Honda Valkyrie 1500 (2002)

dubtom

Any boardsters have one. Are they as smooth and powerfull as I've read. I know their basically a goldwing without the dressing, any other differences. I fancy a tourer,I checked out a harley road king but their a lot more money,look similar though.I'm talking the older model, not the 1800 rune? version. Any thoughts?

Pigeon Reaper

I don't have one but have seen many. They're a nice bike with a retuned goldwing engine. If they're anything like the wing they won't be the fastest bike but they'll pull in any gear and just keep going. They're not supposed to be as quick to turn as a GW due to the different geometery. I'd go for one before the road king. I don't see an older model giving trouble as it's a Honda. I sometimes ride a honda old enough to legally drink without any problems.

The Doktor

The F6C is a beautiful bike to ride. It is quick, and it does handle well. And ye can do wheelies (though it helps to have someone on the back).
I would take one over a hardley anyday, but I am a honda fan meself anyways.
Me aul lad had one for a few years, and I had a fair few spins on it and I have to say I really liked to ride it (and its comfy)
Its one of those bikes that brings a big smile to yer face when ye open the throttle.
Though for me, I wanted to get away from the custom bikes, cos of all the cleaning involved, so would of never been a bike i would buy.
And they sound great if ye got the right pipes on!
like this...
valk.jpg

madrab

have a yamaha royal star myself, its a big power cruiser like the valkerie, & has the looks of a roadking but no where near as expensive. Great fun to have all that power in a cruiser

dubtom

Well I did the deal on first look

Couldn't resist. Felt a lot smoother than the road king but christ that engine is big:D fortunatly herself loves polishing.
Madrab, is the royal start the biggest 'star', I know there is 3 models of the star. My brother inlaw has the biggest one, a 1300, its a cracker.

Thinkingaboutit

How does the Valk/Rune do without the Wing's reverse?'

madrab

dubtom wrote:

Well I did the deal on first look
Madrab, is the royal start the biggest 'star', I know there is 3 models of the star. My brother inlaw has the biggest one, a 1300, its a cracker.

There are quit a few models, dragstars are everything from 125-1100
then there are road stars(1200?), royal stars (1300 & the only v4s, & can come in a fully faired version called the venture), wild stars (1600) & midnight star (1800)


Your new bike is a cracker, when you picking it up & how much did it cost you?

dubtom

Thanks Madrab, picking it up tomorrow from Limerick, €12000, which is a lot cheaper than the harley and aparently, if I believe all the reading on the net I've been doing, a better bike.Can't wait.

The midnight stars a 1900cc.Nice bike by the way.

tk123

That bike is cooooooool!! I was planning on getting a bigger cruiser but now i have to use the money for a stupid operation i need!

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

Well I did the deal on first look

Couldn't resist. Felt a lot smoother than the road king but christ that engine is big:D fortunatly herself loves polishing.
Madrab, is the royal start the biggest 'star', I know there is 3 models of the star. My brother inlaw has the biggest one, a 1300, its a cracker.

You won't be disappointed with the Valk. Turns heads nearly everywhere.
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m290/Chippy01_2006/Valkyrie%20Pics/RHFront.jpg?t=1182894692

I added cruise control and forward control pegs to mine, plus a set of Two Brothers six into six drag pipes for that muscle car roar. Handles better than a 'Wing, is faster off the line, bigger top end and better on fuel. And when that chrome is all polished and shiney, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Paparazzo

Chippy01 wrote:

I added cruise control and forward control pegs to mine, plus a set of Two Brothers six into six drag pipes for that muscle car roar. Handles better than a 'Wing, is faster off the line, bigger top end and better on fuel. And when that chrome is all polished and shiney, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Please, I like the F6, i know it's a goldwing engine, but DON'T COMPARE IT TO A GOLDWING! Don't even mention the "G" word

Chippy01

Paparazzo wrote:

Please, I like the F6, i know it's a goldwing engine, but DON'T COMPARE IT TO A GOLDWING! Don't even mention the "G" word

You cannot compare the Valk to a 'Wing. The only (and only just) similarity between the two is the engine shape/design.
Yon 'Wings have only two carbs while the Valk has SIX.
Yon 'Wing is designed for touring (and admirably so) while the Valk has been tuned for Mach 10 cruising. (and even more admirably so)
Yon 'Wing hides all its 'business end' under plastic panels while the Valk is proud to be naked.

Did you not notice that I never use the 'G' word?

Paparazzo

OK, you didn't actually use the "G" word, but i got the picture of one in my head!
Wouldn't mind hearing the sound of the Valkyrie with after marker pipes, haven't heard one with them. Knew someone with one, he reckoned it could do with a reverse gear on it

Paparazzo

Just youtubed one, sounds great!
F6

dubtom

Paparazzo wrote:

Just youtubed one, sounds great!
F6

It does, and with the added feature of not having to remove half the back of the bike to take a wheel off.:D
Paparazzo,I've been reading up on the valk since I got it. Have to admit I was a bit put off by the 'external' noises I've been hearing. Clunky gear change,bloody noisey front tyre,gearbox whine, are all these sounds normal. The engine on mine is sweet, drives excellent,I'm usually paranoid with a new purchase untill I find someone with a bit of expierence to put my mind at rest. Can you.:eek:
Yours is a 'genuine' yank Valk?, did you bring it in yourself.

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

It does, and with the added feature of not having to remove half the back of the bike to take a wheel off.:D
Paparazzo,I've been reading up on the valk since I got it. Have to admit I was a bit put off by the 'external' noises I've been hearing. Clunky gear change,bloody noisey front tyre,gearbox whine, are all these sounds normal. The engine on mine is sweet, drives excellent,I'm usually paranoid with a new purchase untill I find someone with a bit of expierence to put my mind at rest. Can you.:eek:
Yours is a 'genuine' yank Valk?, did you bring it in yourself.

Those external noises are all part of it, I'm afraid. Eventually you will get used to them.
Clunky gear change is normal, but can be lessened with synthetic oil.
Tyre noise can be just the state of your tyres. Dunlops are fitted as standard and are a dreadful tyre. I just changed mine for Avon Venom 'R's. Much, much better.
Gearbox whine is inherited from the 'Wing. Can't hear it so much on them because of all the bodywork.
Just drive and enjoy.
From what I have learned about the Valk, there are three styles; Standard, Tourer, and Interstate.
Made mostly in America.
Some European models are available.
And IF you can find one made in Japan, you will find the reverse gear. I guess the Nips ain't big enough to push them backwards. LOL.
I visit these guys on a regular basis. http://forums.delphiforums.com/valkyrie
Great links there and knowledgable as well.

Dragstar

I've just seen this thread.....I have a V-Star 1100 and my boyfriend has a Valkyrie. The bike is unreal - it's so smooth and can take off in any gear. When we're on the twisties and I'm changing gears up and down he just stays in fifth all the way.
There's an owners club - VRCC (Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club) and we've just come back from a huge Valkyrie rally in Poland.

Give it a look - www.vrccireland.com

or send me a message with your contact details and I'll pass them on.

dubtom

Hey Dragstar, thanks for the info,I've been checking out that site the last couple of weeks but last weekend it seems it shut down, domain needs to be renewed or something, found a couple of other european and US sites though,seems to be a very popular bike.I read they occasionllay meet up in town somewhere on Sundays,I'd be interested in doing that alright.I calmed down from my inital hysteria (which TBH is fairly normal for me with new stuff:rolleyes: )Changed the back tyre today for an Avon Venom R, only took it around the block but can't believe the difference in handling, the original Dunlop was muck. Managed to wring one of the pinch bolts on the front, but hopefully will get that sorted next week with the new front venom.Haven't been able to find synthetic 10w40 yet.I bought 5w40 but am unsure now whether to use it (it's that hysteria again)

BigCon

Lovely Bike!
I flew to Durham yesterday and picked up a 97 Valk. Rode it all the way to Holyhead and then home (600km+). Longest days riding I think I ever done, majority of it through wind and rain.
Screen on the bike saved me from getting too wet.
Need to splash out now and get some shiny bits for it!!!

Are these bikes hard to come by, I haven't seen many around. They look and sound pretty cool and I wouldn't mind owning one. Have to pass the test first but when the 2 year limit is up I could see myself on one of them.

Chippy01

Nice machine. I bet that 600km ride had you smiling all the way. LOL.
As for splashing out, you could splash 'til the cows came home and still want more. There are some nice accessories out there, but mostly from the U.S. and that can incur some outlandish postal charges. Not to mention the fact that most parcels from the U.S. get stopped and a 'little' VAT is added. When I enquired about this practice I was told it was to encourage trade within the EU. If you beleive that!!!!!!
Anyhoos; good luck with your ride, put up many smiling miles, and splash like f**k.


By the way, did you take that pic of your bike? If you did, where did you find the sun? I havn't seen it for nigh on six weeks now!!!

BigCon

Chippy01 wrote:

By the way, did you take that pic of your bike? If you did, where did you find the sun? I havn't seen it for nigh on six weeks now!!!

Today was the first day that we had a bit of sun for ages, there were a few light showers, but mostly cloudy with sunny spells and strong wind...
Yours is nice too, I like the radiator cover...

dubtom

Nice one Con,I see you got footboards on yours, that will save you a hefty sum for a start.I'll double what Chippy said,check out ebay or any links on valk sites you find (and there is thousands)the bike is well covered.

Chippy01

BigCon wrote:

Today was the first day that we had a bit of sun for ages, there were a few light showers, but mostly cloudy with sunny spells and strong wind...
Yours is nice too, I like the radiator cover...

Thanks for the comment.
That rad cover is an easy 'cheap' mod. The actual Valk cover runs around $110 or so plus postage. I took a visit to Halfords up in Coolock, and spotted some screen grills amongst the car mods bits. (Boy racers stick these things behind thier rad grills for effect).
There were different designs, but I chose the one that matched the OEM black mesh. €24 I think it was. Can be cut with a good set of scissors. Shaped over the rad and fixed by using the original screws when the OEM cover is removed. 15 minutes max. (And I had enough left over to do the rad on my SuperMagna too, so that works out at only €12 per cover)
I went out to Skerries yesterday for the practices (work today so missed the races), and got really dumped on at the airport by a passing cloud. One minute dry, 45 seconds later soaked, by the time I got to Skerries I was dry again.
Anyone know when the summer is back off it's holidays?

dubtom

Anyone know when the summer is back off it's holidays?

I heard a rumour sometime in september, but don't hold me to that.
That's a nice job you did on the rad chippy. I considered a chrome shaft cover I saw on ebay for around $60+$24 shipping, but when you end up paying vat on the total including the shipping cost it's just not worth it. For all the links for vendors of valk stuff none seem to be in Europe. BTW, the header on the bike, the bit that holds the handlebars,is that called anything specifically. Mine came with a hideous clock which doesn't work and is crap chrome, I want to replace with what was originally on it. Would it be called header bracket,handlebar bracket?

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

Anyone know when the summer is back off it's holidays?

I heard a rumour sometime in september, but don't hold me to that.
That's a nice job you did on the rad chippy. I considered a chrome shaft cover I saw on ebay for around $60+$24 shipping, but when you end up paying vat on the total including the shipping cost it's just not worth it. For all the links for vendors of valk stuff none seem to be in Europe. BTW, the header on the bike, the bit that holds the handlebars,is that called anything specifically. Mine came with a hideous clock which doesn't work and is crap chrome, I want to replace with what was originally on it. Would it be called header bracket,handlebar bracket?

I know what you mean. Part + shipping is acceptable, but that damn VAT at the end of it is not.
That top piece you are referring to is a 'top yoke', the US boys call them 'triple trees'. The two legs that are fixed to that part are called 'risers', (for obvious reasons), and the bit that holds the handlebars onto the risers is called a handlebar clamp.
If you can post a pic of your hideous clock it might help in identification. I have one of these fitted (came with the bike).

I believe it is called a 'Little Ben' clock. Not bad quality, waterproof, and runs off it's own battery. I believe there are various styles available. Most Interweb bike accessory places will have something like it. M&P, Busters, etc.
If you really want to impress, check these guys out http://www.motosens.com/english/f6c_e.htm I have been tempted to add a few of thier wares, but havn't got round to it yet. These guys are in Germany.
Also looka at http://www.bigbikethings.com/ These guys are in New Zealand. I got my forward controls from them. Arrived within five days and didn't get stopped by customs. Barry is the guy down there. E-mail him with any questions. He is really helpful.
There are a couple of other places in Europe, mainly Holland and Germany (they seem to like the Valk there) but as you have found out it's mostly from the US.
If you find anything of interest, post it here or PM me through the forum. Shared knowledge can work wonders sometimes. (Sorry about the long reply, got a bit carried away do'nchaknow)

dubtom

Dont have a pic to hand Chippy but handlebar clamp sounds right, it's the metal thing with four bolts beside your clock. My clock,which is stuck at 8 oclock,is inserted into the middle of one of those, has cheap chrome which is peeling. I suppose my best bet would be to look for a used one now that I know what it's called.I'll check out those links too. My only purchase latley,apart from a set of Avons, was an intercom set which I got on ebay for 45 sterling, seems good quality.My other half has the habit of falling asleep on long drives in a car,(she'd sleep anywhere)the intercom is insurance she doesn't do it on the bike, it is a very comfortable bike afterall.

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

Dont have a pic to hand Chippy but handlebar clamp sounds right, it's the metal thing with four bolts beside your clock. My clock,which is stuck at 8 oclock,is inserted into the middle of one of those, has cheap chrome which is peeling. I suppose my best bet would be to look for a used one now that I know what it's called.I'll check out those links too. My only purchase latley,apart from a set of Avons, was an intercom set which I got on ebay for 45 sterling, seems good quality.My other half has the habit of falling asleep on long drives in a car,(she'd sleep anywhere)the intercom is insurance she doesn't do it on the bike, it is a very comfortable bike afterall.

Good choice with the Avons. I took my first ride with my new tyres (Avon Venom 'R's) at the weekend. Wow, what a difference. Beats the old Dunlops hands down.

For an intercom system, (I know you just got one, but ....) you would do well to look at these http://www.autocom.co.uk/ They are not what you call cheap, but they are very, very good. (Personally tested at 125 mph on the M6 Toll. Perfect)
I got an Active 7 in 2004 to fit to my SuperMagna. I also got one for my buddys GL1200 'Wing. Small, wires to the bike battery, and totally expandable. VOX operated or PTT, I opted for both choices. Since I got the Valk though, I transplanted it.
I have mine rigged to an MP3 player for 'road music', a two way radio system so that I can shout abuse at my buddy, capability of answering the phone (just set it to auto-answer), and the voice commands from my GPS come through the system too.
I transplanted my buddys rig from his GL1200 to his GL1500 'Wing when he upgraded. He just answers his phone and shouts abuse back at me. Music comes standard on his ride.
If you carry a pillion often, just get an extra headset. Plug and play.
I actually bought mine online, because at the time Maddocks were the only outlet here and were WWAAAAYYYY overpriced. Bikeworld have them now. I don't know their prices but may be worth a look. (I don't know for sure, but I think they may have updated their kit and the small Active 7 may be gone)

As for your otherhalf falling asleep, that place in NewZealand does some nice flip up armsrests. $130-odd including shipping. About €100 to keep her safe and sound? Might be worth an investment? Providing of course, that you do not actually WANT her to fall off the bike. LOL.

You say your clock is actually fitted into the handlebar clamp? Someone drilled a hole in it to put a cheap clock in? Heathens!!!!!!
Check this guy in Holland out http://www.cmsnl.com/search.php?model_id=2&modellist2Page=10 He may have a new clamp.
Find your bike here http://www.mrcycles.com/ and get the Honda part number from this sites microfisches, and even give http://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/ a call. Their prices are not really that bad on the whole. I have used them loads of times, and they have always come through.

dubtom

Great links chippy, thanks, ordered the clamp from that crowd in holland.€54 ex shipping, which isn't too bad unless they send it ups global priority with bells on.
I think I'll stick with the oxford intercom,I like cheap;) Must meet up sometime and compare chrome.

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

Great links chippy, thanks, ordered the clamp from that crowd in holland.€54 ex shipping, which isn't too bad unless they send it ups global priority with bells on.
I think I'll stick with the oxford intercom,I like cheap;) Must meet up sometime and compare chrome.

Happy to help out. €54 sounds good. I wouldn't expect shipping to be more than €15 MAX!! (hopefully cheaper), and a quick delivery. Let me know how it pans out, time wise.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Cheap can be good too. I just needed a little extra. We were heading to Holland that next year and wanted something well proven.
Chrome comparisome sounds good.
My next 'definate' trip is 11th August down to Killarney from Dublin for a couple of days, around Dingle for a couple more days, and then up to Ballybofay/Stranorlar area for the Irish Goldwing Treffin the following weekend. (Normally just 'Wings only, but they allow Valks in 'cos they reckon that they are Naked 'Wings:rolleyes: )
If you are around the more direct routes to those places, look out for a black Standard Valk and a wine coloured 1500 'Wing travelling together. That'll be us.:)

dubtom

€32 shipping,6-10 days. I hate when the feckers don't give an option for shipping cost when you buy. I could have got a cheap ryan air flight and collected it cheaper.Ah well.
Planning a trip myself soon to spain.Dublin - rosslare- fishguard-plymouth-santander-malaga.Approx 1700K. Might as well go in at the deep end.

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

€32 shipping,6-10 days. I hate when the feckers don't give an option for shipping cost when you buy. I could have got a cheap ryan air flight and collected it cheaper.Ah well.
Planning a trip myself soon to spain.Dublin - rosslare- fishguard-plymouth-santander-malaga.Approx 1700K. Might as well go in at the deep end.

Shipping charges and delivery times really suck sometimes:mad: . But what can you do? The parts are not available locally so we are basically over a barrel:( . Thing is, after a couple of weeks with the new part on board you will probably think it was worth it after all. LOL
Your trip sounds good. Makes my little spin around Ireland look like a run to the shops for a pint of milk.
Take plenty of pics for posting.:eek: Always makes others jealous. hee hee

dubtom

Had to abandon the plymouth to santander route,they wanted 600 quid:eek: Going via France instead,makes it a 2000 km trip each way.I'm sweating already.
Did I see a garmin sat nav on your bike chippy. I have one, not sure how to wire it up though,came with a ciggy adapter which I use in the car, might be usefull on the trip. I'd rather not gunter the wiring,if I could get a ciggy adapter for the bike it would be usefull. How did you wire yours?

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

Had to abandon the plymouth to santander route,they wanted 600 quid:eek: Going via France instead,makes it a 2000 km trip each way.I'm sweating already.
Did I see a garmin sat nav on your bike chippy. I have one, not sure how to wire it up though,came with a ciggy adapter which I use in the car, might be usefull on the trip. I'd rather not gunter the wiring,if I could get a ciggy adapter for the bike it would be usefull. How did you wire yours?

You did see a SatNav, but not a Garmin. Mine is a Transonic which is backed by Navigon.:) Not waterproof, so I always carry a large ZipLok gag to cover it in the rain. It's wired to my helmet to hear voice directions, so the visual aspect is only a bonus in wet conditions.:o I only updated the maps a couple of months ago. Got the whole of Europe on one card. Most countries 100% coverage. Only a couple of our newer Euro nieghbours are less than 100%:rolleyes:
As for wiring it up, easy-peasy. Get yourself into a motor factors, or even a car scrappers and get yourself a cigarette lighter socket. (I got mine out of a scrapped Mazda for €0). Also get yourself an inline fuse holder (for obvious reasons).
Now on the Valk fuse bank there is an outlet marked 'Accessory'.
You can tap into that with your fuse holder, then attach the live to the ciggy socket to the other side of the fuse, and then ground the other wire off of the frame somewhere handy.
OR you can do the same thing directly off the battery.
OR you can do what I did, and tap into the ignition.
Put the cigarette socket behind the side panel up high and zip-tie it (or fix with whatever means you have) to the frame rail. Plug in your 12volt adapter you got with your unit, route the wire to wherever you want it to go, and there you have it. Wired for Navigation.:D
And in a strange land, they are invaluable. But remember 'tis only a navigation AID! Primary navigation is always done via the eyes.:o

Edit.... I am envious already. I have been meaning to tour France tor three years now and havn't got round to it. Enjoy..

dubtom

Thanks for that chippy, must check if the satnav has a earplug outlet. First time to France for me too, although I'll stop and have a look around, won't have much time for doing the tour.Kind of limited on time, 4 days down and back and 4/5 in a villa in malaga,of course that could change. The villa is free so not commited unless a mate flies over to join us, could end up the hole two weeks on the bike:D

dubtom

Got that clamp today, 4/5 days wasn't bad I suppose, it looks like nice new honda chrome, as apposed to some of the crap out there. I have a made to fit adapter on the way from garmin for the satnav,will wire directly to the fuse board, so cuts out the need for the ciggy adapter.I've decided to keep the horrible clock clamp on the bike for the time being and use it to mount the satnav,garmin want €127 for a bike clamp. For something I'll use perhaps twice a year I'll stick with a homemade yoke.Won't look too smart but I'll suffer.:p

Chippy01

dubtom wrote:

Got that clamp today, 4/5 days wasn't bad I suppose, it looks like nice new honda chrome, as apposed to some of the crap out there. I have a made to fit adapter on the way from garmin for the satnav,will wire directly to the fuse board, so cuts out the need for the ciggy adapter.I've decided to keep the horrible clock clamp on the bike for the time being and use it to mount the satnav,garmin want €127 for a bike clamp. For something I'll use perhaps twice a year I'll stick with a homemade yoke.Won't look too smart but I'll suffer.:p

4/5 days ain't bad at all. And a nice new shiney bit as well. The 'made to fit adaptor' is definately the easiest way to go. Hardwired straight into the fuse board eliminates any potential mishaps.
At €127 for a special bike mount, it's no wonder you decided to go homemade. I would have done the same. In fact I did. It served it's purpose, and did not look at all pretty when the navigator was not in place. But it worked, and that was the main thing. Here is the SatNav I have when it was mounted on my SuperMagna.

With the Valkyrie's wider bars, I could fit the handlebar mount (which came with the unit) straight onto the bars without the need of a homemade fabricated unit.
I just plotted out my trip for August on it. Dublin to Killarney. On to Dingle. Up to Stranorlar. A bit further on to Buncrana. And back home again. Just short of 1200 Kilometres. It's surprising how far you can travel around this island in just a few short days.
All I ask is for this damn rain to stop while I am out there. (wishful thinking???)