Author Topic: Safe Money - Valkyrie Cruiser with an Attitude  (Read 1944 times)

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VersysRider

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Safe Money - Valkyrie Cruiser with an Attitude
« on: September 11, 2014, 10:37:27 PM »


By Eric Larsen | Georgia State Director

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja “chooser of the slain”) is one of a host of female figures who decide which soldiers die in battle and which live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle, the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar. When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens, and sometimes connected to swans or horses. (Source Wikipedia)

Pretty heady stuff. As a Dane, I feel a kinship to the name Valkyrie and while in my mind, I’d like to think of my Valkyrie as a beautiful daughter of royalty, bearing me as a hero to Valhalla with mead at my destination to refresh me after my journey. Slain roads behind me. Cue Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, please. Sounds kind of like a trip to an MSTA event to me.

My Valk has always shared her quarters with steeds of different stripes. Sport bikes, dirt bikes, standards, dual sports to name a few. I chose her when I was looking for a ride with character. The Marques of Victory, Buell and Triumph were considered. The Valkyrie had only been out a couple of years and while the heart of her was based on the Gold Wing engine, it was a caressed by Honda with a bit of hot-rod attitude. The Rune was the ultimate expression of that caress. Honda shoe-horned six 28mm carbs to feed the beast fuel instead of the two 36mm carbs on the Gold Wing motor. Lower and tuned for better grunt. While only being produced from 1996 to 2003, there is almost a cult following for the big power cruiser.



What makes her shine and allows her the title of longest staying member in the stable? She is a joy to ride. She may be big, but she is nimble. She dances best on sweeping curves like the Cherohala Skyway and the Foothills Parkway. She will eat up miles on a slab in comfort and ease. Her low center of gravity and hidden strength are her best mechanical qualities. There’s a lot of muscle and grunt in her 1500cc horizontally apposed six. 100 horses and whopping 100 ft lbs of torque. Shifting is almost optional. I can load her up, ride two up, run a pile of electrics and she never flinches. She just rolls on down the road. She is my go-to girl for foul weather riding. The first trip I took her on, we spent a soggy rain soaked weekend exploring the North Georgia Mountains. Her riding manners in the rain are 90% of what they are in the dry. Stable, never flinching. With a big heater of an engine under me, a seemingly bottomless supply of power for electrics and her formidable size, she keeps me warm and planted when the cold and rain comes. We’ve ridden through the tail of a tornado, days of rain and cold. Never a pause.

She’s held her value well considering other bikes her age. Keeping 20%-30% more value than other rides her age. While I’ve put her up on the block couple times, I’ve never let her go. We’ve been to some wonderful places. A bullet-proof motor. Great ergos, and most importantly, soul. The love affair seems destined to continue. Sounds like Safe Money to me.

Offline DirtFlier

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Re: Safe Money - Valkyrie Cruiser with an Attitude
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2014, 03:54:09 AM »
Nice bike Eric and great historical writeup!   ;)

The GL1500 engine did have two 36 mm carb throats but they were combined into one body.  It's essentially a downdraft, 2-barrel carburetor.

Tosh

Offline ericlarsen

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Re: Safe Money - Valkyrie Cruiser with an Attitude
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2014, 10:03:06 AM »
This was a fun article to write.  A big help having an endeared subject matter.
Eric Larsen
Georgia State Director
2014 Tiger 800XC