No More Lurking!

[steelwheeler]

Hello Guys/Girls
I have finally come out of the shadows.At 63 years old about a  month ago I purchased a metallic red 2014 F6c Valkyrie from Hall's motorsports in Kenner,La......THANKS Anthony!  Anthony's a good salesman to deal with..... great experience and everything was totally satisfying. The Valkyrie  is my seventh bike. I started riding in Los Angeles after getting  out of the Air Force and my first bike was  1976 Honda CB750 from Hollowood Honda . I owned  2011 Harley Ultra Limited  before  this one but what a AWESOME machine the Valkyrie is . Much better than the first in my opinion  because of the fuel injection. I have about 1600 miles on her now. I once owned a black 1999 standard Valkyrie  purchased brand new but sold it a year later after  my wife became pregnant for some funds. I really missed that fat gurl but told my wife I would get another Valkyrie  someday.

I fell into the Harley  mystique because I had always loved the sound  and I still do everytime a Harley passes on my street. But I have no regrets for my Harley Ultra Limited it's a distant memory but not forgotten.  It's  funny  I don't  get the "wave" as much now when the Harley guys pass going in the opposite  direction.  My Valkyrie  is soooo smooth and has more power than I will ever need. Being a tall guy at 6'4  the bars are definitely too low for me that's my only real gripe.

I changed the factory seat to a dual Corbin and it was a must have before modifying anything else. It is a total quality product and I got black studs on the seat it's  a real compliment to the Valkyrie. It takes a little fudging to get it installed . I wish that at the rear where the seat connects there was a couple of black  'plastic  covers' to go on top of the braces and screws where the seat connects to the fender it's kinda tacky. Whoever is on the fence about a Corbin I don't  understand why. It has increased my riding pleasure. Other mods I plan on, Socal fog lights, Michelins, and  power plug for other accessories  this should hold me for awhile. This is a great site full of great people  with incredible and valuable  knowledge about the Valkyrie.....THANKS 

[AdrianR]

Congrats dude!  Enjoy the new ride man...it just gets better and better as the miles build...

[Thor32]

Welcome to an awesome wind experience the Valk brings

[steelwheeler]

Thanks, for the welcome to the board AdrianR and Thor32 I look forward to learning from this great site.

[Kidd]

welcome , I wish I had a maroon 'kerry
It's the best bike ever made now and for the next 50 years


what about the hard ass  rear end ,   does that bother you  yet ? or have you noticed  it ?

[dinosnake]

Congrats and welcome  I hope you enjoy safe riding for many years to come!

If the bars seem too low don't be afraid to try rotating them up in the risers.  The only thing you will be limited by is the inability to use one of the Honda factory windshields, as their mounting brackets take the bar position into account and are not adjustable: just choose an aftermarket option in that case and you'll be perfectly fine.

[steelwheeler]

Hello Kidd
I appreciate the welcome and yes I have noticed  the rear end. I adjusted the shock to "13" it helps some and it doesn't take bumps as rough as before. I'very read the factory setting was "18" so I adjusted it before  I purchased the Corbin seat. Having the Corbin dual tour has also helped .My wife said it rides better than the Harley. She really likes the acceleration. 

[steelwheeler]

Hello Dinosnake
Thanks, for the welcome and wishes for safe riding.  I wasn't aware that the bars in the lower position can be rotated. I'll take a look to see if that helps. Right now, I haven't  considered a windshield I wear a full face helmet. South Louisiana we have lots of bugs in the evening when I like to ride. The full face helmet helps in the evening but in the daytime it's brutal because of the heat. I sometimes can't  see if the turn signals  are blinking  in the position on the instrument cluster. The blinking indicator with the glare seems a little  faint and I have read the brackets can be bent to lean the instrument cluster towards me  a little. Much appreciated!

[Robert]

Congratulations on an awesome purchase and as for the bar height do a search there is one who had the same problem and made a riser and adjusted the bars.

[steelwheeler]

Hello Robert
Thanks,for the welcome and yes the Valkyrie is a AWESOME  purchase even without some of the additional  accessories. With most of my motorcycle  purchases in the past, there was always something I wanted to include to make each of my past bikes  more enjoyable to ride. That's  a given with motorcycles. I see you have the "fastest " color too. I washed  my Valkyrie this morning  with Turtle wax "Ice wash and wax"and it's incredible.   I blow it off with my leaf blower and there's  no need to wipe on it to make those swirls. Thanks, for the heads-up on the risers.

[bscrive]

Hi Steelwheeler,

Welcome to the group.

I found that the bars suck big time, so I made my own. Most everyone likes the oem ones though.  Maybe I have short arms?

[Kidd]

maybe you  could duplicate  the bars and sell them here .
I might buy them

Hi Steelwheeler,

Welcome to the group.

I found that the bars suck big time, so I made my own. Most everyone likes the oem ones though.  Maybe I have short arms?

[dinosnake]

Hi Steelwheeler,

Welcome to the group.

I found that the bars suck big time, so I made my own. Most everyone likes the oem ones though.  Maybe I have short arms?

Same here: my seemingly short arms put me into a slight forward lean with the stock bars, a la a sport tourer.  I'm OK with that though, makes the bike feel more in control

[steelwheeler]

Hello Bscrive
Thanks, for the welcome. You're  some kind of craftsman or machinist.  Your bars appear to have some height to them. I had 13.5 Chubby bars on my Harley.  I miss the  height but as far as having bars that high on my Valkyrie  I don't think so. I don't  want to get into that kind of expense again. I'll  try rotating the bars as suggested earlier .

[woofred1832]

Good to have you in the group that loves the smooth power of the Valkries.......granted we dont have the numbers like Harley riders but wait till some walk up to look at the bike and ask ...... just how BIG is that motor?....and you answer 112 cubic im with 112 horse power....... and roll the throttle through town without down shifting .... its great

[Robert]

Wait to see if these machines catch on, I see the momentum picking up.

[buzzard]

Congrats on your Valk purchase and welcome aboard.
You'll grow to appreciate all of the bike's power and agility to more you ride.
:cooldude:Be safe!!

[WarrenH]

Congrats from a fellow 63 year old rider. I bought mine almost a year ago and have 6,150 miles on it.  I just switched to the Michelins, and agree thats the way to go. I also have a stock windshield, and modified the mount to match the line of the fork (the method has been posted).

This is my 6th bike, so have some experience to compare. The Honda is so smooth, and easy to ride, that I can ride longer than any other bike I've had, with less fatigue. That smooth, giant,  sewing machine motor is perfect for a motorcycle. Lots of low end torque so you don't have to downshift for every twist in the road.

Good luck, and have fun. You made a great purchase.

Warren

[steelwheeler]

Hello Warren
Man, this is great and "THANKS"  for  the welcome.  Great to know another Valkyrie  1800 rider is in my age bracket. Of course, if I didn't  feel 'so young at heart ' I never would have purchased  this rocket.  Some say it's promoted towards younger motorcyclist. Honda seemingly  don't advertise this 2ND generation  gem of a motorcycle   to really make it popular. They pushed the Rune much more . I have always blazed a different path even though  I previously  fell into the Harley  fold. This bike is totally incredible and there's  not another like it on the planet  . I have almost  2000 miles . I purchased  my fastest color Valk 4 weeks ago and as mentioned  earlier in this thread I changed my seat to a Corbin.  I sometimes feel I'm  twisting the throttle in my sleep I think about it so much.

[steelwheeler]

Hello Woofred1832
Big THANKS, for the welcome.  I haven't  seen any other Valkyrie 1800 in my area yet. We are truly a unique breed besides being rarely sighted . I kinda like that because people "don't " know what kinda  bike  it is . The Valk 1800 does garner attention  from curiosity seekers. I live  outside of New Orleans about 25 miles and ride through  the French Quarter sometimes.  With my Harley  I set off car alarms sometimes  not with the Valk . Yes, this bike is soooo smooth not necessarily going to set off car alarms.  :angel:The great thing about riding through the Quarter is for people watching too. The traffic can be heavy  at times. The Valk 1800 does not overheat you in slow moving  traffic with the fans blowing the heat the opposite direction.  AWESOME. ..AWESOME. ..AWESOME. ...

[steelwheeler]

Hello Buzzard
I appreciate the welcome.  I'm  shocked  that the Valkyrie 1800 isn't  super popular.  Really  I also  kinda like that but wish the accessory list wasn't so short .  I would  like a detachable backrest that can be taken off  and installed without too much fuss when I want to ride "naked". Probably that's old school. I think the Valk 1800 should look "naked" when riding alone without having a sissy pad waving in the wind like Honda makes. I know  Corbin makes a detachable one which is nice so I might go in that direction. Does everyone like the "slash cut" muffler tips?  I have read that the mufflers are welded. Appearance wise I bet "slash down" tips  would be  more attractive.  Probably  would have been better if they were adjustable. 

[Moofner]

The stock bike garners a lot of attention from all kinds of people. Add a trunk box and few fun mods to it and you can't stop in a public place without having a conversation. Ride at night with some accent lights and really cool rims and you will have people chasing you down to get a look at the Valk.

Do not ride this bike if you aren't feeling chatty!

[steelwheeler]

Hello Moofner
One of a kind Valk you have there I have been questioned about my bike everytime I take it out. I have a neighbor that has a Kawasaki  900 from the 70's baddest bike back then that road a Valkyrie 1800 . He paid $8000 for the Kawasaki  and said he may sell that 'antique ' for a Valkyrie 1800. Ride one and your life will never be the same 

[Kidd]

I have been asked twice about my 'Kerry  and maybe the reason is  I do not stop much  , only for gas  .