Newbie with questions: timing belts, battery, cruise and auto signal shut off

[melloyellow]

Hello everyone.  I bought a sweet Valk about a month ago.  I have put about 500 miles on it and everything is working great. I have changed the bags and removed the sissy bar since this picture.

Here is my story.  Just a year ago today I inherited a 77 Goldwing.  I spent the next few months doing a complete restorartion.  I have spent many hours on a site like this call Naked Goldwings.  I could not have done the resto without their help.  So, I was glad to find this site which seems very similar.  The Valk is a 98 with 9700 miles.  It has been babied and nearly perfect.  It has new tires (avon) and plugs from the PO.  The brake fluid and coolant will be changed this winter (they are original I am told).  On the Wing site it is recommended that the timing belts be changed every 5 years.  The Valk manual says 100,000 miles but does not mention time.  I was wondering what the opinion of this site was.  I am replacing the battery (12 years old and still working).  Are there other maintenance items I should be concerned with?  There are two items I am considering putting on the bike.  Throttle lock and auto signal shut off.  My wife has a shadow with a very simple throttle lock, but I can not seem to find one like that.  I have also found a signal shutoff plug for about a hundred bucks.  Trouble is i read the reviews and about half said they were great and the other half said they were total junk.  Any experience out there with these? Manufactured by Kersian I think?  A picture of "The Boys" follows.


Thanks for your help and I am looking forward to my time on this site.  Ernie

[SANDMAN5]

Kisan...Kissan....something like that. I've never understood the need
for one. I turn my signals off myself....several dozen times a day. Never
wore out a switch yet! Anytime I see somebody else make a turn, I hit my
off switch. Anytime I see somebody else give a signal, I turn mine off. It
works great and it's free!! Probably go ahead and change the
belt. 12 yrs old. Lube the splines, change the vac and fuel lines. Put gas in
it and ride. I have a throttle lock, but I can't remember the name of it!

[Michvalk]

Welcome. Here is my take. Look at the belts,altho there is no real reason,Will make you feel better. I think you may need to change them in 100000 miles or so. Don't cost a thing to look. Now the other end of the bike is different. Should pull the rear tire and wheel and inspect for grease in the coupler. While you have the tire out, should inspect the driveshaft and change the fluid in the rear end. There are many threads on all of these procedures. The search function is your best friend. Almost everyone will help with problems so ask away. Search is just faster, as almost everything valk has been discussed. The drive portions of the bike are usually all that need peroidical maintainance. Change all the fluids as a matter of course. Look and admire. The only real thing it needs is ridden. Have fun

[Thunderbolt]

Change the brake and clutch fluids every couple of years or when they discolor.