A couple of questions

[DannyP]

Hey all I have had the good weekend of riding here in Western NC and I am impressed with this bike. The first ride was from Franklin to Bryson City on 28 for those of you that are familiar. My brother was behind me on his VTX 1800 and said I wasn't letting any grass grow under my tires. I felt like I was just puttering getting used to it. This bike handles great. I didn't want to shell out the 500 bucks for a windshield so I made one to fit the batwing on it. by the way make sure to ask your wife if its ok to put a sheet of plexiglass on a wooden mold in her oven for three minutes at 300 degrees.
Anyway I have a couple of questions.
1. Is there a kickstand lock that is available like the ones on Harleys?
2. It seems like it takes my bike to long to crank. Two or three seconds after it is warm, one if it is cold. Is that normal?

Thanks to everyone for all the help and assistance in getting this bike ready for the road.

[Chrisj CMA]

If it seems to crank but not start until you let off the starter that’s the first sign of a weak battery. The next thing will be it will crank nice and strong (you think) but not start. It’s about the cranking amps.

[da prez]

  Clean all battery connections ,fully charge battery and load test. You may try jumping from a  N O N running vehicle. If it cranks and starts , You now know where to look. Dirty grounds are bad connections.

                                               da prez

[WintrSol]

If, by kickstand lock, you mean a latch that keeps you from just pushing it forward and having the stand come up, then no; at least my '98 doesn't. If it is facing down a steep enough hill, you may have a handful if you bump it.

[sandy]

The long crank could also be not fully engaging the fuel enrichener. Push hard.

[Jess from VA]

No kickstand lock/notch.  Leaving it in gear (1st) is a reasonable substitute. 

Picking decent spots to park is part of good riding skills.  If your spot is iffy, turning the bars/forks full left (and then when off, pulling/rocking the bike left on the stand) will give you a tad more left lean toward the sidestand.

Shocks shorter than 12" are a bad choice. (I wouldn't go shorter than 12.5")

Carrying something (thin but sturdy) to stick under your stand on soft ground is a good practice.

[klb]

The hot starts on my Valkyries are instant if they are started back up pretty quick but if they set for a few minutes they take a bit longer to start. Years ago I had a Yamaha XT500 that had a hot start button on the carb that locked the throttle open just a tiny bit and that gives it extra air to lean it out and it would start the first kick when hot so I tried it on my 1969 Ford 429 and eventually on my Valkyries and they start instantly when hot if I barely crack the throttle.

[WintrSol]

No kickstand lock/notch.  Leaving it in gear (1st) is a reasonable substitute. 

Picking decent spots to park is part of good riding skills.  If your spot is iffy, turning the bars/forks full left (and then when off, pulling/rocking the bike left on the stand) will give you a tad more left lean toward the sidestand.

Shocks shorter than 12" are a bad choice. (I wouldn't go shorter than 12.5")

Carrying something (thin but sturdy) to stick under your stand on soft ground is a good practice.

Definitely pick your stopping place carefully. Even the engine won't hold it back if the road is steep enough. Also, if you have to park where you will have to push it back, either have a friend with you, or look out for dips or ridges in the area that will make it nearly impossible to back up.

[DannyP]

Thanks for all the responses. I will check the grounds again and pick up a new battery as this is the one that came with the bike. Will also try to start it with the throttle open just a bit.
As for the kickstand. I have owned several bikes over the last 25 years or so and the only ones I didn't have to worry about roll out from under the kickstand is the Harleys. I am always careful where I park and have never had an with a kickstand incident. I am surprised that there isn't an after market kickstand out here somewhere. maybe its time to get creative.

[Jess from VA]

Shimming the kickstand mount hardware (rather than a different kickstand) might give you what you want. 

OE has never let me down.

Except the time I threw the bike over on the kickstand I forgot to put down.    

[DannyP]

I did that once with my Kawasaki Vulcan. At the gas pump and just forgot to put the kickstand down. my kid was on the back and ended up sitting on the ground looking at me and said "What the hell".

[98valk]

Hey all I have had the good weekend of riding here in Western NC and I am impressed with this bike. The first ride was from Franklin to Bryson City on 28 for those of you that are familiar. My brother was behind me on his VTX 1800 and said I wasn't letting any grass grow under my tires. I felt like I was just puttering getting used to it. This bike handles great. I didn't want to shell out the 500 bucks for a windshield so I made one to fit the batwing on it. by the way make sure to ask your wife if its ok to put a sheet of plexiglass on a wooden mold in her oven for three minutes at 300 degrees.
Anyway I have a couple of questions.
1. Is there a kickstand lock that is available like the ones on Harleys?
2. It seems like it takes my bike to long to crank. Two or three seconds after it is warm, one if it is cold. Is that normal?

Thanks to everyone for all the help and assistance in getting this bike ready for the road.

possibly the idle mixture screws are set too rich. thread end of plugs should be peppered with carbon.  see ex. 2 for what not to have.  https://fboignition.com/articles/sparkplugreading
too rich will affect startup. if u start up in 40F temps and don't need the choke, then its too rich.