UPDATED: Finally a couple warmer days so started a big project.

[John Schmidt]

Pulling the motor on the trike so I can install the Wing motor with reverse. I'm going to try and R&R the engine without pulling the tank, airbox, & carbs...let you know about that effort as I go. I did take the trike for a spin around the area where I live, runs great so hoping the Wing runs as good. I'm down to removing the engine mounting bolts and exhaust, I'm thinking I might have to drop the driveshaft and possibly lift the front end a bit. Stay tuned!

[carolinarider09]

 

[98valk]

God Bless John!!!

[Jersey mike]

Good luck and hope it goes fast and easy.

Don’t get hurt just for reverse.

[old2soon]

    John being as you have a mite more "experience" behind ya as I duz just don't strain nuttin!  Take yer time and move Easy! At our "experience" level takes too danged long to well NOT bounce back But git to feelin like we might could do somethi or other!    RIDE SAFE.

[f6john]

I assume Nancy will be right there handing you tools and offering supervision as to how best to accomplish the next step.

[John Schmidt]

I assume Nancy will be right there handing you tools and offering supervision as to how best to accomplish the next step.

Being Palm Sunday and all, she said she's staying out of the garage so as to not chance tarnishing the meaning of this time of year. I might do well to follow suit...but probably won't. Since I'm done watching the Masters, there's still plenty of daylight left. Actually didn't "watch" much, was a good excuse to catch up on nap time. 

[Jess from VA]

Since I'm done watching the Masters, there's still plenty of daylight left. Actually didn't "watch" much, was a good excuse to catch up on nap time.  Wink

What I like about watching golf is the announcers are subdued, calm and often speaking quietly to not disturb the players (esp around the greens).  Sure, the spectators cheer and clap from time to time, but it is the most relaxing sport to watch on TV.  You never need to use the mute button, like most every other televised sport.  Good for napping too. 

[Pluggy]

The tank on that trike is special.  If I was working around that, I'd probably scratch or dent it.  Consider removing it, or don't be like me.

[John Schmidt]

The tank on that trike is special.  If I was working around that, I'd probably scratch or dent it.  Consider removing it, or don't be like me.

The tank is covered, but when removing the engine the work to accomplish that is done below the tank. I still cover the painted goodies and remove the leatherwork. I can then lay a small tray on top of the battery cover to temporarily hold nuts/bolts. Once a part is removed, all associated hardware is placed in a plastic jar and labeled via magic marker. I even number the intake runners so they go back in the same position. It's not necessary but old habits are hard to break. Didn't get much done today, a lot of moisture came through and the temp was in the low 50's, not my favorite working conditions...or should I say not my old bones favorite conditions. You're working with cold metal, at times laying on a cold floor, you're chilled to the bone so you get stiff. Tomorrow's another day! 

[Jersey mike]

John I have to say that’s a beautiful looking bike. Every time I see it in one of your posts I like to just stop for a moment and take a nice gander at it. The seat really seals the deal with that machine.

Good luck with the “R&R” surgery you’re planning. Hope things go smoothly for you.

[TJ]

 Go easy old fellow.... 

[John Schmidt]

Go easy old fellow.... 

Hey...that's geezer, SIR to you! 

You know going easy is my trademark these days, I just don't bend(or recover) like I used to. I put down a couple old blankets on the garage floor and laid my head on some foam,,,done to facilitate removing the exhaust nuts. Was kinda nice, had a space heater blowing warm air on me made me wish I had something to cover up with so I could take a nap while down there. Might as well make the most of it! 

[John Schmidt]

Making some headway, got the exhaust off and only one header stud came out. The OEM acorn nut won't move so once the pipes were off I tried double nutting the internal side of the stud to see if the acorn would move. Nope! Next tried heating the acorn nut with the double nuts in place...still nothing. Guess I'll cut it off, don't need it on the Wing motor since it has all the exhaust studs in place. I'm guessing this is the first time the pipes have been off since the bike was built in 1999. I'm not sure yet, frankly don't remember since it has been a while, but I might be able drop the motor without removing the radiator, will need to drain the coolant obviously. Sure was easier the last time I changed out a Valk motor, the frame was pretty much stripped. I think I'll cover the tank again, did decide to not remove the seat so far but might need to once the Wing goes in, the starter is longer as well as experimenting with how/where to dress the new wiring for it.

I have some small stuff to get out of the way to gain access to the lower hanger bolts, will probably go ahead and drop the driveshaft tomorrow or Wednesday. Nancy came out to visit and take a couple pics, then asked if she could do anything to help. "Why yes honey, stand over there"..."but I'm not doing anything to help"..."oh yes you are." You all know where this is going, right?   Later, since I didn't happen to have any hand cleaner left I dumped some sugar in my hands and added motor oil. Then scrub your hands good, the sugar works as a pumice and the oil loosens the grease. I then had her dump some Dawn dishwashing soap on my hands and it washes all the goo off, leaves the hands rather soft. Now where did I put the Tylenol? I'm encouraged...stiff but encouraged. 



One down, one to go. The left side is where one stud came out.

[Pluggy]

Good going, John.  Got any sheets of cardboard?  Even after draining the brake fluid and coolant, some residual is bound to dribble out.  No fun cleaning that stuff up.

[John Schmidt]

Yes I do. As for clutch fluid, I'll be using a plug at the bottom end of the line. There'll be some dribble initially but only a bit while inserting the plug. As for coolant, I'll remove the existing hose at the bottom where it attaches to the engine. I'm hoping this will keep me from having to remove the radiator. I'll drain it before doing any of that. I have a new hose to replace the one going from the t'stat to the top of the radiator, I plan to install that loosely just prior to installing the motor. This is an interesting endeavor since I've never R&R any flat motor...4 or 6 cylinder, without stripping everything off first.

I am debating about cutting the piggies and drilling the rear baffles on the exhaust. If I have the extra $$ available, I might look at some aftermarket units when the time comes. Maybe check to see if Mark has anything left over, not so much for performance but a better sound. 

[Pluggy]

John, my experience is..... Making the exhaust a little louder for you makes it much louder for your passenger. To keep the nice lady riding along, don't mess with the mufflers.

[Jess from VA]

Thanks for sharing John.

What a monster job that is.

I've grown to hate all work down low (bending, stooping, kneeling, crawling around).  I have one of those nice wheeled shop stools too, and use it whenever I can, but a lot of the time I have to get off and crawl right up down to the work.  I did a lot of crawling around giving my bike it's first detail clean and wax/polish of the year yesterday, and didn't even bang my head on the handlebars once (for a change).

I know you must have a plan, but wonder how you plan to lift/drop the old engine out and the new in?  It's about 300lbs.  If you and Nancy are doing it together, please post pictures of that.  

And what will you do with the replaced engine?    

[Thunderbolt]

John you are quite ambitious with this project.  I use large sheets of cardboard when working underneath the mower replacing blades etc.  We call it portable concrete when work has to be done where there is no poured concrete. 

[f6john]

I wish I had access to Nancy’s social media, where she shares those garage pics of her biker stud at work!

[John Schmidt]

John, my experience is..... Making the exhaust a little louder for you makes it much louder for your passenger. To keep the nice lady riding along, don't mess with the mufflers.

Stu, guess who mentioned how quiet the exhaust is and are there other versions available. Sure took me off guard.  The sound on a trike seems to be more muffled, probably due to extra body work that surrounds the exhaust. The pipes are stock I/S so don't go back very far. I'd like to remove that last section cover and replace with extenstions that would end out back. As they are now, you don't see the pipes and I'd like to have them show.

Jess, I'll drop the motor out using my bike lift as I've done in the past, might have to raise the front of the trike a bit since the forks are kicked out 6 deg., giving it a bit lower ground clearance. The Wing motor is on a lift table that has about the same profile as the lift re. size so the "plan" is to roll that into place and lift the motor up as needed with the hydraulic system of the table. I'll keep the old motor for a while until I'm satisfied the replacement is working good, then I'll put it up for sale. Once I'm ok with the mechanical side, then I'll address the electrical so I can actually use the reverse at the touch of a button. The Wing uses the starter button to activate reverse, I plan to create a totally isolated circuit without using the starter button. It will include some sort of fail-safe to disengage the reverse function in case a relay should get stuck in the wrong position. Gonna be interesting! 

[Pluggy]

A certain breed of men consider the exhaust note as something special.  

Some guys could hear a car going down the road and say "Chevy 327 with dual Hollywoods".  Hollywood mufflers, remember?  I recall the sound of a 383 with dual glasspacks.  I didn't have that car for long.

This is a manly characteristic and women don't get it.  Today, we are best off maintaining a quiet motorcycle.

[old2soon]

     WHERE iz ya plannin on puttin the reverse actuator on the trike? The 88 G/W has that lever factory installed. ALMOST looks like it belongs. The 12 G/W just has 2 buttons on the right-throttle side-of the switch cluster. Once levers/switches are set and yer in neutral the starter button on either G/W actuates reverse. Even With the reverse I Still observe the parking area I wanna use so as to Not tax the starter too much. And Apperciate the updates!  RIDE SAFE.

[old2soon]

A certain breed of men consider the exhaust note as something special.  

Some guys could hear a car going down the road and say "Chevy 327 with dual Hollywoods".  Hollywood mufflers, remember?  I recall the sound of a 383 with dual glasspacks.  I didn't have that car for long.

This is a manly characteristic and women don't get it.  Today, we are best off maintaining a quiet motorcycle.

     The 88 G/W while Not stock quiet is Quiet. The 12 G/W on the other hand Will TALK when ya grab a handful! I don't believe the 12 is obnoxious But I am a bit hard of hearin!  RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

This is a manly characteristic and women don't get it.  Today, we are best off maintaining a quiet motorcycle.

My wife, who I taught to ride (the best I could) liked loud pipes.  She said she liked the sound, but I think she really liked that they made so much noise all the cagers on the road knew she was there, and gave her wide berth, and she needed the help.

I always led, because I knew where we were going, and it also kept her noise behind me.   

All I have on my bikes is 18" truck stacks instead of the rather cheapo stock tips.  They just create a bit more rumble than stock, which is all I like.  And I always wear ear plugs these days to protect my hearing (not from the exhaust, from the wind roar in half helmet).  I have to pay a bit closer attention to my tack with ear plugs lest I cruise around in a lower gear than I should (not hearing it). 

[John Schmidt]

Dennis, the reverse actuator won't be like on my '92 Wing I had, it actuated cables to engage the reverse gearing so not using that approach. I created(injuneered) a spring loaded method mounted on the right side and attached directly to the engaging mechanism. Modified an old clutch handle to engage by moving it forward, allowing the mechanism to engage/lock into place via a spring loaded lever. To disengage, I simply raise the old clutch handle and it returns to neutral position.

Jess, the truck stacks are what I'd like to find and long enough to extend to the rear bumper. Strictly for looks more than anything. Don't know the length needed just yet, where do you park your bikes just in case I need to find some...and your vacation schedule. 

[Jess from VA]

John, back in the day, everyone got 4" Chrome truck stacks from Air Flow Systems (of various lengths), but all I get in a search for that company now is dust collectors for industry, and no exhaust parts at all.  A few links later I get raw metal stacks for big trucks, but no chrome.  There's also a boatload of old links to this forum talking about them.

My 18" Air Flow tips used to be perfect, but no longer.  I think you're going to need longer than 18" if you want to see them in back.

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=4+in+chrome+stack&hvadid=738945356529&hvdev=c&hvexpln=67&hvlocphy=9008188&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=8768162009691253368--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8768162009691253368&hvtargid=kwd-2384970830532&hydadcr=24779_13727420&mcid=d98a59633afb3f85bd85004dcc394161&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_8mfijx1a5b_e_p67

https://www.truckpipesusa.com/categories/4-exhaust-pipes/4-chrome-stacks/4-od-chrome-stacks.html?srsltid=AfmBOorAi4eet-YLNVmPzhcQP111Gwy2RC5IgylOvXUug5pK6yAlORGF

[John Schmidt]

Air Flow...I couldn't remember the name. I bought a set from them for my '98 two-wheeler I'm trying to sell. Amazon isn't too pricey but USA Trucks sure are. There's a couple local truck equipment/accessory dealers I can check, they might have something.

[John Schmidt]

Guess I've sold my '98 Tourer, meeting the guy in the Michigan UP this Saturday. I've owned it well over 20 years and have added a number of improvements so many of you understand...it ain't easy to let it go.  I put about 45k of the current 47k on it, most of those miles were in the first approx. 10 years of ownership. Then my Rita started to really slip and couldn't leave so miles covered from about 43k to 47k came in the last few years prior to buying the trike. It's going to an experienced rider so hopefully he'll be able to handle the Valk. I'll be glad when this is over and someone can make good regular use of it, I hate having to let it sit but I was no longer comfortable on two so once I had the trike, the '98 had to go.

If you want to take a walk down memory lane, go to November of I believe the 2021 Valkyrie calendar. That's kinda the old girl's heyday.  

SAD UPDATE: I loaded the bike on the trailer, gathered a fair amount of stuff in spare/chrome parts in a tub and put in the car, got all set to spend a weekend away from Green Bay for a little break with Nancy. A general time and location had been established, he had previously written "I want the bike" so that set things in motion, he even suggested this weekend if it worked for me. Then, after all was set to roll, I received a note saying he wanted to look at another bike and to postpone our meeting. Today, got a note saying he went with the other bike. Believe it or not but I suggested the VRCC Tech Board, his name is Max from Troy, MI. Am I bummed out, yes! Mostly cuz I feel I was kept on the hook until the last minute. So, now the bike comes off the trailer and back in storage...or park outside where it will be easily stolen then turn in to the insurance.   Not really, not in my moral playbook but I've known others over the years that have done that.