Rate this valkyrie: 1998 Tourer

[Willow]

... (i.e. will the valve stem explode? ...

Some clarification:  OEM valve stems don't explode.  If it fails it will simply develop a leak the same as a punctured tire.  The speed of the leak depends largely on how large the tear in the stem is.

OEM valve stems hold up well if the support is maintained and they are changed out for new every several thousand miles.  The weakness to tear usually results from pressing a pump outlet against the 90 degree stem repeatedly resulting in wear on the rubber base that passes through the wheel.  The support is supposed to avoid this.  Metal stems have no such weakness as they are metal all the way through the wheel with rubber gaskets (of sorts) on the passage through the wheel.

Friends don't let friends ride on OEM valve stems.

[Serk]

Friends don't let friends ride on OEM valve stems.

OEM Valve stems don't let riders ride on OEM valve stems, indefinitely.....

(Left me on the side of the road in EXTREME rural west Texas on a Monday many years back. Wasn't catastrophic, could air it back up and it'd hold air for 10-20 miles, then would need to air it back up. Miraculously found a Honda shop open on a Monday in Amarillo who replaced the stem for me to get me on home.)

[Jess from VA]

The vast majority are slow (or faster) leaks, but there have been a few where the whole valve blew off with a traumatic deflation (followed by extreme excitement of the bad kind).

Here's what I use.  They are billet and top quality, with Orings in the caps, and lay flat on the wheel, and to aim them to the high side, you have to cut off the T's the OEM elbow supports mount to on the wheels (who cares, you'll never use those again anyway).  Not a big deal on the front, but a huge deal on any Tourer or Interstate with hard bags (where you'd have to lay on your belly under the bag on the low side to add air).  And you never have to worry about using the other hand to hold the valve; just punch the air chuck on one handed and done (rock solid).

https://www.amazon.com/Degree-Keenso-Universal-Motorcycle-Aluminum/dp/B07FDLVJQF/ref=asc_df_B07FDLVJQF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=532627584608&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6281779910194148952&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008187&hvtargid=pla-1363905850719&psc=1  

[Savago]

@Willow and @Serk: thanks for confirming that the current valves are far from ideal, I'm ordering new ones to replace them.
 

@Jess: I just ordered the ones you recommended, should get them soon.

Concerning the leathery (i.e. tank bag, sissy pad, seats, bag guard bibs, etc) situation of the bike, I must confess that I personally don't like the studs + leather combo as it gives some 'leather bar' vibes.

Specially in the SF Bay Area, people may honestly mistake what you are into, if you know what I mean?
 

But right now my priority is to get the bike in a rideable & reliable state before I consider changing its current looks.

It came with a rail that can be installed if I decide to make it single seat and remove the sissy bar, but it is a bit rusty and I'm wondering if it can be recovered.

[Rams]

It came with a rail that can be installed if I decide to make it single seat and remove the sissy bar, but it is a bit rusty and I'm wondering if it can be recovered.

I have no doubt the luggage rack can be cleaned up and re-chromed.   Won't be cheap but, it can be done.

Rams

[Savago]

Update: I managed to put 2 miles!!!1! in the bike.

Allow me to explain: my house is located in a cul-de-sac in a court with another cul-de-sac. The round trip  (home -> court -> the other cul-de-sac -> back) is precisely 1/4 of mile.

Therefore, 2 'laps' gives 1/2 mile.

I warmed the bike and did a 1/2 mile route in the court and returned to my garage to verify if the alternator is still putting out power (I was once stranded in the middle of the mountains in the winter when my I/S alternator died).

It was reading over 14 volts, just like it is intended:

[hubcapsc]

The rack is high-grade unobtainium. They used to be $35 or so. Now they
are worth several hundred (with good chrome)... If you don't want to chrome
it, you could sell it to me cheap 

-Mike

[Savago]

Starting to feel more confident, I decided to go for a whole 1 mile route, again in the court.

When I returned, I noticed something was odd.

Is that smoke coming from below the bike?

Here is a short video:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KqyX2X4axQ5UrjEV8

[Savago]

I went to investigate and this is what I found:

[Savago]

Apparently one of the hoses were routed in the wrong direction and was touching the exhaust pipes.

It is possible to see the tip got melted/burned as a result:

[hubcapsc]

That "looks" like an OEM alternator. I never heard of that happening.
I wonder what labels will be on it when you get it off... Hitachi is the
OEM brand I think...

-Mike

[Savago]

So I went to my I/S and looked under it to check where this hose was supposed to be placed (notice the Mark T jack adapter in its full glory keeping the I/S in place while it waits for the missing parts!):

[Savago]

And this is where I repositioned the burned hose in the Tourer:

[Savago]

I noticed though that the I/S has what looks like a cylindric canister under its belly, while the tourer doesn't have it.

I wonder if that means the Tourer is not a Cali bike or if it has to do with a potential desmog mod?
 

[Savago]

Anyway, after re-routing the hose to hopefully its correct place, I let the bike run and the smoke stopped.

Success! Maybe? I'm unsure really...

Anyway, that took quite a little while to figure it out and the day was over.

The plan for today is to actually ride the bike from home to the gas station and next around the neighborhood.

Let's see how it goes...
 

[Savago]

The rack is high-grade unobtainium. They used to be $35 or so. Now they
are worth several hundred (with good chrome)... If you don't want to chrome
it, you could sell it to me cheap  

Hey, thanks for letting me know.

Let's do this, if I decide to not use the rack, I will send it to you for free (as long you pay for shipping).
 

[Savago]

In any case, I'm adding Stabil Marine in the tank when I go to refill it.

I learned about Stabil marine here in this forum, I'm unsure who mentioned it quite a few years ago.

I had my I/S broken for over one year (it was when I borked an alternator replacement job...) and what saved its carburators was Stabil Marine.

I highly recommend it as a fuel stabilizer. For cleaning, I prefer Techron and Berryman B-12.

[Jess from VA]

Getting the solo rack re-chromed might be difficult, as the EPA has leaned on all US chromers.

But you could get it powder-coated a red or creme (paint match), or silver, probably locally too.

It looks very nice in place of the back seat, but in truth, luggage fits better on the back seat than on that curved solo rack (I know, I have one).   Don't give it away, you may want it later.

[Savago]

I still have a box with some other stuff that came with the bike that I have to go through on due time.

[Valkorado]

These are the valve stems I've been using, they're inexpensive and the shipping is usually fast.

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/tires-and-wheels/myers-90°-tubeless-chrome-valve-stem-p

[The emperor has no clothes]

I can’t tell from the pics whether your Tourer was originally a CA bike, or not. But your IS definitely is. Your new bike has a lot of the accessories I like. The fork chrome lowers, velocity stacks, and a few other things. But, it’s also got some strange anomalies. I would have never thought of rigging those air shocks up that way.  I’ll be curious to see if you like the shocks.

It’s even got a nice alternator cover ! 

[RP#62]

Put some chrome polish on that first and see what it looks like.  A lot of times most of what you see is stains coming from little pinholes in the chrome.  I've seen some clean up to the point that you just put some wax on them and leave them alone.  Might be worth a try.

-RP

[Savago]

An update: after apparently solving the issue of smoke due to the hose touching the pipes, I proceeded with the plan to finally ride the bike further than my house's court.

Turned her on, required choke for about a minute, no smoke coming from its underside.

Good! let's roll and... it is stuck.

The front brake lever is hard as stone and the bike won't move. I decided to have a look on its master cylinder reservoir and found some crude inside of it.

[Savago]

I proceeded with bleeding the brake fluid, I have one of those cheap one-man-bleed systems which I've added an one-way valve to avoid air to be sucked back into the brake caliper.

[Savago]

So I used a syringe to suck the old fluid from the reservoir and q-tips to remove the crud. It cleaned up nicely.

[Savago]

Filled the reservoir and proceeded with bleeding the system.

Oh, man! So many bubbles...

[Savago]

And this is after done.

[Savago]

The brake wasn't stuck anymore so I went for a 10 miles ride around town.

Riding impressions: when it comes to valkyries, I only rode my I/S up until now.

I was pleasantly surprised how a tourer feels different when compared to the I/S. Thanks to the I/S having a fairing, you see less of the road in front of you, as a result, you feel you *in* the bike.

When compared to the I/S, I feel it has a lower center of gravity, probably thanks to not having a trunk plus the heavy front fairing.

In the tourer you are able to see more of the road in front of you, as a result you feel you *on* the bike. The wide handlebar really gives you the impression you are embracing the road.

That made me remember Richard Hammond's review of the original valkyrie standard, in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd983V9P6Cc

The ride is plush, the progressive suspension works really well at absorbing bumps along the way. Really, the bike feels planted in a way similar to my ST1300 which features a modern suspension.

My guess is that probably the previous owner(s) of the bike also put progressive springs in the front, but I can't know for sure.

The mirrors are useless. Seriously, not only they are tiny, but it is impossible to find a position where I could actually see what is around me. I don't care about 'looking good' when it comes to mirrors, I want something that is safe and functional.

I wonder if OEM mirrors are still available? I will look on partzilla.

I noticed some electrical glitches in the bike though:
a) While flipping from the regular to the high beams, sometimes the headlight will turn off. Probably a rusted/corroded contact?

b) It happened only once, while using the right blinkers, they didn't work. I noticed that the auxiliary headlight has some sort of blinkers probably linked to the regular motorcycle blinkers. My guess is that I will have to go through its electric connections and figure it out what may be happening.

c) Sometimes I hear a pop here and there, I wonder if the bike may have some vacuum leaks or if the Honda shop mechanics properly calibrated its carbs...

Overall, the bike has some minor issues as expected given it was collecting dust for almost 4 years. That being said, I plan to go through it and eventually come to a decision if she is a keeper or if she is a goner.
 

[Savago]

Put some chrome polish on that first and see what it looks like.  A lot of times most of what you see is stains coming from little pinholes in the chrome.  I've seen some clean up to the point that you just put some wax on them and leave them alone.  Might be worth a try.

-RP

Good advice, I will give it a try!

[Savago]

She certainly looks great in its natural environment, the roads!

[Serk]

Love seeing it back on the road!

ALMOST looks like you were trying to recreate the Valkyrie Clymer Shop Manual cover photo!

[Savago]

Love seeing it back on the road!

ALMOST looks like you were trying to recreate the Valkyrie Clymer Shop Manual cover photo!

You perfectly see what I'm going for here...
 

[Serk]

I would prefer it in yellow/cream, but I think that this color is pretty cool since it seems the same as the bike in the cover of the Clymer manual.

LOL! I knew I'd read a reference to that recently!!! But yeah, seeing that pic screamed that to me.....

[The emperor has no clothes]

I think a proper pic over on Hiway 1 is in order. You ain’t that far. She’ll make it ! 

[Jess from VA]

Looks like the mirrors are still available and you need 4 parts per mirror. ($$) (edit: or maybe only 3)

https://www.procaliber.com/oem-parts?aribrand=HOM&arian=MOTORCYCLE#/Honda_Powersports/GL1500CAC_(99)_VALKYRIE%2c_USA%2c_VIN%23_1HFSC341-XA200001/SWITCH_%2b_CABLE/f0d1c279-e09a-4932-82f4-ec0857a11a33/922b87a1-4d51-43ee-8c6d-3abfe5c2a8b2/y

I really dislike square/rectangular mirrors, but I had two different sets of oval mirrors on my bikes that did not work well at all and finally put the stockers back on.  They don't look better, but they absolutely work better.  

Many times a stuck front brake is a stuck (or corroded) caliper piston and not a brake bleed.  Without doing a real tear-down, get some mild corrosive auto parts mag wheel cleaner spray, or S-100, or Spray 9, and scrub the daylights out of the calipers and part of the exposed pistons with stiff bottle brushes, rinse and repeat.  Then lube the pins the pads float on (not the pads).  This almost always gives nicer and smoother braking.  IF a full tear-down isn't necessary (sometimes it is).

 

[Savago]

I think a proper pic over on Hiway 1 is in order. You ain’t that far. She’ll make it ! 

That is what comes next, as it will allow to replicate the Clymer's cover photo!
 

The sun sets at west in the Pacific, and if heading towards South (e.g. from SF to Santa Cruz), there are hills on the left side and the beaches on the right side of the road.

Probably around the Half Moon bay there will be a few spots that would look great for a photo.

[Ramie]

Thanks for keeping another one on the road.

[Savago]

An update: things took a turn for the worst. Allow me to explain...

After flushing the front brakes before the last ride the other day, I decided to go to OReilly's to buy more DOT 4 fluid as I was planning to flush the rear brakes and the clutch next.

On my way to OReilly's when I stopped in a traffic light, the front brake locked again. I managed to accelerate the bike to the side of the road, towards a parking lot.

I still had the needed tools in the side pannier and drained a little bit of brake fluid just to unlock the front brakes. I figured that as long I don't use the front brakes, it should be fine. Who really needs front brakes after all? They are overrated!
 

Got the DOT4 fluid at OReilly's and decided to take a 10 miles detour from my way back home, what I call a 'long shortcut'.

I was leisurely riding along some empty roads along the Marsh Creek Road near the Round Valley Regional Preserve, doing around 35 mph to 40 mph tops. Enjoying the wind, looking at the fields and feeling grateful for all good things, what I like to call 'riding nirvana'. Life is good, after all! Even better if riding a Valkyrie!
 

Suddenly the RPMs went up and the bike started losing speed. Oh crap! The clutch was slipping, what now?

I tried to keep going and switching gears for another mile but came to a point where the clutch was no longer engaging. I had no choice but to pull to the side of the road and consider what were my choices. I was just 8 miles away from home, around 10 to 12 minutes by car.

The bad thing though is that those areas around the regional preserve are pretty much empty, no houses and it gets really dark during the night and the sun was setting in maybe 1/2 hour. I called AAA and asked for a rescue and they said it would take 3 hours to send someone.

The perspective of having to wait from 8PM to 11PM in the dark wasn't really appealing. The cellphone battery was around 10%, if it died, I wouldn't be able to answer any calls coming from the tow truck.

So, I decided to call an Uber and go back home. I figured that in 3 hours I would have enough time to charge the phone, have a shower, dinner and return with my car while I waited for the rescue truck. Turns out it was a good idea, as soon I had finished dinner, the tow truck driver called me to ask where exactly the motorcycle was located.

I gave him the coordinates and offered to come to the site to help him in the job of loading the bike in the truck. Met him 12 minutes later and with the engine cold, I was able to start the bike, engage first gear and ride it to the truck loading bed.

Once he made back to my home, again I was able to turn on the bike and ride to my garage.

Not exactly how I planned my day to finish, but considering all things, it could have been much worst!

I'm planning next to resume work on the bike. A quick search in the forum points that the possible reasons for a slipping clutch could be:

a) Old clutch fluid.
b) Bad engine oil.
c) Slave clutch cylinder.
d) Master clutch cylinder.
e) Bad clutch, requires to tear the bike in half.
f) Something else?

[The emperor has no clothes]

Start with the simple stuff first. New oil, new brake fluids, check operation of all.



What happened to f) ?   

[3fan4life]

I'm planning next to resume work on the bike. A quick search in the forum points that the possible reasons for a slipping clutch could be:

a) Old clutch fluid.
b) Bad engine oil.
c) Slave clutch cylinder.
d) Master clutch cylinder.
e) Bad clutch, requires to tear the bike in half.
g) Something else?

As long as the bike was sitting the clutch fluid probably needs to be changed for sure.

Inspect the slave cylinder for signs of leaking.

You'll have to remove it but it isn't hard to do.

Be careful with the tube that attaches to the slave cylinder, I had one get bent "Very" slightly and it caused all kinds of problem like the ones you described.

If the master cylinder is bad there will most likely be a leak near the base of the clutch lever.

A vacuum device for changing the clutch fluid is worth EVERY penny.

If the PO used car oil that was "Energy Saving" it does have additives that can cause the clutch to slip.