Help - Inner fairing hits tank * Found Problem - It's Stop Damage - What now? *

[SonicWeaver]

Hello everyone!

New to the world of Valkyrie. Just picked up a nice '99 green & silver Interstate which has quickly turned into my best friend. What beautiful machines these beasts are!

My right side (while seated) inner fairing is touching the gas tank when turn the wheel all the way. There's a hard stop on the left that keeps it a 1/4" away from touching so I'm guessing something is wrong on the right.

Any idea where the problem lies...is there an adjustment somewhere?

I have also noticed that the console appears to not be quite straight from front to the back. The tach side (right) seem slightly closer to the handlebar than the left.  Could this be related?

Thanks!

[Jess from VA]

Hey Sonic, welcome.  

Back when I was in the Air Force at March AFB (87-92), I used to come down though Fallbrook all the time, going through the back door Naval Weapons Station over to Camp Pendleton.

I can't remember anyone ever having this particular trouble before.  It sounds to me like a prior owner had the fairing off (all or partial) and didn't get it back on correctly.

I think you can unbolt the fairing on top (and not bottom), and swing it forward enough to look down in there and look around (maybe without having to unplug anything).  I doubt the right side handlebar stop has been broken off, and your description of crookedness seems to bear that out, that it's the fairing mount that is the problem.

It's likely that the bolts, nuts, spacers (hardware) on the left is correct, and on the right is not, so pay close attention on disassembly. 

I'm assuming from the pic and your description, that there is no evidence of a fairing hit (or bike dump).

Do you have an OE manual?

Here's the parts fishe.  https://www.procaliber.com/oem-parts?aribrand=HOM&arian=MOTORCYCLE#/Honda_Powersports/GL1500CFA_(99)_VALKYRIE_INTERSTATE%2c_USA%2c_VIN%23_1HFSC410-XA000001/FAIRING/61347acc-638e-40e4-aa4f-0fceb839ab88/ecd3f70d-60e6-43a9-953b-061747e5c5e0/y  

[shadowsoftime]

Make sure the speaker cover is screwed down correctly on the bottom, you have to lift up on the left bottom corner to get it in right, lean back and look at the left speaker cover at bottom for comparison.

Last week when I replaced speaker cover inserts I ran into the same problem.

[SonicWeaver]

Thanks for the quick replies!

@Jess Small world. Wish I could take that route through the base but civilians can't drive through any longer. But there are a bunch of quiet country back roads here. With the help of Google maps I've discovered places in the last month that I didn't know existed in my 30 years here.

The fairing is like new and as far a I can tell the bike hasn't suffered a major dump. Thanks for the link to the drawing and disassembly tips. I'll do some exploring. Yes I have a OE manual.

@shadowsoftime Appreciate the suggestion. The previous owner mentioned that he had upgraded the speakers. Perhaps they didn't get it put back together properly. I'll check it tonight

g

[shadowsoftime]

Thanks for the quick replies!

@Jess Small world. Wish I could take that route through the base but civilians can't drive through any longer. But there are a bunch of quiet country back roads here. With the help of Google maps I've discovered places in the last month that I didn't know existed in my 30 years here.

The fairing is like new and as far a I can tell the bike hasn't suffered a major dump. Thanks for the link to the drawing and disassembly tips. I'll do some exploring. Yes I have a OE manual.

@shadowsoftime Appreciate the suggestion. The previous owner mentioned that he had upgraded the speakers. Perhaps they didn't get it put back together properly. I'll check it tonight

g

New speakers could be to deep and forcing the cover to stick out.

[SonicWeaver]

Figured out what wrong.

Good news - The fairing mounts and speaker cover are good.

Bad news - The steering stop on the right side is damaged which allows the wheel to turn too far.

There is an aluminum collar (for lack of a better word) that is on the steering stem that limits travel in either direction by hitting a stop on the frame. The right side collar and the stop on that side have chunks (around 1/8" - see the photos) missing from them which allows the steering to turn farther than it should. It does eventually reach a hard stop that's quite a bit father than the other side.

On the left side the travel stops when the turn signal is a little over 1/2" from the radiator cover. On the right had side the inner fairing hits the tank and with the inner fairing off the right turn signal will touch the radiator cover just as the steering hard stops.

I don't see an easy fix and don't see the damaged collar part in the Clymer manual. I suppose the damaged stop on the frame could be built up with a spot weld and then ground down. Or a hole could be tapped on the frame lip above where the missing chunk is and a small bolt could be inserted to make up for the missing prices from the collar and the frame stop?

No idea how this happened. The previous owner said he never dumped her.

Other than the speaker cover hitting the tank if turned all the way there doesn't appear to be any other issues. Should I be concerned?

Thoughts are appreciated!

g


Right Side Stop


Frame Stop Zoomed In


Steering Collar Stop Zoomed In

[The emperor has no clothes]

It looks to me like there is frame damage at the weld on the neck. I hope not, maybe the pic not showing it well.

[SonicWeaver]

Sure hope there's no frame damage.

I believe the rusted areas are where the paint chipped away. I don't see any cracks in the metal or the weld. Here's a shot from the top.

[Jess from VA]

Well, I did mention the handlebar stop in my post, but didn't think that could be the problem.

I have never heard of such a thing, short of a crash or impact hard enough to cause such damage.  I suppose you could rear end a car (or something) exactly straight on, hard enough to cause steering head damage, without damaging the fender or fairing or wheel, and maybe even the forks.  Maybe.  I'd do some more careful looking (with light) at the triple tree or anything else for evidence of a compression impact. It could just be bad metallurgy (seems unlikely).

And I cannot tell from the pictures either, but it does look like there could be frame damage (at the rust).  Claims adjusters and body men look for cracks in frame powdercoat as evidence of frame damage.  And if it is, I don't know what to advise other than expert inspection.  A catastrophic metal failure there while riding could conceivably be bad enough to cause a wreck.  Maybe.  Frame damage might be a weldable fix, but maybe not while on the bike

If it is just the stop damaged, I would think you could try to improvise or weld up a stop, or maybe just live with it.  The bars aren't going to turn that far in unless you guide them there (and damage the tank?)... unless you get pitched over by a road hazard, or grab too much front brake in a slow downhill turn (like leaving a gas station apron).  I know for a fact the cops that do those complex coned obstacle course competitions for speed, cut the stops off their duty Harleys (or maybe it's only the competition Harleys?).

I can do very sharp turns, circles, 8's and Uturns in narrow streets, and I never hit my stops, though I know it's pretty close.  Where I hit my stops is pushing my bike around with my feet doing three point turns.

 

[The emperor has no clothes]

In this pic, down at the bottom section of rust, it looks like a crack. But, I'm viewing it on an old iPad. Hopefully I'm wrong. The bike otherwise looks really nice !

[SonicWeaver]

Not sure where you're seeing what may be a crack. I assume you are talking about under the stopper tab? I'll take a better look there tomorrow and take some shots upwards from the bottom. Any chance you can circle it on the photo and re-post it?

I agree that it had to have taken a decent whack to bend the tab and chip the aluminum collar stopper.  

Do we have any frame gurus on the forum?

Appreciate the thoughts. Fingers crossed that's the only problem.

[Bagger John - #3785]

Best way to do this is to remove the fairing, tank, front end (including triple trees) then wire wheel the paint off the suspect area and look for cracks. If all is good, weld and shape a new stop then prime, paint and reassemble.

If you find frame damage I'd head over to your local salvage place, eBay or one of the online parts sources and buy a known good replacement frame. The only two points of contention requiring special tools are the steering head bearings and the swingarm bearings. Everything else can be R&Red with a decently equipped toolbox.

Check with the members on the board for the tools. I'm pretty sure someone has them and will help you if the bike needs to come that far down.

[pancho]

That frame may have been dropped at assembly when they were about to build the bike up.

[SonicWeaver]

Dremel wire brushed and cleaned the area. I then examined both sides of the frame and the triple tree with a magnifying headset and used fingernails to feel for cracks. The welds are solid and I didn't see or feel anything that remotely looked like a fracture on the frame or yolks.




That's just a paint scratch

@Bagger John - I didn't remove the fairing and do the tear-down. The only area that looked damaged was the small welded on stop tang and it was easily accessible with the wheel turned to the left. By turning the wheel I could examine all of the front frame (just not the very front) on both sides and most of triple trees.

I've have lived with it for a while and other than being careful when 3 pointing out of the garage there are no other probs. I may have a welder stick a nub on the end of the broken stop at some point if it becomes an issue.

Hopefully she got out of this one with a mere flesh wound!

Thanks for the input everyone!
g

[larue]

I had bought a salvage Valk once and it has the same stopper chipped in half, usually from impact, removed the triple tree and got it welded and problem solved , you can get a used one fairly cheap on eBay for what it would cost to have it professionally welded and shaved to original size. Either way it needs removed. In your case the previous owner might have it changed and never even noticed the issue.

[Jess from VA]

Well that is good news (no frame damage). 

[The emperor has no clothes]

  good to hear.

[SonicWeaver]

@larue Appreciate that info. Sorry that you had the problem too but good to see there's a solution.

I'm fortunate that the triple tree damage to mine doesn't sound as bad as yours. There is just a small chip out of the top of the stop, maybe an 1/8" max.  I should be able to put a couple of spot welds on the steel tang to build it out and then Dremel it down to where it needs to be without removing anything. JB Weld putty may be even be viable as it's more of once in a while emergency stop unlike the necessary kick stand side stop.

[Jess from VA]

I sit here trying to think of the worst that can happen with that diminished handlebar stop.

They are a safety feature, but it's not like you have no stop, just a shorter one on that side. The bars can't spin around like a bicycle on that side.

The worst that comes to my mind is whacking or marking the tank (not good), however it might happen, and you did mention that the fairing seemed a bit crooked (so maybe that too).  Otherwise, I can't see much problem at all just riding around.  But if the tank is at risk, it seems to me a fix of some kind is indicated.

I once taped an XL Kotex pad on a badly leaking fork (not as a permanent repair, but as a way to get home with less oil on the front), but that would look poorly on your gas tank full time.  Before I got home, it got noticed by fellow riders in a gas station, and was a source of great amusement.  

A good spot weld may be the best fix (if it will stick), but I'd have to get someone else to do it.  Keep in mind it is not far from a big gas tank (and a bunch of gas plumbing underneath).



  

  

[SonicWeaver]

Will remove the tank first. The exploding gas tank is what brought JB Weld putty to mind!  

[steveB (VRCC UK)]

Disconnect alternator, battery, ecu, etc before heli-arcing; but you knew that right?
 

[SonicWeaver]

Did know about the battery but not the alternator...thanks!

[Skinhead]

There is a triple tree. For sale in the classifieds.  Is that the part that is damaged?