Front end disassembly

[JaysGone]

A few months ago I had taken off my front forks ands brought them over to a local shop to have the springs changed.
Progressives out and OEM back in.
Since putting them back on I have tried 20w 15w 10w 7w and currently 5w oils.
My bike bounces, well feels like it is all over the place.
It seems that the dampening part of a front end just isnt there.
I know this isnt right.
When coming to a stop the front does indeed dip and return to X height.
I can lift up on the handle bars and it will go about a half inch higher then settle back down.
But
When riding over even a mildly rippled road.
There is almost no perceptible movement of the fork legs up or down.

Id like some suggestions as to what to look into from this point.
Do I have them rebuilt??
Is it possible one leg was reassembled wrong??
Is this a common comdition??

I know this isnt a do this and it will cure your problem type of deal.
But
Where does one start with this???
I never considered just changing back to a set of OEM springs would change the ride this much.

This has made riding the bike pretty uncomfortable with the front end bouncing, you feel it right through the handle bars.
Its more like the tire is doing the job then the forks themselves.
Which the more psi I add the better a bad situation gets but its still stinks.
Im up to 42 psi in the front tire already.
Its really bad at 38psi or less.
I have also tried using less fluid but all that appers to do is cause a loss of over all height.
Not add more dampening.
Am I just tring to make this bike some thing its never going to be......smooth riding  or is this just the way it is for most of you out there???
Something I should just get used to.........

The real saving grace is we have excellent smooth roads down here.
If this was say up in NY with the roads as I remember them being.
I couldnt ride this bike........

Over all ride comfort is the most important thing to me and this has been my biggest dissapointment for me since the 1st day I got the bike.
I have gotten used to alot of its quirks my other bikes dont have.
Since getting it on the road .
I just dont seem to know what "Normal" is or should be.
I have no other Hondas around me to compare this to.

I should also add this bike is double dark side.
CT on rear which has been great.
Rear tire in 150-70-17 on the front.
The OEM size original front tire rode even worse.
All my bikes are double dark and I have no issues like this.
But then none have a front end built like this one.
So I guess it boils down to I plain dont know what it should be like to begin with.
Taking this apart several times just to play with fluids has been less then thrilling to do.

[Blackduck]

When the shop changed the springs did they do anything else?
Changing oil levels should not have any effect on overall height, oil is only there for the dampening.
Sounds like the damper section has not been assembled correctly.
Valks normally ride pretty good and only need a little customising (oil viscosity change)
to suit your style and load on the bike.
As you have already found tyre pressures can have an effect but usually you just go a little over Honda's specs. Have not had anything to do with a rear tyre on the front so do not know what sort of tyre pressure is required.
Cheers Steve

[JaysGone]

I didnt have the tools for the left leg nor the strength to deal with compressing springs any more those days are over for me.
My regular wrench didnt do this job.
It was done by someone who hadnt taken a VTX or Valk leg apart before.
Nothing seemed wrong when I put them back on at the time.
Sitting on the bike.
Isnt it the right side that is basically the dampner and the more difficult leg to take apart??
Im debating whether to take them off again and have my regular wrench who rides a Wing himself do it.
He was on vacation at the time and the other guy had done some work for me in the past so I took a chance.
Im a bit tired of taking these on and off just to mess with fluids.
If I must do it again I want this to be the last time...........
Every time I did different weight oils.
I start them off 4 ozs per side short.
At 4 oz low. The height is affected quite a bit.
But the dampning amount never did seem to change.

Right now Im of the mind to just bring it to my regular wrench leave it and let them get whatever parts are needed for a complete rebuild of the legs and to just get it over with.

[NEHI]

     Follow the front axle tightining procedure, then untighten the 4 pinch bolts that hold the axle. Take the bike for a short slow ride hit the brakes a few times hard and retighten the bolts. Having the forks tweaked in or out just a small amount will cause a bind like you are experiencing.
  This year I drove my Valk from So Florida to Arkansas and felt  it had a much more harsh ride than previous ( I had just put on a new tire) so I untightened the bolts drove it around the campground then retightened the bolts. It made a big difference!

[JaysGone]

I cant do that today due to the weather but Ill give your way a try tomorrow.
I did have to change the inner locking bolts on one side or the other to line the axle back up for sure.
Every time I put it back together the axle never did line up.

Compared to 99% of the bikes out there where its a spring under a cap and thats it.
These things are a job and a half to work on............no fun at all.
I can do a spring change and refill on my other bikes in less then a half hour.........taking my time.

[John Schmidt]

For one thing, that weight of oil is much too light. Get some SS8 from Honda, believe it's 10 weight but don't quote me. It's been a while. It sounds to me like the forks were simply assembled improperly, I'd do as you suggested...take them to a good wrench and have them gone over.

[JaysGone]

Yes 10w is the stock weight.
Im on my way now to see whats what in my regular mechanics place.
I have to see if he knows what parts he will need, if he has or needs to order them etc.
My bikes not terrible but somethings not right for sure.

[Willow]

Jay, there are some giveaways in the things you say.

Choosing to go from Progressive springs to OEM is the opposite direction of the preference of most.

"Over all ride comfort is the most important thing to me..."

The wrench had never before done a VTX or Valkyrie.

Tire pressure all the way up to 42?  Many start there and go up.

My point is that what you're looking for and what others are looking for from their Valkyries may be at odds.  Most of us purchased what we believed to be a great bike for a surprisingly low price.  You purchased a cheap, beat up bike and have been shocked at how much expense and effort it has consumed.

Two things I would do, were I you.  The first is to get you Gold Wing wrench to work on the forks.  I'm confident the other mechanic guessed something wrong.

The second thing I would do is find another or some other Valkyrie riders, ride their bikes, and have them ride yours.  We have a lot of VRCC members in Florida.  You can find some of them here:  http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/vrcc_florida.cgi  Among them you may be able to get some good experience and exposure to decide whether your symptoms are something wrong with your Valk or just the way Valkyries are.

I wish you good fortune in your search.

[NEHI]

    Good thought about Valk owners in Florida. Although I'm not next door,  Stuart Fl.  (about 60 miles). If you want to take a ride up we could swap bikes and go for a ride and figure out whats wrong. I have rebuilt my front end and others, so I should be able to determine whats wrong.

[JaysGone]

What Willow says is correct.
I put this bike back together from a wreck litteraly and used parts off of wrecked bikes to do it.
Im from a V-Twin world and with out any comments please.
It is an entirely different beast.
I had some preconvieved notion of what a Valkyrie was and my notions have been wrong.
I dont regret the decison other then the bikes age, which is giving me 2nd and 3rd thoughts.
Alot of you guys have helped me alot with this bike even if Ive annoyed a few of you while I was at it.
I do appreciate all the help believe me.
I will get this bike back to where my preconcieved notions where.................eventually.
I dont give up.
But Im stubborn and a slow learner sometimes.

[JaysGone]

    Good thought about Valk owners in Florida. Although I'm not next door,  Stuart Fl.  (about 60 miles). If you want to take a ride up we could swap bikes and go for a ride and figure out whats wrong. I have rebuilt my front end and others, so I should be able to determine whats wrong.

I have yet to to take this bike on I-95 for a real ride.
I may take you up on your offer at some near future date.........

[Gryphon Rider]

Changing oil levels should not have any effect on overall height, oil is only there for the dampening.

Not entirely true.  How oil height affects this is not how much oil there is, but how much air is left in the forks.  More oil means less air, and the air must be compressed for the forks to be compressed.  It is far easier to compress 750cc of air down to 500cc of air than it is to compress 500cc of air down to 250cc.

[JaysGone]

Changing oil levels should not have any effect on overall height, oil is only there for the dampening.

Not entirely true.  How oil height affects this is not how much oil there is, but how much air is left in the forks.  More oil means less air, and the air must be compressed for the forks to be compressed.  It is far easier to compress 750cc of air down to 500cc of air than it is to compress 500cc of air down to 250cc.

I think you may have just solved my problem.
Im willing to gamble and its almost a sure bet.
The legs werent bled properly or filled with the right amounts.
Vescosity aside.
It might be shy a few ozs on both sides.
Maybe not at what I told him.
22 and 24ozs.
There is too much air in there..........................making them stiff as heck.

[Gryphon Rider]

There is too much air in there..........................making them stiff as heck.

Too much air (= not enough oil) will make them softer, not firmer.  If you're measuring the volume of oil to put in, you need to completely drain the forks.  When I filled the forks with new oil, I used a graduated cylinder to get the accuracy required by the Honda service manual.  If you're measuring the distance from the top, you need to remove the springs.

[Steve K (IA)]

Here is another thought.  You may think this sounds crazy, but what do you have for rear shocks?  Are they good?  New?  When I picked up a used '97 for my 2nd Valk, it beat me to death and I was convinced it was the front end.  I would of bet my life it was a problem with the front end.  Well, just because it had close to 40,000 miles on it, I put Progressive shocks on the rear.  Guess what?  The bike rode like a Cadillac.  Wasn't the front forks after all.