Valkyrie Alternator Service

[Sodbuster]

I now have a little over 40k on the bike and am thinking of pulling the alternator for inspection/maintenance. Is the "How To" section in ShopTalk pretty much right on ??  Are there any other "surprises" not covered in that article or am I good to go with what's in there ??

Thanks for your input  -  Sodbuster

[eric in md]

just no cusssssssing its a really tight fit .. take your time and breathe .. trust me it will try ya  ps . might want to spray some good wd 40 , etc on them bolts and becareful work them back and forth some . then anti seize them on install

[Ricky-D]

That is one of the things that I would suggest is something to leave alone as long as it's working properly. Someone suggested in a thread one time this philosophy:

Why change something out (that is performing properly) with a replacement of unknown proven quality.

There is a lot of wisdom in that statement and it applies to many other things also, for instance:

Changing out working light bulbs or good bearings.

And it applies to exploratory stuff like removing the alternator. Won't you be heartbroken if you break off a bolt or two? and for no good reason except to get look!

***

[Sodbuster]

It was my understanding that it be a good thing to clean out all the "dust" to prevent premature failure.  And, I have no idea how long those brushes last .... any input on that one ??

Also, because I'm one of those Northern Folks, I have some downtime now because of winter and figured it would be proactive to check it out NOW instead of being stranded out in the middle of BFE.

IF I was to go forward and remove the alternator would it be better to warm up the engine to remove those bolts ??  Right now it's sitting in the garage in 30° temps.

[sandy]

I replaced my brushes at 80+K miles and wished I had waited longer. Broke the middle bolt and still using only 2 bolts on the alternator. I'd guess the brushes will last 100K plus. Leave it alone.

[Sodbuster]

I replaced my brushes at 80+K miles and wished I had waited longer. Broke the middle bolt and still using only 2 bolts on the alternator. I'd guess the brushes will last 100K plus. Leave it alone.

Sounds like a good thing to do is just leave it alone based on what you fella's are saying .... think I'll just invest in a good voltmeter and call it good.

Thanks to all for the advice !!

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

I replaced my brushes at 80+K miles and wished I had waited longer. Broke the middle bolt and still using only 2 bolts on the alternator. I'd guess the brushes will last 100K plus. Leave it alone.

Sounds like a good thing to do is just leave it alone based on what you fella's are saying .... think I'll just invest in a good voltmeter and call it good.

Thanks to all for the advice !!

Buy a new or used one to carry on trips ....If it goes out in BFE then you have one 

[Willow]

It was my understanding that it be a good thing to clean out all the "dust" to prevent premature failure.  And, I have no idea how long those brushes last .... any input on that one ??

If it helps you any to know, I have 166 thousand on my Standard and haven't yet serviced the alternator.  I am carrying a spare unit and probably should just give in and swap it.

You should be able to blow the dirt out without removing the unit.

[Fajack]

     My valk alternator went at 43k     Replaced it and cked brushes again at   70k    They were half worn so we did new ones.  Hope that helps
    PS  Buy a rebuilt alternator      Much cheaper
 
   

[Sodbuster]

Thanks again for the responses.  The one thing that kinda bothers me is that I live on a gravel road so not sure if that will accelerate the wear factor on the brushes or not ??

[salty1]

Thanks for starting the post, a lot good info came out.

[RP#62]

You don't have to go all the way, so to speak.  You can remove the chrome cover and blow it out with air, assuming you have a compressed air source.  You will be amazed at all the dust and crap that blows out of it.
-RP

[RP#62]

Another thing to consider - I understand Ricky's point, but would you rather deal with the bolts during riding season when your alternator craps out halfway between Quartzite and Tonopah, or off-season in your shop, when you've got days to soak them in penetrating oil and finesse them out?  Had I known then what I know now, I would have removed the bolts one-by-one when the bike was fairly new, before they had time to corrode in place, and anti-seized the crap out of them.  I've done this now on both of my Valks (removed and cleaned the alternator on one, removed just the bolts and applied anti-seize and corrosion preventative to the other.  At least I know that if my alternator fails on the road, it will be a straight forward replacement and won't have to involve a machine shop or any Michael Rodent engineering.
-RP

[YoungPUP]

When I pulled my alt. trying to find a my mystery tick, I pulled the bolts with the eng at temp, and then left it alone till cool. Antisiezed the Hell out of them on the way back in. Aside from the dissimilar metals thing with the steel bolts and aluminum block, I'd think that some of the issues come from the exposed ends of the bolts sticking through the block gathering crap. May be worth some wire brushing on the exposed ends for good measure before trying to remove.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

My alt. died on me while riding the Hill Country about 220 miles from the house. Made it to Austin by pulling the headlight fuse and push starting the lady at the motel and after fueling up. We got into the city in the heat of the day so we rented a u-haul truck bought some tiedowns and went to the house. All total about 300 dollars for the truck,fuel and tiedowns.
  It is much better to fix somethings before they break. I have a voltmeter on the bike so at least I saw the end coming.

[Sodbuster]

You can remove the chrome cover and blow it out with air, assuming you have a compressed air source.  You will be amazed at all the dust and crap that blows out of it.  -RP

 

Had I known then what I know now, I would have removed the bolts one-by-one when the bike was fairly new, before they had time to corrode in place, and anti-seized the crap out of them.  I've done this now on both of my Valks (removed and cleaned the alternator on one, removed just the bolts and applied anti-seize and corrosion preventative to the other.  At least I know that if my alternator fails on the road, it will be a straight forward replacement and won't have to involve a machine shop or any Michael Rodent engineering. -RP

 

Now that sounds like good preventive maintenance !! .... I like it !!

[Skinhead]

Scar's alternator failed a few years back on the Blue-Grey ride, I pulled it in the parking lot to check it out, the windings were open and we couldn't fix it, spent the rest of the night getting it back in. 

We got him from Gettysburgh to Detroit the LONG way by pulling all his light fuses, keeping him in the middle of the pack, and swapping my battery with his when his got too low to run the bike.  Unforntunately, this only works when you have another bike with you.  Another reason to have a riding partner.

[fudgie]

Mine went in easier then it came out. I took it out and took it to a local alt/starter guy for a check up. This was at 50k. He said its was all good to go till about 100k, then he will check it again. He's a winger and says these are very good alts on the Valks.