anybody in Central/upstate ny(UPDATE)

[justintyper]

hey guys ,

 i bought my fat lady in february from the same honda dealer i bought my first bike from last year(2010 shadow phantom). anyhow i wanted a bigger bike for long rides so i traded the shadow in for the valk thinking that they would go through a used bike before they sold it.well i guess i was wrong i paid top dollar and had her back once for them to "clean the carbs" which didnt really make much difference. now im feeling a vibration when going around corners especially 2 up feels like a bad bearing but im not sure. i emailed them about it a couple weeks ago and got no response . ive put around 1000 miles on her since i picked her up and dont feel as though i should have to pay to replace parts already im new to motorcycles but ive been an auto technician for almost 20 years im just looking for somebody local to me that is more familiar with the drive system on the valk and is willing to give a hand for a couple beers or bbq. im borrowing a motorcycle lift from a buddy to get her up in the air and pull the back wheel but id appreciate if somebody was willing to give a hand preferably that has had experience tearing one down.  

[bentwrench]

Hey justin,
                   If that dealer is close by you should drive over and have them road test it.If no luck there get ready to pull the rear wheel.you'll want to check the bearings and the drive splines any way.
bw

[Hoser]

"clean the carbs"  That's his code for I don't know what's wrong with it, but it's expensive, so I'll try that.  Unless of course he covered it, if so, he dumped a couple cans of carb cleaner in the tank and hoped it would fix it.  Hoser 

[justintyper]

lol yeah i know in the very least they should have replaced the slow jets.... i knew when i picked it up they didnt do crap but balance them and adjust the idle.... im prepared to tear the rear appart...im just pissed i have to i could have saved considerable money and bought from a private party.... having worked in car dealerships i thought(wrongly) that a bike dealer would be similar in how they dealt with issues like this. anyhow looks as though im on my own in this endeavor ive read plenty of posts and looked at a ton of pics and i have a factory manual so i should be ok but god help them if i find more than bad bearings back there ...somebody may end up eating some metal

[xman]

Justin, Any waranty?   It is at least a 10 year old bike, and if it has low miles the carbs could have low speed jet issue. The good news it's a great bike that can have a long life.  :)Issues with it can be fixed with the help of the guys here.

Vibration in the turns can be tires, look for cuping. They don't last long. Next it maybe wheel bearings, front or rear.  The reardrive should be pulled to clean and grease the splines and check the wheel bearings. You never know if and when it was done until you check it. Do a search, rear drive. You will find all the information and links to Dag's video to do it yourself. It's not that hard, just get a center bike lift.  I used overhead straps to raise and lower the swing arm with the bike on the lift.

How many miles on it? What's the running issue with the carbs.  

Tom

[justintyper]

ehh the carbs arent really an issue its gotten better over time ive run a few cans of techron through her and low speed (2500 or less) has gotten better and yes i did note a little cupping on the rear tire i am going to pull the rear wheel either this weekend or next and check things out i have rear hundreds of posts on here and shop talk links i was just looking for a hand checking her out and venting about the lack of service from a place ive purchased two bikes from....honestly with the previous work ive had done there ( i had a recall on my shadow for bank angle sensor they had it 6 weeks and never told me it was done i picked it up and a plug wire was off and vacuum hoses were a mess) so id rather do it myself but if i do find major issues i hope they will be willing to pay for the parts i love the fat gurl and if they were still in production i would have bought a new one just mainly irritated about the dealer.... oh and shes about 47000 on her ive put almost 1500 on her since the weather has cooperated shes a 98 standard

[N0tac0p]

hwere do you live?  i am in western ma and have had my wheel off a number of times.  its always a treat

[justintyper]

im in syracuse its looking like ill be tackling it this weekend barring any unforeseen events im hoping it is just the tire im feeling and that i find the splines lubed when i get her apart

[Skinhead]

I agree that the splines should be checked, depending on the mileage, if it.s a low mileage bike they may be ok, but should still be checked.  BUT, my real reason for posting was to suggest that you can check the bearings without pulling the rear wheel, Jack the bike up (I usually support mine with Jack stands under the crash guards and under the bag rails (if you have them).  But once you get the wheel off the ground, grab it and shake it to check for play.  If you feel any play, the bearings (usually the left) need replaced.  If no play, check the tire for cupping as previously mentioned and also check your shock bushings (although, they usually cause a rear end wobble).  also go here and download a copy of the service manual if you don't have one and the valkyrie maint guide:

http://www.valkyrienorway.com/download.html

http://www.valkyrieriders.com/ShopTalk/ValkMaintManAcrobatPDF.pdf

[xman]

Justin, suggestion, before you pull the wheel, and your shutdown, you might want to get a few of the parts and grease you should have to put it back together. You don't need much but as far as I can tell Honda dealers don't stock any of them.

Tom

[Robert]

It may be a bad bearing but may also be the tire itself causing the problem. If it is under inflated then it causes cupping and when you make a turn it feels notchy like a bad bearing. If you keep the pressure up it will get better. If you just get the rear wheel off the ground and spin it you should be able to feel if the bearings are ok most of the times. Easy job to do you will have no problem Dag/ Valk Norway has a on line manual that you can get.

[Bone]

Remember what Skinhead said in his reply;

Jack the bike up (I usually support mine with Jack stands under the crash guards and under the bag rails (if you have them). 

Strap the girl down if possible. When that back wheel comes off the balance changes.

[Chrisj CMA]

lol yeah i know in the very least they should have replaced the slow jets.... i knew when i picked it up they didnt do crap but balance them and adjust the idle.... im prepared to tear the rear appart...im just pissed i have to i could have saved considerable money and bought from a private party.... having worked in car dealerships i thought(wrongly) that a bike dealer would be similar in how they dealt with issues like this. anyhow looks as though im on my own in this endeavor ive read plenty of posts and looked at a ton of pics and i have a factory manual so i should be ok but god help them if i find more than bad bearings back there ...somebody may end up eating some metal

shoot me an email if you want a slide show of the rear R/R I think its a good back up for the book....you get to see exactly how it looks as it goes back together

chrisj357@cox.net

[justintyper]

i intend on strapping her to the jack i borrowed its the yellow harbor freight mc jack i know ill have to use some blocks of some sort to get to the frame without taking the exhaust off and as far as tire pressure goes im running 42 rear and 40 front she had stock air pressures when i picked her up so that could account for the scalloping im seeing and hopefully thats all thats wrong she has metzlers on her btw fronts in good shape rear not as much got a good wear mark in the center tread. thanks for all the replies guys you have been a great help

[justintyper]

well i got time to put the gurl on the lift after work this afternoon to check for bad bearings and see if i could feel any play in the u joint and to my surprise(and joy) i found no slop and the bearings felt smooth as did the u joint no slop that i could feel in the joint itself the only noise was the brake pads rubbing a bit while spinning the wheel. but take a look at the rear tire


in this one you can see how choppy it is when i picked the bike up tire pressures were stock im running 42 rear 40 front for the past 1000 miles or so judging by the chop itll smooth out by the time i need a new one lol

so im happy that nothing too serious was wrong but i do intend on ordering the proper grease and paste and o rings and lubing everything up soon as i can afford to. thanks again for all the info and input.

[jer0177]

well i got time to put the gurl on the lift after work this afternoon to check for bad bearings and see if i could feel any play in the u joint and to my surprise(and joy) i found no slop and the bearings felt smooth as did the u joint no slop that i could feel in the joint itself the only noise was the brake pads rubbing a bit while spinning the wheel. but take a look at the rear tire

in this one you can see how choppy it is when i picked the bike up tire pressures were stock im running 42 rear 40 front for the past 1000 miles or so judging by the chop itll smooth out by the time i need a new one lol

 so im happy that nothing too serious was wrong but i do intend on ordering the proper grease and paste and o rings and lubing everything up soon as i can afford to. thanks again for all the info and input.

Once a tire is scalloped, it will stay that way until it's replaced - they won't ever smooth back out.

What is your tread depth in the center of the tire?  It looks a little bit low.  2/32" is the minimum - that's also the distance from the top of a penny to the top of Lincoln's head, so if you don't have a tire depth gauge, you can use an upside-down penny. 

[justintyper]

yeah i am familiar with tread depths and the like ive been an auto tech for almost 20 years and a nys inspector for 5 im figuring ill finish this season and figure out what i want to do for next spring possibly darkside and if i wanted to i could smooth out the tire in an afternoon but it really isnt that big a deal at this point im just glad everything mechanically seems sound at the moment. i also took apart and cleaned/lubed my start button today that was a barrel of fun let me tell you lolbut now it works great so all in all a good day with the fat gurl.

[jer0177]

yeah i am familiar with tread depths and the like ive been an auto tech for almost 20 years and a nys inspector for 5 im figuring ill finish this season and figure out what i want to do for next spring possibly darkside and if i wanted to i could smooth out the tire in an afternoon but it really isnt that big a deal at this point im just glad everything mechanically seems sound at the moment. i also took apart and cleaned/lubed my start button today that was a barrel of fun let me tell you lolbut now it works great so all in all a good day with the fat gurl.

I will tell you that your Valk will be much harder on tires than your Shadow was, and you may or may not believe me, but that's your call.  It's a much heavier bike and the power it has compared to a Shadow is no match.  This tire probably won't last a whole season in that shape if you ride more than every other weekend.

[Raverez]

Did you get it at sportsman on taft road?.   Hey I m in baldwinsville. Call me I m usually home every other weekend.
Seven 2 zero 0six five seven. That's my cell..   should be home on the 8th of June

[justintyper]

naa i got her at cny powersports in cortland thanks raverez ill catch up with ya at some point im sure small area and ive only seen a hand full of valks around and jer0177 ill be keeping an eye on things if its bald ill change it not a big deal but im just gunna run it till its gone.