Valk matinace

[Wartooth]

Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about buying a used 97 valk with 58,000 miles. I was wondering about how easy it is to keep up on thier matinace and also the life span of the engine, is 58k alot?

[hubcapsc]

If it looks like it has been taken care of, it will probably be great.

I went from a bought new Harley softail heritage classic to a somewhat ratty
97 Valk, and it was the best move I ever made, but I have had fun working on
my Valkyrie...

-Mike

[Chrisj CMA]

There is no easy answer to your question.  If properly cared for 58K is not a lot of miles for a Valkyrie.  If not properly cared for, some major components can be ruined in that time.

As far as being easy to work on and maintain, thats  up for discussion, it depends on your mechanic skills and tools.  the Valkyrie is a bike you can work on yourself if you learn a few things and buy some specific tools....like a lift among other things you may not usually have.

If the owner knows his bike, explains the maintenance that has been done (especially to rear drive maintenance) and the bike looks like it has not been neglected, well thats about all you can do to insure its a good deal.

If the owner doesnt know how its been maintained and it looks rough, Id keep looking

[Wartooth]

that kinda scares me my mechanic skills are virtually none. do you have any idea as to what parts are usually to go out first aside from tires clutch and brakes?

[MP]

58,000 is NOT a lot of miles.  Just getting broken in.

MP

[Chrisj CMA]

that kinda scares me my mechanic skills are virtually none. do you have any idea as to what parts are usually to go out first aside from tires clutch and brakes?

Basically Id be concerned about how well the drive splines in the rear end have been taken care of and then just overall appearance.....rust.....dents.......condition of paint and chrome

[humshark]

Wartooth -

that kinda scares me my mechanic skills are virtually none. do you have any idea as to what parts are usually to go out first aside from tires clutch and brakes?

I may underestimate your mechanical abilities - but just your question tells me you understand the basics of bikes.  The good thing here is that the CLUTCH is NOT something that gets a lot of attention here on the board.

Discussion on the board that you will see,
Carburation -
          Recent changes in fuel ( ethanol ) have had it's effects.  The #1 fix is to run some SEA FOAM or equivalent through and ride your bike regularly.  No maintenance skills there...

TIRES -
          She's a big bike and like to eat tires depending on road surface, and how your ride.  Changing them is done at the shop for those mechanically challenged and is the time to inspect the other main things that need attention on our bikes.  You will get varying answers as to how long tires last.  There are simply to many variables for us to answer how long they will last for you.  ENSURING  proper inflation at all times will allow you to get the most from your tires.

BRAKES -
          Pretty easy to replace without special tools.

DRIVE TRAIN -
          Drive shaft splines, dampers, and U-joint should be inspected.  The Ujoint maybe not every rear change unless you suspect something due to vibration. ( You'll know cause these things don't vibrate when they're right! )  Each of these things can be done within an hour when changing a rear tire, with little mechanical knowledge.  My shop actually let me pull the pieces myself as he worked on the tire dismount / mount.
While this is not usual procedure - my point is that the process of inspecting is not that hard, especially when you are replacing a tire to begin with.

FORKS -
          For the longest time I NEVER HAD a problem with my fork seals.  Now I do ( my own fault ) but I am calling on the board members to help me get through the process of replacing them.  I had it done once at a shop for a C-note, parts included.

That's the point I'd like to make.  Take the advice of those before me - let the guy tell you about the bike.  If you suspect little maintenance AND the bike is rough - pass, but these are GREAT bikes and you are getting a GREAT peer group that WILL help when you need it.

There are many mechanically challenged folks out there that ride high mileage Valks - Let's see if we don't hear from a few!  By the way - many members are riding VALKS with more than 100k miles!

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

I bought my I/S with 59k hard miles on it. I did  a full service job, all fluids and all wheel bearings, tires,brakes, greased splines and drive shaft ends. I bought it for a song. Now with 107k on it no problems. I did lose an alt. at 94k  but I don't think that's too bad.

[valkmc]

I have a 98 standard with 65,000, I just replaced the clutch. It was not to bad, I expected worse.  The clutch was not abused as I bought the bike new. I am by no means a mechanic, I have a clymer manual and get help from this board and from friends. The bike is easy to maintain as long as it has not been beaten up it should be ok.

[Bladedog]

Wartooth

I'm not that mechanically inclined either but I also recently bought a '97 standard with 55K on the odo, and have gone through some very basic maintenance myself, from replacing plugs and changing oil, to replacing brake pads (and rebuilding calipers, due to my own mistake) and air filter.  Next weekend a fellow VRCC'er has invited me to his place to help me replace my rear drive and do a carb sync!  About 90% of what I've learned, I got from right here on this site.  There's so many really great folks who are eager to help with advice and even personally lend a hand if they are close by.  Check out the Tech board and Shop talk pages for a lot of good info.  If you really get stuck, send out a help message, there's bound to be someone in your area that will step up.

And welcome aboard!

[bludragon]

I am no mechanic and my valk has 70,0000 miles. Proper maintenance of drive train is CRITICAL on the valk. I am very fortunate to have a highly qualified mechanic near my home and he always inspects the drivetrain at tire changes at the least. It is still in very good condition. I just rode 5600 miles to Inzane and back in full confidence.  These bikes are awesome

[DFragn]

that kinda scares me my mechanic skills are virtually none. do you have any idea as to what parts are usually to go out first aside from tires clutch and brakes?

I was by no means mechanically inclined. My Valk was the first of many bikes owned that I ever worked on myself. Get the Honda Service manual. It will make you a god in the garage with your Valk along with a bike lift.
Over 10 years I eventually got to the point of doing my own customizing even down to the painting. I even mount & balance my own tires now too.
Other then pulling the engine or heads there isn't a component I haven't inspected, pulled or replaced. I've gotten down right intimate with this machine. This board is a lot of help also.

Only 75,000 miles so far. There are a few at 300,000 without an engine rebuild. This engine will treat you right.
It's one of the easiest engines/bikes to work on and maintain.

Mine was born a Tourer and slowly reborn.

[woody]

I may be a little late on this post, but Id like to get my two pennith worth in.
The Valk requires general maintenance, but no where near what you would have in most other bikes.
The maintenance is reasonably easy and most parts accessable with basic tools.
I have actually done full maintenance using only the provided tools in the tool kit.
If you have any problems dont, for the love of all that is holy, barge ahead anyway
Get onto this site and ask.........even the most dumb questions are answered by the great contributors on line.
And I have found them persistent, intellegent and very helpful.
If I had asked my question earlier than I did, I would not have dismantled all the things I did unecessarily.
So, go for it and always ask
There are no stupid questions...only assinine answers