Anyone with experience with Honda Valkyrie?

[Lug Nut]

Looking at picking up a 1997 Honda Valkyrie w/25k miles for cheap. Real cheap. I always liked those bikes but have almost no experience with Honda other than replacing a fuel pump on a Honda Shadow 1100 for a friend. I imagine being a Honda it's very reliable etc. Didn't know if there were any inherent problems with 97 Valkyrie or not. I know it's about a hundred horsepower and very fast for a cruiser.

[ItBeMe]

They are like a Yamaha a very good bike, Jump on it.

[Roadhorsen]

Looking at picking up a 1997 Honda Valkyrie w/25k miles for cheap. Real cheap. I always liked those bikes but have almost no experience with Honda other than replacing a fuel pump on a Honda Shadow 1100 for a friend. I imagine being a Honda it's very reliable etc. Didn't know if there were any inherent problems with 97 Valkyrie or not. I know it's about a hundred horsepower and very fast for a cruiser.

In the recent past, I had a Honda F6B and a Rune.. only because both were fuel injected.. personally I would't want to get involved with all those carb's, and when running right, expect 28-32 mpg

[Lug Nut]

In the recent past, I had a Honda F6B and a Rune.. only because both were fuel injected.. personally I would't want to get involved with all those carb's, and when running right, expect 28-32 mpg

I'm a sucker for multiple carbs lol....have carb sync tool and had couple V4 1300 bikes that needed syncd/adjusted

[Roadhorsen]

Ok, the you'll love the music then!, but 30 mpg you will need to expect

[Lug Nut]

Trying to make a deal with him now and see if I can get it this weekend. I never find good deals close to me always 3 to 400 miles away or more. Lol. But if I can get it started with a jump pack I'll buy it for what he's asking.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I have a buddy that has a Rocket 3 and also rides a Valkyrie. He is a wild and crazy type of guy. He has told me that he has ridden it to the 130 on the speedo but he had to lie down on the tank. I have also watched him ride very long wheelies on that bike. I know that my 32" inseam is too short to flatfoot the bike and it's a much too wide for my liking. I really like the way the bike looks and sounds. Those 6 pipes coming out the back sound wonderful. Not much of a contribution, just what I know about the 1500 because of my buddy that I sometimes ride with.

[Tcontrol]

The bike is a little top heavy but rides well… all the ones i have seen and ridden have beautiful chrome trim and look really fine with the pioes and general design asthetics…

keep in mind… this is a 25 year old bike with 25k miles…. It has spent a lot of time parked… if the gas hasnt been treated with some type of storage formula or an ethanol based fuel has been used… most likely going to have some issues…. Also would be an extremely good idea to replace float needles in all carbs… 25 years is a long time on a float needle valve ( i have replaced a bunch on the goldwing dual carb setups… 1500 cc motor series)

if the price is right and you do not mind getting your hands dirty…. Go For It…. If you do not want to address the aging carbs… think carefully… ( i would price the carb rebuild gasket kits before i would commit… assume 6 kits to address all potential carb issues…

ps…. It does run very very well when it us right… and looks f’ng fantastic as well….!!!!!

[Lug Nut]

I'm shooting for $1500 because I figure it needs tires, battery, carb rebuild, and timing belts, as well as all fluids/filters/plugs. So maybe $1000 in total parts by the time Im done making it perfect. That's if it fires up on a battery pack.

[Chooch]

I had one for years. Very reliable. Six carbs never gave me any trouble. Easy to sync. Easy handling even at low speeds. Smooth running. Stand a nickel on the engine and rev it. Nickel still standing. Neutral sitting position is very comfortable. I had a two piece Mustang seat. The brakes were very good. Floating front rotors. Some negatives. I wish it was geared higher. 3,000 rpms at 70 mph. I had an oversize General Altimax car tire on the rear. Still got around 30 mpg. The heat off the radiator makes it uncomfortable to ride during hot weather. It would make a great winter bike. The stock rear shocks were awful. The forks were finicky. There is no where to place a jack under the bike. You will need to buy or build an adapter. The stock shifter lever is weak. There is an aftermarket upgrade to fix it. See if some of the upgrades have been done. Have the timing belts been changed? I used Gates belts and Gates aftermarket idler pulleys. Valves are easy to adjust and stay adjusted.

[Druegeme]

It's basically a naked Gold Wing, same engine for the respective model year. The engines are rock solid (and awesome) but like Chooch said some other mostly minor issues. Friend of mine has one and loves it. It's a heavy bike but great for long trips if properly equipped (windshield), except for the mpg 30-35

Being the 'muscle naked' brother of the Goldwing it is also geared shorter, and with the shaft drive you're basically stuck with it unless you want to do serious mods.

As a restauration project bike this for me personally, as a Honda boy, is a dream bike. Other than a CBX maybe. A flat six Honda. It does not get smoother than that.