[shadow2001]

Greetings from Virginia. I will be picking my Valkyrie up this week from a dealer in Baltimore. I am very excited. I have a commuter bike now (CTX700N DCT), but my last big cruiser was a VTX1800R.

There are a few things about the 2014 Valkyrie that disappoint me already: no 6th gear and no reverse. I am not a big guy, so muscling these huge bikes around is not that easy for me, but I love how they feel when they are moving, so its worth it. I just think a reverse would be a nice touch.

I am trying to lock down the accessories I want. The boulevard screen looks really good, and I will probably get it. I know it doesn't add a ton of value, but the bigger screens just don't appeal to me. Does anyone know if the 12v socket is available for the 2014? They only show it as an option on the 2015.

I look forward to learning a lot from you all in the coming years.

Shadow2001

 

[Xyzzy]

Does anyone know if the 12v socket is available for the 2014? They only show it as an option on the 2015.

The 2015 and 2014 are the same. The 12V socket is not very convenient but it is switched. You might prefer to run a battery tender pigtail off of the battery for power instead. More info on the power port: http://www.f6cforum.com/forum/9-honda-f6c-parts-accessories/6098-power-port-details.html

 

[BobM60]

I am not a big guy, so muscling these huge bikes around is not that easy for me, but I love how they feel when they are moving, so its worth it. I just think a reverse would be a nice touch

If you are short in height, don't worry. I am 5'6" and have no trouble moving it around, backing into parking etc. even with a passenger on.

If you are short on lbs, don't worry. You will soon have some new muscles after owning this bike

 

[PhantomX]

And don't worry about not having 6th gear. The bike has tons of torque and is perfectly happy on the interstate running 75mph+ at 3200 rpm and still getting 40mpg. The best part is you can just roll on and be doing a 100mph in a blink in 5th. Most of the usuable tq (over 100lbft) is available around 2000 RPM, the motor is a beast and it's one of the smoothest, most reliable and tested engines in the industry. It's been toting 1000lb GoldWings pulling trailers for 15 years now so rest assured your good.

 

[mrtappan]

People like to think of sixth gear as an "overdrive" but it's not.

What manufacturers do is put taller gearing in the tranny but sixth gear is almost always the same final drive ratio as a regular fifth gear bike. So all you end up doing is shifting more.

Sixth gear is generally used to make slower bikes seem faster by keeping them in the powerband longer at lower speeds. Why do you think they're so popular on Victory's and Harley's?

I don't even use first gear on my Valkyrie. I ride it in 2-4 most of the time and use 5th on the interstate.

Harley six speed gear ratios:
1st 3.337
2nd 2.313
3rd 1.718
4th 1.391
5th 1.175
6th 1.000

Valkyrie five speed gear ratios (well, F6B, but should be the same):
1st 2.375 (38/16)
2nd 1.454 (32/22)
3rd 1.068 (31/29)
4th 0.843 (27/32) 5
5th 0.686 (24/35)

 

[mrtappan]

Sorry forgot the five speed ratios. While the 5/6 speed bikes may have different pulleys giving them a slightly different final drive, it's negligible on most bikes. My 2006 Yamaha XV1900 ran 85MPH/5 [email protected] 3200RPM and my Victory 106 Hardball ran 85MPH/[email protected]

Harley five speed gear ratios:
1st-3.21
2nd-2.21
3rd-1.57
4th-1.23
5th-1.00

 

[Surfndad]

After I leave the light or start rolling, I almost stay in third all the time. At 20 up you can roll on the throttle with no lugging. And at 30, 40, 50 it's a great motor break and a really good power band in traffic.