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The Valkyrie that was resurrected from the grave.

Check out Bob's bike. Look at it very very closely.


Read how Bob Rickel brought this beauty back from the grave.

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Just imagine this bike was a TOTAL WRECK according to the insurance company that obtained it after it was wrecked by one of it's policy holders.
In Bob's own words.
I have a friend who buys bikes for salvage (parts) after the bikes are totaled by the insurance company. He told me that he had a 1999 Valkyrie with 4500 miles on it that had a Virginia Salvage title and could be turned into a Florida title. I currently owned and was driving a 1984 GL1200 Standard with 13,000 miles in near perfect condition. Basically it was the grandfather of the Standard Valkyrie.

I had always admired the Valkyrie since it was basically my GL with a lot more power and size but I always figured that it was too expensive for me. I bought the wrecked Valkyrie for $3800. I started checking with my local Honda dealer for the parts I needed to rebuild her. WOW, was I shocked. I needed a new fuel tank ($1295), new exhaust ($1100), new front and rear fenders ($700. each), both gauges complete ($650), plus a number of other pieces like a brake master cylinder ($140), handle bars,engine guards, foot pegs, complete headlight shell ($200) and a number of other small parts. Needless to say I was in sticker shock. I had rebuilt a number of bikes like this one over the years but I could not believe how much prices had gone up. Then I found the VRCC website and started looking into the classified section for parts. I was able to find all of the parts I needed with the exception of an engine guards, handle bars and headlight shell through the classified ads. I was able to sell both the dented up tank and fenders for $50 apiece on the VRCC classified website.

The bike is now finished and I have $5200 invested in her. Not bad for a 1999 Standard with 4500 miles. My original plan was to finish her and sell for a nice profit to my brother in law, but then I started riding my Valkyrie (just to make sure everything was OK). Well within a week my museum piece GL1200 was up for sale. I sold the GL to a collector off the internet for $5000 so I have a nice Valkyrie for the $200 dollar difference. I had promised my brother in law first option on the Valkyrie but I called him and told him he would have to look elsewhere, he just ordered a new one. I told him to check the VRCC website for the club in his area (Knoxville) and am looking forward to cruising in the mountains with both our Valks.

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Below you will find a number of "before" pics. Click on image for enlargment.