What's the best valve stems for the Valk?

[Fritz The Cat]

I have read all the threads about valve stems on this site and can't quit find the answer to this question.

1. Most like the patch boy stems but the shipping cost is a deal breaker. Nobody bothered to mention what the shipping cost was so I dunno. A couple people linked to other sites that sell them but the price was higher and again, no mention of the shipping cost. Others said that having the nut on the inside of the wheel wasn't such a great idea.

2. The Myers stems at jakewilson.com look good but someone mentioned that the stems they received were not the stems pictured. Somebody else said they had them and they leaked.

3. The billet stems are way more than I want to pay so they're out of the question, as are the oem stems that I have now.

So what's the majority rule on stems here?

Thanks
 

[98valk]

I have the myers stems, easy to install with the tire on the bike and work fine.

[JaysGone]

4 for $15..........Im using them on both bikes and so far holding up just fine.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Tire-Wheel-Valve-Stems-90-Degree-Angle-Honda-Goldwing-/230624191967?hash=item35b245e5df&item=230624191967&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

[NITRO]

Patchboy. A member bought a bunch and resold them at cost at last years's VOAI ride-in. That's probably the most cost effective way to go.

[Disco]

I have all three mentioned plus the ones supplied with my Doran 360M TPMS.  All work fine as long as you get them tight enough.

[Bone]

2007 I bought 4 Patchboy stems for $16.04 the shipping was $9.09.

[donaldcc]

2007 I bought 4 Patchboy stems for $16.04 the shipping was $9.09.

This is on board every month.  on Jake Wilson today you can buy 10 of these for $20 with $7 shipping.  Give em to your buds as the two you use on your tires will last forever.  i use them and absolutely no problems.
tighten these with the nut on the outside, not inside, so you can always check if it is tight.  patchboy is much higher on shipping.



http://www.jakewilson.com/p/52/-/343/753/-/19082/Myers-90%25C2%25B0-Tubeless-Chrome-Valve-Stem/VALVE+STEMS

 this is the PatchBoy with the nut on the inside of the wheel where you can never see it.  25 cents more and increased shipping.

[dreamchaser]

I know they are way too expensive, but I like the look, light weight, and design of the cast aluminum 90* stems.  Just to show how smart I am, which size is the correct choice for our use.....the 8mm or the 10mm?  What is the cheapest anyone has seen them for & where?

[vanagon40]

This is probably not too helpful, but is a bit of nostalgia.  I got a pair of 45° valve stems in 2007 from Hard6 in Louisiana (S&S Motorcycles).  He used to chrome wheels.  Not sure what happened to him or where he is today, but he was a great guy to do business with.

Here's to you Hard6.

[Ricky-D]

Nothing wrong with the stockers!

Thousands of Valkyries on the road with no problems.

On the forum you only hear of the failures, mighty few, and never of the success.

Those who fear the potential,, need to choose depends,, when anticipating a fart!

***

[Rocketman]

Cost to the upgrade is small.  Difficulty of the upgrade is minimal.  Cosmetics of upgrade are good.  Cost of failure, even if not very common, will at best leave you on the side of the road, and at worst cause a wreck.

Tell me again why it's stupid to do the upgrade?

Mark

[dreamchaser]

I just ordered a pair of the Billet valves.  In my opinion it is a worthwhile upgrade, that is functional, attractive, speaks  to safety and doesn't cost a whole lot. 

[JaysGone]

Above all the other pluses.
If its easier to check your air pressure.
You will do it more often.
Nearly impossible on my bike with a rubbery valve poking out the left side on the rear tire as in my case.

[Disco]

Tell me again why it's stupid to do the upgrade?

It's not stupid to do the upgrade. 

It's also not stupid to use the stockers IF they are changed at EVERY tire change. 

That's the beauty of the upgrade.  They don't need the plastic retainer clip and they don't need to be changed at every tire change in order to prevent inconvenient and potentially catastrophic failure. 

Based on that, it's kinda stupid ill-advised to argue against the upgrade. 

[T.P.]

I picked up a few pair of these.  from KG  we use the 11.3mm

http://kurveygirl.com/shop/index.php?cPath=27

$29 + A few bucks for shipping

[Gryphon Rider]

I got valve stems very similar to the Patch Boy ones from a local supplier to tire shops for less than $3 each.

[98valk]

It's also not stupid to use the stockers IF they are changed at EVERY tire change. 
 

why? they are made of the same flexible material as the stems on auto/trucks use.
 My front oem stem started leaking at 31k, rear is still fine. upon inspection of the front stem one half was still intact, the other half clearly was deterioated from the chemicals in my post below polish in my case, rear tire/wheel gets polished less due to saddle bags and was trying out different polishes on the front wheel.
 If one would stop using the chemicals they will not fail.
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,31683.0.html

[Disco]

why? they are made of the same flexible material as the stems on auto/trucks use.

You're right, and while the typical tire change interval on a car or truck is longer than on a motorcycle, in my experience, the valve stems are replaced at each tire change.  Plus, losing all four valve stems at the same time in a car may not be as serious as losing one on a bike.

My front oem stem started leaking at 31k, rear is still fine.

Assuming it is, for how long?  Do you know how old it is?

If one would stop using the chemicals they will not fail.

That's a pretty strong statement. 

How 'bout this one?  If one would stop using oem valve stems, one could polish the metal stems while polishing their wheels.     

Based on that, it's kinda stupid ill-advised to argue against the upgrade.

A cheaper-than-oem upgrade, at that.   

In the interest of saving myself some keystrokes and to link this discussion to a really good prior one, click here for a valve stem thread that ran May - November 2011

[Ricky-D]

It's easy to concoct any kind of argument to instigate a change, whether real or imagined. Stupidity not withstanding!

I feel the bling argument is paramount although many will go to great lengths to deny the fact.

Honda would not have developed a failure prone item and then produce it for general use on the Valkyrie.

Myself, I still have the originals which show no signs of deterioration.

I feel most all failures are the result of riders using inappropriate automotive practices, chemicals, and general ignorance in this regard.

It's the same kind of thought processes that are considered when the discussion revolves around the fuel petcock and "what to do".  (The pro & con of vacuum actuated)

I am sure there are those that would say the aftermarket metal valve stems "Never Fail".

***

[Valkpilot]

I encourage reading the post at the link Disco provided.

The OEM stems can fail, sometimes catastrophically, if not changed with some frequency and regularity.

No part on any machine is a "forever" or "never fail" item.  But when an all metal stem's gaskets age and deteriorate as the OEM stems do, they will just leak, not break in half and separate completely from the rim as the OEM stems do.

There's no rational argument for not changing to all-metal stems with gaskets given the price and potential consequences of a valve stem failure.

[Disco]

It's easy to concoct any kind of argument to instigate a change, whether real or imagined. Stupidity not withstanding!

I'll give you that one.  If you add Hope to the argument, anything is possible.   

I feel the bling argument is paramount although many will go to great lengths to deny the fact.

What's wrong with bling?  What's wrong with an upgrade that looks good, too?  Metal valve stems may be the best utilization of Safety Bling out there!   

Honda would not have developed a failure prone item and then produce it for general use on the Valkyrie.

Other than brake pads, brake rotors, clutch parts, clutch lever bushings, light bulbs, oil filters, tires, bearings, fuses, shock bushings, wheel dampers, etc...

Myself, I still have the originals which show no signs of deterioration.

   They may show no signs, but how do you know they are not deteriorating?  You don't.  The safe bet is that they have deteriorated.  Even if your bike is an '03, the valve stems are pushing 10 years old.  Oxygen, UV, freeze/thaw, centrifugal force, exposure to chemicals, push/pull while adding air, etc, are, and have been at work for what sounds like a long time. 

I feel most all failures are the result of riders using inappropriate automotive practices, chemicals, and general ignorance in this regard.

That may be true, but if the practices aren't going to change, why not embrace a more robust component to combat the abuse? 

I am sure there are those that would say the aftermarket metal valve stems "Never Fail".

I won't say they'll never fail, but I do believe they are less likely to fail rapidly, or because they are old and don't have a plastic retainer clip holding them in position.

Happy Independence Day!   

[98valk]

valve stems are required to meet SAE 1205-1206 ozone requirements, they are now made of, except cheap ones from china with,

EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) Rubber has outstanding resistance to aging, weathering, ozone, oxygen and many chemicals. It offers excellent high and low temperature stability, plus steam and water resistance.
http://www.timcorubber.com/rubber-materials/epdm.htm

EPDM DOES NOT DETERIORATE UNLESS THE WRONG CHEMICALS ARE PUT ON IT.

Oil Resistance Poor
Aging Weather Sunlight Excellent
Low Temperature Usage (F°) -20° to -60°
High Temperature Usage (F°) Up to 350°
Tensile Range (P.S.I) 500-2500     is one putting that much pressure on a valve stem while checking or putting air in??

my whole point of posting anything on this matter is WHY OEM FAIL,
not whether oem or aftermarket are safer during a failure. Obviously the ones with a metal tube going through the rim is safest if the EPDM fails.
OEM fails from the chemicals being put on them, same reason I surmise that the alternator cover chrome peels. A lot of cleaning products including waxes/polishes have some type of petroleum in them which causes EPDM to fail.
after 12 yrs my alternator cover looks new, I have never put any wrong type of polish on it.

[Gryphon Rider]

Tensile Range (P.S.I) 500-2500     is one putting that much pressure on a valve stem while checking or putting air in??

Not to argue your point that EPDM is durable, but just to correct the understanding of "Tensile Range".  I'm sure they are referring to the range of tensile strengths that the material can withstand, not the pressure that a vessel constructed with it can withstand.  E.g.:  Mild steel has a tensile strength of 60,000 PSI, but a typical tank made with it can't hold 60,000 PSI.

[Jess from VA]

I encourage reading the post at the link Disco provided.

The OEM stems can fail, sometimes catastrophically, if not changed with some frequency and regularity.

No part on any machine is a "forever" or "never fail" item.  But when an all metal stem's gaskets age and deteriorate as the OEM stems do, they will just leak, not break in half and separate completely from the rim as the OEM stems do.

There's no rational argument for not changing to all-metal stems with gaskets given the price and potential consequences of a valve stem failure.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best summary of the issue, and final word on the subject.  Esp considering these are touring bikes, and often far from home and help.   

[Valkpilot]

valve stems are required to meet SAE 1205-1206 ozone requirements, they are now made of, except cheap ones from china with,

EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) Rubber has outstanding resistance to aging, weathering, ozone, oxygen and many chemicals. It offers excellent high and low temperature stability, plus steam and water resistance.
http://www.timcorubber.com/rubber-materials/epdm.htm

EPDM DOES NOT DETERIORATE UNLESS THE WRONG CHEMICALS ARE PUT ON IT.

Oil Resistance Poor
Aging Weather Sunlight Excellent
Low Temperature Usage (F°) -20° to -60°
High Temperature Usage (F°) Up to 350°
Tensile Range (P.S.I) 500-2500     is one putting that much pressure on a valve stem while checking or putting air in??

my whole point of posting anything on this matter is WHY OEM FAIL,
not whether oem or aftermarket are safer during a failure. Obviously the ones with a metal tube going through the rim is safest if the EPDM fails.
OEM fails from the chemicals being put on them, same reason I surmise that the alternator cover chrome peels. A lot of cleaning products including waxes/polishes have some type of petroleum in them which causes EPDM to fail.
after 12 yrs my alternator cover looks new, I have never put any wrong type of polish on it.

Thanks for the link, CA.  Good stuff.

My only comment is that "ozone resistant" isn't "ozone proof".  Typically, plastic, rubber, and rubber-like compounds have antioxidant additives that are sacrificial, i.e. they give up their molecules to the oxygen before the base material does.  Once they are used up though, the base material begins to degrade. 

For EPDM, this may be a long time, but if I were to continue using the OEM stems, I would make sure new ones are used at each tire change.

[Ricky-D]

I change my air at every tire change.

Do you think that helps at all?

***

[JC]

Nothing wrong with the stockers!

I disagree!!!! After a failure of a 'stocker' on my front rim at 75MPH on the interstate between two semi trucks I consider myself lucky to still be here.

Because of the age of our bikes (some are now over 15 years old), I totally recommend every Valkyrie to replace the stock valve stems at the next tire change, period. They WILL fail, just a matter of time. Most seem to fail when riding due to the downward centrifugal force when at highway speed.

This is cheap insurance in my mind, ride safe.

[Valkpilot]

I change my air at every tire change.

Do you think that helps at all?

***

Probably not.  You replenish the oxygen available to react with your tire and valve stems!  

[Michvalk]

I just replace every valve stem on every tire I put on. That goes for bikes, cars, trucks, lawnmowers, wheelborrows, ECT. Cheap insurance

[T.P.]

Why is it so hard to get some people to spend the twenty bucks that may save their ASS's