Bench starting a 1983 GL1100 Goldwing Interstate engine using 1981 wire harness, 1982 Coils. Proving the engine out.

Assessing: Apollo Blue 2001 GL1800A Origin: Vermont. Great ride across the country to BC via I/S 90 in Sept 2011. Just one beautiful bike. I have a calendar-quality picture of this beside a Sundance Orange ’02 from Syracuse, NY, taken just at sundown looking at the mountains to the west of Buffalo, WY.

Found this incredible 2000 Valkyrie 1500CF in Helena AR. Made a deal with the retired Doctor who owned it, flew into Little Rock, and he brought the bike there. Late in the evening after the dust settled, around 11pm, I was hungry and thirsty. Walked to a pizza outlet at the end of the parking lot, passing under a tree full of mocking birds: a first for me. Noisy buggers, they are. Found out that the Tabasco sauce in the deep south was way better than what they export. Got a ‘drive-out’ cert from the DMV in the morning, hit the road out of Little Rock. Camped that night in Albuquerque, rolling in at about 12:20 AR time. Hit the road in the morning, good day in, camped north-west of Bakersfield, CA about 45 miles or so.
Met my buddy there, who was coming from picking up a GL1800 that I helped him purchase in Pheonix.
Next morning headed north. Redding CA by mid afternoon, finished the purchase of the jade-black ’98 there, then loaded up and drove to Canby OR, crashed there for the night. Across the border about noon into Langley, BC. Excellent ride, and here’s some of the commentary and scenery along the way. I did an Excel spreadsheet take-off of the added parts and accessories on this bike: they totalled well over $9,000. Talk about loaded.
NOTE: lots of wind-noise that I could not correct: due to the fact that I was one-handing a pocket camera while one-handing the bike. I cut as much out as I could and yet still retain some flavor. Enjoy.

Trailer Test: The above Valkyrie GL1500CF 2000 absolutely loaded. Picked up in Little Rock AR, met my co-driver Geoff who I freighted to Redding, CA to pickup the ‘jade’ ’98 CT also pictured, the day after arriving home. This video is testing both my long-draw trailer and how the Valk handled liked it. Bike didn’t notice the weight. Trailer (I have had it at 108mph behind my GL1800) drew just fine.

1998 Valkyrie GL1500C picked up in Ellensworth, Maine, drove to New Brunswick, then back through the USA to Langley, British Columbia. Two Brother pipes, wide open when I picked it up: impossible to drive. Immediately to the nearest gun-shop for the best ear-plugs money could buy, was still deaf when hit the Maritimes. Fixed that enough to drive across the continent by fashioning baffles from a double-bugle early Ford Klaxon horn. Using that Klaxon Horn to build baffles: cut it in half, plated it on each small-end, drilled three 3/8″ holes in the plate, then two 1/2″ holes on the wall outside the plate, fashioned three tabs on each side, and mounted in the same holes as the stock baffles were mounted: courtesy ‘Cuz Wayne'” at his shop. This was the fastest Valkyrie I have ever ridden. With those pipes open it RPM’ed like a two-stroke, and was still nearly as strong with the baffles we fashioned.

1997 Honda Valkyrie GL1500C Carburetors done : testing after they are placed. WARNING: Buy ALL new pieces except the vacuums (if they are good). Save yourself grief.