New Valkyrie owner - What to check first ?

[ldrandler]

Dear VRCC member,  I purchased a one owner 2001 Valkyrie standard with 20k miles three weeks ago.  Wow ! This may very well be my last motorcycle.  Most impressive machine but I am sure you all know what I am talking about.  My question is - What do I need to check first to insure the machine is properly maintained.  I have already checked the spark plugs (look good) and air filter (filthy, new one coming from dealer this week).  No noticable noises except for the gear whine, mostly noticable in 4th between 35 and 55 MPH.  The dealer has offered to do the 24K maintenance for $310 labor plus parts.  This would include valve adjustment, carb sync, changing coolant, brake / clutch fluid, spark plugs, final drive fluid, oil and filter.  I know he will probable gouge me on the parts.  I am enough of a mechanic to do everything but the valve adjustment and carb sync.  How important are those two items ?  From what I have seen on this board, driveshaft and final drive splines lube appears to be a major concern.  The rear tire, a Avon Cobra AV72, appears fairly new.  I would hope that at least the splines were checked when it was replaced.  Any input would be most appreciated. 

[SANDMAN5]

Most important thing is did you know the previous owner? That would help
a lot. I avoid dealers whenever possible,$310 seems awful high for what is
mostly easy to do. Check (replace) the vacuum and fuel lines, change out
all the fluids and ride it for a while. Splines should be checked sooner than
later. Carb sync and valve adjustment are important, but in the few times I've
had mine done, none were very far off. Maybe somebody here is close to you
and can give it a look-see...unless they're gone to Inzane!

Helpful hint...start saving NOW for chrome and gas.

[Walküre]

Welcome to the boards, and to the Valkyrie! I'm a newb here, as well, but have had 7 or 8 Goldwings over the years. I know others will respond, but I will share what I know.

No noticable noises except for the gear whine, mostly noticable in 4th between 35 and 55 MPH.  The dealer has offered to do the 24K maintenance for $310 labor plus parts.  This would include valve adjustment, carb sync, changing coolant, brake / clutch fluid, spark plugs, final drive fluid, oil and filter.  I know he will probable gouge me on the parts.

the whine is well-known - enough so, that it has it's own part number, in case yours is missing.  

I have a great mechanic, that did work on the Wings, and I asked him for the exact same service you did. He "included" parts on the estimate, and told me between $400 and $600. So, looks like you are right in the ballpark. I decided to do the work myself. I am capable, just don't really have the time, and was hoping to get it done fast, so I can ride more this year. However, for the cost of parts, I will do it myself. When I first got mine, I did a lot, before riding it - checked all fluids, levels, took wrenches to all the bolts I could, to see if any were loose (can you tell I used to own a HD??), and only found one missing, but none loose. I checked the tires, BUT NOT THE PRESSURE!! I cupped my rear, on the first 20 mile ride in to town. Make sure you have a good tire gauge, and use it often!

I am enough of a mechanic to do everything but the valve adjustment and carb sync.  How important are those two items ?  From what I have seen on this board, driveshaft and final drive splines lube appears to be a major concern.  The rear tire, a Avon Cobra AV72, appears fairly new.  I would hope that at least the splines were checked when it was replaced.  Any input would be most appreciated.  

I am just getting ready to do my carb sync. I have done everything possible on a 1200 wing, total motor teardown. Believe me, YOU can do both the valve adjustment, as well as the carb synch. If you do a search, you'll find ALL kinds of info on the tech board, on the carb synch, how to build your own tool, etc, etc. It is NOT in the least bit difficult. Just pay a little attention, and follow the directions closely. Same with the valve adjustment. It ain't rocket surgery. Plus, you'll get a great feeling of satisfaction, and you'll understand your Valk, just a little bit more. And, if you DO think you're having a little trouble, we're right here...I understand the intimidation, and hesitation - I have done dual and triple carb setups, in the past, but not 6. However, it's all the same, just more of them.

As well as I LIKE TOOLS!! It just gives me another excuse to buy a few more.

EDIT: As Bob said, someone close to you might be willing to lend a hand.  You might go edit your profile, and add where you live. That way, sometimes people close to you can respond. Just a suggestion...

Whichever way you go, keep us posted. And remember, you are among friends!



Roger

[Thunderbolt]

and the o-rings.  There are 3 o-rings and a thrust washer in the wheel.  Be sure that the last thing you tighten when you put it back together are the 4 bolts where the drive shaft tube attaches to the differential.  I normally remove the bolts on the muffler hangers underneath and use wooden wedges to get a litle clearance thereby you don't have to remove the mufflers.
I wouldn't worry about the valve adjustment just yet although it is not that bad of a job, just do it at an oil change, as you will lose a little oil when you pull the covers.
Post your location, maybe someone lives near you and has a carb sync tool and will do it for you.
Put a few ounces of Sea Foam in your tank a couple of times to clean out any residual crud in the tank and lines.
Look at Shop Talk for a lot of helpful procedures.  Also check www.rattlebars.com under chet's valkyrie for some good information about the bike and he also has some good how to's posted.  One good one is how to get the u-joint out easily, which you might want to do while you have the rear wheel off.

[9Ball]

welcome....

There are really few parts to what you are having done, just an oil filter, plugs, coolant, brake fluid, and drain washers (if they do it right).  The price doesn't sound too bad, but all these jobs are on the easy side.  It may be worthwhile to have your mechanic do these just for the sake of expediency until you get your Honda Service Manual (best investment you can make).

For the carb synch you need to either build a unit or buy a CarbTune II or TwinMax type setup (about $100 or so investment).  Sometimes there are other local riders that are willing to share tools to save some money and make a few friends.

You might want to have them use synthetic oil ( don't ask what's best...that's up to you) and final drive fluid.  I use synthetic brake fluid for the brakes and clutch.

We're here to help if you have questions or run into problems.  Please remember to ask before getting in over your head.  There are a few rookie mistakes (especially on the final drive oil change) to be made that will cost you aggravation, lost riding time and money.  Better to ask first.

Enjoy....

[Farther]

I would suggest you change all the fluids, including, but not limited to, coolant and brake/hydrolic fluid.  Your brakes and clutch should be good at 20k.  Keep the tire pressure at 45 pounds, dump a bottle of Techron in the tank and just ride it.

[Spirited-6]

Welcome Idrandler.   You stated you purchased a one owner . My suggestion would run down that person and find what they have done to the Valk. No sense in double dipping items, IF YOU CAN FIND OUT thier past service. If not, you have been given very good advice. When I purchased my 98 Tourer @13,500 miles, the PO would not respond to my request so I did every thing. That way I knew where I stood on my New Love.  
Good luck.
Don.

BTW, the only thing I did not do was pull drive shaft and check U-joint.     

[asfltdncr]

Not knowing the bike, it would be a comfort to know the valves were in adjustment.  I did this for the first time last year and if you follow the info available in "ShopTalk", I'm certain you can do that.  If the bike runs smoothe, I wouldn't worry about the carb synch.  It would also be comforting to know your drive shaft and rear end splines are all greased (pasted) and services.  The valves and splines (don't forget to order the 3 o-rings) are things that would cost you failure if neglected right away.  The others can be done on a more leisurely basis-but still need to be done.  Oh, and check all rubber goods and change your coolant as soon as possible.  It is comforting to know some of the maintenance of this great bike.
Have fun.

[Walküre]

I only mention the carbs, because I bought my Valk 1000 miles ago, and it ran great for around 800. then, in 200 miles, it started running rough and blued the pipes. Haven't had the time to look at it yet, but not riding it until I do. Wouldn't hurt to do a "check" on them...

R

[Patrick]

You've gotten some good advice.. Checking/replacing the vacuum lines and caps, tightening the exhaust retainers[ go easy,, only 7 lb/ft], and checking to see that the drive splines have been properly lubed and reinstalled correctly I think would be the first things to look at.. Make sure the engine runs properly at low engine speeds, if it does good, if it doesn't let us know..  Its nice to know where the valve adjustment is at every once in awhile and its not that hard to do so When you feel like checking them just let us know and there are a couple tips to make the job easier and more pleasant.. If the engine idles smoothly then I wouldn't worry much about the carburetor sync, but, its easy to do and I only use a plain ole vacuum gauge..Again, just let us know when you decide to do something..

[1FAST6]

It's really hard to damage a Valk unless you are totally negligent!  They are tough as nails!  The drive splines on the rear wheel are one weak link.  You have to schmeer them good with grease (I use Honda Molly Paste, but there are other choices) every 10k mi. and make sure the 3 o-rings are in good shape.  I replace the o-rings about every 30k mi or so.  If the o-rings fail, or you don't assemble it properly (tighten the 4 bolts holding the final drive to the swingarm AFTER you torque the axel) the splines will eat themselves and you have to replace the final drive unit.  The other weak link is the petcock on the fuel tank.  It's an easy rebuild, but if you wait for it to fail, it can do catastrophic damage to the engine (search "hydrolock").  Order the Cover Set (COVER SET,rooster 16953-MBZ-B51) for $28 at HDLPARTS.com and rebuild it before you install the new air filter, and every 3 yrs or so afterwards.  Some will recommend replaceing it with a Pingle brand Manual version.  Sometimes the left rear wheel bearing will fail, but that's hard to anticipate.  I replaced all 4 wheel bearings, u-joint, steering head bearings, and timing belts at about 75k mi as a preventive step over the winter one year. At 20k mi, you shouldn't have to worry about such things for a long time!

I've had my 2000 Interstate for 5 years now.  Got it with 35k mi and now have 115k mi.  Other than these things and usual maintenance items (oil change (Rotella T Full Synthetic), final drive oil change, clean the K&N air filter, and replace rear tire ~ every 10k mi, fluids every 2 years, new plugs every 50k mi) I've only had a minor fork seal leak for the whoile time I've had it (because I paniced and dropped it too hard from a wheelie!).  I adjusted the valves once at about 50k and found none were out by much, might check them again this winter.  If you can do the "Nickle Trick" (do a search), then you don't need a carb sync!  

Look through Shop Talk to see how to do most of the common stuff, but I wouldn't worry too much once you check the rear splines and rebuild the petcock, make sure she's got oil and coolant, pour a can of Seafom in the gas tank, fill'er up and "Ride It Like You Stole It!"  Unless you have a specific problem the rest can probably wait till winter.

[fuzzy2bucks]

Fuzzy2bucks says Welcome!

Like you I just bought my Valk recently it is a 00' Interstate with 14K.  My first Big Bike and I love it, wish I had purchased the Valk I sat on in the dealership back in 02' for $16K.

My bike only needed coolant change and flush, $170.17  with tax at the deaer. The previous owner said that there was no need to change coolant ? ? ?    :tickedof
The previous owner used STABIL improperly for 10 years and the carbs were gunked up, but I was able to get the bike running good with a can of Sea Foam. 

My bike was a one owner also and I pumped as much info out of him as possible, it was difficult  because the bike fell on him last year and his legs were trapped underneath the hot engine and he had apparently given up riding forever.

I installed Iridium plugs in the beast and it starts a little faster now and sounds better.

Enjoy.

[Spirited-6]

The previous owner used STABIL improperly for 10 years and the carbs were gunked up, but I was able to get the bike running good with a can of Sea Foam. 

Fuzzy, I sorry but how do you improperly use Sta-Bil ? Too much, too little, or what. I have used Sta-Bil along with Sea Form and never had problem with eather.
TIA.

[bigdog99]

i guess i will be the first to tell you that when you get on a straight away and no ones around, you know what i mean? you need to check at what RPM the front wheel comes back down rapidly due to the rev-limiter.  once you find that out, AT 1 RPM LESS, THATS WHERE YOU SHIFT INTO SECOND!  THEN YOU'LL KNOW YOUR ON A VALKYRIE.
thanks for your time.

[F6Dave]

This is a bullet-proof bike, arguably the most reliable ever made.  Unless it was abused it is unlikely anything is wrong.  Obvoiusly you should look at the oil, coolant, and other fluids to make sure the levels are OK and they're not full of crud.  The rear end (several sets of splines back there) can probably wait until a tire change.  Much more damage has been done to these parts by improper 'maintenance' than by neglect.  The valve lash rarely gets more than .001" out of spec, so I wouldn't lose sleep over that.  If the idle is smooth, the carbs are probably pretty close to being in sync.  I've personally ridden my 2 Valks over 200,000 miles and by far the most maintenance time has been spent changing tires!

[ldrandler]

Wow, guys, thanks for the speedy and very informative replies !  All this data will take a little following up on my part.  I did change my profile to show my location.  I still have several thousand miles to go before the 24k mark, so plenty of time to decide what to do and maybe find someone nearby to help me with a wrench party.  Took a little looking but I finally found the "nickel trick" video. Man, is that impressive.  I'll give it a try once I get the new air filter in.  Mine was really dirty and I think it is causing the slightly uneven idle my bike has.  Still need to do a little more digging for tech files.  Haven't found anything yet to tell me how to get the driveshaft itself out or details on that petcock rebuild / replace.  I do have Chets "frequently asked questions" file saved and Carls "Valkyrie Maintenance" file saved.  Both very good, my sincere thanks and compliments to both authors.  And I know you have all experienced this before but whenever I show someone my new bike, it's either "Man, that's a lot of motor" or "That's a big bike"  or "How fast is that muther?"  Can you see the smile on my face ?  Like I said before, there's a very good chance this is my last motorcycle !  No need of riding a lesser machine.  Thanks to everyone again ! 

[1FAST6]

Petcock rebuild is simple.  When you look at it, you will see a little nipple where a vac line hooks up.  There are 4 screws around it.  That's the "Cover".  Take those off and you'll find a spring, a plastic disk and 2 rubber diaphrams separated by a metal collar.  Remove the old parts inside the cover and replace them with the new ones from the kit.  Pay attention to the diaphrams and which side they came from.  They are not both the same.  Put it back together and replace the 4 screws and you're done.  About a 5 minuite job if you already have the tank off. 

[B]

Idrandler... rumor has it that Honda ha some bad u joints & brgs in the late 90s... Ck the u joints when you're into the driveshat... & brgs. I had brkdowns from both with less than 20k on the bike after I bought mine.

[Gryphon Rider]

Regarding brake and clutch fluid:
If they are a light golden colour (like ginger ale), just leave it until the next brake pad change (assuming you're riding regularly).  If it is getting dark (like real ale), change it now.

[Farther]

Honda ha some bad .... brgs in the late 90s....

What's a "brgs"?

[Cliff]

Honda ha some bad .... brgs in the late 90s....

What's a "brgs"?

Brgs = bearings 

[Farther]

Man, I hate texting lanuguage.

[Mildew]

The only thing I've done to my bike was change the oil, tires, just changed the final drive for the 2nd time 53k. I still have the orig spark plugs, battery, engine coolant, headlight and air filter. Never had the fuel tank off and it rides great. 33 mpg at 80 - 90 mph back and forth to work each day running 87 octane with no additives

[ldrandler]

So I got a new air filter installed today.  Like I said, mine was really dirty.  I was concerned about the idle.  The tach said it was smooth and steady at 900 RPM after warmup but just sounded rough.  No noticable change with the new air filter.  Still idles smooth but still has a little rough sound.  I assume it is the exhaust that sounds a little rough.  I tried the "nickel trick' after the install.  Hadn't tried it before.  So with the bike on the sidestand and idling, the nickel is rock steady.  Very cool !  Crack the throttle quickly or get above 3 grand and down goes the nickel.  Guess thats OK but the guy in the video got his to 6 grand before coins started falling.  Bike runs great so I'm not overly concerned.  

[Robert]

Your wallet and then HDL then the bike.

[ldrandler]

Robert,

So true, so true !  Wallet isn't doing too bad yet, but I am working on my parts and accessories list, so I don't know how long it will remain that way.  I know for sure that I am not going to do with this bike like I did with my last one.  I had bought a new 2004 Suzuki Volusia and ended up putting $3500.00 worth of accessories and a $650.00 custom Electric Green paint job on it only to trade it in on my Valkyrie.  I really took a beating on the trade in.  Oh, well, I really wanted the Valkyrie and the Volusia was getting boring.  And I was really tired of that V twin sound and vibration. 

[Printer Mike]

The helpful replies to a new owner makes me really proud to be a member here.

I'm a relatively new Valk owner(less than a year) and don't have much experience, but I would like to add a suggestion. I find it helpful to write dates and milage on air filters and oil filters. On dark surfaces a silver Sharpie works great. I also do this on my riding mower and boat... the info. really comes in handy when I'm scratchin' my head trying to remember when...

[B]

Sorry bearings. Ck your front & rear closely. I replaced both by 18k on the bike.

[SANDMAN5]

Also wouldn't hurt to do the starter button maintenance. Did mine
yesterday. Only takes about 10 minutes.

[Gear Jammer]

Honda ha some bad .... brgs in the late 90s....

What's a "brgs"?

I'm guessing "bearings",,,,,,