Brakes, shocks, and general maintenance

[rdfaulkner]

A couple months ago I bought my first street legal motorcycle and upon which joined the elite that populate this site. I picked up a one owner 2003 Valk that had been well taken care of with only 21k miles on it. Since then I've nearly added another 2k to it as it was meant to be ridden, and ridden often. In this time, I have noticed a few squeaks, clicks, and rumbles, but most of which have been explained in the FAQ section of this site. But two still concern me.

The first is my front brakes have taken to squeaking when applied at low speed or right as I come to a stop. I have yet to remove the caliper to inspect the brakes, but I from what I can currently see the groves in the brake pad are still visible. At least in the outer pads. I can't really see the inner pads all to well but they seem to be the same thickness as the outer pads. Is there anything else or any other test I can perform to locate the issue? Or do I just need to remove the calipers and take a closer inspection of the brake pads. I'm not sure if the PO replaced them or not.

The second is a pair of squeaky shocks or bushings. These shocks appear to be factory installed. I did increase the stiffness to a 5 as both my wife and I are larger people. It only squeaks when I'm riding two up. So how do I determine if I need new shocks, or just a bushing?

Also as I am new to street bikes, is there any general maintenance issues that I need to look out for? Seeing as the bike is 10 years old, I'm sure I will have to start replacing a few parts here and there. What issues can I be looking for, and around what mileage do they generally show themselves?

I plan on riding this bike for years to come and I don't think I could of gotten a better bike for my wife and I to hit the road.

[justintyper]

welcome to the party! lol. as for the brakes squeaking its more than likely the po replaced the stock pads with something from the aftermarket which can be fine but if they are too aggressive they can put some wear to the stock rotors which have gotten pretty pricey for peace of mind you could change them out for stock pads http://www.hdlparts.com/Default.asp this is the site a lot of us use to get honda factory parts from. as for the squeak on the shocks it could just be the shock bushings making noise under load. pretty easy to check thier condition pull you seat off and remove the top shock bolts(one at a time) and see if they are cracked or egg shaped the top ones are generally the ones you have to worry about.... or the po could have changed them out with poly bushings . if that's the case they just need a little grease on the surfaces that ride on metal. also read the shoptalk section thoroughly there is a ton of information there http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/ these bikes will last a good long time with proper care.

[ShiftHappens]

You may want to get this maintenance guide:
http://www.rattlebars.com/valkfaq/valkmaintenanceguide.html

[rdfaulkner]

Thanks for the info. I've read through most of the shop talk and the maintenance guide listed and they are valuable resources for information. I suppose I will just have to keep an eye out for problems as they arise. Thanks for the hdl link. I suppose I will have to remove the calipers to inspect the brakes properly. As for the bushing, it looks like to be rubber. I will take the bolt out in the coming days and check it.

If the bushing is fine, and my shocks are indeed shot how does lowering affect the ride? My wife may be riding the Valk in the future and as of right now, it is entirely too tall for her. I found some progressive shocks that are as short as 11.5" as compared to the stock 13".

[old2soon]

If it's new to you may I suggest doing the rear end service-O-rings check the P-cup lube the splines look at the U-joint NOW so you will KNOW it's all O-K.  IF you let it go and ass/u/me it's good it MIGHT get spendy to repair/replace the parts that COULD be affected. And B T W-welcome to our little piece of the insanity.  RIDE SAFE.

[rdfaulkner]

So I tore into the Valk, and sure enough the bushings were both cracked and egg shaped. I will go ahead and order some poly replacements. Checked the front brakes and they are still in good shape but I'm unsure if they are OEM or not. They are nissin tt2501hh.

[pancho]

THose are the pads the bike came with.

[Farther]

I would recommend VTX (through HDL) bushings or Redeye.
http://redeye.ecrater.com/p/18385698/rear-shock-bushings-polyurethane-teflon

[rdfaulkner]

Got my bushings ordered, going to replace top and bottom for piece of mind. The pads have plenty of life left in them, but what could be causing the squeak?

[Hook#3287]

The pads have plenty of life left in them, but what could be causing the squeak?

Are the pads wearing evenly?   If the calipers aren't "floating" as designed, the pads can wear unevenly and the metal stubs will hit the rotor and create the squeal, mostly at low speeds.

[rdfaulkner]

The pads have plenty of life left in them, but what could be causing the squeak?

Are the pads wearing evenly?   If the calipers aren't "floating" as designed, the pads can wear unevenly and the metal stubs will hit the rotor and create the squeal, mostly at low speeds.

Yes, the pads are wearing evenly. The squeal is only when I apply the brakes and generally only as I'm coming to a stop (i.e. at the apex of the pressure used to stop) Occasionally it will happen as I initially apply the brake.

[fordmano]

The brake pads might be glazed a bit and or the rotors might also be glazed a little.

The pads can be sprayed with brake cleaner and lightly sanded with regular sand paper just be sure to use some compressed air to blow the loose dust off them, then spray them with the cleaner.

Most wont recommend this but you can also ever so lightly run your sand paper over the rotor surface to break any glaze and again blow the loose dust off them spray then completely clean with brake cleaner.
Like what was already said be sure the calipers are floating completely and not dragging on the rotors.


Oh and welcome to the proud crowd of Valkyrie owners,,,, AKA: Phat Gurl riders,,,,    AKA: Dragon riders,,,    AKA: Beast riders.

Well you get it, welcome aboard!