K&L Petcock for Honda Valkyrie. Failure report.

[nogrey]

I unintentionally posted this in the “General board” so am moving it to the tech board where it belongs.

My general philosophy on purchasing parts/tools/whatever is “go with a quality brand”. Things are not always “cut and dried” though. I have used K&L products several times and have in general been pretty pleased with the quality of their products. When they came out with a petcock replacement for the Valkyrie, I thought it might be worth a try. I have 2 Valkyries, an Interstate and a tourer. My tourer is my “around town” bike and the Interstate is my travel bike. So I figured I’d try the K&L on my tourer. Also had a few friends try it on their bikes. Here are the results: One friend almost immediately removed it. He habitually turns his fuel valve to “off” as a matter of good practice. He noticed that when he’d forget to turn it back on, it made no difference. Fuel delivery was normal no matter what position. So he ditched the K&L and purchased an OEM.
Another friend just finished up a 3,300 mile trip through Canada and is still running it with no issues.
I sortof “forgot” about mine and shipped my bike to Attic Rat recently for his GLH upgrade. Bob tested the K&L with a vacuum tool. His comment when I went to pick up my bike was “I don’t like it”. He said that sometimes it would deliver fuel with vacuum and other times not. Wasn’t sure what to make of it but didn’t like it. Well, It just flat failed in Vernal Utah. No fuel. Fortunately, my friend I was riding with had a spare, used OEM that a friend had given him “just in case”. I diagnosed the issue immediately and we made a roadside repair. Back up and running in less than an hour.
So, if you’re considering a K&L petcock to replace the OEM, all I can say is “2 out of 3 owners of K&L petcocks would never buy one again!”. Oh, and I intend to make that 3 out of 3 as soon as possible.
I don’t mind trying new things once in awhile if it seems plausible. I also don’t mind sharing my failures if it will help others.
Happy trails VRCC friends. Thank God for good VRCC friends all over the world.

[Gryphon Rider]

Thanks for the report.

[Valk737]

I have a pingel.   Love it. And it’s hidden under tank for additional security

[Gondul]

I have a pingel.   Love it. And it’s hidden under tank for additional security

Same... switch it to 'OFF' down the road from the house...it's usually sputtering pretty good by the time I roll up into the garage.

[Led]

I have a pingel.   Love it. And it’s hidden under tank for additional security

Same... switch it to 'OFF' down the road from the house...it's usually sputtering pretty good by the time I roll up into the garage.

You have made MY point!   There are Guys whom will never drain their carb's.

My "O" rings on the fuel rail will leak, if I let Her sit too long.........but She runs like a champ, once those swell up!!    NO carb cleaning for me........

[Gondul]

You have made MY point!   There are Guys whom will never drain their carb's.

My "O" rings on the fuel rail will leak, if I let Her sit too long.........but She runs like a champ, once those swell up!!    NO carb cleaning for me........

Well... she sat for a long and and I had BigBF fix her up for me when he went through FL.  She'll only sit for a week or so at most, and I add Stabil 360 every other tank moreso for the tank than anything else.

[nogrey]

Pingle petcocks are fantastic, no argument here. I had one on my first interstate. BUT, not everyone, myself included, wants a pingle. I like the placement and the looks of the OEM fuel control. So, I want a OEM petcock. I’ve been shutting off my fuel valves on my bikes for 51 years and have developed a pretty reliable habit. My report was to save folks money should they feel the need to try the K&L petcock. So, for me, only a new OEM is a choice. I figure this one should last the rest of my life/bike’s life.