Motorcycle related new little informative story. NOT current events

[solo1]

                                                A Ramblin' Motorcycle story


Some years ago, I rode with my son Chris (Psychotic Bovine) to a HSTA rally in a ski resort in W. Virginia.  Chris had a FJ1200 and I had an ST1100.

On the way, we had to ride around Columbus Ohio, and I found that the ST's V4 engine's vibrations would put my fingers to sleep. It wasn't good to do the throttle lock thing in heavy traffic so that I could shake my fingers back to normal.  It seemed like the trip was full of hand shaking but not the politician's kind.!

I persevered and we finally arrived at  Canaan Valley Ski Resort. We did the usual side trips in this interesting area and I spent considerable more time bringing back fingers from a  ZZZZZ state.   I put this problem forward into the ST forum and had numerous answers, most all of them I had already tried to no success.  A light bulb lit up. I had an idea. We would ride to Blackwater Falls state park on our normal steeds but then switch bikes coming back.  There was no wind that day on that winding 10 mile road to the park,  As usual, my fingers complained.  However, coming back, we switched bikes. I, on the FJ1200 and Chris on the ST1100.  Now, a real puzzle. NEITHER of us experienced 'sleepy”fingers.

The trip back home was more sleepy fingers for me but, otherwise, uneventful. 

Tuesday, two days later. I rode the ST to the Honda dealer in Decatur Indiana.  My candy apple red neat and nice ST110 was traded that day for a new bike, one with a very catchy advertising video showing it power sliding in a cloud of dust.  Honda evidently gave up its staid image “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” to a more catchy one rumored to be the brainchild of one Mr. Boyd.

Yep, I rode a new .97 Honda standard Valkyrie home that day. I wanted a “Bumblebee” but they were in demand because of a review in the AMA magazine where the author followed a bumblebee Valk through the Marysville plant, took delivery of it, and rode it on route 40 in Ohio with rave reviews.

I had the Valkyire for a long time and two of my sons converted also to Valkyries, after riding mine.

Now, I no longer ride but, instead, drive a Miata. While the Miata's contribution to my 'attitude adjustment” is considerable, it doesn't come close to my first ride on the Valkyrie with its smooth six rumbling and go power and WITHOUT the finger numbing of my previous neat, but faulty(for me) ST1100.

BTW, My ST1100 was immediately sold by the dealer to another HSTA member and he put 20k miles on it with no numbing fingers.

 Evidently, it was an advanced sign to me of my arthritis to come.

[Savago]

Nice report!
 

I have a ST1300 and that V4 engine is sweet!

Not sure about the ST1100, but the later model has counter-balances in the engine that can be adjusted to make it silky smooth (not as smooth as flat-6, but still pretty good).

[ridingron]

I have about 300K miles on ST1100s. I put Heli-Bars on it a week after I bought the first one so I can't really comment on the sleeping hand aspect. I love the ST on the sport riding twistiess. Haven't had a chance to ride the Valk there. Only had it for 5 months. I live in Florida so the Interstate clover leaf ramps are pretty much our sport riding roads. It is a great bike so far. I was wanting to go to Inzane but not going to make it.

[Pappy!]

Another good one, Solo !
I can remember the very first time I saw a Valkyrie. I had not been on a bike for probably two decades by then. Busy with work, a marriage, and a young son that I did not want to take a chance on letting down.
But....that first view was amazing. Was at a dealer in Winter Haven Florida and the owner almost had to drag me away from it to do what I was there for.
It was at that exact moment that I knew I would find, buy  and ride one at some point. Another almost couple of decades later and the rest was history....planned history.

[RainMaker]

It's so good to read your stories again.

[3fan4life]

Another good one, Solo !
I can remember the very first time I saw a Valkyrie. I had not been on a bike for probably two decades by then. Busy with work, a marriage, and a young son that I did not want to take a chance on letting down.
But....that first view was amazing. Was at a dealer in Winter Haven Florida and the owner almost had to drag me away from it to do what I was there for.
It was at that exact moment that I knew I would find, buy  and ride one at some point. Another almost couple of decades later and the rest was history....planned history.

When one of the Phat Girls calls to you, they've got your number for sure.

I was in the local dealer looking for an 1800 Goldwing when I saw my first Valkyrie.

It was a black and red Interstate and the more I looked it over the more hooked I was.

Unfortunately, there was no working with the local dealer.

They have a long history of setting a price and refusing to budge.

So, I set off on a quest to find one that I could call my own.

The black and red ones continued to elude me but I finally found a black one in NC that was cherry.

As a bonus it had 20,000 less miles than the first one that I looked at and I got it for $1k less than the dealer was wanting for the black and red.

I may eventually get one of the new wings, but I intend to keep a Valkyrie in the stable for as long as possible.   

[MAD6Gun]

 I remember going to the local dealer "Ehlerding cycle" with dad to see the new Valkyrie. Ehlerding was also a Harley dealer at the time and was having Harley days with their big trailer outside. All kind of guys walking around wearing black leather and all the Harley garb. In the middle of the showroom there it was. A beautiful black standard Valkyrie. There were a dozen people around it looking at it. This guy comes strolling in the front door looking like a advertisement for Harley with all the proper stuff on. He walks up to the crowd around the Valkyrie and says "that ain't no harley" then I said "no it's better". He didn't like what I said. Oh well. After looking at it awhile I told dad someday I will have one. Of course dad got his Valk shortly after. I was riding an 82 Honda CB900F at the time. After riding dad's I was hooked.  Two years later in 99 I got a "new" 97 standard demo with 800 miles on it.

 In 04 I took it apart, polished all the aluminum parts and added so much Kury Aykn bling to it that I think I sent somebody's kid at KA to college,lol. And of course painted all the tins. A few years later I added IS saddle bags (thanks Willow). The rest as they say is history.......

[Jess from VA]

The first Valk I ever saw up close was backed down on the curb next to my Hog in front of my USDVA bldg in the DC Federal district.  It was brand new and perfectly shiny compared to my old Hog.  But my first thought was, man that thing is a monster, I wonder how hard it is to negotiate tight turns and city streets and lots?  It's front tire 150 was bigger than my rear 130.  The owner was a very short fellow (maybe 5'5") and he admitted it gave him a little trouble in tight spots, but not riding.  I didn't ride in every day, but he did, and I found myself going back to it out in front of my bldg and looking it over, many times that summer.

When I finally decided no more air cooled Vtwins for me, I want multi-cylinders and water cooled, and a big dresser, it was the Valk Interstate or a Yami Royal Star Venture (a very distant 2d place).  

On my very first ride on the way home from buying one in Reading PA to NoVA, besides shifting for 6th all day, I was thinking..... Honey, where have YOU been all my life?

The name was already taken, but this Valk was truly the Road King.