was worth it. 

[Kidd]

 I never pulled anyone over for speeding. I always thought there was much more important things to do in law enforcement.

I have a hard time believing that , but maybe

[Bamaburt62]

I've got floor boards so they take the brunt of the punishment.

[st2sam]

I've got floor boards so they take the brunt of the punishment.

FLOOR BOARDS! 

Burt,  hope I don't come across as a wise guy and I mean no disrespect, BUT you have no idea how good this bike corners.
If you ever travel through NEPA shoot me a PM and I would be happy to show you some great twistes and what this motorcycle is capable of.
I've been riding sport & sport-touring bikes since 1966,  ya I know, long time.  (this is my first CruZer type motorcycle.)

I know how well the Gold Wind handles, best buddy has one, so figured with the same frame and 200 less lbs. weight, it would be a bike I'd enjoy.
The 250mi. tank range, all day comfort, it's icing on the cake! 

IMHO - Honda should have marketed this bike as a Sport-CruZer.
They could have created a hole new market segment, and sold a ton of them.
Then on the other hand, again IMHO, I couldn't have bought such a great bike for peanuts.

[Bamaburt62]

I've never owned a true twisties bike but have been riding since 1968 and this bike is by far the best handling bike I've riden.  As for the floor boards, they stick out just a bit farther than the pegs.  They are in pretty rough shape since we ride the tail of the dragon and the skyway about ever two months.  Had two Ducatis in front of last weekend and we stopped at the same gas stopped and they were amazed I stayed with them.  They said what in the hell is that thing? I just said an old beat up Honda.  Lol.  Exactly where are you located?

[Bamaburt62]

How does the Valk handle compared to a bmw sport bike?

[dhaile]

We do the fast thing on a very limited basis and we get tickets too.  Kinda hard to resist when your in the middle of nowhere on some winding roads.

I absolutely LOATH tickets!  Their brutal for CDL holders...  Municipalities and other governing bodies love *UCKING you over if you have one!  It doesn't matter what vehicle you get a ticket on...your bike, your car, scooter, WHATEVER...  A typical speeding ticket for a regular license is typically a C-note or so...with a CDL...geezz, multiply that by at least 3.5!!  This country sucks in allot of ways...anyway they can SCREW you..honest citizens that is...veterans...hard working, tax paying..etc... THEY WILL.  In northern Illinois there are SO, so many damn county sheriffs in brand new 50K cars...you have to be VERY careful on the back roads...just as you would through any town..  In order to pay for their existence they are forced to right so many tickets...and the court costs? Holy crap!  One must wonder why cops are getting shot...and crap is going down...  People are sick and damn tired of being exploited..

I think this is a great point and most likely the reason so many of African Amercians hate cops.  Instead of "Serve and Protect" they "Provide and Punish"  provide funds for the city...   I have had many BS tickets when riding my bike,  Cops hiding in the bushes on back roads, out in the middle of west Texas with no one in site for miles.  The list goes on.  There is no money in catching criminals that break into businesses and homes, but your local speed trap collects thousands of dollars a day.    Police lives do matter!, but can we get back to protect and serve?

[Kidd]

Here , the little  city of Jerome  loves tickets , go 10 miles over , that's   $295  , but they tell you it does not get reported to insurance , somehow that makes it okay

[st2sam]

How does the Valk handle compared to a bmw sport bike?

I'm in the N.E. corner of Pennsylvania, Pocono Mtns..

It's funny you ask about BMW's. The crew I ride with all rode BMW's at one time. I had a Kawasaki C14 before the Valk, and converted two guys to C14's.  

The Valk can hold it's own with the bigger Sport-touring Beemers, the pure SPORT models, not so much. I'm OK with that, didn't expect as much.
As I'm sure you know, the Valk is all-day comfy, and plenty fast for street riding.

[Kidd]

I have never dragged a peg 

How fast are you all going when you are dragging pegs ??
50mph  ,  60mph ?

[sleepngbear]

I have never dragged a peg 

How fast are you all going when you are dragging pegs ??
50mph  ,  60mph ?

It depends on how tight the curve is. Anyway, I'm usually too busy making sure I'm not gonna scrape anything more than the feelers to notice how fast I'm going.

There was one time on a hairpin on the Kancamagus in NH that I hit it a little too hot on the VTX and scraped more than the pegs (got pics of the cruise peg mounts to prove it). I got religious that day thanking any deity that would listen my back tire stayed stuck, but I still get the heebies thinking how close I came to doing some flying over the guardrail. Ironically, my buddy on that trip was riding his '02 Valkyrie behind me, and he said  I kicked up a cloud of dust of colors he had never seen before. I'm guessing that's whatever color is emitted by heavy friction against chrome, steel and titanium all at once.

[Dragunslayer]

I have never dragged a peg 

How fast are you all going when you are dragging pegs ??
50mph  ,  60mph ?

LOL I have to laugh every time someone post a picture of pegs all scraped up as proof they ride hard or fast.

I am not saying that anyone is slow, but scraping pegs does not mean you are fast since it can be done at 10 mph or less.

[st2sam]

I have never dragged a peg 

How fast are you all going when you are dragging pegs ??
50mph  ,  60mph ?

Kid, you can drag pegs at 10mph or 60mph speed doesn't matter.

It mostly depends on how tight the turn, how fast you ride through the turn and ground clearance.

The Valk has very poor ground clearance and the pegs scrape real easy.  Thought I might try and figure out if the pegs can be raised, but then I think, it's the street not a track you dummy.

If you wanna ride this bike anywhere near it's limits through the twisties you will scrape your pegs big time.
Don't let anyone else tell you any different...

[Kidd]

I don't like twistys , too much work and I don't like to pay that much attention to what I am doing .

Besides , I am afraid  the bike will slide out from under me .

But , if you guys  state  that it won't happen , I'll give it a try

Tell ya what I am good at , straight roads  , throw  in a little curve and I am kool 

[Dragunslayer]

If you wanna ride this bike anywhere near it's limits through the twisties you will scrape your pegs big time.
Don't let anyone else tell you any different...

The begs to be asked what it the limit of this bike. If you think the ground clearance sucks on this bike you should ride an F6B or an actual wing.

There are plenty of riders that are faster than me, but body position plays a big part in peg dragging as well. If you want to sit bolt upright then the limit is a lot lower than someone who has ridden a Sportbike at speed and gets off the center of the bike. Just saying..

[Robert]

I am not saying that anyone is slow, but scraping pegs does not mean you are fast since it can be done at 10 mph or less.

OK then, I would really like to see that on our Valks   

Those pegs have to be the most scraped pegs I have seen. I am embarrassed by the little I took off the nuts on the bottom of the pegs. The only defense I have is there's not many twisties in this area. The other problem I have is worrying about the pegs catching something on the road. I had that happen when young and it was a lesson that I never forgot. The other lesson was dont go around corners to close to the curb. Not a bad lesson just one learned.

As far as the tickets go and underpopulated areas I hate to say this but they are disappearing and the money made from tickets is starting to have all putting up speed traps in the areas you would think its ok.

[st2sam]

There are plenty of riders that are faster than me, but body position plays a big part in peg dragging as well. If you want to sit bolt upright then the limit is a lot lower than someone who has ridden a Sportbike at speed and gets off the center of the bike. Just saying..

Kevin, you are 100% on the money about body position.

 The Valk kind of locks you into a cruzer riding position, for me hanging of this bike through corners is almost impossible because of peg and bar positions.  This is what my Ducati 907 riding position is made for, not very comfortable, but easy to get off the seat.
What works best for me when riding the Valk is almost sitting on the tank getting some weight on the front wheel and pegs directly under me.
 It works pretty good until the pegs hit and you have to pick your feet up off them. (tuff on boots if you don't)

You are also right about Goldwing ground clearance. My friend and riding buddy has already replaced his pegs.

I bought this bike to slow me down, stop and smell the roses, to ride in comfort and it has.
It is truly an amazing motorcycle.



 

[Dragunslayer]

There are plenty of riders that are faster than me, but body position plays a big part in peg dragging as well. If you want to sit bolt upright then the limit is a lot lower than someone who has ridden a Sportbike at speed and gets off the center of the bike. Just saying..

Kevin, you are 100% on the money about body position.

 The Valk kind of locks you into a cruzer riding position, for me hanging of this bike through corners is almost impossible because of peg and bar positions.  This is what my Ducati 907 riding position is made for, not very comfortable, but easy to get off the seat.
What works best for me when riding the Valk is almost sitting on the tank getting some weight on the front wheel and pegs directly under me.
 It works pretty good until the pegs hit and you have to pick your feet up off them. (tuff on boots if you don't)

You are also right about Goldwing ground clearance. My friend and riding buddy has already replaced his pegs.

I bought this bike to slow me down, stop and smell the roses, to ride in comfort and it has.
It is truly an amazing motorcycle.



 

Could not agree more. The bike is not conducive to hanging of like you would on a true Sportbike but it can be done.

If I thought my old lady would let me I would take it to a trackday weekend at least once so I could really test its limits in a place I feel a little safer.

Where are you located at by the way. I am in Missouri about 50 miles outside St. Louis.

I will try to post a short video tomorrow of me running over to my dads yesterday after an oil change.

I just now put my camera on this bike. I think I will try another position more in the center next time around.

[dinosnake]

Nice video 

I have to admit wanting to keel over more but the stock tires give me no confidence, feeling slick at the limit with not a lot of feedback.  I'm waiting to put my new Michelins on but the stock tires are wearing like iron, 11,000+ miles and plenty of tread so I feel guilty about swapping them out!

[st2sam]

I'm in NEPA, the Pocono - Endless Mountains area.



We have a lot of twisty roads on the area, just not as smooth as down south.
Lots of winter snow plowing, freeze thaw cycles, does a number on them...

[Dragunslayer]

I'm in NEPA, the Pocono - Endless Mountains area.



We have a lot of twisty roads on the area, just not as smooth as down south.
Lots of winter snow plowing, freeze thaw cycles, does a number on them...

No Peg Dragging in here, but hopefully the weather will pull thru for this weekend and I will get to go run some of my favorite roads and shoot some video now that I know the darn thing wont fall off

https://youtu.be/9KiiSWtJ62A

[dinosnake]

I'm in NEPA, the Pocono - Endless Mountains area.



We have a lot of twisty roads on the area, just not as smooth as down south.
Lots of winter snow plowing, freeze thaw cycles, does a number on them...

Are you kidding?     PA is a gorgeous state with nasty roads that will bite you in the butt at the earliest opportunity.      Tar snakes, leftover winter's gravel in corners, broken pavement, Philly drivers who sideswiped my bike while parked - as much as I love PA riding there is a core of trepidation every time I think of setting foot (tire) in there.