Two Decades of VRCC History
Beer van Huet:
To the best in the business...
PREFACE
First of all, thanks VRCC Staff for your permission to post this story here. You folks are simply the best, I owe you big time.
Perhaps you ask yourself what this is all about.
I wrote this story for the 20th VRCC birthday anniversary on 1 August 2019.
Over 900 illustrated pages about YOU. A different breed of Cruiser Rider who resisted the V-Twin cult. This story is an attempt to summarize the VRCC past in a comprehensive way, the ‘Big Picture’ so to say.
I can hear yourself thinking. How can somebody, living in a different continent over 6000 miles away, write about events he did not attend. I have to admit, it crossed my mind as well, many times. Well, I figured the only way around this is to have the entire text made up of quotes, comments, pictures and stories previously posted by yourself on this website.
So the story is made up of your own exact feelings and words. It's basically a rearrangement of already published information on VRCC web- and archive pages in the past.
I concentrated on the early days because that information will be lost first while recent events may still be fresh in our memory.
During the course of 20 years VRCC, the amount of pics, links and clips has become so overwhelming that I had to drastically restrict myself. One of the restrictions being 'if no pics, no publication' in this history.
I apologize for all the great stories not mentioned because the associated pics were not easily accessible for the public reader.
This history is divided in a General Part i.e some facts and figures/how it all began, followed by a few pages about each individual Chapter and more extensively about the Inzanes. Many trip reports cross several State Lines. So, don’t take the Chapter bit too strict. I will start with the US side of the house, followed by Europe in pretty much the same sequence and some pages about Australia, New Zealand and Japan. I like to provide an index so you can jump to your area of interest straight away but that is not possible now since I am using the message board. I have to wait and see how the message pages count up. Finally, I used less pics than intended to save webspace. So bear with me if you think some parts are made up of too much text.
Many articles have been written about the Valkyrie Motorcycle. There is an abundance of clips on YouTube and other media. That is why I deliberately did not spend much time on the bike but focussed mainly on its Rider.
I also apologize for the sometimes poor editing and quality of pics. Since I wrote this story in Word/PDF, I had to edit the text and resize each picture again to make it look right, given the tools on this BB.
The average biker I know is not much of a writer. Also, one Chapter's website may be loaded with dozens of pictures, rides and trip reports every year and another looks pretty static. While they both may be equally active. It’s hard to tell if you are an outsider. Or you communicated via closed bulletin boards/groups that I did not have access to. Or you published a great report but the (Photo Bucket/Stash) pictures didn’t show up for unregistered members. Not having been there personally, I am the first one to admit that it’s impossible to address all the VRCC events over the past 20 years, let alone properly and within their context. This is where YOU come in.
What does it take to send me a mail info@vrcc.nl, PM or start a comment message and say, Hey Beer, you forgot me. I’ve been to this VRCC happening and it was awesome. And tell me why and add some links or pics. Or wave the BS flag and tell me that I’ve got it all wrong for that matter. Or tell me that a link is dead since there are a lot of links included. So, let’s say this is just a start. Only together we can make this a true documentary. Let’s make this work.
A word about Privacy
You may well see yourself back in a picture or comment in this history. Some Riders may look at this as an infringement of their privacy and personal life.
Please note that I only used public information previously posted by you on a website that is accessible to everyone. I avoided using true names except when they were specifically published online.
Moreover, I will not print hardcopies of this history, nor is it downloadable from an external website. The only two places that it will be published are the VRCC US and VRCC EU website.
This story is about the Club, Rides and Events, not about matters of a personal nature.
I see this as a great opportunity to promote our VRCC and your (Chapters') part in it. Because there is much more to be told. The mighty Valkyrie motorcycle and its Rider deserves it.
If, for any reason you do not want your information to be disclosed in this posting however, write me and I will erase it.
Ride Safe,
Beer van Huet # 7609
VRCC Lowlands Chapter Rep.
INDEX ............ Page 1
Preface VRCC CANADA CHAPTERS
GENERAL Ontario
Quebec
Introduction British Columbia
Bike Origin Alberta
Patent
NHTSA
Coins - Special Interstate WORLDWIDE EVENTS
- VRCC
Brochure Thor’s Hammer
Video Commercials Valhalla Voyage
Numbers and Genealogy
Performance - Project Bonnevalk US INZANES
Publications I – XIX
Nickname
High Mileage Valkyries
Around the world by Valkyrie VRCC EUROPE CHAPTERS
Valkyrie Clubs and origin
VRCC origin Italy
VRCC characteristics Austria
No of members Lowlands
Inzane – general Germany
Artwork - Chapters United Kingdom
- Events France
- Other Spain
Tattoos Ireland
Vanity license plates Denmark
Songs Sweden
Members age Norway ................ Page 3
RIP Finland
Czech Republic & Moravia
VRCC US CHAPTERS Slovakia
Poland
Ohio Switzerland
Virginia Latvia
Texas Russia
VERMIN/Washington
Indiana
New England Chapters EU INZANES
New Jersey I-XIII
New York
Delaware JAPAN
Michigan
New Mexico AUSTRALIA
California
Bouvet Island NEW ZEALAND
Alabama
Kansas CALENDARS
Illinois
Iowa
Louisiana APPENDIX with links
Minnesota
Missouri
Carolina
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Florida
Arizona
Nevada
Arkansas
Utah
Colorado .............. Page 2
Wisconsin
Georgia
Kentucky
NothWest
Oregon
Idaho
Alaska
Beer van Huet:
GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
Every now and then a motorcycle comes around that is instantly regarded as ‘classic’ by experts and the public. This was also the case when the Honda GL1500C Valkyrie came out.
The bike was declared ‘Cruiser of the Decade’ soon after its introduction in Chicago on 19 January 1996. No wonder, because its revolutionary design and performance left the competition way behind.
It was also the first (and last) completely mechanical Power Cruiser ever built.
Normally when a bike gets older, it’s left to collect dust and spider rags, stowed away in the back of a garage or displayed by a collector somewhere. And it's Club, like old soldiers, will just fade away.
Not this baby. On the contrary, a new breed of Riders has joined the Club with the same enthusiasm and spirit, bringing a new élan to the VRCC. It’s still alive and kickin’ as day one, considering the novelty is gone.
Being a member of the VRCC for some time, I have always been amazed by the dynamics and spirit of this club, its members and the long-lasting friendships with complete strangers I would have never met otherwise.
I consider the average Valkyrie Rider an individual who has been around, of which the majority doesn’t have the urge to constantly put his/her hair on fire and still prefers the power, looks and culture over a HD or Goldwing.
Time flies. Soon the VRCC will celebrate its 20th anniversary and before you know it, it will be forgotten how this great club started and evolved in what it is today - a true icon of passion and determination.
So, I took it upon me to search the web for the VRCC history, its past highlights, memorable individuals, events and issues. Not only from the US but worldwide.
Since It is impossible to even mention everything that has been going on, I took the liberty of selecting information which was public, easily accessible and considered appropriate.
It’s easy to misinterpret something you read on a web archive however, so the story is entirely made up of quotes by local Riders themselves. I merely rearranged them and tried to put it all in a comprehensive order to create an overall VRCC picture.
I regard this story as a living document and any addition or correction is welcome and appreciated.
I do hope that you’ll have as much fun reading it as I have had in writing it down and perhaps it will bring back some good memories.
BIKE ORIGIN
Joe Boyd, the genius behind the mighty Valkyrie Power Cruiser
Honda Valkyrie by Fred Rau, a friend of Joe Boyd
Between 1997 and 2003 Honda had what was declared the "Cruiser of the Decade" in a Flat 6 Valkyrie.
The problem that I believe that it is no longer in production is that the man responsible for it was killed in a motorcycle accident and no one at Honda wanted to take the ball. The following is a letter that was printed in a magazine that will explain: A letter posted at motorcycle consumer news on line. "Interesting that maddjack would note that "Honda never really marketed the Valk." I'll tell you a story, strictly from my own perspective as a "kind-of" insider:
Of course, Honda did market the Valkyrie, but I agree, never with the kind of enthusiasm they often show for other bikes in their lineup. The Valk was pretty much the brainchild and "baby" of one guy at Honda who really believed in it. His name was Joe Boyd, but around Honda they called him "GL Joe," because of his love of Gold Wings. The majority of the marketing experts at Honda never believed the Valkyrie concept would work, but Joe used his considerable influence and personal charisma to push the project through. Of course, the Valk became a success. Never a huge one, but a success nevertheless. And I personally believed that since Joe had proved so many people wrong, that those same people were reluctant to aid in the Valkyrie's rise. Not that they intentionally stymied it, but I just don't believe the project ever got the kind of all-out support it deserved, just because Joe had stepped on so many toes in his headlong push to make it a reality.
Around the time the new 1800 GL was becoming a reality, Joe was killed in a tragic accident at the Honda test track. With his death, the prime motivating force behind the Valkyrie project died, also. I personally believe we'd have an all-new, radical, Valkyrie 1800 today, if Joe had lived. Not the Rune, as amazing as it is, but something much more practical and affordable. As a side note, I would like to add that Honda paid a quiet, yet memorable tribute to Joe, for several months after his death.
I rode with Joe a number of times. We were casual friends, and used to ride across the Mojave Desert together, as we both loved the old back roads out there. Along the way, one of Joe's favorite things was to stop in at the tiny town of Amboy, at one of the last remaining original Route 66 tourist stops, Roy's Cafe, and get himself a chocolate milkshake. If you remember, for about six months, several years ago, in virtually every major motorcycling magazine in the country, Honda carried a full-page ad with a picture of a Valkyrie, sitting under the Roy's Cafe sign in the Mojave, with a setting sun in the background. It was a quiet, memorable tribute to the man that was easily understood by those who knew him.
Often, a radical or interesting new bike is developed primarily because one person, with the influence, drive and passion to see it built, puts his weight behind the project. Love it or not, such was the case with the Rune, which had Honda VP Ray Blank as its "Angel." One could say the same of Pierre Terblanche, and the Ducati 999. And such was the case with Joe Boyd and the Valkyrie. Whether such bikes are a design, marketing or financial success is really irrelevant -- I think -- What is important is that we have an industry in which such things can happen, because they push the envelope. True innovation rarely comes from a committee decision.
Enough of my maudlin remembrances. Just thought you might find it interesting.
Now if Honda had continued to market the Valk I believe that it would run circles around all the V-Twin Harley want-a-be's. There is an unlimited amount of customizing that can be done to them where they don't look just like the one down the street
Honda Employees Killed Testing Motorcycle
Accident: Colleagues describe Mission Viejo, Redondo Beach men as highly experienced riders.
May 29, 1998|VALERIE BURGHER | TIMES STAFF WRITER
Two Honda Motor Co. employees were killed Wednesday afternoon evaluating a motorcycle prototype (which would later become the CBR600F4 –Red), the company said Thursday. The accident occurred about 2 p.m. at the Willow Springs Raceway near Rosamond in Kern County. It was still unclear Thursday exactly how the accident occurred. Authorities are investigating. Honda spokesman Peter ter Horst identified the men as Dirk R. Vandenberg, 48, of Mission Viejo, who was the manager of product evaluation, and Josef Boyd, 49, a Redondo Beach engineer.
One man was making a routine test run of the vehicle when he lost control and struck the other man, who was photographing the test, ter Horst said. Both were taken to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, where they later died. Company officials said they could not yet confirm who was riding the prototype and who was taking photographs. Honda employees perform similar tests at least three times a month, ter Horst said. Torrance-based Honda and the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration have opened investigations. "There's still a lot of chaos around the situation," said Cal/OSHA spokesman Dean Fryer. He said Honda and Cal/OSHA will examine training records and the protocol for vehicle testing and interview witnesses to determine the cause of the accident. "Honda is going to be looking at the prototypes very closely to see if there are any mechanical issues," Fryer said. "At this point, it's very early to start putting the pieces together."
Honda colleagues described the men as avid motorcycle enthusiasts and highly experienced riders. Boyd was known around the office as "G.L. Joe," after one of the company's motorcycle models. Vandenberg owned a collection of at least 10 motorcycles. "They had at least 100,000 miles of riding time each [and] were very competent and qualified," said co-worker Mike Spencer. "I'm sure it was just a complete freak accident." Vandenberg's love of motorcycles had taken him from a Michigan motorcycle dealership to a development position in Torrance. He came to Honda 21 years ago and worked his way up from the service department, co-workers said.
"It was a passion," said Jessie Carrera, an administrative assistant at Honda. "Dirk was a true expert." Vandenberg frequently spent vacations outdoors with his wife, Donna, and sons, Andrew, 16, and Nick, 9. "He was always a fun-loving, outgoing individual who enjoyed jet-skiing and go-carting and water-skiing. Anything that had an engine on it interested Dirk," said Spencer. "They'll be greatly missed." Said ter Horst: "It's a terrible tragedy for everyone in the company. It's a very unusual situation when people are injured during testing."
CBR600F4
The Honda CBR600F4 was a sport bike produced by Honda between 1999 and 2000. It was the last of the CBR600 series of Honda sport bikes to be carbureted
The words, "Dedicated to Super Evaluators Dirk Vandenberg and Josef Boyd", are embossed in raised letters on the inside of the Honda CBR600F4's upper fairing.
This dedication was made because two of Honda R&D's senior product developers were killed during the final testing of this model.
PATENT
http://google.co.ve/patents/USD375281
The Honda Gl1500C Valkyrie (as shown below) was patented in the US on 5 November 1996 under USD375281S by Honda designers Makoto Kitagawa and Masamoto Ito.
NHTSA SAFETY TRACK RECORD
https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2001/HONDA/GL1500C%252520VALKYRIE
The GL1500C Valkyrie has a clean record in terms of recalls, investigations and complaints, with the exception of one official complaint in 2002 about the lack of hazard warning lights.
SPECIAL COIN
When the Interstate came out in 1999, this 1st Mass Production Coin was issued by Honda to factory workers.
BROCHURE
Honda printed several brochures for the Valkyrie STD, Tourer and Interstate. You can find them all at Michael Scott's http://thehondavalkyriepages.blogspot.nl/2014/08/httpyoutu.html
Here is one of the early ones.
VIDEO COMMERCIALS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnV9biGfjRI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFkFqcUUQaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCVrvVEj6pg
NUMBERS & GENEALOGY
by RP# 62
https://hubcapsc.com/valkyrie_genealogy.pdf
The national release date of the first Valkyries was May 25, 1996 – all were 1997 models.
All Valkyries and 27 F6C export versions were built between 1996 and 2003 at Honda’s manufacturing facility in Marysville, OH. Based on extensive research and serial numbers by RP Brown, a total of 48.420 Valkyries was produced, of which 6670 were exported to Europe, Australia and Japan.
Black ones were made every model year on each of the three models. The rarest I know of is the copper and black ones made for the European market. Rarest in US: the '01 Black and red Interstate (160 made)
The Japanese Valkyries have an (electrical) reverse gear. The VINs on the Japanese Valks don't begin with 1HF. They are in the format SC34-1000000.
I originally posted my findings on Rattlebars' site and later on Dag's site. It shouldn't be taken as absolute, but as an educated guess as I put it together based on a few facts and some extrapolation.
When we visited the Honda plant back when Valkyries were in production, they told us that Valkyries were built in color lots of 20 for a specific market. For example, they would assemble, 20 black standards for the California market, the 20 red and white standards for the 49 state market, 20 green and creme tourers for the Canadian market, etc.
There's always been a lot of interest in how many of what color were made, so back in the day I wrote Honda to see what they would tell me and actually spoke with a representative at the plant on the subject. Naturally, they consider production information as proprietary and wouldn't give me specifics but they did say I was on the right track.
Given the above, I began data basing VINs and noting color and mfg. date. I would get them off of bikes at events, off of Ebay, off of bikes at the dealers and from several VRCC members that sent them in. I've got thousands at this point. Being able to correlate that many by year, by type (standard, tourer, interstate) by market, then by color, they start resolving themselves into groups. Looking at the serial number ranges within those groups then gives an idea of how many were made. For example, knowing that they were made in lots of 20, I look for serial numbers within that group that are more than 20 apart. This gives an indication of how many lots of 20 were made. It’s not 100%, but its close and the more numbers in database, the more accurate the guess.
That said, if there's still an interest in this, send me your VINs along with color and mfg. date and I'll sharpen the pencil.
Over the years and pending the US Dollar currency value, more US Valkyries ended up abroad.
Beer van Huet:
PERFORMANCE
Project Bonnevalk - Setting a land speed record is harder than it looks.
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So, you've got a really fast motorcycle. How do you prove it? You could put it on a dyno and e-mail the numbers to all your friends, or you could do it the hard way.
Mr. C. Ray from Nashville, Tennessee knew he had a seriously fast Valkyrie, and he wanted to prove it to the world, so that nobody could dispute his claim! To add a twist, he didn't want a single purpose, rocket shaped speedster. His record setting bike would also be his every day rider, and a bike he would continue to tour on!
What makes Mr. Ray think his Valkyrie is so fast? Let's start with the "La Monster Supercharger System" featuring a reliable "Magnacharger" supercharger. While that may sound powerful, the real magic was in the internals of the motor and cylinder head, prepared by Dan Paramore of DPR Racing, in southern California. Dan engineered, designed, and built a Stage VI custom cylinder head for Ray, by modifying and reshaping the combustion chamber to increase quench area ("squish band"), then he fully ported and polished everything, before installing the ceramic coated valves into the heads. The results of DPR’s work were astonishing! A 20-percent increase in intake flow and a 30-percent gain on the exhaust side. Mr. Ray even flew Dan to Nashville to cut, polish, and work his magic on the pistons too! Once the heads were finished, and assembled, Dan focused all his grinding skills on the supercharger's manifold, to increase its capability to match the new heads.
To safeguard the engine when running under full boost, the compression ratio was dropped to 9.1:1. The valve springs were specially chosen and shimmed to make valves close quicker. Dan had a special set of cams made to his precise measurements, and the cam timing was altered to close the exhaust side a bit earlier, so the blower could cram as much boosted air/fuel into the cylinders as possible. Dan and Mr. Ray worked together to rig a double diaphragm clutch spring system to make sure the plates wouldn't slip. All these items are internal to the engine and the naked eye would never know...
The single glaring obvious horsepower boost comes from the two bottles of nitrous oxide strapped to the rear fender. A "Nitrous-Express" tunable system is adjusted to come on at full boost, and ramp up time of delivery, making it possible to get extreme horsepower, without extreme wheel spin! A Dynatech ignition system and a Supertrapp exhaust system were chosen for their performance and reliability. It all came out to about 165 rear wheel horsepower give or take one or two!!!
Anyone who's ever been to "Speed Week" at the Bonneville Nationals is aware upon entry, that they are entering a world governed by rules and regulations, mostly for safety. All our players on "PROJECT BONNEVALK" arrived on Monday of "Speed Week"
The first day was spent setting up base camp and navigating thru the tech inspection. At first, they were confident, according to the "RULE BOOK"; the BONNEVALK could be configured to set four open speed records. All the bike had to do is complete qualifying and backup runs at any speed to set each of these records. However, Dan and Mr. Ray didn't want to set anything but solid, respectable records that others would have to work to beat. So, they disconnected the nitrous bottles and got ready to enter in "supercharged gas" class as their baseline.
Tuesday of Speed Week got off to a slow start with a two hour plus wait before each run was in order. Lucky teams get three runs in one day. Dan was going to drive "BONNEVALK" for the records, and he needed two licensing passes before he could attempt a qualifying run. Mr. Ray also wanted to see how the BONNEVALK's jetting was working at the 4200-foot altitude. So, Dan's took off and made his first pass, at a disappointing 117 mph. A jetting change and a little more throttle allowed his second pass to hit 147 mph, a little bit more respectable, and also earned Dan his license, and the team resolved to hit the ground running on
Wednesday began with another jetting change and a valve clearance check. Although the carburetor was still running a bit lean, the supercharged engine was running clean, without a hitch, but had still never been put to full throttle on the salt! After seeing how slow everything was progressing, we revised our goals to setting only two records for the week, instead of the original four; first with gas, and the second with nitrous.
By the end of day three, with every run producing faster speeds, we settled on the last run of the day at 156 MPH, as the qualifier for our first record. However, upon arriving in the impound area (where timing officials inspect vehicles), they experienced the great, unbending weight of the "RULE BOOK". When a machine arrives in the impound area, the officials perform a visual inspection, to make sure the machine qualifies for the class. When they looked at BONNEVALK, everyone's heart sank as the officials pointed out the unsealed fuel tank. Being time trial novices, none of the team members knew that an official had to witness "event-sanctioned-gas" being put into an empty tank, before the official seals the gas cap shut. Unswayed by our teams’ pleas, the official explained that the only way to insure the integrity of the records was to follow the rules to the letter. The team recategorized Wednesday as a testing and tuning day, to save face on paper
Thursday began with more jetting woes. Despite the fact that Mr. Ray had installed a 220-main jet, the largest one made for the 45mm Mikuni, the plugs said the bike was running dangerously lean during the long wide-open throttle portion of the timing run. Dan and Mr. Ray resorted to drilling out a jet and calculated that it measured the equivalent of a 245 main. The change yielded a 158 mph pass through the lights.
Talking with people in the impound area the previous day had alerted Dan and Christian to a loophole in the rules that allows competitors a second chance at a better qualifying run without sacrificing the current run time. The rule book said that contestants have an hour after a timing slip is issued to deliver a bike to the impound area. So, scuttlebutt went, if you could turn around the second run in less than an hour, you could still use the first run if the second wasn't any faster.
The line was significantly shorter on day four as Speed Week ran down, and a second run in an hour was feasible. Naiveté and the desire to post the best record possible got the best of the team, and Dan got back on the BONNEVALK for a second run. Midway through the timed mile, as he tried to make himself as small as possible (to cheat the wind), Dan's knee hit the ignition switch, killing the engine --- AND the run. They arrived with the bike in impound, with only a minute to spare.
Unfortunately, a couple of seasoned veterans pointed out that the exact wording of the rule governing record runs contradicted the popular sentiment expressed by the old salts the team had talked to. So, to dispel any appearance of impropriety, BONNEVALK hit the salt again, and rewarded the team with a timed mile of 161.352 mph (gas only, no nitrous)! The improved speed was a result of bumping the fuel pressure up to four PSI to force the fuel into the carb faster, to counter the still present lean problem.
The bike was tucked away in the impound area without incident, and the team went back to the hotel in a celebratory mood. A record was within their grasp.
Day five, the final day of speed week for us, and thanks to a miscommunication about the hotel departure time, Team Project BONNEVALK arrived five minutes too late for the backup runs. Not being part of the escorted procession from impound to the starting line is the equivalent of breaking the seal on the gas tank.
Once again---but this time on the last day of Bonneville Speed Week---the team found itself back at square one. The only option they had available to them was to run the bike for another qualifying time after the morning's back up runs. Then in the afternoon, they would have one last shot to back up their qualifier. The dream of setting more than a single record was abandoned.
One more misstep and the week (and a whole lot of money) would be wasted.
The fates cast their cruel eyes once again on project BONNEVALK during the final backup run. For the first time the engine sputtered, sounding like it would give out. Paramore pulled in the clutch, preparing to coast through the timing lights at the end of the track. However, when the engine settled down at idle, he released the clutch, and gave it the berries. The result was a disappointing 149.763 mph. Only the displacement test remained between Christian Ray and his speed record.
Since BONNEVALK displaced a stock 1520 cc in a 1650 cc class, the record was a fait accompli before the measurement was taken. However, the chastened team waited anxiously for the final signatures on the record form before beginning the celebration. After five days on the salt, months of preparation, and more money than anyone was willing to admit spending, project BONNEVALK had a certified land speed record at an average speed of 153.956 mph. (we went faster, but this was the official record!)
Although Mr. Christian Ray didn't get the four records he's initially hoped for, he struggled, persevered, and won the privilege of being able to say he owns "World's Fastest Valkyrie" --- at least for this year. But Ray and Paramore are planning for another attempt at the record. Dual carburetors will address the jetting issues while better streamlining and narrower bars will help BONNEVALK push less air. They're already dreaming of the magic 200 mph mark! (and that's STILL without the NITROUS!)
Dag Verpeide
The Valkyrie has it all - long distance touring capability - excellent handling – smooth - vibration free - and awesome power... and it looks like a motorcycle, it oozes presence. Taking this bike through the twisties is a real pleasure. Handling is light and completely predictable and the low speed handling is surprisingly good for a bike this big. The powerful six-cylinder motor has a strong pull from less than 1000 rpm to the red line.
PUBLICATIONS
Daniel Meyer
Daniel Meyer is a pilot, engineer, skier, and above all, an avid motorcyclist with over a half-million miles under his belt.
The six-foot, three-hundred pound, blue-eyed Texan can often be found wandering the highways and byways of America on The Dragon, his F6 Valkyrie motorcycle.
Daniel wrote 4 Volumes of Life is a Road, an award winning motorcycle adventure series http://lifeisaroad.com/
Michael Scott
If you are interested in what has been published about the Valkyrie since the beginning, you MUST visit Michael’s blog. ‘The Honda Valkyrie Pages – The Honda Valkyrie in Print and Pictures’
The blog contains an almost complete collection of magazine articles, publications, brochures and other interesting information. A second part is under construction, containing Valkyrie manuals, Mods, Add-On Installation Instructions, etc.
http://thehondavalkyriepages.blogspot.nl/2014/08/httpyoutu.html
Peter Rakestrow
In 2018, Peter looked at the development and detailed history of the GL1500 Valkyrie/F6C.
A paperback (or kindle) can be obtained at https://www.amazon.com/Honda-Valkyrie-Peter-Rakestrow/dp/1445674866
VALKYRIE NICKNAME
The GL 1500C Valkyrie is sometimes also named Fat Lady or Dragon.
The Fat Lady part is pretty obvious; they hardly come any fatter than this beast.
Back in Sept. 1, 1996, when the first internet site dedicated to the Honda Valkyrie, "The Valkyries' Lair,” was launched, it contained the tag line, "For Those Who Ride the Dragon." Craig referred to the Valkyrie as the Dragon because of the definition of a dragon:
"*Dragon (n.) A legendary fire breathing beast of great size; renowned for its immense power and ability to fly." The moniker caught on and we continue riding dragons to this day. If you start trying to associate anything else the dragon just fits, Unicorn, Minotaur, Ogre, Troll, Ox. The list could go on but, it seems that with the bulk, nimbleness, power, and smoke rising from the tire the DRAGON just seems to fit. Also some people think dragons have something to do with the Valkyries.
PICTURES
A good place to start is http://www.valkyrieriders.com/JustPics/home.htm
Over 40 pages of great 'hero' pictures.
VRCCTV
A former website maintained by oZ with some Valkyrie videos still active.
https://www.valkyrieriders.com/VRCCTV/default.htm
Comment from Scott in 2004
oZ has put a ton of effort into VRCC-TV and it has turned out way better than I expected. oZ and I have been in an extended argument (discussion really) about that for a while. I didn't think it would fly and he proved me wrong. I watched that free-style video a week or so ago and it’s pretty awesome!
You can spend a day checking out all those cool videos!
YOUTUBE
There is an abundance of Valkyrie or VRCC related material on YouTube.
If applicable for this history, I have published a link.
MAINTENANCE
The Honda Valkyrie is probably one of the technically best documented bikes.
http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/
If still not satisfied, use the excellent search function of the BBS.
If you want to do a maintenance or repair job yourself, again YouTube has many instructional videos readily available. I especially recommend those of Dag Verpeide from Norway and the carburetor videos from D-Ray Smith. In the appendix, a range of technical YouTube video addresses is listed.
NICKEL TRICK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7lTw_b8hTg
Demonstration of the smooth-running Flat 6 boxer engine. You can put a nickel (or Euro) on its side on the engine block. It will not topple over when the engine is started or revved up.
HIGH MILEAGE VALKYRIES
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,51704.0.html
In 2017, a list was made up of high mileage Valkyries by VRCC members. Only over 100,000 miles would qualify.
Two individuals really stood out from the crowd. DDT with a 1999 Tourer marked over 546.000 miles (878.700 km), followed by Tank with a 1998 Standard and 449.487 miles. Unfortunately, Tank’s bike was destroyed on 28 Dec 2013 and he was lucky to have lived through it. More than half a dozen Valkyries had reached the 200.000 miles and beyond mark and over 100 bikes went way over the 100.000 mileage.
This is what DDT has to say about the Valkyrie.
I've now shared 431,000+ extraordinary miles with my best friend... She and I have been many places together, and we've shared many amazing experiences. My journey of life has been enhanced, enriched and changed beyond all expectations through the chance joining with this incredible partner. All very much unplanned and unanticipated, I might add, since I actually bought her as a second bike to help keep the miles down on the Gold Wing I had at the time.
Last December, Gordon (Lucky 13) replaced the final drive for me... the seventh time that has had to be done. The major culprit here is the lack of proper greasing of the splines and/or changing the final drive fluid. In our travels, we've had to replace tires many, many times, often in a place we haven't been before or figure to ever visit again... The mechanics at the various dealerships always swear they did the proper treatment to splines, etc., but I stopped believing them long ago... If you can do it yourself, you're better off by far... If you're like me and can't, then you, like me, will just have to take your chances and be prepared to live with the consequences...I’ve been through five or six drive shafts and universal joints (couplers), replaced the alternator twice - both times with 1500 Gold Wing alternators. The thermostat and water pump have been replaced, although the latter was done as a precaution only, as there was no problem with it. I just figured it was going to crap-out sooner or later, and I was contemplating another ride up to Alaska at the time, so... I didn't want to have that to vex and disturb my serenity.
Other than those major repairs, the rest has all been routine stuff... OK, I've also been through a truck load of tires, too!!! I did replace the gas tank with an Interstate tank finally, but that had to do with reasons (fuel capacity mainly!) other than any problem with the original Tourer tank. Hard Six did a desmog for me, as well as change out the risers and cables along with several other things... Do all y'all realize we have some truly expert mechanics in our club?
While it seems, theoretically anyway, that the engine and transmission are indeed not bullet-proof, I've had no experience or reason whatsoever to prove they are not! Nothing other than changing fluids, replacing timing belts, syncing carbs and adjusting valves have ever been done to the engine... nothing. No rebuild, overhaul or repair at all... not even the rings or clutch. And, the things that have been done could each be counted on one hand.
I did replace the Speedo cable twice, the Speedo itself twice, and the gear at the front wheel once... Turns out that last problem was the culprit all along... An expensive and irritating problem that took a while for this non-mechanic to finally solve...
I'm often asked what my next bike will be... I always respond with, "We're going to stay together until one of us can't go any more... Depending upon which one of us that is, I'll decide what comes next then..." At the moment, it does appear she will outlast me.
Bruce (DDT) & Ali, his 500.000 plus Valkyrie
In 2018, an update by Willow revealed the latest order, with the top 3 being
DDT – 1999 Tourer – 591.000 miles
tank-post142 – 1998 Standard – 449.478 miles
Indianabill – 1999 Tourer – 403.000 miles
AROUND THE WORLD BY VALKYRIE
Kiyoharu Matsuo travelled 370.000 km. in 5 years and 10 months through 121 countries with his Valkyrie
http://www.baikunomatsuo.sakura.ne.jp/indexe.html
Kiyoharu retired in October 2000 at the age of 56. He was still in good health and decided to undertake a trip around the world. He calculated that he could spend 5000 yen (45 USD) each day, including accommodation, fuel and food. Although not nearly enough in Europe, America and Australia he figured he would get even on average when travelling through the other continents.
He wanted to start in Russia, China or India, but there were no cargo flights to Vladivostok, only during summertime. Transportation to China was limited to 125cc motorcycles and it would take the Japanese embassy more than 6 months to clear customs to India. Because he got a cheap deal (730 USD) by the Kuroneko Yamato Company, he decided to ship his Valkyrie by boat to the Netherlands instead to start off his adventure.
He could not repair his motorcycle, only change the oil.
During his preparation, he discovered that he needed a carnet for his bike, visas and an international driver’s license. These licenses are only valid for 1 year. Quite a problem, while he would spend a year and a half in Russian territory alone.
Most of the European countries were OK without a visa but getting into Central Asia, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was harder. For Japanese residents it took about a month. You had to state the day of entry and exit, however. That was tough. For America and Australia, he could not get visas through the embassy so he obtained them via internet or travel agencies.
He did not speak foreign languages but managed to get by with his hands and feet. Especially in restaurants, this resulted in funny situations and unexpected dishes. He had a book of youth hostels with him, which worked out reasonably well. Calling Japan was always cumbersome; he would put a number on the back of the card, put it in, put it in and put it in again.
He was not using alcoholic drinks on a regular basis. During his travel, he discovered that his physical strength and fitness would deteriorate in about a year. He caught a cold in warm Egypt and severe stomach aches in Nepal, where he took a cheap dumplings meal. Had to be taken to a hospital where he got local medicine. Suffered fierce diarrhea in Mexico and Portugal.
Of all the medicine he had taken along from Japan, the one he used most was a cold medicine.
As far as clothing was concerned, he had 3 pieces of underwear, 3 short- and long sleeve shirts and 3 pair of socks. He washed his clothes when he washed his body, except in Tibet where he did not undress for 10 days. His most useful cleaning item was a baggy towel that he often used without soap.
The toilet paper quality is different in each country. In case of hard paper, he soaked it in water. Some countries rinse with hoses. It's definitely a good feeling.
He flew to the Netherlands (No. 1 at the map) and spent his first night at a hostel in Amsterdam. He got a biscuit by an elderly man not knowing it contained strong marijuana with sleeping pills. When he awoke, he was in a hospital bed and robbed of all his cash money. He did not remember paying the hospital fee.
So begins his diary of the first day of a total of over 5 years. Truly amazing and very interesting to read. He literally rode from the Himalaya to the Sahara Desert and from Alaska to the African jungle. And has a great sense of humor. It is beyond the scope of this VRCC history to write down even his travel summary. The summary itself BTW is 177 pages long. If you take the time to translate his Japanese writing online or want to see all of his pictures, you can follow his journey from day to day.
http://www.baikunomatsuo.sakura.ne.jp/bike.pdf (takes a few seconds to load) or use http://www.valkyrieriders.com/aroundworld.htm
Here just a sample of his pics. Notice a rendez vous with the Austrian VRCC Chapter (second row-3rd pic)
You might be a Valkoholic if....
Before you bought your Valkyrie, you read every website that had anything to say about this bike.
Before you bought your bike, you told your S/O how this was the last bike you would ever need and how you would be a better person if you owned this bike.
Before you bought your bike, you had a picture of a Red & White Valkyrie pinned up on the wall and one that you carried with you to show all your friends what you were going to buy.
Before you bought your bike, you knew more about the Valkyrie than you did about your S/O.
After you bought your bike, you found yourself volunteering to run to the store for milk.
After you bought your bike, it now takes 45 min. to get down to the corner store to buy milk.
After you bought your bike, you find yourself feeling a little sick a couple of hours before the work day is over, yet you still get home late.
After you bought your bike, you now feel like some kind of rock star.
After you bought your bike you felt as if you had to tell all the poor lost HD riders what a great bike this is, and you now kinda feel sorry for them.
After you bought your bike, you now check the VRCC message boards more than you do your stock quotes.
After you bought your bike, you now have a funny little nickname you want everyone to call you.
After you bought your bike, you spend more time reading the VRCC message boards than you do watching TV.
After you bought your bike, you now have the VRCC store in your speed dial and you feel like Hal is one of your old army buddies.
You might be a Valkoholic if when you can't ride; you visit your garage for extended periods of time for no other reason than to stare @ the Fat Lady with lust in your eyes.
You might be a Valkoholic if you now crave Chrome more than Money.... Money only gets you more Chrome
Beer van Huet:
Club Origin
History of websites
Valkyries' Lair, F6Rider, Bob's F6 Valkyrie Page, VOA, and VRCC
http://web.archive.org/web/20010205005400/http://www.dragonriders.org/thevalk.htm
This website appeared September 1st, 1996 and was the first internet site dedicated to the Honda Valkyrie. Craig Buhl ran the site, which contained the tagline, "For those who Ride the Dragon." It did, in fact, predate the VOA, as well as F6Rider.
Participants of the World Wide Dragon Rider Organization (WWDRO) were inherently opposed to discrimination or prejudice of any kind directed toward other Supporters of the WWDRO with particular emphasis placed on bias based on gender, race, religion or politics. In addition to providing services to current Dragon owners, participants wish to aid non-owners who want to learn about the F6 series of motorcycles without fear of attacks based on their current brand of motorcycle. Participants believe that the ideas of all individual riders should not be subject to ridicule so long as they do not specifically violate the Fundamental Principle of the organization.
The Valkyries Lair officially ceased operations in June ’99.
Craig
I have not been able to spend any non-working time on the internet since the end of March 1999 and it has finally become obvious that commitments to family, work, clubs, and riding the Dragon do not give me enough time to properly maintain all of my personal internet projects. I have finally made the long-postponed decision to stop updating The Valkyries' Lair and remove portions that are consuming a large amount of my storage space.
I will leave this reduced version of The Lair up, (at least for a time) for historical purposes. The Valkyries' Lair (appearing September 1, 1996) was the first internet site dedicated to the Honda Valkyrie. As such I felt it provided an important place for people who were interested in the Valkyrie to get at least some information 'on demand' rather than having to wait for it to appear piece meal in the press. However, there are now a number of sites dedicated to the Valkyrie including a Valkyrie Owners Association (which appears to have undergone some major modifications since I was last on in March). Several of these sites are providing far more information than I was able to do and I feel that internet fans of the Dragon are well provided for.
While sometimes time consuming The Valkyries' Lair has been a great deal of fun. The Lair and a growing number of other internet sites have shown that the internet provides a mass communication device which gives the people who buy the products as great a voice as the people who sell them. I am proud of the fact that The Valkyries' Lair has been non-profit, non-commercial, and never attempted to generate revenue. The Lair never accepted advertising, gratuities, or donations and I congratulate all other sites that continue that tradition.
The Valkyries' Lair has been a great experience for me and I hope it has been of some value to other fans of the Dragon.
History of Clubs
GWRRA-ValkSIG (Valkyrie Special Interest Group)
A sponsored sub-section of the Gold Wing Road Rider Association [GWRRA] was originally set-up for Valkyrie-owning GWRRA members to share the common interest, and uncommon enthusiasm for the bike.
Rich Doell mentioned 180 paid-up members. According to RP they were "tolerated".
It did piss everybody off enough to start their own club.
In Europe, the GL 1500C Valkyrie was not recognized by the Goldwing European Federation (GWEF) until 2014, when the GW Valkyrie was introduced.
The Australian Wing Riders Association has been in existence since 1999. Its founding members ensured the constitution accepted the inclusion of Valkyrie owners/riders as full ordinary Members.
This group picture is the on-site awards ceremony at the Oct.'97, 1st Annual Valk-SIG Ride-In to Salem, VA (GWRRA Virginia District Rally), Valk-only Bike Show. This show was separate from the Gold Wing show.
‘Cool Breeze’ who won Best in Show, with Rich Doell left – and Marty Rood right of Cool Breeze
VOA (Valkyrie Owners Association)
Around 1998, the VOA was founded. The VOA split off of GWRRA because Valk owners didn't like being called "Boosters" (GWRRA's name for non-Wing members). According to Paul XX, a senior VAOI member, the 1st Pres was Jon Proctor who was also responsible for the first web site. He ran it for about a year until he got into an argument about money with the board. So he tried to pull the plug on the website to shut members down in retaliation. Gale Scalzi, (oZ, from what later would become the VRCC) was running a Valk website that just had articles and he kindly offered to put up a message board to continue. Here’s a link to the May 1999 F6Rider VOA board. https://web.archive.org/web/19990504132427/http://www.f6rider.com:80/
According to a VRCC comment, due to a management disagreement some owners left soon after the VOA was founded and the remaining principle drove it into the ground (managed to avoid jail time for a lottery fraud). So, the VOA was reorganized and renamed to VOAI (International) which still exists today.
One of the things that grew out of the VOA was local Valkyrie clubs. Most of them started out as VOA chapters, but then they broke off on their own.
One of the largest of these groups was "Valhalla Six Guns" in Texas. It was a very active group that has grown to love one another. https://web.archive.org/web/20000229033517/http://www.valhalla-six-guns.com:80/
Serk
There's really no secret to it, but short version - VSG had a ride across Galveston island. Didn't respect Bandido turf, flying VSG colors. Bandidos took offense to this and pulled the VSG group over. There was much internal strife inside VSG about we shouldn't hafta take our vests off because they say we shouldn't vs. we wanna play bikers, we gotta play by biker rules...
It got pretty ugly after a while, and I just took the vest off entirely. I'm not a biker. I don't pretend to be, I'm a guy that likes riding a motorcycle. The real bikers play by some, to me, very odd rules... I ride to relax and get away from stuff like that, so... The vest stays in the closet now... This eventually became the stance of those who owned and ran VSG, so the colors were officially retired before the group itself finally withered away to nothing...
It was a fun group while it lasted...
There were many more of these groups that you can still see on ValkyrieRiders Hot Links https://web.archive.org/web/20070811223454/http://www.valkyrieriders.com:80/links/
VOA rally in Montrose, CO in '99 - Even an airplane was rented for the group picture of this first official rally of the VOA
Lamont
I rode there from San Diego with my first experimental blower with a car carburetor on it. I was lucky to make it there and back as it was fouling plugs like crazy and getting 20mpg It was the start of something great though.
Mark T
This pic was actually taken at Crawford CO. Looking west; just out of site to the left the main street turns S and right there is Pam Cocker's Mad Dog Ranch Fountain Cafe. Pam and Joe Cocker hosted the VOA rally here at the town park just out of view to the right. Joe Cocker acted as Master of Ceremonies and announced and handed out awards and such to the membership. It was a good day, beautiful weather and a coup to have a celebrity such as Joe Cocker validate and participate with our club. Pam was a supporter of bike club rides to visit her town and cafe as she was a biker herself with a Gold Wing trike, a Shadow IIRC, and perhaps other bikes. Apparently to the consternation of some of the small town locals who disapproved the zillionaire celebrities changing their quiet little town. Cool lady, she invited me to take her trike for a spin so I did.
Here's a shot I took of the Mad Dog Ranch Fountain Cafe, on 08-11-02. You can see the park where the festivities were, on the right edge of this pic.
Here's the mansion Joe and Pam put it a few miles east of Crawford. Yours Truly and wife in front - we stayed overnight as houseguests.
Very impressive "Big House" to say the least - Have only seen such a place on shows like "lifestyles of the Rich and Famous".
Beer van Huet:
VRCC (Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club)
http://www.valkyrieriders.com/
Gale Scalzi (oZ) founded the VRCC and asked Mark T to co-edit it with him around 1998-99. Mark declined as he was too busy with his pipes business. He offered the same to Lamont Bryden, who had joined immediately when the club was founded, hence his lowest member # 001 and who was looking to sell his welding business and get into computing. He accepted and they co-partnered the editing/management of the club from the left coast until a few years later Gale bought Lamont out when he wanted to move to Tennessee. Lamont took the skills he had learned to start up several bike forums from his new digs.
For the average VRCC website member and Forum reader, oZ was more like operating in the background while Lamonster was very visible and always looking for publicity. So, I guess they complemented each other.
In an F6Rider article, the VRCC is described as a collection of maniacs, appreciating the machine they call the Valkyrie. It’s all about a culture and a community around this amazing bike where they discover each other through their common interest and the good sense that made them all Valkyrie Riders.
The members are of all walks of life and have one thing in common, their passion for the Valkyrie.
It’s something that goes beyond race, nationality, religion and politics. It’s truly amazing to see how well these otherwise completely different people are getting along.
How the Valkyrie Riders Club started by LaMonster and edited by oZ in 2004
https://web.archive.org/web/20070807050338/http://www.f6rider.com:80/history.htm
Having a strong web presence on F6Rider already, oZ and I kicked around the idea of starting our own Valkyrie club. We learned quite a bit about the downfalls of other clubs and decided that we could run a club without the political structure that seemed to be a hindrance in other clubs. We felt that we could do this free of charge if we could just sell a few shirts and patches to support the website. We both had a passion for the Valkyrie and figured that with our HTML skills, and the love of the Valkyrie, we could really put together a great website. The question was, if we build it, will they come? We told a few other folks what we had planned on doing and the response was great. I called the then acting vice president of the VOA (Animal) and told him what we were going to do, and he said go for it, and sign me up. He is VRCC # 0006.
At that time the VOA was still on the F6Rider server. oZ and I were running the VOA website and helping out Animal with the transfer to the new server and building the VRCC at the same time. It was a pretty crazy time. A lot of changes have taken place at the VOAI and things are looking pretty good over there. They have a great webmaster working hard to get the site in shape.
When we started the club, we were not sure what to call it. We thought about calling it F6Riders, but we had heard a rumor that Honda was going to change the Valkyrie to a flat 8. Well that would mess up our plans for sure. We sat down and kicked around a bunch of names and we finally settled on the "Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club". The VRCC had a nice ring to it. Next, we had to come up with a logo. We decided to go with the Viking Warrior with wings and a sword going through the middle. oZ put it together and we called that our logo. Right away folks were asking why the sword? They felt that was divisive. Hey the sword was no big deal to us so we got rid of it. Then the next thing we had and got rid of was a members only board. We decided that we didn't want anyone to think that anything was going on there that couldn't be said in public. I think that was a good move too. oZ and I never felt like we were quite done with the logo. oZ would change it from time to time just to see if anything would click with us and the members. Then one day I was riding with my Bro Brad, and he had on one of oZ's 1520 shield shirts and I got to thinking that maybe we could take the logo that we had now and incorporate it into the shield. oZ started working on the art and when he showed it to me I knew that was it. It really looked cool. Once again oZ nailed it.
We were able to keep with to our vision of having a free club by the new support of sponsors, Direct Line being our first sponsor. The club grew faster than we had ever imagined, and the additional support of the other sponsors really helped us to grow. We are able to give a discount on Valkyrie parts to our members and it still doesn't cost them a dime to take advantage of the purchasing power we now have as a club. At over 22000 (as of 2004) members to date, it takes a lot of resources to run a club this size. Whenever we have asked for help, the VRCC members jump right in and give a hand. That is one of the best things that has come out of building this website. The friends we have made here will last a life time. How can you put a price on that? Like the commercial says "VRCC members, priceless"
Editor’s Note
Talking about costs. Back in 1996 when oZ started the site he was charged by how much bandwidth he used. He started out with a service that cost $35 a month. As the user base grew to 1000's and visits to the site grew to tens of thousands he had to pay for that increased bandwidth which ran into the hundreds of dollars per month. His wife said, "Stop, we can't afford this!" But they had an idea and put it in place and that one idea saved them from closing the early site.
Founded August 1st 1999
Mission Statement
Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club was started because of the need to provide a place where Honda Valkyrie Riders could band together and share the combined wealth of knowledge about this great motorcycle. A simple place with no political structure and where malice toward other Motorcycle Riders will not be tolerated.
Membership in the Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club will be offered free to any individual who rides the Honda Valkyrie or is in the process of obtaining a Valkyrie. The reason for free membership is so the founders can retain full control of the club, web site and activities without political controls or paid membership dictation and expectation.
The VRCC will not compete with other Valkyrie clubs and all message boards are open to all members and all potential Honda Valkyrie riders to post appropriate messages, including other clubs or organizations or events.
Editor's Note
When the Valkyrie was introduced in 1996, it started a whole (Power Cruiser) market segment that was far ahead of its time. Aftermarket companies soon came out with a wealth of Valkyrie accessories for better looks, handling or performance. If that was not enough, many individual specialists and craftsmen designed and produced tailor-made solutions for the ultimate Valkyrie chromaholic and power fanatic.
Pipes, blowers, trigger wheels, ignition mods, extra fuel capacity tanks, center stands, all sorts of lighting options, hard/leather bags, seats, covers and a wide range of bling, of course. Soon, the first factory Valkyries were transformed into radical monsters of every imaginable color, shape and appearance. Ranging from volcano-like tanks to the darkside and everything in between. Even the 6 mighty cylinders were attempted to drill out to get even more cubic inches and power. Unsuccessful, to my knowledge. All these factors together, and the introduction of the internet, resulted in a wide exchange of ideas and not a single bike being equal to the others.
A few examples of some more radical alterations and customizing in the early days
Many good features, as well as mission statements were incorporated from previous websites and in less than 4 months, the VRCC counted over 2000 members. The homepage varied considerably from todays. It was very personal, assertive, interactive and user orientated and contained a lot of attractive news items.
Lamont in particular, who had a nitro super charged beast, really got a lot of folks looking at the Valk.
Take a look at the homepage dated 28 November 1999 (below).
http://web.archive.org/web/19991128101253/http://www.f6rider.com/VRCC.htm
Barbarian in October 1999
WOwee! over 1830 members eh?? Are we at the point of exponential increase in membership at the VRCC? Big stampede...Build a better mousetrap (so to speak) and they will come running! I gotta admit - it is THE site to be with! No politics! yeah! Excellent format and tech articles! Other than a decent SO, what more could one ask for? Now if only more bikers out there were aware of the Valk with this site for support!!! Awesome...Keep the ball rolling fellow Valkers!!
....and this one from 2000
https://web.archive.org/web/20001018045206/http://www.f6rider.com:80/new_stuff.htm
In 2005, the present day VRCC homepage layout was created and updated as well as the bulletin boards in 2009 and regularly ever since.
As the man behind the curtain (oZ) puts it: Well, the latest news is this, our new look and style for our Splash or Homepage. I think it Rocks! It loads in a fraction of the time it took the old page to load, I think is easier to navigate and just better all the way around. Like to thank Scott, W0QNX, F6Gal (as always) for jumping in and taking on web authoring duties. Special thanks to Scott and Connie for making this page happen.
2009 - Scott
The time has come to make a change here at the VRCC. We are changing message board formats!
We would like to invite you to head on over to the new message board, register your account, and get started posting. We will all work together to learn how it all works. If you can't figure something out, just ask!
Please note though, that you will have to register on the board, and provide a valid email address. Don't worry though, you have the option to hide your email address in your profile settings if you choose to do so!
In the coming days, we will be shutting down this old board as the transition is made so you might as well get started over on the new board! (General and Tech boards, but Tech Archive will remain)
The days of endless spam will finally be behind us!
We'll see you on the other side!
VRCC Characteristics
Any website and board is basically just another means of communication. In case of the VRCC, it is primarily meant to promote this great motorcycle, exchange ideas and information and arrange for common rides or events. Once this framework is provided, it should belong to all members alike. After all, without members, the club ceases to exist.
On the other hand, since the VRCC does not charge any membership fees and has basically no hierarchy, its operators are not obliged to adhere to political controls or paid membership dictation and expectation.
In the VRCC Staff today, Connie, Scott, and Misfit each have one vote. Carl and Lori each have a half vote. If the Staff ends up in a tie vote, oZ has the tie breaking vote. No one person has more power than the others.
From day one, the VRCC website has been very active. I have never seen a group of people like it who are so dedicated that you can almost expect an answer to any question or remark on a message board within a few hours. Someone was always willing to answer a question, provide suggestions, share an adventure, etc. The breadth of knowledge that exists on the board is truly amazing. Members were describing their latest mods or maintenance issues in depth to provide other users an abundance of Valkyrie information. I think the resulting database easily beats that of any other bike website, no matter what.
The VRCC is home to some fantastic people. It has relevance, is interesting, can be controversial, allows freedom of expression, and keeps drawing me back in. Thanks to all of those of you that were there from the start, either as founders, members, participants, or whatever. You all contributed to make this group what it is - a family!
Now that we are looking 20 years back, many Valkyries have moved into different hands. The new kind of Rider is nevertheless equally enthusiastic and causes an entire new élan to the VRCC. Even to the point of creating ‘rat- like’ bikes with stretched saddlebags and hands-on extendable pneumatic shocks, LOL
Hans Huijbers (NL) Bikes
F6Gal
If you look at the number of newbie posts from those that are shocked at the lengths that members will go in assisting them. Or non-newbies just needing a bike checked out or picked up.
If anyone breaks down or wrecks anywhere, a post here or a phone call to one of us, will generally get the ball rolling for the unfortunate individual. I've had people loan me a bike or make the offer, when I had to fly to an event, because of time constraints. I'll loan a bike to anyone that needs one... in fact, we now have several Valkyries, so we have one for winter visitors.
While I agree that the flavor of the board has changed, I think our members are as selfless as ever.
Willow
I do think that the personality, the aura of the VRCC and InZane has changed over the years. I'm sure the beginnings were magical when the bike was new and the honeymoon with Honda was yet all foreplay and orgasm, but someone who has attended nine of the ten InZanes said in July of 2010, "This was the best one yet!"
Back in the beginning, there were several boards sponsored by Hal Greenlee. When Hal decided the Valk was a dead end he abandoned ship, however.
As the club became more popular and difficult to manage additional owners or "principles" were brought in to keep things running smoothly and to facilitate the rallies and daily operations. Over time these principles have included Mark and Lynn from CAT Specialties, Rob and Daryl Weber from SoCal, Connie and Michael, Dave Ritsema, Scott from OK, Willow, Motomomma and Damon (Misfit). In 2015, Gale Scalzi (oZ) resigned and Connie ‘F6gal’ Hammond took over.
Thanks to these wonderful people, who managed to keep the VRCC alive and kicking for almost 20 years now, in good times and bad, the Valkyrie community lives on and has become an example of how a MC should be run.
Does that mean that everything within the VRCC has been going smoothly and without wrinkles?
Well, no. On the contrary. It is inevitable that people have differences of opinion. This sometimes causes friction and you even get clashes once in a while. Personally, I think that is only natural, shows the vitality and strengthens the Club afterwards.
Since many people distrust the use of Face book/Twitter and other, more recent online communications, the website still serves a purpose.
As Bruce (DDT) put it
Quote. It is a very special 'place', this electronic clubhouse we all regularly attend. Nothing like anything I've ever experienced or witnessed and nothing like it might have been. The folks who make the decisions and find a way to keep things going do an incredible job of providing this forum upon which we all rely for more than we may know...
Where else have we met so many kindred spirits...? Folks who are 'like me', yet so very different...? Folks from all over North America mostly, but around the world, too. All levels of the socio-economic ladder are represented, all walks of life, all religions and political persuasions can be found in our ranks. And, for the most part we get along... well, at least no worse than any 'normal' functioning family.
Overcoming challenges and 'finding a way' are but part of the story, though. There has to be more to lure us back again and again than merely surviving... At the heart of it all, I think, is our own love of our machines, our need for social belonging and acceptance, and our strong desire for interaction with other like-minded people. A place where we can express ourselves and feel our views are at least respected, if indeed not embraced.
Not a 'safe space' where we can soothe our bruised egos and feelings in a warm, group think, touchy-feely space, but one where openness and disagreement are allowed. The 'heat of verbal combat' is tolerated within reasonable limits so that ideas and beliefs can be tested and tempered and explored in the pursuit of truth, of logical conclusions. We don't always do a good job with this, and our overworked moderator(s) have to rein us in sometimes... Still...
I'm proud to be here amongst this group of amazing individuals. My life has been enriched enormously by my association with everyone who is a part of this 'special place'... I'm deeply impressed by the largely thankless efforts of our leaders who have overcome huge obstacles to keep the lights on and the boards available to us. And, therein lays the cornerstone... It's all of us that make it what it is...
So, when we're tempted to attack individuals instead of issues, when 'winning the argument' is more important than finding the truth, we all threaten to weaken our special place. It has survived, however, because our leaders have applied a deft hand to the gavel, have come down hard when necessary, gently when appropriate, and they've demonstrated the wisdom to know when to do what... nearly all of the time.
We are a well-functioning organization populated with good, sincere people, and led by wise, insightful, visionary people who deserve our loyalty and admiration... Like I said, "I'm just proud to be here!" End of quote.
Chapters
Link to the various VRCC Chapters and related websites http://www.valkyrieriders.com/links/
No. of Members
If you would apply for a membership right now, you would end up with a number in the 38.000 range.
This has no meaning, however. The member list has been active since the formation of the club and there has never been an effort to keep it current or remove inactive members.
Instead, the message boards are a better way to estimate interest although it must be said that there are members who absolutely do not frequent the message boards and there are also a lot of members who do not bother to login when they read the message boards.
On average, some 350 people log in daily, just over 1000 every week and some 1500 each month.
In Europe with approx. 2000 active VRCC members, Germany has the largest Valkyrie community, just over 500.
Location
A recent attempt to locate the Valkyries worldwide is https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=2507461
Rules of the Road
In the past, the VRCC staff was spending an inordinate amount of time reviewing messages to ensure that they reflect the spirit of the VRCC. This was a huge waste of time and resources … time and resources that would be better spent working on things that enhance the club, rather than on things that have no business being part of this club. While we are loath to censor anyone, apparently someone has to do it...We choose YOU!
It’s time for a little common sense, self-censorship, ladylike and gentlemanly behavior, and time for a few of you to take a deep breath. More about this a little later.
We know that some of you would like a hard and fast, black and white laundry list of DON'TS. There are some. They include activities that are unlawful, harmful, threatening, sexually explicit, defamatory, obscene, racial and/or ethnic slurs, personal attacks; harassing, offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or bashing comments or content; and similar pictures or links, especially those aimed at sexual orientation, gender, race, color, religious views, national origin or disability. There are plenty of places on the Internet where you can find nude pictures. This is not one of them. If you wish to post nude pictures, do so on one of the boards or groups where it is acceptable.
Then there is this gray area where political views and general bad behavior seem to be the norm. Let’s all agree that it’s unlikely that you will ever convince me that your stupid political views have any worth, and that the probability of me convincing you of the merit of my equally stupid political views is remote. Get over it and move on. A good rule of thumb might be…. if you don't see it on Leno, don't post it here…. if Jay can't say it on TV, you can't say it here. Another one might be…. If I am going to be embarrassed by something my ten-year old child sees on this website, then it doesn't belong here.
As we mentioned earlier, we won't be monitoring the board as closely as we have been. We will depend on YOU to do that. When YOU find something that doesn't meet our standards, send a note to the Support Staff. If we agree, we will remove the post. If we don't agree, we don't agree.
If we have to pull an entire thread that has degenerated into finger pointing and name calling, some good posts might be lost, possibly one of yours among them. Sorry.
For those of you who like to walk right up to the line and delight in challenging the Staff, you may suddenly find yourself without a member number, handle and/or ability to post. Don't bother to email us and ask why, we don't have any interest in explaining the facts of life to you. We would like everyone to strive to make our boards a positive experience. As my mother would say, play nice or go home.
Inzane
Not long after the VRCC was founded, the principles started organizing a nationwide rally, Inzane, where Valkyrie Riders from all over the country could meet, discuss issues about their bikes and have a party.
In Europe, the same occurred between the Nation Chapters. In addition, this is the place where (EU) Chapter Reps can discuss common points of interest and nominate the organizing Chapter for the next Inzane.
Since Inzane is a focal point, the history will be centered on these meetings.
The term Inzane originates from the town of Zanesville (OH), where Valkyrie Riders would start their homecoming ride to the nearby Honda Marysville Plant. The location was chosen because of its proximity to HDL & the Honda plant and the city's name. Population was also a factor; the population center of the US is northeast of the geographic center, but that is overall population, not MC's or VRCC membership. The similarity with insane is not only funny but equally appropriate, since most Riders considered themselves pleasantly disturbed with their brand-new Valkyrie power cruisers. Normally the registration for this US event will not start until January because of IRS issues.
Thanks to the dedication of Connie Hammond aka "F6gal", Scott Oakes aka "Scott in Ok", Carl & Lori Holmes aka "Willow" & "Motomama" and Damon Kinter aka "Misfit" this nationwide VRCC meeting lives on and remained as popular as day one. We owe these people big time.
Willow
Inzane has been for the past several times in the second half of July, but we do have to be open to when we can negotiate a week with the hosting hotel. The Ozarks Area (northwestern Arkansas/SW Missouri) has been discussed. Two issues arise. Those from dry climates are concerned about the level of the humidity. The other issue is finding a hotel large enough and willing to host the event.
I don't plan many rides, but I once got some advice from someone who does.
"Plan a ride that you'd like to go on even if no one else joins you."
Now planning a gathering is a different animal. A gathering requires reaching a critical mass to be successful. For that, at least for me, the attractiveness of the gathering will depend most upon the scheduling and what else is or is not happening at or near the same time.
Dave Ritsema
Having worked on the Inzane staff for many of the events, I know how hard it is to put an event together. Even on a smaller scale like a state ride there is always a group of people that put a big effort into the event and it can be frustrating if the turnout is less than you were hoping for. I appreciate the efforts of all those fine folks that have put on events for us to enjoy.
F6gal
We require a hotel with 150 to 200 rooms and a banquet facility that will seat 300-400 and we do our best to get the basic room rate below $100 per night.
Based on our bike count, hotel bookings, and the number of ppl served at Sat. dinner, we’ve estimated the attendance IZ1 at about 475 and IZ2 at 445. So with all that said, this is my best calculation for each InZane:
IZ1 - 475 - Zanesville, OH
IZ2 - 445 - Zanesville, OH
IZ3 - 310 - Zanesville, OH (This is why we started moving it around the country)
IZ4 - 436 - Paducah, KY
IZ5 - 296 - Paducah, KY
IZ6 - 526 - Frisco, CO (First year we went West)
IZ7 - 415 - Johnson City, TN
IZ8 - 326 - Johnson City, TN
IZ9 - 318 - Frisco, CO
IZ10 - 515 - Bellaire, MI
IZ11 - 351 - Bellaire, MI
IZ12 - 320 - Eureka Springs, AR
IZ13 - 312 - LaCrosse, WI
IZ14 - 362 - Asheville, NC
IZ15 – 364 - Spearfish, SD
IZ16 – 403 - Morgantown, WV
IZ17 – 308 - Billings, MT
IZ18 – 319 - Roanoke, VA
IZ19 – 263 - Taos, NM
Two years we broke 500. We seem to be dancing in the low 300s range these days. As you can see, without fail, each successive year in the same location attendance is lower, which is why we started moving it around. Seems folks want to see new places... go figger
Serk
Plotted on a map looks something like this: (Repeat locations make the numbering a little wonky)
There does seem to be a definite east/west oscillation the last few years
Valkyrie, unequalled Looks…..
…..and performance
When rumors started that Honda would cease the GL1500C production, the VRCC did everything possible to persuade Honda not to do so. Below VRCC statement of 2001 was eventually supported by over 12000 members.
HONDA we love our Valkyries, don't let the line go for 2002!
The members at the Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club (VRCC) would like to take the time to let you know that we love our Valkyries and we ask, no we beg you not to drop this line for 2002.
We have a group of over 7000 members in just over a years’ time that have formed lasting friendships and feel as if we are part of a big family. We are not sure if you realize what you have created here when you produced such a great bike.
If sales are not what they should be it may be because the Valkyrie is an intimidating machine to look at, but once you take a ride on one you are hooked. Maybe more focus on demo rides might help to get sales where they should be.
Take some time and read what our Harley to Honda survey says about this great bike. Many of us bought the Valkyrie because it was in a class all its own. Many of us would buy another Valkyrie if you made the same improvements that you have in the new Gold Wing. Take a look at our poll on “I would sell my Valk and buy a new one if..."
The VTX is a great looking bike with lots of performance features, but it's still not a Valkyrie. There have been rumors that Honda will drop the Valkyrie line and replace it with the VTX. The VTX is a great answer to the Road Star, but it is not the answer for the new breed of riders that you have created when you introduced the Valkyrie. We like the fact that we are not riding a "clone" bike. We have the respect of most Harley owners because of this.
Please don't limit us to a 4-year production bike. Give us the 1800 motor, and then give us just a little more power than the GW.
We hope that you will take our comments to heart and check this page daily before you do anything that you may regret, as well as us. Thanks for taking the time to read what your loyal customers have to say.
If you want to get a pulse on how your Valkyrie customers feel about this bike, check out our message boards.
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