..............as I have read Daniel advise.
Some of you know that my alternator failed on the way home from Inzane in Frisco Co. several years ago leaving me broke down just west of Cannon City. Nothing available at the dealer in Pueblo so I had to rent a U-haul to get home.
Last year we did 11 states and 4500 miles on one trip without mishap but the Valk is getting along in miles enough to double check things a bit. I've got a trip to Florida planned starting next week and there's been a nagging sensation that all is not well mechanically speaking. It started with a barely perceptible vibration at speeds around and above 70. Nothing you'd think twice about on many a motorcycle, but when the Fat Lady vibrates
AT ALL you'd better pay attention. However, I blew it off and as the memory of it faded I chalked it up to pre-trip jitters combined with ghosts of my past alternator break down.
Tuesday I started towing my new N-line trailer around just for fun and a couple of times I noticed a squeak like birds chirping as I let off the throttle letting the engine slow me down. Again I chalked it up to jitters and ghosts, telling myself it was just a new sound coming from the trailer I wasn't used to. I heard it several more times in the next few rides and by thursday I was convinced to get a u-joint ordered and on its way "just in case". After all, I'm going to own my Valk forever so I'll use it eventually, right?
Today, my son and I spent a very enjoyable day together out in the shop listening to tunes and getting the Valks ready for our upcoming trip to Florida. We changed the oil and brake fluid on both bikes, installed highway pegs and mounted the saddlebags on the Supervalk (woo woo, she's fat again!), and performed various other checks and small fixes
While we rode the bikes around the neighborhood to warm them up for the oil changes I had the chance to listen carefully for bad u-joint sound since I didn't put a helmet on. Sure enough, every time I let off the throttle I heard what sounded just like birds chirping. Pull in the clutch, the sound goes away. I think I could hear it some during acceleration but it was mainly during engine braking.
After all of the other work was done, I decided I was confident enough in my diagnosis to tear into her to confirm my fears. We got the u-joint off easily and sure enough, you can feel play in it just from hand pressure. It is not starting to come apart yet, but I don't think it would have survived the trip.
T-minus six days and counting until we leave and this is what she looks like tonight.
I hope that u-joint gets here in time!
Curtis
