Ok, so they are just bolt-on accessories. I don't claim
to be much of a wrench.
This stuff is listed in the roughly the order that I bought or
installed it.
Click on any of the thumbnails below for a larger picture.
#$@#! my old web provider LOST all my web pages - no backups. I didn't have very good backups either. So, this page will be SLOWLY rebuilt. As of 3/3/2002 there are NO pictures. I should be able to get most of these back eventually. One tip - NEVER use Interland for your web provider!
The whole bike (not all accessories are pictured):
Hondaline luggage rack.
Does the job, reasonable price, gets a thumbs up from me.
Jardine also makes a Valkyrie rack. It looks too
"artsy" for me.
Cobra Passenger Floorboards.
Thumbs up from me and Lisa. We tried the Jardines and sent
them back. The Cobras are worth the extra money. Lisa
is much more comfortable in back now:
Cheapo O-ring Highway pegs
(but they work pretty well with long legs). For $35 bucks,
I'm a happy cruiser.
NEW 3/99 - replaced with some
ShowChrome pegs (see below). These give me a couple of extra
inches of leg room and look a little better than the o-ring pegs.
NEW 8/01 - replaced with Kuryakyn 4500's (see below).
Even more leg room and they don't slip like the showchrome did for me.
sorry, no pic
Vista Universal Cruise Control.
Easy to install, inexpensive, a big help on long rides.
This will always be one of the first accessories I buy:
Rivco Oil Filter Cover.
Kind of plain, but nice solid chrome, good fit, good price:
Utopia backrest: The
Utopia is a GREAT product and absolutely necessary for me with my
bad back.
Custom upholstered pillion
(Gel pad and extra inch of foam added to stock pillion.): We
spent $200 trying to make the pillion more comfortable but it
didn't really help much. Mustang or Corbin is probably in
our future.:
NEW 7/99: replaced with a Mustang
seat
No bike of mine would be complete without some deadhead touches: (I also like the VOA sticker on the windshield)
T-bag made for Valkyrie:
...pic coming ???...
Mobil 1, 15-50 synthetic
oil.
OK, it's not really a mod or an accessory. It's still one
of my favorite things that I have done for my bike. The
bike definitely shifts smoother and runs quieter than it did with
standard oil.
Cobra billet Light bar
(AWESOME anniversary present - Thanks Lisa!!!). This is the
most expensive light bar out there, but it is definitely the
best. Very unique and classy look to it.
If you really need to save a few bucks, check out Rivco.
Theirs is nice too.
Cobra scalloped handlebar clamp
(AWESOME anniversary present - Thanks Lisa!!!)
Two Brothers Racing oil temperature
dipstick. This is nice to have since there is no
temp gauge on the Valk. It also gets a lot of comments
since it is fairly unique.
Leather covers for clutch
and brake levers. Green and black color matched beads
added.
... old and gone...
Cobra Scalloped Reservoir Covers
to match handlebar clamp.
Hondaline Triple Tips.
Look cool but a little hard to see with Tourer
bags.
License Plate reflector mod.
Fellow VERMIN Bill Pavone told me about this on my first VERMIN
ride. Just cutoff the reflectors that sit just above the
license plate. This allows the chrome on the turn signal
stalks to show. Add reflector buttons on license plate to
comply with possible legal requirements for rear reflectors. (I did that for a
while then later added reflector eyes in the license plate frame.)
Rivco Air Horns. VERY
happy with these. Look good, sound good. NEW 9/00: braided metal cover for hose - thanks to Rattlebars!
Gorilla Cycle Alarm.
Tilt, shock, current sensors. Shock sensor is easily
disabled with remote. For an extra $20 I bought a gizmo
that lets me use the little keychain remote to open my garage
door as well as arm/disarm the alarm. Handy! :
...picture coming(?)...
ShowChrome Saddle Bag Racks.
Look good. Would like these even more if they were a little
longer. However, they are MUCH cheaper than Hondaline or
Cobra and are very close to the same thing.:
Gerbing Heated gloves and socks
(w/thermostat). Definitely extends my riding time on colder
days. Less bulky than winter gloves. Messing with the
wiring harness is a bit of a pain though. Would probably
be easier if I had an electric jacket liner. Also, make
sure you don't reverse the polarity when installing. I
fried a wire harness and put some burn marks on my bike when I
installed it wrong.
ShowChrome Highway pegs: I
almost got the very popular Kuryakn's instead. Then I
realized that the ShowChromes will give us long legged types a
couple extra inches of leg room. Mounted on the lower
portion of the crash bar my feet rest in front of the crash bar
about 1/3 up the crash bar. Kuryakns are limited in
forward placement by the crash bar.
NEW note 8/99. Mustang seat makes these fit me PERFECTLY. I sit about
an inch higher which puts my legs comfortably above the cylinder heads.
That was an unexpected, but appreciated, benefit of the Mustang seat.
ShowChrome: oil filler cap,
radiator cap cover, radiator grill cover. Hard to go wrong
with the caps, so I just bought the cheapest chrome ones out
there. Hondaline also makes these but Showchromes radiator
grill cover is MUCH better looking.
...see pic for Oil Temp dipstick...shows
oil filler cap.
...see pic for Air horns...shows grill cover, radiator cap (barely).
Pro One: turn signal
visors, brake pedal cover. Quality stuff. I would
buy more from Pro One.
...see pic for Oil Temp dipstick...shows
brake pad cover.
Brake Light Flasher. Brake
light pulses 5 times when applied, then goes steady.
Hopefully adds a little visibility from behind. Very easy
to install. Just find the green/yellow wire under the right
side cover. Unplug from wiring harness, wire in the
flasher. Velcro flasher unit to tool box area under
seat. Costs $20 from WingThings.
...no picture...
Mustang Seat, driver and
passenger backrests, with studs and conchos.
I like the looks a lot. Comfort for me is about the same as stock,
maybe slightly worse back support than the Utopia. Passenger comfort
is improved, especially with the
Mustang passenger backrest. We ran for a couple of weeks without that,
since it was backordered, and found it really makes a difference for the
passenger.
Mustang tank bib
Looks VERY good with the seat. I like the narrower
size of this bib. Most of the other bibs out there are
wider and cover too much of the gas tank for my tastes.
Backrest chrome plate with Valkyrie
emblem.
Hondaline accessories. As always, added chrome
brightens up a dull area. I like the idea of people behind
me being able to clearly see that this is a Valkyrie. Maybe
I won't get so many questions of "What kind of Harley is
that anyway?"
UPDATE 8/2000: replaced with MarkT's Highlighter.
Baker Air Wings
I waited a long time to get these since I'm not that thrilled about adding
plastic to the bike. (Don't want it to start looking like a Goldwing!).
However, the heat coming off the engine on a warm day is about the only
thing that I consider a genuine problem with the Valkyrie. The air wings
do fix that - as long as you keep moving - by allowing more air to be
directed onto your legs. In areas with much warmer weather than Seattle,
it seems like the majority of riders have air wings. Amoung the VERMIN
(NW area Valkyrie riders) I have only seen a few with them.
Rattlebars Radiator hose cover Protects the exposed hose and looks great too. Rattlebars does it for 1/2 the cost of Two Brothers. Way to go Rattlebars! Check them out at: www.rattlebars.com.
Four-way Flashers
Thanks to Chet's (Rattlebars) write-up "4 ways for
5 bucks" even a mechanical klutz like me could install my
own four-way flashers with parts from Radio Shack and Napa.
Gotta admit though, I had some real problems. The estimated
time of 30 minutes to install turned into about five hours for
this mechanical clutz. But that's ok. I've now got flashers for
emergencies and another lesson in patience.
Link to the write-up here: 4-ways for 5 bucks
Picture is of a little toggle switch below the seat.
Helmet lock
Got this at the 1999 Seattle Cycle Show from
Sport Touring USA. It's a Helmet Guardian and costs about $40.
It bolts behind license plate with helmet locks on either side of plate.
Not really very secure, since the whole frame could just be unscrewed to take
the helmets. But for that matter, most helmet locks are vulnerable to someone just
cutting your strap. Anyway, I like this. It is a VERY easy way to lock up two
helmets. You do have to watch the helmets hitting the hot exhaust tips.
LaMonster Risers
From the VRCC store.
Gets a luke warm recommendation from me.
I think the risers themselves look very good. The fit is disappointing as they do not cover
up the indentation in the triple tree that the old risers fit in to.
The change in position from stock is 0.25" up and 1.25" back which, to me, wasn't really very noticable.
(Others swear they went from riding with shoulder pain in 10 minutes to riding all day
in comfort. So, your mileage may vary.)
These risers do allow you to use the same handle bar clamp, but not the same bolts.
So the chrome caps I had for my clamp won't work. For the rather high price ($124.95),
these should have included chrome caps for the bolts that came with it.
An unexpected benefit - I was getting a lot of glare off of my Cobra handle bar clamp.
The risers lowered the angle so that is no longer a problem. The other good thing is that
you don't have to drill out your triple tree the way you do to use the popular Custom Chrome risers.
Hondaline Engine gap covers
Also from the VRCC store.
Why didn't I do these sooner? That area always looked unfinished before.
These look like they should always have been there. Relatively inexpensive (I paid
$39) and quick to install (although a little tricky to get all the spacers in right.
In fact, I never did... but it seems to be ok minus one spacer.)
Showchrome Gas tank accent
Bought from a local shop - Crazy Larrys.
Paid about $35? An inexpensive dress up. Worth the money, but not a high priority item.
MarkT's Highlighter
From MarkT's - Horseapple Ranch.
Cost $120 when I bought. These LED's work as running (low intensity) and brake (high intensity) lights.
Mounted on a chrome plate behind the passenger backrest it adds visibility. I wired it in with my
brake light flasher so I should be a lot more noticable from behind. The parts, packaging, and instructions
were first class and the installation went easily. I like the look. I also like that,
amoung the 40 or so local Valkyries I have ridden with, I am the only one to have this (so far!).
I think this is the most "custom" touch I've added.
Rattlebars Bag Drop Kit
From Rattlebars.
Allows easy removal and replacement of hardbags - including bag mount hardware.
Blue arrows in pic point to the new bolts. Just remove the outer nut, one bolt at the front of the bag
mount bracket, and two small bolts on the piece that supports the bags from behind.
Cost $___ when I bought. It's fun to run as a standard now and then, but more important to me,
getting this stuff off makes cleaning and maintenance work much easier.
Only warning - getting the new front bolts lined up and in can be VERY difficult. At least you only have
to do that once.
WaynesWorld V-Grille
From WaynesWorld.
Highly polished stainless steel - looks just like chrome. I saw the original on Waynes bike
before he went into business selling them. I've wanted one ever since. The final straw in getting
it was having the big red "V" in back (MarkT's Highlighter). I figured I should have a big
"V" coming and going. Wayne has lots of other great stuff too. Be sure to check it out.
Air Horn hose cover
Rattlebars
(Chet) very generously offered to send me some metal braid as a free sample when I suggested that
Rattlebars come up with a product to cover the ugly frayed nylon that the Rivco Air Horns come with.
The braid looks great - much better than nylon - but I'm still trying to figure out what to do with
the area at the Y joint. More later...?
Skull & Bones License Plate Holder
From Touch of Grey (thanks for the tip Drifter!). Cost about $12. Also added theft resistant bolts and chrome caps.
IronBraid Levers
From IronBraid. (Thanks again to Drifter!). Levers are wider and more comfortable and chrome. Braid is not as close a color match as I would like, but still looks pretty good to me.
Concho's
Also from IronBraid. Match the levers. Replaced the two that came with my Mustang seat and the one on my Mustang tank bib. Cost about $11 each.
Clock
From Brookstone. Stickon clock for $10. I used velcro on two sided tape to mount it so I can remove when washing.
Chrome Trumpets
Back when I bought my Rivco Air Horns, they came with brushed aluminium trumpets. Now they come with chrome and Rivco let me upgrade for only $25.
Red Eyed Skulls
I'm pretty excited about my first real CUSTOM mod. I drilled out the reflector eyes in
my license plate frame skulls. I added 3mm superbright red LED's. Wiring was not as simple as I expected - a thanks to Chet for posting info on how to wire LED's and to MarkT for some suggestions he emailed. These are just wired to a steady red. Someday I want to figure out how to make them dual intensity with the brake light.
Mud flap and fender extension
Mud flap from Ace Leather
Fender extension from Bike Bike Parts.
Kuryakyn 4500 Highway pegs
Third try at highway pegs that I like. These put my feet as far forward as I like, but maybe a little wider apart than I'd like. Four times a charm?
Showchrome Pivot Cover
Looks good. Much cheaper than Hondaline. Worthwhile.
Wayne's World Neck Cover
Not an area I noticed much before I got this. Now I do. Especially when parked next to a Valk that doesn't have this. A fairly inexpensive dressup from Wayne's World.
Saddlebag hinges, tab covers, reflector cover
Little things from Show Chrome (Big Bike Parts).
The paint on the bags clasp area wears/chips after a while. The hinge cover fixes that and looks like it should have always been there. The tab and radiator covers don't really show much, but they make an inexpensive chrome fix if you are running out of things to chrome.
Wayne's World Carb Cover
Pattern in these match the Hondaline engine hangers very well.
As with the neck cover, I don't consider this a high priority item, but it does look good.
Another fairly inexpensive dressup from Wayne's World.
Aeromach Flat 6 Cam Cover
I also like the plain chrome version, but what the hell - I'm pretty proud of riding a "flat 6" so I'll show my pride.
Wayne's World Dragon Sidecovers
Dragon cutout with color matched background. I likes it.
Rattlebars Turnstylers
Covers the rubber in the turn signal stalks. Pretty cool, and, as always with Rattlebars stuff, very reasonably priced.
Rear Mudflap
I bought this hoping to keep the back would get less dirty. Doesn't really work, but
I do like the look.
Latest stuff
Haven't had time to write these up but lately I've added:
Magellan SporTrack Pro GPS
Gerbing heated jacket liner
Joe Rocket Ballistic 4.0 Pants
Joe Rocket Ballistic 3.0 Jacket
Rattlebars Peg Relocators
WinterWollies sheepskin seat (and backrest) cover
Progressive 412 shocks (standard duty)
Pics and details....one of these days...
Bit by bit, I hope to add:
someday...some sort of custom paint/artwork.
Rattlebars chrome exchange items.
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Last updated: July 22, 2003