The RustyValkyrie Heads North

[RustyValkry]

I figured a video of the view might be nice.  You get to hear the boidies.  The guy that rides in on the quad at the end is my friend on who's porch I'm sitting.


https://youtu.be/vUbm0MHyT9w

[RustyValkry]

One issue I noticed on my ride from Daytona that I forgot to mention was a shifting problem.  When I was riding it in Daytona I always wore sneakers.  On my trip, I wore my my riding boots.  What I discovered was my boot toe didn't fit behind the shift lever very well.  Many times I missed 1 to 2.  I have no idea how I'm going deal with that.

[The emperor has no clothes]

When you get home you may want to try raising the lever one notch. It gives less room for downshifting, but that only needs the toe of your boot to do.

[RustyValkry]

When you get home you may want to try raising the lever one notch. It gives less room for downshifting, but that only needs the toe of your boot to do.

I'll try that when I get home, thanks.

I decided to stay at my friend's for an extra day to help him pick up an item he bought that's too much for one person to move.  We'll do that this afternoon and I'll leave for the last 7 hour leg of the trip tomorrow.

 I am concerned about the availability of gas.  I'll be riding up I-81 and across I-78 into NJ.  Anyone know if this 'shortage' is having an impact on gas along those interstates?

[The emperor has no clothes]

When you get home you may want to try raising the lever one notch. It gives less room for downshifting, but that only needs the toe of your boot to do.

I'll try that when I get home, thanks.

I decided to stay at my friend's for an extra day to help him pick up an item he bought that's too much for one person to move.  We'll do that this afternoon and I'll leave for the last 7 hour leg of the trip tomorrow.

 I am concerned about the availability of gas.  I'll be riding up I-81 and across I-78 into NJ.  Anyone know if this 'shortage' is having an impact on gas along those interstates?

I don’t know of the situation there. But maybe some of our members along this route will see this and be able to help.

[Mooskee]

When you get home you may want to try raising the lever one notch. It gives less room for downshifting, but that only needs the toe of your boot to do.

As Meathead said you can raise that lever position. Just remove the bolt 10mm if I remember. Pull the shift pedal off and reinsert it a notch higher. Wont take you but a few minutes, and your ride will be more comfortable.

Download the gasbuddy app for finding gas stations. It can tell you who has gas and who is out. It can use your gps position to track the stations.

I have enjoyed your rebuild thread and the ride north. Ride safe and enjoy. I find it is after a long ride that I realize what upgrades I REALLY need. Ultimate seat, some nice grips with a throttle boss, and a Breakaway throttle lock, and some highway pegs to mention a few.

I did not document the progress like you did, but I had a rusty Valkyrie that I am in the process of restoring. It started out looking like this:

 

This was a couple months ago. Still a work in progress, but getting close.

[hubcapsc]

Mooskee has a nice looking Valkyrie...

-Mike

[The emperor has no clothes]

Mooskee has a nice looking Valkyrie...

-Mike

I love the colors 

[Mooskee]

Mooskee has a nice looking Valkyrie...

Thanks guys. It is a labor of love. I replaced all the painted parts with parts from an IS. The fellow that had owned the IS, was involve with a Formula 1 racing team and he had the bike painted with the team colors.

[Jess from VA]

I am concerned about the availability of gas.  I'll be riding up I-81 and across I-78 into NJ.  Anyone know if this 'shortage' is having an impact on gas along those interstates?

I don't use apps, but I think there is one where you can punch in a zip code and get some general gas availability information.  That ride home may need two gas stops, so plot out the two spots generally and app those zip codes (or towns).

Though I think I'd be riding half tank to half tank just for caution.  

It seems to me the gas problem would not only be more pronounced in urban populations (like where I live), but along main freeways like I-81 too.  

Edit:  The Pipeline is back on line today, but that may be irrelevant to tomorrow. 

[RustyValkry]

When you get home you may want to try raising the lever one notch. It gives less room for downshifting, but that only needs the toe of your boot to do.

As Meathead said you can raise that lever position. Just remove the bolt 10mm if I remember. Pull the shift pedal off and reinsert it a notch higher. Wont take you but a few minutes, and your ride will be more comfortable.

Download the gasbuddy app for finding gas stations. It can tell you who has gas and who is out. It can use your gps position to track the stations.

I have enjoyed your rebuild thread and the ride north. Ride safe and enjoy. I find it is after a long ride that I realize what upgrades I REALLY need. Ultimate seat, some nice grips with a throttle boss, and a Breakaway throttle lock, and some highway pegs to mention a few.

I did not document the progress like you did, but I had a rusty Valkyrie that I am in the process of restoring. It started out looking like this:

 

This was a couple months ago. Still a work in progress, but getting close.

That's very nice work you did.  Great color scheme. 

I enjoyed documenting the process and it provides entertainment and, potentially, information to someone else who starts down the crazy road like I did.

My friend checked Gasbuddy this morning and told me it was down but I'll install it this evening and see how it works.  I'll try it tomorrow.  Thanks for the suggestion.

[RustyValkry]

Heading out for the last legs of the ride in a few minutes.  It's currently 40 degrees so I'm going to have everything on I have with me.  Heading for the mid 60s this afternoon.  I expect I'll get home 4ish.

[Mooskee]

That's very nice work you did.  Great color scheme.

I enjoyed documenting the process and it provides entertainment and, potentially, information to someone else who starts down the crazy road like I did.

My friend checked Gasbuddy this morning and told me it was down but I'll install it this evening and see how it works.  I'll try it tomorrow.  Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks. I did take pictures along the way, and have a spreadsheet of cost. Over $13000. I suppose I could construct a progress article. Maybe someday. I was able to get some good deals and some now "unobtanium" parts, and have made some custom parts. I will never recover the "investment", but I love doing the work. To paraphrase someone else, I spent most of my time and money on my Valkyrie. The rest I just wasted!

Again I hope your ride goes well and safe. May you have gas the whole way!

[RustyValkry]

I got home yesterday somewhere between 5 and 6PM.  Today my allergies kicked up so between the ride and the allergies I feel like dirt.

Overall the bike performed well so I guess my work over the winter passed the test.  In fact, as I expected, the bike ran better when I got home than it did when I started.  I'm not hearing as much popping through the carb now as when I started.  I think part of that might be that after several days of being in constant heat, all those rubber tubes connecting the intake to the carbs and engine might be better sealing now.  What do you guys think?

The 'gas shortage' was evident yesterday.  On one gas stop I had to ride around till I found a station with gas.  That was in Virginia and it was the only issue I had.

The problem I had going from first to second gear on the first and second days' ride went away yesterday.  I figured out how to get my toe in the correct position though it's still not an easy motion for me.

I think I might have to either put risers on the bike or go to ape hangers.  Today I have a headache which I think was brought on by having to reach down for the bars.  Dealing with the seat and bars will be the first comfort issues I'll have to address.  I think I have a set of 6" risers which I'll dig out and see if they'll work.  They're off one of my Harleys so they MAY NOT work.  For that matter the 18" apes might not work for the same reason.  Anybody know for a fact either way?  I'll also need cables, who do we use for custom cables?

If I remember I'll post later (when I'm typing on my laptop) about the scare I had when it felt like something came apart at speed on the interstate while I was in traffic in the fast lane.

[..]

I got home yesterday somewhere between 5 and 6PM.  Today my allergies kicked up so between the ride and the allergies I feel like dirt.

Overall the bike performed well so I guess my work over the winter passed the test.  In fact, as I expected, the bike ran better when I got home than it did when I started.  I'm not hearing as much popping through the carb now as when I started.  I think part of that might be that after several days of being in constant heat, all those rubber tubes connecting the intake to the carbs and engine might be better sealing now.  What do you guys think?

The 'gas shortage' was evident yesterday.  On one gas stop I had to ride around till I found a station with gas.  That was in Virginia and it was the only issue I had.

The problem I had going from first to second gear on the first and second days' ride went away yesterday.  I figured out how to get my toe in the correct position though it's still not an easy motion for me.

I think I might have to either put risers on the bike or go to ape hangers.  Today I have a headache which I think was brought on by having to reach down for the bars.  Dealing with the seat and bars will be the first comfort issues I'll have to address.  I think I have a set of 6" risers which I'll dig out and see if they'll work.  They're off one of my Harleys so they MAY NOT work.  For that matter the 18" apes might not work for the same reason.  Anybody know for a fact either way?  I'll also need cables, who do we use for custom cables?

If I remember I'll post later (when I'm typing on my laptop) about the scare I had when it felt like something came apart at speed on the interstate while I was in traffic in the fast lane.

Have you tried just rolling the handlebars into a different position?

Do you know that the ideal position is to have the back of your hands flat in line with your wrist and forearms?

[hubcapsc]

I put Aeromach risers on. A lot of people use a kind of Harley risers. Some folks
have used cheap risers that broke  ...



-Mike

[RustyValkry]

I got home yesterday somewhere between 5 and 6PM.  Today my allergies kicked up so between the ride and the allergies I feel like dirt.

Overall the bike performed well so I guess my work over the winter passed the test.  In fact, as I expected, the bike ran better when I got home than it did when I started.  I'm not hearing as much popping through the carb now as when I started.  I think part of that might be that after several days of being in constant heat, all those rubber tubes connecting the intake to the carbs and engine might be better sealing now.  What do you guys think?

The 'gas shortage' was evident yesterday.  On one gas stop I had to ride around till I found a station with gas.  That was in Virginia and it was the only issue I had.

The problem I had going from first to second gear on the first and second days' ride went away yesterday.  I figured out how to get my toe in the correct position though it's still not an easy motion for me.

I think I might have to either put risers on the bike or go to ape hangers.  Today I have a headache which I think was brought on by having to reach down for the bars.  Dealing with the seat and bars will be the first comfort issues I'll have to address.  I think I have a set of 6" risers which I'll dig out and see if they'll work.  They're off one of my Harleys so they MAY NOT work.  For that matter the 18" apes might not work for the same reason.  Anybody know for a fact either way?  I'll also need cables, who do we use for custom cables?

If I remember I'll post later (when I'm typing on my laptop) about the scare I had when it felt like something came apart at speed on the interstate while I was in traffic in the fast lane.

Have you tried just rolling the handlebars into a different position?

Do you know that the ideal position is to have the back of your hands flat in line with your wrist and forearms?

I tried a couple different positions.  Due to my height I end up with apes on All my bikes, just to be able to get comfortable, which means to take the 'pull' of having to reach down and forward off my neck.  I might add here that I had a 2 level cervical fusion almost 10 years ago.


My '04 Road King has 16" apes and my '77 FXE has 16" apes and  6" risers, in both cases the rest is my arms are level and there is no stress on my neck.  If I make it to InZane it will become clear how this works for me. 

[Jess from VA]

There's lots of very good riser threads on here (over the years):  Do a search.  But many old links to risers will not work because the companies are no longer in business (or moved to some other named business).

The OE risers are 3 1/8".  Most people (short and tall) like taller ones.  Most give both height and pullback (since the trees are angled, taller always give some more pullback, but most all risers are curved, giving even more).

You can go to about 4" with no cable changes at all.  Std/Tourer throttle cable housings to bars is higher (out the front) than interstate (out the bottom, and give a bit more stretch with taller risers).

Now that is only a 7/8" rise and pullback, and there used to be 1" riser spacers that could be dropped onto the stock risers with longer bolts to get a good result, and for cheaper than aftermarket riser sets, but they may not be available for Valk anymore, I dunno.  You have to look.

They look like this:


Beyond 4-4 1/4" tall, you can still avoid longer throttle cables by rerouting them inside the tree.  (After padding the tank, you loosen the bars in the risers and slide them sideways left to get slack to unhook and reroute, and hook up again.)

I have 5.5" Harley Deuce knockoff risers on one bike, and the reroute gave enough length without longer cables (but that's with the interstate bar throttle housing coming out the bottom).  To make those risers work, you also have to cut the domes off the bottom of the risers and either go to SAE to metric conversion bolts, or drill out the tree bolt holes by just a few thousandths of metal (and you can always go back to metric if you want to with no problem or wobble.)  The only other thing with these is you need to turn the plastic wire routers on the back of the handlebars around 180*.

These conversion bolts save drilling and will work on any SAE Harley risers you may find.  
https://www.baronscustom.com/catalog/display/1182/index.html

Here is an old link on the wayback machine on risers:   http://web.archive.org/web/20090416135618/http://www.timskelton.com/valkyrie/how_to/risers.htm

The problem is the old LaMonster or Aeromach 4" risers may not still be available.  The Harley deuce knockoffs probably are.  You have to search, and some risers now for sale will not mention Valk in fitment, not because they won't fit and work well, but only because the bike has been out of production for so long.

These are the old 4" Aeromach/Lamonster risers.



Going from 3 1/8" stock to 4-4 1/4" aftermarket risers provides enough relief from shoulder strain or leaning-in for most reasonable length people.  

My 5.5" Deuces are very comfortable just cruising, especially leaned back on the backrest with my feet up on the Hwy pegs, but at full lock (walking speed) my hands/bar ends do come back close to my thighs.  No problem at all though.  But cranking and banking though the mountains, I prefer the 4" Aeromachs.

Valk with Harley Deuce risers. (I cannot be sure, but this guy may have the interstate (out the bottom) handlebar cable housing on there)


Harley Deuce knockoffs:  https://www.denniskirk.com/drag-specialties/5-1-2-in-deuce-style-risers-w-2-in-pullback-1803-3306.ph490947.prd/H490947.sku?utm_source=google&utm_medium=csecid=6821162156&aid=76472566741&keyword=826224350382%3A%3Apla-826224350382&kid=826224350382&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIta7X8enJ8AIVSvvICh0J6gz_EAQYAiABEgKWjfD_BwE

This picture shows the bottom raised ring that must be cut off.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/401130417941

https://www.easternperformance.com/bikers-choice-chrome-softail-deuce-pullback-riser-set-for-harley-fxstd-00-46.html

Match these with the Baron's conversion bolts.

I can give no advice on apes with Valk (or longer cables).  I do think that some Z-bars may be a better solution than apes.


This may be the best aftermarket site for handlebar shopping with a lot of good dimensions
http://www.flandersco.com/ASRC_Handlebars.html

Dear Lord.

With a short sleeve T, you're getting bee stings in your armpits.    



  

[RustyValkry]

Thanks everyone for the info.  If I make it to InZane it would be nice to have the bars addressed but that's probably unrealistic on my part. 

Item #1 has to be the cooling system.  I need to replace the switch in the radiator and if I pull the radiator for that it makes sense to replace all 3 hoses, the thermostat and the cap.  I took the cap off (the second time I've had it off since I got the bike) on the morning of the second day before I fired it up just to visually confirm the coolant level and condition.  The radiator and coolant both looked brandity, spankity new but I still think I want to do the work myself.

[hubcapsc]

Thanks everyone for the info.  If I make it to InZane it would be nice to have the bars addressed but that's probably unrealistic on my part. 

Item #1 has to be the cooling system.  I need to replace the switch in the radiator and if I pull the radiator for that it makes sense to replace all 3 hoses, the thermostat and the cap.  I took the cap off (the second time I've had it off since I got the bike) on the morning of the second day before I fired it up just to visually confirm the coolant level and condition.  The radiator and coolant both looked brandity, spankity new but I still think I want to do the work myself.

There's some steps where you run the bike to operating temperature
and look at the level in the overflow tank behind the side cover to
determine if you have the proper amount of fluid...

-Mike

[RustyValkry]

Thanks everyone for the info.  If I make it to InZane it would be nice to have the bars addressed but that's probably unrealistic on my part.  

Item #1 has to be the cooling system.  I need to replace the switch in the radiator and if I pull the radiator for that it makes sense to replace all 3 hoses, the thermostat and the cap.  I took the cap off (the second time I've had it off since I got the bike) on the morning of the second day before I fired it up just to visually confirm the coolant level and condition.  The radiator and coolant both looked brandity, spankity new but I still think I want to do the work myself.

There's some steps where you run the bike to operating temperature
and look at the level in the overflow tank behind the side cover to
determine if you have the proper amount of fluid...

-Mike

I did that in the afternoon of the first day and the coolant level was EXACTLY where it should have been.  A normal person would have been reassured and went happily on but I guess there's nothing normal about me because I immediately started wondering if the overflow hose was connected, something I realized I hadn't SPECIFICALLY verified via visual inspection while servicing the bike.

Yea, yea, yea, I know, it's hell to be me.

STOP LAUGHING!

[RustyValkry]

I just realized I uploaded a video of the RustyValkyrie packed and ready to roll the morning I left Daytona Beach and never posted it, can't let that stand.  At that point I didn't know if I'd make it 10 miles or not.  Glad I took the chance.

https://youtu.be/XMYtQh8WqPQ