MY NEW VALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bweiner10]

So after some crazy weeks and a few let downs....I am the proud owner of a '99 valk.  Black and silver and WELL taken care of.  SO far I havent had any time to take pictures cause I have been riding it!!!   Im gonna shine up all my extra chrome and take some pictures this weekend (assuming Earl doesnt level my house!)
Few quick questions from the new owner...
Is it normal to have a little ticking from the engine for a little while when the bike is first fired up?
My bike has the cobra 6 in 6 pipes.  Is it normal to have a fair amount of sputtering on the decel? 
And lastly, has anyone taken the emblems off the gas tank?  If so, how did you do it? 

Cool   Im so excited to be a real memner of the Valk community now!!!!   
Thanks a bunch,
Ben

[Jabba]

Congrats!

Mine does not valve tick.  It did till I adjusted the valves.

Mine pops on decel even with stock pipes.

I like the emblems.  They sell on Ebay some.

Jabba

[czuch]

Mine kinda gives a sputter on decel too. I didnt think a Honda would do that but I've spoken to other owners and they didnt think it should either.  So I guess it does. No valve tick here either.
Could be a black and silver thing.

[Strider]

Congrats!  You are gonna love the ride bro!

6into6 pipes tend to pop on decel - some have made me think people were shooting at us.  I have stock pipes but have followed behind a bunch of people that had the 6x6 pipes and yes, they do pop.

Valve ticking doesn't sound right - may want to have them adjusted.

A lot of people take the emblems off with dental floss and goo be gone.

Again - congrats on the new ride!!!!  You are gonna love it - and welcome to the community.

[SlowRoad]

You will love it I am sure.

 The ticking could be the pair valves. With that few miles, I doubt it's been desmogged. Mine has been desmogged, and I do still hear a little ticking sometimes even after adjusting the valves.

Ride safe.

Tim

[Redline +]

The Cobra pipes do not make a Valk pop on decel, at least mine didn't. Have installed stock exhaust now and still no decel pop. You might try changing the exhaust gaskets.

Cold engine ticking is not normal.

Redline 

[PhredValk]

Congrats on the new bike, look foreword to pix.
My 99 I/S popped and farted on decel with the 6x6s. I installed the stock pipes before my trip to Ontario in July and it mostly went away (bike seems stronger as well).
For tank emblem removal, go to http://www.virtualbiker.com/valkyrie/valkmods.html and scroll down to the bottom. Thats Bob's webpage. you should go to Main Page and have that bookmarked, along with Terminal Valcosity http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/terminalvalkocity/.
There is TONS of info and tips on the Valkyrie out there.
Luck, Fred.

[ricoman]

Congrats!
For emblem removal, light monofilament line worked better for me. Dental floss kept breaking. Be careful though, to much "sawing: with the line can cut the paint behind the emblem. Try lubricating with WD40 to eliminate marking the paint.

[highcountry]

More than likely, the popping that you hear is the PAIR system.  This is from Redeye.com:

"The Valkyrie has a PAIR system to supply fresh air to the mufflers under certain conditions.  When the PAIR system is working correctly and you’re coasting with the throttle closed, you’ll hear an irregular exhaust burble as fuel fumes detonate inside the mufflers. "

[Black Pearl's Captain]

The best way to remove the emblems WITH NO PAINT DAMAGE is to stick your fingernails in there and pull them off. they will probably break (plastic) but most any other method will/may damage the paint.

Raymond

[Smitty W.S.]

Congrats, Bweiner10.  I'm looking forward to your pics. 

[F6Dave]

The valve train uses rocker arms/screw tappets (no hydraulic lifters) so a bit of noise when the engine is stone cold is quite normal.  There are several thousands of an inch of cold valve clearance for a good reason:  so when the valve stems heat up and expand you don't have negative clearance, which would cause the valves to remain open during combustion and burn to a crisp!

I removed my warning sticker with WD-40.  It melts the adhesive without damaging the paint.

Popping on decel is not unusual but excessive amounts can be the result of cracks in the vacuum lines.  The cracks let extra air in when the throttle is closed, which lean the mixture enough to prevent complete ignition.  The unburned gasses then accumulate in the exhaust system and go pop when they come in contact with the external atmosphere.

[sugerbear]

try changing the oil. put in a heavier weight oil 15-50 etc. NO FRICTION MODIFIERS
look at the little circle on the back of the oil. needs to be blank on the bottom of the circle.

see if that takes away the tick.

[Chattanooga Mark]

Congratulations on your new Valkyrie.

Maybe the Cobra pipes tick as they heat up??? My oem pipes do not tick nor does my Interstate sputter on decel. Do you know if the carbs have been rejetted with the Cobra pipes?

The fishing line suggestion will take care of the emblem removal.

Enjoy it and be careful,

Mark

[Hoser]

Regarding the emblems, I like them,  without them nobody can walk up and say "What's a Valkyrie?"  Plus, I am not ashamed to ride one, quite the opposite, actually.  If you go that way, don't throw them away or break them, they are getting to be scarce.  I just bought this, and I wish the PO had not thrown them away. He about crapped when I told them what they go for on ebay.  Hoser

[bweiner10]

Wow     Thanks guys (and gals).  There is a ton of good info here.  Im thinkin im going to bring the bike into the shop for a once over and see about a valve job there to.  As far as the emblems go, by no means am I ashamed of the bike.  Quite proud actually... I love the thing!  I do like how a tank looks with out the emblems on it. 

[GreenLantern57]

Bought mine 2-5-09, has 6 gun exhaust, popped on decel.
Then last week found #3 vac hose with cracks. Cut off some and re-installed.
Bike idles smoother, popping has come down a bit, but still pops.
Enjoy the bike, they are great.  IF you get the emblems off intact, Hoser should give you a proper bid.

[buffalobill]

Dental floss, yup, dental floss  Rip off a foot or so and start working it front to back. The stuff is waxed and will not damage the paint. I have done it and it works awesome. Enjoy the Fat Lady
buffalobill