reverse gear

[elpaso jo]

The valk could sure do with a reverse gear, I keep forgetting to face her out towards the road while parking.
Does anyone agree?? also, a fuel reading meter would be handy. I Guess on such a beast you cant have everything

[Fritz The Cat]

Honda sold a Valk in Japan that had reverse. As far as I know, they never exported it.

I believe the Interstate has a fuel gauge.

[old2soon]

As i understand it the Valkyries built for the Japanese market have reverse. And my I/S came with a fuel gauge. Don't remember when but someone posted a picture showing what the reverse setup looks like. RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

I keep forgetting to face her out towards the road while parking.

Quit forgetting. 

[jer0177]

I keep forgetting to face her out towards the road while parking.

Quit forgetting. 

It only took me one time of doing that to remember not to do it again.  I've even had to re-configure my approach to the garage due to slant of the (gravel) driveway in front of the garage doors - on the Shadow I can just pull up to the door and back it up the slight grade before the grade changes to downhill and into the garage, but the Valk I have to ride through the yard around the house and pull much closer to the garage door so that I'm already on the downhill. 

[hubcapsc]

I keep forgetting to face her out towards the road while parking.

Quit forgetting. 

It always seems to me that it is the same struggle, whether you do it when
you are parking, or you do it when you are leaving... 

-Mike "I just pull in and get off..."

[Momz]

Hey, how about automatic landing gear so you don't have to put your feet down at stoplights?  

[tank_post142]

get a short block from a 1500 GW (with reverse) install your heads and intake, timing chain housing,etc.

[bscrive]

Hey, how about automatic landing gear so you don't have to put your feet down at stoplights?  

Here is your landing gear!!   

http://www.landingear.com/

[X Ring]

get a short block from a 1500 GW (with reverse) install your heads and intake, timing chain housing,etc.

Hadn't thought of that but that is a good idea.

Marty

[Momz]

Using a GW1500 shortblock would work, but you'd have to engineer a way to engage the starter to be used as the reverse motiivation. With enough money, anything's possible.

[elpaso jo]

best advice i got so far was from jess va, (quit forgetting) why didnt i think of that!!
Nothing wrong with two ladies pushing back from parking slot either!!

[X Ring]

Using a GW1500 shortblock would work, but you'd have to engineer a way to engage the starter to be used as the reverse motiivation. With enough money, anything's possible.

Use the wing starter?

Marty

[Tx Bohemian]

I posted a short story at the begining of summer which relates:

I was on a ride with 4 HD riders (riders, not owners) and as we pulled into a resturant the P/lot had a pretty good incline so I just drove nose in up the incline, front wheel against the curb thinking the others will do the same.

Oooh no!! 
Every one of them backed their bikes up the incline, struggling the whole way!!
One of the guys is a bit short and a couple of us had to help push/pull for him get completely in the spot!!

My thinking is if they're trying to look cool by backing the bike in the p/spot how cool was it having to be helped getting there??

Granted after we ate and got ready to leave they were ready to just drop it in gear and go, but all I did, after they got out of my way, was release the front brake and let gravity do the work for me and away I went.

Oh well, to each his own!
I do realize that those of us who own Valkyries are just the ultimate in coolness and great taste and everybody else needs to do what they can to try to come close!!

[Jess from VA]

best advice i got so far was from jess va, (quit forgetting) why didnt i think of that!!
Nothing wrong with two ladies pushing back from parking slot either!!

Thanks.  The other part is getting good at slow-smooth max turns.... if I have two parking spaces, I can usually ride in and turn around in that much space (only when nose in is downhill).  However, when things are crowded I often make my own parking spots well away from the crowd.... always aiming at my exit point.

Two years ago, I did just that, at a country intersection portable-barbeque stop.  Left my bike clear across the big gravel area to be away from all the cars and trucks coming and going.  Don't you know that an S 10 driver got out of his truck and left it in drive, and it slowly picked up speed to a slow roll, just slightly downhill, right at my bike.  I yelled a bunch of bad words (at a non-existent driver) and sprinted over to the truck, so see no one in it, and grabbed the fender and big mirror and dug my heels in the gravel.  My partner (Hog rider) ran over a second later and got in front and dug in his toes, and we almost got it stopped as it pinned him between the truck grill and the center of my bike, knocking the bike sideways on the kickstand several inches, without a scratch.  He was only bruised from the pin, but strained his leg trying to stop it.

I was pretty excited at this point, and yelled who the fok does this truck belong to?, and a meek guy came over and mumbled an apology, and I looked at him and said.. since my bike was undamaged I guess I would let him live... not smiling.  He didied out of there in five seconds.

I thanked my bud profusely (20 times) for putting himself between the truck and my bike and padding the hit with his body, and he said he would not have done it if he had had time to to think about it.  

Lessons learned:

1.  Sh!t happens

2.  You're never safe from cages

3.  Some Harley guys are as good as it gets.

[tank_post142]

the wing starter turns the same direction. there is an extra gear train in the trans to engage and reverse the input from the starter. you'd just need a set of relays to keep you from engaging the reverse while still in gear. they could operate off the neutral switch output.

[GJS]

"Oh well, to each his own!
I do realize that those of us who own Valkyries are just the ultimate in coolness and great taste and everybody else needs to do what they can to try to come close!"

Yep, thats the  truth!

[elpaso jo]

No body, but no body would put themselves in THE LINE OF FIRE to save their valks from a big rig freeling towards their machine ------------ except Valks owners, phew imagine removing all them scratches from the chrome, the thoughts of it ----I need a drink, wheres my drink aaaagh whiskey.
Feel better now, God what a nightmare!!
Im heading down to the south of Ireland to a Valk fest next weekend and a few pints of Guinness,
anyone care to swap places for a week in Va. or Texas,or Florida or Montana or San Fran or Calif.,just to guarantee myself some sunny warm weather !!!

[olddog1946]

I only back in if there is some perceptible grade, other wise just pull in..either way you have to back up the bike, just a matter of when..
I have reverse on the K1200lte, and have only used it to show people it has one, lol.  Well, ok, I did need it once.
Fuel gauges, well, I've never trusted one in my life. Prefer to keep track of mileage per tank.

[PINSTRIPERART]

only the japanese home market models had reverse. cant retrofit them either

[JaysGone]

The valk could sure do with a reverse gear, I keep forgetting to face her out towards the road while parking.
Does anyone agree?? also, a fuel reading meter would be handy. I Guess on such a beast you cant have everything

Had I known better at the time.
I wouldnt have bought the Valk simply because reverse cant be added to it as an option.
Id have gotten a GW.
One company ATC does have it available for their trike kits as an auxillary electric motor and thats the route Ive have choosen to go.

http://www.americantrike.com/

[steve 3054]

I have reverse on my Ultra and it is great and has come in handy many times...the last thing I think of is how to get out of a parking lot...it is gear driven off first gear so if you had the balls it will go backwards at 40 mph!!!   

[elpaso jo]

That sounds like a lot of work for reverse, but well done.
i had a close call yesterday, as I was putting down the bike  stand i lost control and the bike almost fell,
however, I managed to keep her up
The valk is such a heavy bike, if it did go on me, I wondered how the hell would I lift it back up.
Has it ever happened to anyone?? If so, any problems lifting her back up or is there a knack to it.
She aint no Honda 50!!

[jer0177]

That sounds like a lot of work for reverse, but well done.
i had a close call yesterday, as I was putting down the bike  stand i lost control and the bike almost fell,
however, I managed to keep her up
The valk is such a heavy bike, if it did go on me, I wondered how the hell would I lift it back up.
Has it ever happened to anyone?? If so, any problems lifting her back up or is there a knack to it.
She aint no Honda 50!!

Ask YoungPup about being pinned. 

If it goes over and you're not pinned, there's a very easy way to right her - watch this video:

How To Pick Up A Fallen Motorcycle

[O-B-1]

Hey, how about automatic landing gear so you don't have to put your feet down at stoplights?  

Nope. No longer a Valkyrie at that point. It then becomes a CanAm Spyder! 

[RP#62]

Reverse adds a lot of weight to the bike, I think that's why it wasn't offered except on the Japanese versions.  For me personally, I thought it would be nice for the first month or so that I had the bike, then you learn not to park in spots that you can't  motor out of and you never think about it again.
-RP

[texaninsouthfl]

only the japanese home market models had reverse. cant retrofit them either

That's cuz them them there Japanese are little short fellers and cain't hardly reach the ground.   

[Fritz The Cat]

I wonder if any of them ever made it to this side of the big pond via private importer or returning military. Sure would ad a hefty premium to the resale value.

[valk2000]

thats just what I was thinking..Must be one here by now...........<-

[Bigwolf]

Posted by: Fritz The Cat

I wonder if any of them ever made it to this side of the big pond via private importer or returning military.

I do not know whether it had reverse or not but did spot an F6C at Inzane.