Anybody wanna buy a Valkyrie?

[Rocketman]

~40k miles, green/silver interstate.  Slightly damp.


Seriously, I got ~2 feet of water in the garage.  Enough to cover the engine.  BAH!  Gotta do restoration on that soon.

Mark

[Daniel Meyer]

Oooooh man! Sorry to hear that.  It can be saved if you act fast...but I'm sure you've got more important things to deal with at the moment...

[Wanderer]

Who would have thought of putting the Valk on the jack before evacuating? I bet your rocket will be fine. Or, will you come out better with an insurance settlement? ~Jeff

[Rocketman]

Oooooh man! Sorry to hear that.  It can be saved if you act fast...but I'm sure you've got more important things to deal with at the moment...

I've had lots to deal with over the last five days.  However, since I'm approaching sanity, what do I need to pay attention to in particular?

Who would have thought of putting the Valk on the jack before evacuating? I bet your rocket will be fine. Or, will you come out better with an insurance settlement? ~Jeff

I should have put all sorts of things on jacks.  Coming home to find trees down, and my chainsaw under water was an irony I wasn't prepared for.  Other folks had generators flooded, but I was spared that irony.  I don't have a generator to flood.

[Daniel Meyer]

Oooooh man! Sorry to hear that.  It can be saved if you act fast...but I'm sure you've got more important things to deal with at the moment...

I've had lots to deal with over the last five days.  However, since I'm approaching sanity, what do I need to pay attention to in particular?

How deep did she go? If just to engine level...

First, check the oil...if there's no water in the oil some of this can be skipped...but for sure, pull the plugs/lube...if there's no saltwater in the oil or cylinders you've got it easy. Rusty plugs? May have had saltwater in the cylinder via the pipes/open exhaust valve...

If there's saltwater in the oil or cylinders, you may also have a stuck valve. The safest thing to do is pull the heads and clean make sure the valves are clear...

I've gotten away with the following before...when acting fast...and things hadn't rusted up (particularly the valves).

Rinse the bike off with clean water, shooting it even in the pipes. Pull the alternator cover and don't be afraid to spray water in the vents, flushing it as well. Let dry in the sun whilst you do the other stuff (dry before running).

Drain the oil. Pull the plugs. Squirt oil/wd40 or something in the plug holes.

Drain the carbs...just in case. They have a handy screw on the bottom of each. Get fresh fuel flowing through them (you should have to pull a vacuum on the petcock to do so...)

If there was saltwater in the oil, Put several quarts (like 6) of diesel fuel in the crankcase.

Turn over several via starter several times. If the starter will turn her, she can be saved, otherwise it's time for insurance or an engine out rebuild.

If she turns over, do this several times. Drain out the diesel. Fresh oil and filter. Start her up and run her till hot. Let her cool. Run her again till hot. Drain oil (while hot or at least warm). Fresh oil and filter again.

Change the wheel bearings. All 4 of 'em. Whilst you have the rear off, pull the pumpkin. Drain it. Rinse it well with diesel. Clean inside the swing arm with water to rinse the salt out. Re-install/lube everything as normal...swing arm bearins may be okay...while you have the wheels off and bearings out, rinse the nooks and hollow crannies well.

Go ride. Change the oil and rear end grease after 500 miles.

If she went deeper...like over the Ignition module...pull all the submerged electrical parts and clean the connectors with water, then wd 40, then lube with dialectric grease.

Pay attention to the u-joint and swing arm bearings in the future...the seals may have been penetrated by salt water and that will accelerate wear.

[Rocketman]

I'll tell you what I did, and what I found:
Checked oil level:  A little high, but not surprisingly so.  I use a full 4 quarts, so it could be written off to that.
Pulled plugs:  The look dry.
Changed oil.  Looked fine.
Rolled the bike in gear with plugs out.  Turned just fine.
Hit the starter button with the plugs out.  Engine turned just fine.
Replaced plugs.  Hit the starter button.  Engine turned just fine, but no fire.
Checked headlight.  No light. 
Rinsed bike well, but no covers removed during rinse.
I have electrical problems.  Some of the electricals got wet, so I'm sure that's the issue.  The question is how much else is screwed.  Wheel bearings.  Brake calipers.  Exhaust pipes inside.
Water was just over the right side valve cover (it was leaned over on the side stand). 
I'm afraid I'll have gremlins with this one for the rest of its/my life.  That's why I'm considering an insurance total.  I don't usually bail out on things, but I've got enough frustration in my life at the moment.
Opinions?

Mark

[Lyn-Del]

Wizard says the symptoms sound like when he blew the ignition fuse - it's not in the same location as the others.  Check all fuses for corrosion, shorted fuses, check any contacts you can reach, main plug in at fuse box.  Make sure battery is charged.  Unplug clean and reconnect any connectors.  Spray them with anti-corrosion stuff while they're apart, maybe even WD-40.

That's all that he came up with  in a hurry.

[Daniel Meyer]

Sounds like the motor is okay...I wouldn't sweat the pipes or the calipers...bearings yes. Connectors that got wet, yes. Battery may be dead/fuse blown. Over the right side valve cover...could have reached the ignition module...pull it and clean the connector at a minimum. Sidestand switch may be a problem too...any connectors that were under water should be cleaned.

If you are insured, give 'em a yell. It may save you a headache later...saltwater immersion is generally a total...but it sounds like it can be fixed if you want.

[DrewDanube]

I would get your insurance involved just so they can compensate you for your time and effort.  I would take great pains to tell them that the water didn't immerse the bike...just got it wet.   

[Rocketman]

I talked to my insurance folks today.  I made sure they would offer me a "buy back" option, and they will.  They are talking total loss.  I now have to decide whether the buy back is worth it (after they tell me how much).

I'll take a look at all these suggestions in the morning, when my head is clear.

Mark

[Rocketman]

I got the insurance numbers while I was in Florida.  ~8 grand to just walk away.  ~5800 for "insured retain".  I am seriously leaning toward retaining it.  Hell, parting it out would get me well over 2200.  I just had someone offer me 3 grand sight unseen for it.

Mark

[Curtis_2Valks]

Insured retain means you title will stay clean and in your name.  That makes the frame worth quite a bit more if you're parting out and the bike if you're not.

Curtis

[DrewDanube]

Mark,
If/When you start parting it out...I"m looking for a couple things...email me. 

[Rocketman]

Insured retain means you title will stay clean and in your name.  That makes the frame worth quite a bit more if you're parting out and the bike if you're not.

Curtis

I was under the impression that it would become a salvage title no matter what.  As soon as it is declared a total loss, it's salvage.  That's interesting. 
At this point, I can't imagine why I wouldn't keep it.  The only question is what option I take when I do keep it:
1) Sell it to the guy who offered me 3 grand and walk away with an extra 800 bucks in my pocket.
2) Part it out myself, and get significantly more money, but for more work.
3) Try to repair it and sell it as a running bike.  This one is very unknown, since the extent of the damage is unknown, and may be unknown until a while down the road.

I'll have to ponder on it.

Mark

[Curtis_2Valks]

Check with your adjuster to be sure but I went through this in '05 and I believe I'm remembering correctly.  There's a "gray area" where the insurance company considers it totaled but the repair estimate is still under what the state considers totalled.  I believe that's where "insured retained" comes in.  If it's all the way totalled (by the insurance company AND the state) then the insurance company assumes ownership and the title you get back if you buy it from them is a salvage title.  Owner retained means the title never leaves your name, but the money changes hands as if it did.  The title therefore stays clean.  Hope that made sense.

Curtis

[Rocketman]

Good info.  I'll certainly talk to them about it.