Valkyrie interstate flutters at highway speed and above half throttle.

[Bradb]

Help

[old2soon]

What speed?? What gear?? Define"flutter"please. Doe bike become uncontrollable at speed?? Is the bike shaking?? See where i'm headed-more-much more information needed here. Get the info posted and YOU WILL be getting help with your problemo.  RIDE SAFE.

[indybobm]

I'll take a guess and assume it was doing what my Valk did when I got it. I define it as violent stuttering or like turning the ignition on and off about 10 times every second. It only did it when I was giving it full throtte above about 3 thousand RPM. I fixed mine by running a can of Berryman's B12 through it. I used a half can with a tank of gas. I had to run a couple of tanks though it. I think that one or more of the needles were clogged (stuck) in the main jets caused by the bike sittng with the crappy gas we get today. As a result, when I got above 3000 RPM, some cylinders were working and some were being starved for fuel. You can get Berrymans at any Autozone, Advance Auto and other places. Can costs less than 5 bucks. Do not spill it on paint and I would not let it sit in the tank too long. Best to ride the bike while trying to ease the engine to 3500 RPM, then slow a bit and do it over and over. I swear by Berryman's. Good stuff.

[Bradb]

Well guys the best way I can explain it is that pretty much in any gear except 1-3 if you let the Rpms get down about 2200 or so then start rolling the throttle back it starts fluttering and what I mean by fluttering is that it acts like you hit a governor or something but it will pick up speed slowly. But gears 1-5 below 2000 rpm run smooth and easy when ecelerating  until you reach that 2200 mark then it starts that mess but as long as your under that certain rpm even at highway speeds it runs fine. Just when your poor the gas to her she starts it. I put a pingel valve on it  because it was hydrolocked when I bought it. Do you recon that the valve is not delivering the amount of fuel it needs at that instant or it not being vacuum operated has something to do with it. I do know it isn't the cdi and pretty sure no vac leaks , new plugs full can of sea foam through it , they are in sync all new o rings in carbs with needle valves , no air restriction, new air filter,throttle slides are not damaged, I'm about at my the end of my rope.

[Bradb]

Please forgive my lack of good explanation gears 1-3 are fine if you really crank down on it but 4 an 5 is where it does it if your cruising at hwy speeds its ok until u put the gas to it then it starts but if you slow down in fifth to take a curve and it drops below that 2000rpm mark it will ecelerate fine in fifth until you get above 2200 Rpms.

[Hoser]

I'll take a guess and assume it was doing what my Valk did when I got it. I define it as violent stuttering or like turning the ignition on and off about 10 times every second. It only did it when I was giving it full throtte above about 3 thousand RPM. I fixed mine by running a can of Berryman's B12 through it. I used a half can with a tank of gas. I had to run a couple of tanks though it. I think that one or more of the needles were clogged (stuck) in the main jets caused by the bike sittng with the crappy gas we get today. As a result, when I got above 3000 RPM, some cylinders were working and some were being starved for fuel. You can get Berrymans at any Autozone, Advance Auto and other places. Can costs less than 5 bucks. Do not spill it on paint and I would not let it sit in the tank too long. Best to ride the bike while trying to ease the engine to 3500 RPM, then slow a bit and do it over and over. I swear by Berryman's. Good stuff.

going with indybobm on this one.  Hoser

[Bradb]

Ok hoser thanks! But exactly how do I need to do the b-12?

[Dougs2000IS]

+1 indybobm
I use B12 about a 1/4 bottle every third tank.
If you have problems a half a bottle in a full tank of gas would do it.
Make sure you drive it. Do not let it sit. B12 is very volatile. Will wreck your fuel lines if you let it sit.
The gas we get now is garbage so we all have to clean it out with something.
 

[Bradb]

Man I didn't know it was that strong so put 1/4 to 1/2 a bottle to a full tank and run the whole tank out preferably by the end of that day?

[Bradb]

I'm gonna run a tank through it tomorrow and see how it acts ill let you guys know how she does!   

[indybobm]

When you are riding the bike with the B12, run the revs from 2000 RPM to the point where it starts fluttering. Do not keep it at this point very long. Get the reves back down to about 2000 RPM and do it again. When doing this, accelerate using about 3/4 throttle.  Do not keep it at the fluttering stage very long. Keep doing this over and over. You want the B12 to be drawn into the hi-speed circuits (main jet/needle). I would do this for about 1/2 hour, let it sit for 1/2 hour and start it all over again. It might take awhile but at least you are riding!

[Daniel Meyer]

Also, check the tank vent hose for kinks/obstruction and make sure the vacuum breaker (a simple plastic "T" about halfway down), and that the fuel line isn't too long, drooping down kind of thing.

[Bradb]

Thank you guys y'all are great I really appreciate the pointers I've got a full tank of gas gonna put between 1/2 and 1/4 a bottle of b12 gonna ride it to my dads bout an hour away the I got to take him to dr which will mean she will sit for a couple of hrs or so then try to run the remainder of the tank out by this evening.

[Ricky-D]

2,000 rpm's is not highway speed in any gear and if you are in top gear at or under that rpm's you will feel a bit of hesitance if you give it a wot.

It's actually a causal vibration from the increased compression the motor is experiencing at that low rpm's.

Some will compare the same to lugging that you feel on a v-twin, but it is nowhere near that damaging operation.

The gas treatment ought to clear up any other problem you may be experiencing.

***

[Bradb]

What is the vaccum break "t" your referring to? And where?

[Patrick]

Vacuum break ? Just follow the tank vent line to just above the swing arm and you'll come across a ' T ' with nothing attached to one leg/nipple.

[Bradb]

I did notice that the metal nipple coming out of the tank right behind the petcock has no line on it just the metal nipple sticking out and that's it.

[pancho]

Well I guess you can rule out the vent line being pinched.... look for a rubber hose floating around loose, it should run behind the center cover (if you remove the seat you may find it), back behind the alternator where the T fitting is, and on down through a hanger clip.

[Bradb]

Well the b12 hasn't done much if anything. But I just keep thinking there is a vac leak or that fuel petcock ain't delivering to amount of fuel she needs when ur crank down on her. Can you guys tell me what places could cause this if it had vac leaks, I'm banging my head!

[Ricky-D]

If the motor will idle, it is very simple to find vacuum leaks with a can of starter fluid. You haven't indicated whether or not it is desmogged.

I don't think you give it enough time with the gasoline additive. And it will not hurt the fuel system lines or anything else. That's hooey!

***

[1FAST6]

My buddy discribed something similar a few years back.  He took it to the stealer and they charged him a bunch of money for doing nothing...  A few days later, on our first day of a week long trip to Key West, his petcock vacuum diaphram went south and he wasn't getting any fuel at all through it.  We ended up pulling the tank in the hotel parking lot and patching the hole with some RTV and finished the trip.  May not be your issue, but if you have the stock petcock and haven't done a rebuild ...  Just sayin!   

[pancho]

If you have a stock petcock, you can check to see if the petcock is causing a vacuum leak by pulling the vac hose from #6 intake and sucking (or using a mighty vac) on it gently and see if it is holding vacuum. If it will not, that can cause both fuel delivery problems and also a vacuum leak. Do it gently as the diaphragm can be ruptured if you get carried away.

[Bradb]

Well it's not desmoged and I have a pingel valve. Sorry I didn't throw that out there. I'm in ky if anyone is near and phone is 270-562-0556.

[pancho]

Well guys the best way I can explain it is that pretty much in any gear except 1-3 if you let the Rpms get down about 2200 or so then start rolling the throttle back it starts fluttering and what I mean by fluttering is that it acts like you hit a governor or something but it will pick up speed slowly. But gears 1-5 below 2000 rpm run smooth and easy when ecelerating  until you reach that 2200 mark then it starts that mess but as long as your under that certain rpm even at highway speeds it runs fine. Just when your poor the gas to her she starts it. I put a pingel valve on it  because it was hydrolocked when I bought it. Do you recon that the valve is not delivering the amount of fuel it needs at that instant or it not being vacuum operated has something to do with it. I do know it isn't the cdi and pretty sure no vac leaks , new plugs full can of sea foam through it , they are in sync all new o rings in carbs with needle valves , no air restriction, new air filter,throttle slides are not damaged, I'm about at my the end of my rope.

Hey Bradb, so I take it you have just gone through the carbs,, you say "all new o rings in carbs with needle valves" what do you mean there??  Did the problem appear from the time you put the carbs back on??

[Bradb]

yeah I didn't own the bike when it ran right I bought it hydrolocked from my step dad the carbs were all taken apart and soaked for a day or two the had new rubber for the carbs plus float valvesi just had the air box off and couldn't find any vac leaks. I don't know what in the world could be going wrong. But just the same I love her I wouldn't take nothing for her not even a brand new Harley. lol. 

[pancho]

Well with that information I am thinking that something is not right in the carb assembly.... the high speed circuit is not working in one or more of the carburetors.

That is a whole different can of worms,, did you do the work?? how far did you get into them?? were the tops off and the vacuum piston and needles removed?? were all the carbs separated?? I know questions,,,,, but it does sound like something was done incorrectly when the carbs were apart, and it needs to be tracked down.

[Bradb]

No I didn't do the work and I believe the carbs were completely disasimbeled and soak in cleaner.

[bulabula]

Sounds like one or more of the carbs are starving for fuel.  Did you pull the plugs and look to see if you can identify which one?  Or measure the exhaust temps?  The offending cylinder would be cooler than the others.  If they're all similar, the problem is earlier in the fuel chain.

I've never had my valk carbs apart (fortunately), but I've had my Suzuki apart more than a few times going from Stock to Stage 1 then Stage 2.  A dislodged/pinched O-ring can make life difficult.  I can't imagine that they messed with your main jets.  But your symptoms sound like my Suzuki did when I first installed mains that were too small and she was starving for fuel when I opened her up (fluttering/stuttering comes to mind).  One size bigger and she woke right up.   

I'm wondering if its related to the new pingel or pinched hose?

[Bradb]

Well I checked temp on header and they all were pretty close in temp and I think one might have had a 15 degree diff but the plugs all looked fine all the same anyway and the bike only has 34000 miles on it surely it doesn't need to be re-jetted and there isn't any lines pinched and I do know that the cdi is good. Where at before the fuel chain woul you think to look?

[Bradb]

Oh and the difference in temp was hotter rather than cooler I am just wondering if it ain't that darn pingel valve.

[Hoser]

There's not much that can go wrong with a pingle valve unless it's the vacuum model. Hoser 

[Bradb]

Well it's the manual one.  Crap!

[Ricky-D]

Well, if it's a fuel starvation issue, you need to start with flowing the petcock first and see exactly how much gas is flowing.

And if it's a fuel starvation issue, the plugs ought to show a lean condition.

So maybe more description would help.

Like:

You say highway speed, so exactly how fast can you get the bike going?

You say half throttle but are you sure it's half throttle. Have you indexed the throttle?

You say the bike has not been desmogged. Are you sure all the vacuum lines are correctly placed.

Have visually inspected all the operation of the carburetors for correct synchronization.

Can you get the "flutter" to be steady and continuous or is it just an occasional thing?

***

There are obviously more questions but these will be a good start, helping to get to the bottom of your problem.

[Bradb]

Well I can get the bike to go as fast as I want to hold it, I have not indexed the throttle its more so 1/2 to 3/4 in 4th and 5th gear, postitive the bike has not been desmoged, and 99% sure of vac line placement , visual inspection? No was not present at time of repair but several mechanically people plus Honda dealers told me that if they were not in sync it wouldn't idle right and that it doesn't affect topend the flutter is steady and continuous when you reach that certain throttle spot through wide open. My best description of the flutter is picture your self in a car with a manual speed trans you driving 15 mph in 1st gear and you shift all the way to fourth and hold it wide open. That example with the speed and gear has nothing in common with the bike as far as speed and gear just illustrating it will jump out from underneath you 1st through 3rd and 4th and 5th at 2500 plus rpms with the throttle rolled to 1/2 or 3/4ish as well as twisted wide open she flutters.

[Bradb]

What does the desmogg do and how hard is it to do?

[pancho]

You need to track this problem down first.

[pancho]

Lets just get this straight,,, ever since the carbs were "rebuilt" you have had this problem????

[Bradb]

Yep

[pancho]

OK, since I cannot ride it to see the problem exactly, first I would verify fuel flow through the petcock as RickyD suggested, then with the picture I have in mind of your symptoms  (not really sure how correct it is) I would remove the tank, pull the tops of the carbs and inspect the vacuum pistons for leaks and correct assembly.

[Bradb]

What's the best way to measure the fuel flow? I do know that it gets plenty to run fine until you crack down on it. And I inspected the throttle slides or vac slides and all is well it goes in this order chrome cap, plastic cap, spring, rubber slide,then needle I think that's right I'm goin off of memory. Lol