a big milestone for ME.............100,000

[RedValk]

here's the deal. I never in my life........thought i'd own a bike THIS long.......and enjoy it and love it THIS much. I've NEVER seen 100,000 miles on ANY bike i've ever owned. never even close.......

now, i'm about 50 miles short of that milestone. It will happen in the next day or two. What an amazing bike. I KNOW...........many of you have passed this milestone.

BUT........this is still special to me. i'm going to stop...and take a picture at 99,999.9 and then take another one a few feet down the road with it reading all 0s.

the other amazing thing, besides hitting 100k....is that the bike still LOOKS LIKE NEW....i still love it.......love riding it..........i'm still proud of it (YES, i love my Runes.........but I STILL LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!!!!!!!). and it runs ALMOST like new still (slight sputter once in a while at low or mid range....pehaps carbs/jets need cleaning?). I still thoroughly enjoy riding her.

It still turns heads. And, while there was a time when i was riding the Valk to work, riding the Rune for all my "pleasure" rides..........now that Sherry ALSO has a Valk....we find ourselves taking the Valks more and more on weekend pleasure rides...even to a few rallies!

Another amazing thing to me. I will have had this bike TWELVE years next month. That's right...got it in July of 1997. 12 years, 100,000 miles....and...still one FANTASTIC bike.

i know........I'm preaching to the choir on this one. But can you admit, INSTEAD of reading bashing political posts....or my tire is better than your tire posts..........wouldn't you rather really read something POSITIVE like this (at least once in a while)?

I thought so. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.....i don't have to say one  more dang word. THIS ALREADY IS VALK RELATED      

[RedValk]

something just dawned on me. I'M ALREADY ACTUALLY OVER 100K!!!!!!!!!  I broke my speedo cable at IZ last year........and i rode the bike up to Wolf mountain and back for the lunch ride....and then around town looking for a speedo cable.....with no speedo/odo. So, i really have about 100 more miles give or take on the bike......than the odo reads. YIKES!

but we're going with the 'formality' of the odo reading ............so..................   

[JimL]

Tim that is truly awesome.  It is hard for me to remember all of your bikes, which one is this one?

Jim

[Michael K (Az.)]

http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3066142590098347960bUgYXW

congrats! Here's mine from '07!! Don't know if webshots link will work.

[RedValk]

this one...the old faithful red and white...



it looks ALMOST EXACTLY THAT GOOD................today.......out in the parking lot at work. One thing has changed since that photo (ok, several more items of bling HAVE been added  )...i had to finally replace the orignal windshield THIS week. I put the tinted Clearview on. The old one was just to scratched/hazed up. Sadly, that means that FANTASTIC artwork...the engraving of a picture of the ACTUAL BIKE.......on the windshield...got 'retired' too.........

[RedValk]

a picture of me....with my 2nd place plaque in the big Honda Homecoming Valk bike show at the plant...at the last IZ in Ohio...with the windshield engraved. Free Spirit engraved it....spent 4-5 hours...took an actual photo of the bike ....and worked tirelessly to engrave the bike (in the middle of the flag). the engraving is an EXACT replica of THAT bike....down to every accessory i had on it at the time..

[RedValk]

my Rune



it too has a bit more bling on it NOW..........than in this pic....

[RedValk]

one of the earliest pics i have of the old Valk. Taken at Nocollulu Falls parking lot in Gadsden, AL. I want to say........if not the first year i owned her (97)...definitely by the second year? Before ALL THE BLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RedValk]

ok........don't laugh. I found this.............taken two days before Christmas...the FIRST year i owned her. so that means the one above, is from summer of 98 probably........

She looks NAKED. And what's up with that silly back seat on there? I NEVER HAVE A BACK SEAT ON A BIKE...................well.........not in YEARS.......

and no Corbin seat? oh my........................definitely looks DIFFERENT!!!!!




ok, i'm done......HONEST!!!!!!!!

But it beats talking religion, politics, or sex.............(well..............i might make an exception for sex  )........in MY book!

[JimL]

Nice looking bikes, both of them.

Seeing that Black Rune gets to thinking how badly I NEED one of those!!  Once I get my son out of college and off the payroll maybe I can convince the wife that we need a 4th Valkyrie....

[Daniel Meyer]

Hey! Now it's broken in!

[Paul Carver]

Congratulations! I also turned 100,000 this week on my 2000 Interstate. LOTS of smiles there .... a couple of frowns too but nothing I can't live with. How many more will it go????
I wouldn't want to trade it right now but I thought if I wanted to, what would I get? I don't know of anything that compares!

[SteveL]

I can so relate to this post. I have a 98 standard, that I have grown emotionally attached to. It's not my only bike, and like you, I had no idea I'd still have it many years later. I thought I was buying a "stepping stone" bike as a way to get into riding without paying $20K for a Road King.

I will be hitting that 100K mark sometime next year. I just crossed over 89K this year and it was awesome seeing 88888.8 roll by on the odometer.

Like yours, my bike looks like new, ...better than new. She runs that way too. No bike ever built yet betters the Honda Valkyrie. That's my claim and I'm sticking to it.

[Crazyhorse]

Great to here Tim, I'm glad you kept the Valk all this time and still feel the way you do towards her  . I'm about 12k from the turning point on Odessa (99I/S). I brought her new still in the crate in 1/12/01.

Mac

[Nickster]

Thats great guys I hope to see all of you in co for inzane 9
AkNickster

[Tropic traveler]

 
Congrats!
I will be not too far behind you in flipping another Red & White Tourer over the 100K mark. At the present pace it should happen early next year.    My '97 has just under 92K now & I turned the straight 8's at BikeWeek in March.


I can relate to your feelings about your Valk too. I cannot imagine what other bike could ever take it's place ....other than another Valk! 
I have stopped using my R&W for the daily work commute as I need to put miles on Kim's Spirit 'cause she only wants to ride her Valk on our weekend trips. Otherwise the little 750 would just sit in the garage. Such is the power of the Valk!

Thanks for sharing your milestone with us, it's nice to see that others feel the same about their Valks as I do!

[Goo-Goo Magoo]

sounds good Tim. Just rolled over 93k on my valk. If I keep riding to work as I am will make 100k in the next few months. Stay tone to more info later.