What is the best touring cruiser made?

[doubleminded]

I wonder, as far as touring cruisers,the valkyrie doesnt exist anymore,just among those of us that own them.I wish they were still made.I dont see any modern cruisers I would rather have.There is no way I could work on my complex 6 cylinder motor, but i doubt that will ever happen anyway.The new bmw's are even more complex.I have wondered if something happened to my valkyrie and say it was going to be replaced, other than another used valkyrie,what could I buy that would compare.No streetglide,road king,road star,joke of a cruiser the 1300 hondas "interstate",maybe a vaquero.What would be your pick if you had to replace your valkyrie? My bike has only 30,000 miles and most likely will last 20 more years, i will be 83 then,probably will want something lighter by then.

[hubcapsc]

People say st1300s are plenty comfortable. I'm sure everything else about them is plenty also...

-Mike

[RainMaker]

From what I've seen, I agree on the ST1300 as a possible next bike.  However, I don't anticipate that happening anytime soon.  My Valk isn't even broken in yet.

[Red Diamond]

Replace what? My Valkyrie still exist, it's in the garage and hope to exist for a long time.

[SANDMAN5]

If I HAD to have something new I would look at the Victory line. Never
looked at them real close. Nothing else out there thrills me....bikewise,
I mean.

[salty1]

King of cruisers, Honda Gold Wing. Absolutely!

[hubcapsc]

King of cruisers, Honda Gold Wing. Absolutely!

That was almost my answer, but I've heard some folks say that st1300s are like
less bloated Gold Wings and that's kind of stuck with me... I've only sat on a few,
and ridden one, 1800 Wing - there's a lot of dashboards and stuff there 

-Mike

[salty1]

If I couldn't hold a GW up anymore it would have to be the ST 1300. I'm not sure how comfortable they are.  If the ST was out, I probably would look serious at a Can Am. If money were no object, I'd move onto a GW trike.    Honda MC's are really the best.   

[doubleminded]

like the st 1300 too.You can pick up a st 1100 really cheap, which is a good bike.But for new, the 1300 is great looking,fast,and less complicated than the wing.

[WDAN]

I bought my Valkyrie because I liked the looks; it looks and is a pure motorcycle unlike it's fancier brother, the Gold Wing. The Wing looks more like a two wheeled  Accord with too much plastic and frills for my taste but, having said that, if I were going to do a lot of long distance interstate travel, I would have purchased the Wing. Never ridden one but nothing comes close (my opinion).

The ST1300 looks like fun and is a different type bike all together and is much lighter. I think this would be a negative for serous long distance by comparison.

I do not have personal experience but would think some of the BMW family would demand strong consideration.

There will come a time when too many birthdays will come into play even if one or more of our vital parts don't shut us down when we will have to either trade the Valk for a lighter ride and park it or sell it.

[doubleminded]

I bought my Valkyrie because I liked the looks; it looks and is a pure motorcycle unlike it's fancier brother, the Gold Wing. The Wing looks more like a two wheeled  Accord with too much plastic and frills for my taste but, having said that, if I were going to do a lot of long distance interstate travel, I would have purchased the Wing. Never ridden one but nothing comes close (my opinion).

The ST1300 looks like fun and is a different type bike all together and is much lighter. I think this would be a negative for serous long distance by comparison.

I do not have personal experience but would think some of the BMW family would demand strong consideration.

There will come a time when too many birthdays will come into play even if one or more of our vital parts don't shut us down when we will have to either trade the Valk for a lighter ride and park it or sell it.

I agree with you completely.

[six2go #152]

I don't know where you guys are getting the info that the ST 1300 is lighter. Lighter than what? I just checked the spec. sheet & it says the curb weight is 719 lbs. That's right in the same neighborhood as the Valk.

[WDAN]

I don't know where you guys are getting the info that the ST 1300 is lighter. Lighter than what? I just checked the spec. sheet & it says the curb weight is 719 lbs. That's right in the same neighborhood as the Valk.

Then, I stand corrected on "lighter". I guess we need to hear from someone who has ridden both the ST 1300 and the Wing on a trip 800-1000 miles.

[doubleminded]

I don't know where you guys are getting the info that the ST 1300 is lighter. Lighter than what? I just checked the spec. sheet & it says the curb weight is 719 lbs. That's right in the same neighborhood as the Valk.

Then, I stand corrected on "lighter". I guess we need to hear from someone who has ridden both the ST 1300 and the Wing on a trip 800-1000 miles.

Ithink the valkyrie is 775.I would prefer no more than 600 pounds, but dont know of any bike that will perform like the valk or st1300 that is that light.

[hubcapsc]

I don't know where you guys are getting the info that the ST 1300 is lighter. Lighter than what? I just checked the spec. sheet & it says the curb weight is 719 lbs. That's right in the same neighborhood as the Valk.

Then, I stand corrected on "lighter". I guess we need to hear from someone who has ridden both the ST 1300 and the Wing on a trip 800-1000 miles.

We all probably accept how good the 1800 wing is... I'm assuming how good the st1300 is based on Britman's
posts about going Zoom Zoom on it for long distances... neither the wing nor the st1300 looks like a "real motorcycle"
(whatever that means  ) the way a Valkyrie does, but that's probably the only thing a Valkyrie has on them.

I find it surprising that the st1300 is as comfortable on long (day after day) rides as it is, but that's what Britman sez...

My buddy Henry rides a st1100 now, he says it's not as comfortable on long rides as his Valkyrie was...

-Mike

[salty1]

Dry weight of Valk std is 682lbs. The Interstate dry weight is 771 lbs. The ST 1300 is between these as posted by six2go.

[doubleminded]

Dry weight of Valk std is 682lbs. The Interstate dry weight is 771 lbs. The ST 1300 is between these as posted by six2go.

Thats interesting,where did you get those numbers.if they are correct, and I assume they are, that explains why the valkyrie only feels heavy below 2 miles an hour.Both my goldwings felt heavy all te time.

[salty1]

Dry weight of Valk std is 682lbs. The Interstate dry weight is 771 lbs. The ST 1300 is between these as posted by six2go.

Thats interesting,where did you get those numbers.if they are correct, and I assume they are, that explains why the valkyrie only feels heavy below 2 miles an hour.Both my goldwings felt heavy all te time.

The dry weights are OEM values. All values are available on the net.

[Rams]

If or when I can no longer hold my Valkyrie up at a traffic light, I'll look into triking it.  If, that's not a possibility for what ever reason, I'll look into a Wing, most likely a trike.  I say this knowing how much I dislike all that plastic on a Wing but, it's still two or three wheels that don't vibrate themselves apart and are known for their reliability.   I know I'll never ride a V Twin, just can't go there.

[doubleminded]

If or when I can no longer hold my Valkyrie up at a traffic light, I'll look into triking it.  If, that's not a possibility for what ever reason, I'll look into a Wing, most likely a trike.  I say this knowing how much I dislike all that plastic on a Wing but, it's still two or three wheels that don't vibrate themselves apart and are known for their reliability.   I know I'll never ride a V Twin, just can't go there.

A friend of mine and my self are designing a custom v twin,but to sell.I prefer the smoothness of my flat 6.I never rode a 4 cylinder wing, bet they are smooth too.They are probably not any lighter.My 1980 gs 1000 suzuki had the same kind of power of my valkyrie and was 600 pounds.But it was old,had lots of new problems, and was not good riding 2 up.

[Sundown]

Had a VTX 1300 before the Valk and ot was a great ride after I had seat redone . Would ride ot anywhere.

[KSDragonRider]

I sat on a ST1300 last month, then sat on a valkyrie 2 min later. They sat almost exactly the same the way the owner of both had the st1300 set up. 

I was very very impressed by the st. If i had to get rid of the valk for some reason, i think a st1300 might fill the void.