Openions please

[Eagle 1]

In looking at want adds, craigs list, ebay, and even our own classified section I see a great deal of our beloved Valkyries up for sale and in many cases at a very reasonable price, and I am at a loss as to just why this is. I know there is a variety of reasons stated but it feels as though there may be an underlying theme that is not stated or possible may not even be recognized by some that are selling. I do have an opinion but just that. and opinion. As we all know these are one of the most fantastic machines made, but in some case do have drawbacks, and wondering if these may contribute to decisions to sell and replace with other types of bikes?
Would like to hear others chime with opinions.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Mine would be strictly opinion also. But I think in general the owners are getting older and giving up riding or moving to lighter easier machines. And along with that the newer younger riders are more drawn to new bikes. But like I say, no facts to back it up. 

[Patrick]

I sure don't plan on ever selling it. I'll hang it from the living room ceiling if I have too. JoAnn may have something to say about that though.

[Willow]

As much as we love our Valkyries (1997 - 2003 Valkyries) the truth is they are old and technologically out of date.

There may be a time when the collectability factor will surpass those two negatives but we haven't arrived there, at least with the majority of buyers, yet.

[Patrick]

I've been thinking that the 'collectibility factor' would have kicked in by now. I'm kinda surprised it hasn't. But, regardless, I find a lot of old stuff to be more fun than the newer stuff. But, I like old stuff.

[GiG]

As much as we love our Valkyries (1997 - 2003 Valkyries) the truth is they are old and technologically out of date.

There may be a time when the collectability factor will surpass those two negatives but we haven't arrived there, at least with the majority of buyers, yet.

Yep, that's why I bought a modern bike.
I ride my Valkyries often, and will continue  to do so. The newest one has over 200,000 miles. Always a blast!
But for two up long distance touring, I'll take the victory with 6 gears, ABS, superior brakes air conditioning and luggage, tunes, heated grips and seats, better mpg, etc...

[Bighead]

That's why they are called log trucks. But I still love mine both of them

[The emperor has no clothes]

As much as we love our Valkyries (1997 - 2003 Valkyries) the truth is they are old and technologically out of date.

There may be a time when the collectability factor will surpass those two negatives but we haven't arrived there, at least with the majority of buyers, yet.

Yep, that's why I bought a modern bike.
I ride my Valkyries often, and will continue  to do so. The newest one has over 200,000 miles. Always a blast!
But for two up long distance touring, I'll take the victory with 6 gears, ABS, superior brakes air conditioning and luggage, tunes, heated grips and seats, better mpg, etc...

Air conditioning ? 

[Rams]

I can only say this, there is nothing else on the market (either new or used) that warms my soul like my Valkyrie.    Others listen to a different tune.    Had the Valkyrie been a huge success, they'd still be making the old models.    They were a huge niche success but, not a huge financial success for Mother Honda.  

Not that I will ever let my "old" Valkyrie leave my stable, I won't but, had Mother Honda built a new Valkyrie with the old styling, I'd already own one.

My opinion isn't worth anymore than anyone else's but, I think we're getting up in age and many riders are putting them out to pasture letting others enjoy what they no longer do.   Bad knees, arthritis and all those other aging things do have an effect on what we do and enjoy.

[Moonshot_1]

As much as we love our Valkyries (1997 - 2003 Valkyries) the truth is they are old and technologically out of date.

They still kick ass and turn heads though.

[Moonshot_1]

About 6 months ago I saw a spectacular 99 green and silver interstate at a consignment dealer in Sioux Falls, SD. Low miles, great price. Ran up there the next day with my Dad as I wanted to replace my 99 tourer with a Green and Silver Interstate if I ever found one.

We got up there and it was sold the evening before. We left home before they were able to change the listing.

Anyway, the guy who bought the bike brought in his old Red and Black Valkyrie to sell at this place the previous evening. That also sold before we got there and we were told we were the 4th ones to show up for that bike. And they had just got another Standard.

So, while there may seem to be many on the market, alot of them are selling too.

But I do believe we are seeing many being sold because of age of the owners mostly.
And some because of the age of the bike even though it still kicks ass and turns heads.

[old2soon]

I'm gittin older and Arthur ritis kicks my butt on some days. BUT the Valkyrie and I have a lot in common. Yeah-she's let me down once or twice but I got her patched back up and road worthy so-Screw it-Let's RIDE!   Sides-like to V-twinky hunt now and then.   RIDE SAFE.

[fudgie]

I see more on the road nowadays then before.
As long as the riders are getting older they will always be for sale.

Lucky for me I was 24 when I bought mine 15 yrs ago. I have a lot more yrs of riding ahead of me.  

[Alpha Dog]

I agree with everything being said and though I have no thoughts of giving up my Valk I have spent considerable time looking at new bikes this summer and fall for reasons Gig gave, although I will go with something a bit smaller since I ride alone.  Looked a lot at the V star 1300 deluxe and star 950 tourer,  honda ctx 1300 and honda interstate, and Indian Scout.  Put off a decision until next spring but will always keep the Valk as it is so unique and fun.

There is a glut of bikes on the market, and any city of decent size will have hundreds on craigslist.  In the year range of the Valkyrie darn near the only bike with more value is Harleys.  Older guys due to age and injuries either have to get off them or go trike.  Younger riders are not entering the market due to having limited money and mostly bikes do not interest them.  I call it being woozified, maybe that is to harsh.  Honda wrote and article about this back in 2012 and is a majoy influence of them trying to change the market.
Chuck

[Eagle 1]

As I said in the original post I have an opinion and many of you have similar thoughts. As I too am getting older and riding this big old gal in traffic or in town is getting increasing more difficult to maneuver all the time, especially two up, but I do not ever plan to give her up, except to replace with another Valk.
On the open road I have found nothing else to compare to the power and ease of ride so I will ride a smaller bike for those local rides and reserve the old gal for those open road adventures, and will smile all the while.

[RainMaker]

I could see a day where I would sell my Interstate for a smaller, lighter, fuel-injected bike.  Heck, since I've gone thru 2 back operations in the last 3 years, that might be sooner than later.  But I truly planned for my Valkyrie to be my last motorcycle.  I've seen nothing new that makes me think I'd be trading up.

[sheets]

Had mine not gone to the junk yard (special thanks to a moron creating a chain reaction incident) I'd have kept it forever. Since then I've opted for something different, and with fuel injection, and a few other techno upgrades. (Victory). Yrmv. sheets    

[Earl in Pensacola]

A month ago, I finally "sold" my '97 Jade/Cream Tourer.  She had 297 K on the clock, but was basically stock.  THe carbs had never needed rebuilding, still had the original clutch.  I traded her and $3000. for for a "99 Black Tourer with 49K on the clock.  The previous owner of the blk , had just paid a dealership a ton of $$$ for new tires, rebuild the carbs, new K&N air filter, New battery, Adjust the steering head bearings and almost nothing the dealership did was done correctly!!!

The "97 still ran great, but the main seal had started to seep a little and a little "rattle" in the engine, so I traded for the newer &  lower miles. BTY, I'm 76 and have no plans to stop riding my "Nubian Queen" for quite a while yet. I've already put 2500 miles on the "Queen".  This one should out last me.

[art]

I'm with you guys on this. I sold my Valk because of an acc. but not because I'm afraid of riding but because I'm afraid of having my wife with me in an acc. I went down in a very slow speed acc. but got hurt bad. I never felt so much pain even when I had kidney stones. At 73 I just don't want to subject my wife to the same thing. It's not worth it. Even at my age I know I could still handle the Valk and do miss it. That being said every body keep safe and enjoy it while you can.

[wiggydotcom]

I certainly understand the passion towards the original Valkyries. When my first Valk that I had bought brand new in 01 was totaled in 2007, I replaced it in 2010 with another black I/S. There was no other bike on the market at that time that tripped my trigger.

After my deer strike after Inzane and knowing my bike was totaled I was ready for something different. I didn't want to leave the Honda stable and loved the F6 motor. The idea of moving up to a bigger motor, fuel injection, far superior audio system and single sided swingarm was too good to pass up.

I guess I'm one of the rare few who happened to "not mind" the new styling of the new Valk and F6b. They've actually grown on me. I, like a few other ex Valk owners, pulled the trigger on an F6b and haven't regretted it one bit.

What I find mildly amusing is the comments by Valk owners who say there is nothing out there comparable. If you don't like the looks of the new Valk or B, that's understandable. But to say they don't compare in performance, handling, or braking is simply not true. They are superior.

While I didn't have the miles on my two Valks that some have accumulated, I did have over 100k combined on the two so I think I can make valid comparisons between the old and the new.

Make no mistake, the new Valks and F6bs are the older Valk's big brothers, imho.

[_Sheffjs_]

I love love love the new 1800c but I still drool over the 1500s beauty!

[Pappy!]

Just sold one.....Why? Because we had three and only need two.
I think the main reason is age/health. I can remember seeing that as a reason in enough of the ads to where it sticks out in my mind.
Technology? Maybe for some. Fact is that these platforms were well designed, run extremely good with minimal effort, are powerful to say the least, and last or outlast many of their owners!

[Hooter]

I see more on the road nowadays then before.
As long as the riders are getting older they will always be for sale.

Lucky for me I was 24 when I bought mine 15 yrs ago. I have a lot more yrs of riding ahead of me.  

   Could that be because they don't look like a pile of plastic going down the road? I asked a couple of guys with a for sale sign on theirs at a blessing last spring why they were selling? One said "it's an old bike and parts are getting hard to find". OK, a second guy standing next to his the next day with a for sale sign on it told me he is "tired of 6 carbs"  and wanted FI. OK. These are just some of the issues that I heard, right , wrong or indifferent. I've also heard "health" as an issue and I can understand the bad knee's or ankles or whatever being a problem with this bike.

   I was in a bad scooter accident 10 years ago tomorrow  I feel that if I was on a Valkyrie I wouldn't have been hurt as bad? I would have been better off on a bigger bike.  As for ride, I still like the ride. It doesn't bother my back like my "H" does on long rides. I was hit in the ass on the xway and my back took a beating so I still like smooth. Even at age this bike still delivers smooth and performance.  Don't know anything about the new wings so I have no comparison there.

   The Valk is an animal and I really don't think anyone can dispute that? Where are you going to find a bike this old still this dependable and on even on the road. Looks, you can't beat the looks of a Valkyrie. The only thing that is comparable in looks is the Triumph Rocket III. The Valk is solid, built right, and a motorcycle that has always and still will run with the big dogs. It was also made in the U.S.A. All bikes  have their quirks and if this bike is taken care it will run longer than any of us will. 

[Pete]

You nailed most of the reasons I knew of except one.
Long distance touring and travel on large motorcycles is mostly an old mans game.
Most of us started doing it when we were young and as we have aged it has aged with us.

I do not see it changing, it will largely die with us.

[The emperor has no clothes]

You nailed most of the reasons I knew of except one.
Long distance touring and travel on large motorcycles is mostly an old mans game.
Most of us started doing it when we were young and as we have aged it has aged with us.

I do not see it changing, it will largely die with us.

I see a fair amount of younger riders doing long trips. The biggest issue is time off. It's hard to do when working and raising a family. As we get older and our kids grow up its more viable.

[czuch]

I love my paid for, always ready, reliable, paid for Valkyrie.
I wont be able to get a new bike till I get the magic numbers on Saturday.
 Till then, I'm quite satisfied.
.02

[fudgie]

You nailed most of the reasons I knew of except one.
Long distance touring and travel on large motorcycles is mostly an old mans game.
Most of us started doing it when we were young and as we have aged it has aged with us.

I do not see it changing, it will largely die with us.

I see a fair amount of younger riders doing long trips. The biggest issue is time off. It's hard to do when working and raising a family. As we get older and our kids grow up its more viable.

Hence why I got snipped. Kids wont have to hold me back. 

[pais]

    I'm 53 as of early October. Late '96(34) I took the new Motorcyclist mag out of the mailbox. On the cover was the Valk. I said to myself all this is, is a stripped down 'Wing. Nobody's gonna buy this! I thought the flat 6 motor was ugly. @34 I didn't like the GW, it was for "old guys" in turn I didn't like the Valk. @ 51 going on 52 I went on a mission to find me a Valk. Bought a Standard and since then have put on saddlebags and over the winter putting a Woody on it. Tried to fight off the GW look by buying a standard instead of an Interstate. I really wanted a '97-1st year of production.
    Technology driven world and our Valks aren't part of that. FI and all the other goodies, increased safety features and lottsa plastic appeal to the ma$$e$. We all know it's "all about the $.
    When I was looking to buy. The most common reason for selling was by far, "the bike's just to big". I looked primarily in Ohio. Most of the bikes were low miles. I know Ohio weather and the shorter riding season. But c'mon 15k-30k miles on a then 17yr old bike. I guess size does matter    Just my $.02

[Eagle 1]

I guess size really does matter, even to the Harley guys. A couple months back was out tooling around (very old and antiquated saying) came to a stop light and a very customized Harley came up beside me, I nodded my head and told him what a beautiful bike he had, he looked the old girl over from top to bottom nodded and said "Big sombitch" and could not seem to take his eyes off her, I am not up on the Harley models but this was a full dresser and it also surprised me just as to how much bigger the Valk was to his Harley.

[MarkT]

I'm thinking it's too much bike for some / many.  It took me quite some time to be totally comfortable with it's weight, and slow speed instability. You can drop it if you don't RIDE it all the way to the stop.  Not to mention parking lots.  Or more accurately, it took me some time to become adept at managing that.  I'm thinking those who bail on it are just not as determined to get good at it. Or in fairness, age or injury caught up with them and they need to downsize to something less challenging. (I expect that will happen to me as well. Then it's trike time, or a V-Strom or the like.)  It's much easier to ride that little mo-ped, a "Fat Boy" and the like. I can hop on ANY bike now and make the owner look silly.  Unless he's REALLY experienced. Then I can match him.  (Sure there are exceptions.  I haven't found them however.) I hopped on a Boss Hoss and handled it like the owner - for example.  The skills you need to develop to ride a Valkyrie well, will put you in good shape on everything else.  Analogous to hang gliding.  The skills to fly well in Colorado in our thermally air will make you a champ everywhere else.  That's why the top hang gliding team in the world is based right here in Denver.  And why there have been a lot of fatalities here.  And why I gave it up and took up a safe sport.  Motorcycling.

[Patrick]

Big Bike ?  Yep, it is I guess.
Our local Honda dealer thinks thats why it wasn't a big seller, it intimidated folks.
I've told the story before so I won't bore anyone again. But, the looks and size is what attracted me and caused me to run after the first one I saw. And, I couldn't believe how well mannered it is.

[hubcapsc]

I looked at a local Standard before I traveled to Philadelphia to get my Tourer...

I rode over on my Harley Springer to see the Standard, and the fellow (Fritz) let
me ride it.

The main thing I remember as I was taking off on it was "GREAT LORD THE SIZE
OF THAT GAS TANK"...

The new Valkyrie, even though it is a dang Goldwing, does feel like a smaller bike
at low speed...

-Mike