"I
am tall, by female standards, almost 6'. I
was comfortable on the Wing and felt plenty snug tucked into my seat. I liked the fact there were small spaces for me to store my
goodies. I am plenty leggy so on
the negative side for the Wing, I felt restrained somewhat on long rides.
I felt wedged into my seat on long rides.
But, when we made the switch the Valk, I think I'm part of the reason we
switched. I LOVED the sportier
lines of the bike and frankly, liked the more muscular look.
As far as my comfort, it took me a couple of rides to get used to the
fact I was no longer wedged into my seat. I
have more room to move around.
As for the ride, I am now much more a part of the riding experience than on the
Wing. To explain, I can easily feel
the roll of the turns and can assist my husband with my body posture.
(I enjoy feeling the turns.) I
also feel the acceleration and that adds to the excitement of the ride.
We added a Corbin saddle which brought a higher level of comfort than the
stock seat.
The foam in the stock seat tended to tire my backside after extended miles. As an example, June/July of '99, we did a 2000+ mile vacation
to the Ozarks. I did not tire of
riding the bike--even after 430 miles the first day.
As a final note on the seat, I am often asked by Wing co-riders about how
the seatback feels vs. the seatback on the Wing. I feel as thoroughly supported and comfortable on the Valk as
on the Wing. I do sit perhaps an
inch or two lower on the Valk, but that's fine by me!
David also added the Tulsa Windshield to the Valk.
That had dramatic effects on the buffeting to where I receive buffeting
only when we reach speeds of 80+ mph. ONLY
then and it is minor. I receive no
buffeting at all below 80+. Another
improvement to the buffeting on my legs was the addition of the Wind Wings.
That has served to lessen the buffeting on my legs.
Leg buffeting was only minimal to begin with.
In addition, David added the Honda Line Fork Wind Wings and that also
served to lessen the already small amount of leg buffeting.
Now, about the tires. David has
installed ME880's and that was a significant ride-enhancer for me.
I had previously felt the Valk's ride as smooth and comfortable and these
tires redefined the riding feel for me. When
cornering on the ME880's, I don't hear the whining from the tires (which was
unsettling) and the ride is infinitely more smooth.
For the cons, I have only 2. I am (im)patiently
waiting for floorboards to come out for the Valk.
We have inquired through Kuryakyn several times and a specific release
date is still unknown. I miss
the floorboards of the Wing! Adjustable
floorboards would be great! The
other item is that I miss having a small space to act as a storage compartment.
I suggest one such space simply to store a change purse or small map.
Presently, those items have to either be stored in my jacket or my pants
pocket, which is not always convenient.
Bottom line: I enjoy this
motorcycle MILES more than the Wing. I
simply like the excitement that David and I enjoy riding this motorcycle.
I also love to feel the sheer power of the bike."
John Marshall's Home Page
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