1997 Valk Standard anything special....

[Duckwheat]

I have a friend who may want to sell his 1997 Valk with about 5K miles. I have heard the 97 model was a little quicker. Anyother pros and cons of the 1997.

Red and White Standard in stock condition. What do you guys think would be a fair price?

DW

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Biggest thing I've heard ( Con ) is the front bearing's are smaller...I know several folks with a 97 and as far as I know they have'nt had any bearing issues. I've had 3 left rears go on mine and I don't have a 97 

[highcountry]

I don't know, with 5K on it, that bike sounds worn out.

[Pete]

It is a first year model, if that is worth anything to you. Very early production had a few differences.
Carb  and cam part numbers are different.  Not better or worse, that I can tell.
Front wheel bearings, as Joe said. 1998 and later-better, heavier duty.

I really have NOT seen any real performance difference, although some will tell you that the early models "ran better or were faster".  Usually they base that on the carb and cam part number different.

I can not tell the difference, "seat of the pants" and do not have access to a Dyno.
Gas mileage seems to about the same as later models, usually indicating that performance is also about the same.

If it is a low mileage, nice bike and the price is right - go for it. You will love it.

I am currently riding a very early 1997 one of he first 1000 made, it runs great and gets about 35-40 MPG depending on the rider.

I see no special value in an early 1997 vs a later 97, or 98-2003. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Thanks Pete.

[Sodbuster]

Red and White Standard in stock condition. What do you guys think would be a fair price?

Would it help to compare with what's on Cycletrader for price ??

[junior]

2 maybe 300 dollars tops, i have a 97 and sence i have bought it most all my harley riding friends wont race me any more.

but on the brighter note!!!!!!!!!!!! the 97s have a hotter cam and bigger carbs. i forget what i have on it for miles but they have been trouble free ones  with the exception if the starter selenoid coroided up on me. if it were me and the friend was trustworthy i would pay up to 7500.00 for it.

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Bought my Black 97 Tourer with a lot of extras(wishield pouch, tank bib w/pocket, heel toe shifter and Kury front and back wings for pegs, chrome oil filler plug and dipstick, cobra lightbar etc, etc). Got it this past June for $6,000 with 35/36,000 miles.

[BF]

I have a '97 Red & White standard.  It had the Hondaline/tourer windshield and Valk leather bags added to it when new.  It also had a studded Mustang seat combo added to it when almost new and also has the sissybar/backrest and luggage rack too. 

A set of highway pegs and one or two other options and that's about it.  It's got a lilttle over 40 thousand on it.....and other than regular maintainance and oil changes, nothing has ever been done to it or gone wrong with it. 

I had an extensive conversation with the previous owner and he gave me all the service records for it since new. 

I gave $5,200 for it almost 2 years ago.  At the time, it had about 34000 on the odometer and he was asking $5,900 for it. 

Since then, I've added a lightbar on the front and have been riding it as much as possible. 

I wouldn't take less than $6,000 for it now.....and if it was for sale, I'd be asking $6,500 for it. 



With only 5000 on his, it should be in almost showroom condition.  It's hard to say without seeing it, but IMHO, an unmolested bone stock Red & White in pristine condition oughta bring a good price......maybe around $7,000 or so.   Then again, it depends on how badly he needs to get rid of it. 

[Errandboy]

According to Motorcycle Consumer News tests, the '97 F-6 had 100.0 horsepower to the rear wheel and 102.3 pound feet of torque.  Later Tourer and Interstate tests showed 93.2 and 92.8 hp, and 92.5 and 94.9 pound feet of torque.  F-6  0 - 60 mph was 3.86 seconds.  The Tourer and Interstate were 4.12 and 4.37 seconds.  Of course, they were heavier, too.  Top speed on the F-6 was 131 mph, 118 mph for the other two.

I'm on my fourth Valkyrie Standard, first and fourth were '97's, don't remember what the other two were.  I haven't noticed any seat of the pants feel difference among any of them.  My advice:  Just get a Valkyrie, nothing else matters.

[Steve K (IA)]

I will vehemently disagree on the seat-of-the-pants  comparison.  I have a '97 Std and a '00 I/S.  The '97 pulls so much more harder than the I/S. The first couple of times I really got on it, after buying it, it really surprised me at the difference between the two bikes.  47,000 miles on the Std and no wheel bearing issues.   

[Bladedog]

Mine is a '97 standard with I/S bags and a windshield.  Getting a '97 with so few miles is a rarity, I would jump on it if I were you.  And it's the fastest color...      (let the debates begin!)

[rmrc51]

I really can't attest to any other year but I do have a 97 Standard with a MotorTrike kit on her. She has approximately 6700 miles on her and she pulls like a bandit! 

[X Ring]

It is a first year model, if that is worth anything to you. Very early production had a few differences.
Carb  and cam part numbers are different.  Not better or worse, that I can tell.
Front wheel bearings, as Joe said. 1998 and later-better, heavier duty.

Thanks Pete.

I wouldn't say the front wheel bearings are better on the 98-'03 models.  You hear of very few front wheel bearing failures on the '97s using the 6004 bearing versus the rest using the 6204.  I believe, and this is just my humble opinion, that Honda changed the size of the front wheel bearing so they could use the same one as the left rear wheel bearing.  Buying more 6204 bearings would allow them to buy the bearings at a better price.

What Joe stated happened to him is more typical, the left rear wheel bearing failed.  That's why I and others have substituted the right 5204 bearing for the 6204.  It fits in the right bearing pocket; however, you can't use the dust seal.  There isn't enough room but the bearing is sealed on both sides.  With the seals and the protection offered by the rotor mounting flange, I added a coat of grease to the outside of the bearing to give it a little more protection.

Marty 

[f-Stop]

I found my '98 Standard with 9,700 miles on her at my Honda dealer July of '08.  Drive out was $7,200, so I paid around 6,800 before TT&L.  She had been really well taken care of by the original owner.  I still feel lucky every time we hit the road!   (Hope this helps you determine a price.)

As far as horse power and speed, I've found that after careful study and documentation - based on the discussions and experiences posted by our esteemed VRCC colleagues on this board - the color of your Valkyrie determines how fast it will go...it's true!

[Duckwheat]

I feel a little like the Tiger Woods of Valk owners. I just like the looks of the darn things and they hard to pass up. I was warming up my 98 Tourer today and damn it is a pretty bike.

DW

[Sodbuster]

I just picked up my '99 Std in August - Black & Silver  - bone stock with 16k mikes on her and less than 900 miles on a new set of Avons .  I paid $6500 for it if that helps you out.  At the time I was looking the prices were in the $6000 - $7000 range for a "Standard".

[highcountry]

No personal experience here, but in my research of reviews on Valks, several of the magazine reviews made note of the lesser power in the newer models.  They also said that Honda's response was no change from earlier models.  FWIW

[Pete]

Did a little research. The carb difference appears to be needle and main jet related, since they have a different part number for 98 and later.

I have NOT been able to determine that there is any difference in the cams. They now show the same part number for 97, 98 99 etc.

I did an internet survey of dyno number based upon year. Yes I know comparing figures from different dynos is suspect. But the numbers were actually relatively consistent. There seems be as much variation within a given year as there is between years, with no year being consistently different from another.

Variation in horsepower rating was typically 94 to 99 with 96 and 97 being the most common. Sample was 15+ different bikes with 1997s, 98s, 99s, 2001s and 1 2003 represented
Factoring in different dynos, different states of tune, different years, etc, that seems reasonably consistent.

With that many variables to have only a 5% variation seems very reasonable and relatively consistent.

Enough said, thanks Pete.

[Duckwheat]

Thanks Pete. I think there are variations that exist. This bike is faster than that bike, feels a little different, so on and so on.


DW

[RoadKill]

Did a little research. The carb difference appears to be needle and main jet related, since they have a different part number for 98 and later.

I have NOT been able to determine that there is any difference in the cams. They now show the same part number for 97, 98 99 etc.

I did an internet survey of dyno number based upon year. Yes I know comparing figures from different dynos is suspect. But the numbers were actually relatively consistent. There seems be as much variation within a given year as there is between years, with no year being consistently different from another.

Variation in horsepower rating was typically 94 to 99 with 96 and 97 being the most common. Sample was 15+ different bikes with 1997s, 98s, 99s, 2001s and 1 2003 represented
Factoring in different dynos, different states of tune, different years, etc, that seems reasonably consistent.

With that many variables to have only a 5% variation seems very reasonable and relatively consistent.

Enough said, thanks Pete.

Black or NOTasfast is the only difference! 

[F6Dave]

I have a copy of the old MCN test summary.  The '97 was a good bit more powerful than the 2 later models they tested.  The downside is that I've heard that they were more prone to clutch problems, possibly related to the extra power.  However, if I found one with that mileage I'd buy it in an eyeblink!

[Black Dog]

It's the only one I've ever owned, and I think it's something special...

Had it Dyno'd once 5 years ago...  98.6 HP & 106 lbft/torque...  Only performance mod would be home made glass packs and truck stacks.

'97, Fast Black Standard...



Black Dog

[Dag]

Go for the -97 

I bought mine 5 years ago. Changed front and rear wheel bearings once.