What did you do to your Valkyrie today?

[Houdini]

Pulled off my road-rashed and piggies cut at the canisters exhaust



And replaced them with non-road-rashed pipes with piggies cut but enough pipe left to attach couplings and extensions long enough to clear my new Grumpy tips.



I had to go to a close up due to iPhones not handling glare very well.  Definitely quieter at highway speed with the extensions.

[Jess from VA]

That is some nice work. 

Does the prop turn in the wind, or stationary?

[Houdini]

That is some nice work. 

Does the prop turn in the wind, or stationary?

It turns in the wind.  Unfortunately the wind by movement is mostly blocked by the tire and fender so it needs a cross wind to really get spinning.

[Red Diamond]

Removed a set of useless Kuryakyn elliptical mirrors and reinstalled the OEM's. Also adjusted the handle bar up about 2" and actually clean on it. I'm quite proud of myself, hadn't cleaned on one for a long time. Prepping for GOTF's.

[DarkSideR]

I put in a belly tank. Topped it off with gas,  let her sit overnight,  and this morning no leaks.  I rode it 18 miles and all seems well. At my average 34mpg with 8.5 gallons on board I now have close to a 300 mile range.

[Lyonardo]

Nice!
Can you give us more detail about the belly tank, gas pump, switchover from regular tank, etc... ?
thanks

[DarkSideR]

Nice!
Can you give us more detail about the belly tank, gas pump, switchover from regular tank, etc... ?
thanks

Sure, the Belly Tank is manufactured by R&M Works (http://www.rmworksinc.com/), and was originally designed for a Valkyrie with a blower on it to simply increase the fuel capacity. However long distance riders quickly started installing the tanks.

The Belly Tank is a 3 gallon fuel cell made out of aircraft grade aluminum, and bolts up under the bike between the transmission and rear wheel. It's painted black and once installed is hardly noticeable. A diaphragm fuel pump is bolted externally onto the belly tank itself. The quality of the manufacturing is superb, truly top notch.

Installation of the Belly Tank requires re-configuring the Petcock, and fuel lines. The Petcock is modified to now act as a vent for the Belly Tank. To do this you simply remove 3 parts from the Petcock and flip a diaphragm over and put it back together. The petcock is still fully functional retaining the existing reserve. The fuel pump connects to the existing line to the Carburetors (A byproduct of this is no more possibility of Hydrolock.) The Valkyrie's gas tank will need to be modified by having a "Bung" port welded into the bottom of it (BTW all detailed instructions are on R&M's website). I took my tank to a custom weld shop who was able to safely evacuate the tank and tig weld in the bung port (cost me a $100  ), but understand you can Silver Solder the bung port in yourself  . The Belly Tank is bolted with the existing kickstand bolts, and two new supports from each exhaust hanger. Make all the fuel line connections (Belly tank main fill line is .5"  - connects to new bung line, Belly Tank vent line is 5/16" - connects to the Petcock, Fuel Pump line is 5/16" - connects to the existing Carburetor line. Lastly, the electric Fuel Pump connects to an existing accessory connection under the right side cover.

Overall the installation is fairly simple, and took me about 3 hours. A test ride proved that you can't even tell you are carrying an additional 3 gallons of fuel because it is carried so low. The only noticeable difference is when you turn the ignition switch 'ON' you hear the pump running. My bike averages 34mpg, with 8.5 gallons on board that is a 289 mile range. Talk about freedom to move about the country. I use to plan my gas stop on long hauls out to the 'T', but now won't have to worry nearly as much.

Eventually I'm going to reconfigure the Belly Tank to only act as a reserve tank, meaning the fuel pump with only run to pump the 3 gallons back up to the main tank. Why would I do this, well in the original installation you rely on the fuel pump, and if the fuel pump goes out you are not going anywhere. MarkT has a detailed write up on this in the 1500 Tech forum (just do a search for "Belly Tank")

Hope this helps. 

[Six Guns]

I got a Belly Tank installed on my Valkyrie at Inzane in Frisco, CO. some years back. I remember there were (2) sizes of Belly Tanks. If you had Cobra 6x6 Drag pipes you had to get the smaller tank. If you had the OEM pipes or some pipes that were similar you could get the larger tank. I don't remember the size of the tanks at the moment. I'm sure R & M Works has that information on their web site. My Belly Tank is still going strong after all of these years. 

[Red Diamond]

Hadn't ridden the Interstate more than a couple miles around the country block since August of 2014. Pulled her out this morning, knocked off some dirt and dust, took her a spin into deep east Texas. 233 miles round trip and she never sputtered or missed a lick.

[f-Stop]

Replaced the push rod boot on the clutch master cylinder.  Cleaned everything up and re-lubed with silicone grease as per shop manual.

FYI, check those front clutch/brake master cylinder push rod/piston boots.  I think they'll just disintegrate over time and if you're an all weather rider like me, bad things could happen when water gets up into that confined area.  The boot costs less than $10 and is easy to replace...that's way less than replacing a whole master cylinder!  (I found the disintegrated boot by accident...before any damage had occurred.)
Plus, if you think about it, the clutch is used 5-10 times more than the front brake, so that would be the most likely boot to go bad first.

 

[Disco]

Great tips, Charlie!   

[Gental Gaint]

I went and got my bike from my buddy that has had it for 8 years, since I went over the middle east back in 09-10.... "Kinda" took care of it... it has the Honda rust spots on it now... but he DID ride it for me and that was the main thing that I wanted him to do..... Now I get to install ALL the parts I have 'rat-holed' for the last 11 years....

                               

[HayHauler]

New front Metz ME880.  Like Smokin' Joe says "it sticks like shiznit on a white blanket", or something close to that.

Hay
Jimmyt

[Red Diamond]

The UPS truck showed  up on time and on schedule with my new Red/Black fairing on Monday and I installed it this afternoon. Easy install. He even included an in the factory wrapping new headlight bezel.

[Joevalk]

What happened to the old one?

[Red Diamond]

Couple small cracks and a rash, nothing that would be hard to repair. Don't have the patience any more Joe.

[RainMaker]

The UPS truck showed  up on time and on schedule with my new Red/Black fairing on Monday and I installed it this afternoon. Easy install. He even included an in the factory wrapping new headlight bezel.

Looks like a new bike - good job, Eli!

[Joevalk]

I've been busy the last week and half. Trailered Phyllis' bike to my house. Rebuilt carbs, replaced the front tire, petcock, flushed the tank, and some other issues that were going on. Runs pretty good.

On my Valkylac I changed valve covers to shiney black GW 1500  style. Powder coated and rebuilt the master cylinders, shiney black. Hard bag hinges got powder coated too.
Sorry no pics yet, just a lil tease

[Red Diamond]

Some months or a year ago I mentioned the need for brackets to install Kuryakyn trans covers. A set was included with an exhaust buy, but no brackets. Houdini suggested I contact Kuryakyn for a bracket kit which contained all hardware for installation.The sales person told me they didn't make or offer the kit anymore. Last week I was looking at Kuryakyn stuff when curiosity got the best of me, called Kuryakyn again, new guy. He says we have two kits left, of course I said send both. End of story.

[Disco]

Washed it.  Yay!  Found the rear bolt to the passenger seat/rear fender missing.  Boo!
 
MSRP for the 6mm x 20mm flange bolt: $6.95.      

HDLParts price: $4.72   

Do I have one or more somewhere that will work?  Yes.  Do I feel like rummaging around right now?  No.  Should I scavenge from the other bike?  Yes, but that would feel dirty. 

Home Depot here I come! 

[larue]

During the summer heat down here I added some bling and some functional items to pimp my ride
Rivco air horns
Rivco fender luggage rack
Powder coated old wing valve covers
seat rail
Stop strip lights going down the sides of the rear fender
Corbin seat courtesy of big poppa pump
European tank badges thanks Dag from Vrcc Norway who located them for me
Bag chrome rails and valkyrie decals
Jack adapter
Lowering peg kit, from mark T
Powder coated rotors
I can only hope I'm done but I doubt it
Hope you enjoy the pics

[big poppa pump]

During the summer heat down here I added some bling and some functional items to pimp my ride
Rivco air horns
Rivco fender luggage rack
Powder coated old wing valve covers
seat rail
Stop strip lights going down the sides of the rear fender
Corbin seat courtesy of big poppa pump
European tank badges thanks Dag from Vrcc Norway who located them for me
Bag chrome rails and valkyrie decals
Jack adapter
Lowering peg kit, from mark T
Powder coated rotors
I can only hope I'm done but I doubt it
Hope you enjoy the pics

Looking great, brother! If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the stop strip lights? Thanks.

[larue]

Here you go brother, from China source  on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/262229835453

[CDuster]

Removed the Kuryakyn cruise pegs I had mounted on the engine case guard and then I installed a set of Rivco cruise pegs. These pegs you can position just about anywhere you like. A lot more comfortable.

[f-Stop]

Replaced a fork seal...rode a couple hundred miles...no leaks...



 

[Red Diamond]

Been blowing the 10amp stop/turn/horn fuse on the Tourer, hasn't had much attention the last year or so. I had problems with the starter switch in South Carolina a few years ago, Valkpilot helped me get it going again to get home but I never had a problem since. It seems to blow on startup so I figured it must be the switch, installed another switch and harness, all's well again. Here's the caveat, while I was test starting before completing the install, it would click and all lights would go out. The battery terminals were loose, tightened that up and good to go. Now, I'm wondering if the loose terminals caused the fuse to blow on startup.

[RainMaker]

Been blowing the 10amp stop/turn/horn fuse on the Tourer, hasn't had much attention the last year or so. I had problems with the starter switch in South Carolina a few years ago, Valkpilot helped me get it going again to get home but I never had a problem since. It seems to blow on startup so I figured it must be the switch, installed another switch and harness, all's well again. Here's the caveat, while I was test starting before completing the install, it would click and all lights would go out. The battery terminals were loose, tightened that up and good to go. Now, I'm wondering if the loose terminals caused the fuse to blow on startup.

Don't drive yourself crazy with what ifs.  It works now.

[Red Diamond]

The car tire experiment is done and so is the car tire. Installed a 205 60 Hankook Optimo H426 on the 03 Standard to see if I would like the CT, I have ridden it just over 3K miles, none of which convinced me to continue. The shinie wheels from the 03 are now on the 2K Tourer along with a new set of Avon Cobras from the Jake Wilson sale back in June and July. I tried all the pressure adjustments, too much hunting on the back roads for me. On the Interstate highway it felt great ( relatively flat surface), I ride the back and scenic roads a lot.

[Brewer]

Rode to work, like the same tire Red Diamond did not.... All good by me.

[BnB Tom]

Put air in both tires. 

    I think the cool(er) weather has caused a slight deflate gate situation

 

[DarkSideR]

Put air in both tires. 

    I think the cool(er) weather has caused a slight deflate gate situation

 

Every fall I have to go around to all my Vehicles (2-Cars, 1-Truck & Bike) and air up all the tires. I can't explain it.

[DarkSideR]

Rode to work, like the same tire Red Diamond did not.... All good by me.

Maybe Red Diamond needed his rear end completely rebuilt too?

[Brewer]

I wonder about the u-joint.... Mine has not been checked.

[Disco]

Well, not today, but in mid-August I added a(nother) stablemate.   

Since then, I sold a 4-piece Ultimate Big Boy set to fund my future Russell Day-Long.   

Two days ago I ordered two DayMaker adapter brackets from DarkSider Josh and they're "out for delivery" as I type.   

Still shopping for DayMakers.  Any specific recommendations???   

[Valkpilot]

Put air in both tires. 

    I think the cool(er) weather has caused a slight deflate gate situation

 

Every fall I have to go around to all my Vehicles (2-Cars, 1-Truck & Bike) and air up all the tires. I can't explain it.

There's a direct, (nearly) linear relationship between temperature and air pressure.  Your tires' pressure will rise or fall about 1 psi for every 10° F rise or fall in temperature.

If you inflated your tires when the tires are "cold" to 40 psi and it was 90° F outside, then on a morning when it is 60° F outside, the "cold" pressure will be 37 psi without any leaks causing it.

This time of year in Texas, when the morning temp can be 30° F lower than the afternoon temp, the tires will experience a 3 psi change (increase) just sitting in the parking lot at work all day.

Pressure also increases as you ride because friction between the tread and road, and internal friction that occurs as the tire flexes, increases the temperature of the tire, wheel, and air inside the tire. 

[Jess from VA]

Then there are the guys who buy nitrogen.   

[f-Stop]

Pressure also increases as you ride because friction between the tread and road, and internal friction that occurs as the tire flexes, increases the temperature of the tire, wheel, and air inside the tire. 

Hence, that's why tire manufacturers tell you to check tire pressure when "cold".  If you ever watch NASCAR, those guys will start with fresh tires after a pit stop that are nearly flat.  After a few laps the tires heat up, pressures increase and the cars start to really fly around the track.  A person can really learn a lot about tires just by listening to the NASCAR guys during a race.

 

[DarkSideR]

Well, not today, but in mid-August I added a(nother) stablemate.   

Since then, I sold a 4-piece Ultimate Big Boy set to fund my future Russell Day-Long.   

Two days ago I ordered two DayMaker adapter brackets from DarkSider Josh and they're "out for delivery" as I type.   

Still shopping for DayMakers.  Any specific recommendations???   

Here is a list of Vendors selling DayMakers to get you started when purchasing yours.

 - https://hogworkz.com/harley-parts/lighting.html
   + Offers Halo's
 - https://www.eaglelites.com/collections/motorcycle-headlights/7-led-headlight
 - http://www.jwspeaker.com/products/categories/headlights/
 - http://www.bodypartsusa.com/led-motorcycle-lighting-lamps/
   + Offers Halo's
- Ebay (Search '7" DayMaker', then limit the search to 'US Only')
   + You will find many, many to choose from.

[DarkSideR]

Put air in both tires. 

    I think the cool(er) weather has caused a slight deflate gate situation

 

Every fall I have to go around to all my Vehicles (2-Cars, 1-Truck & Bike) and air up all the tires. I can't explain it.

There's a direct, (nearly) linear relationship between temperature and air pressure.  Your tires' pressure will rise or fall about 1 psi for every 10° F rise or fall in temperature.

If you inflated your tires when the tires are "cold" to 40 psi and it was 90° F outside, then on a morning when it is 60° F outside, the "cold" pressure will be 37 psi without any leaks causing it.

This time of year in Texas, when the morning temp can be 30° F lower than the afternoon temp, the tires will experience a 3 psi change (increase) just sitting in the parking lot at work all day.

Pressure also increases as you ride because friction between the tread and road, and internal friction that occurs as the tire flexes, increases the temperature of the tire, wheel, and air inside the tire. 

Great explanation. Thank you.

[Disco]

Forgot to mention that I also sandblasted a pair of fork tubes and fork lowers for powdercoating and polished the fork caps to high luster.    

Next up for polish: a spare triple tree I've managed to accumulate.  

Here is a list of Vendors selling DayMakers to get you started when purchasing yours.

 - https://hogworkz.com/harley-parts/lighting.html
   + Offers Halo's
 - https://www.eaglelites.com/collections/motorcycle-headlights/7-led-headlight
 - http://www.jwspeaker.com/products/categories/headlights/
 - http://www.bodypartsusa.com/led-motorcycle-lighting-lamps/
   + Offers Halo's
- Ebay (Search '7" DayMaker', then limit the search to 'US Only')
   + You will find many, many to choose from.

Thanks, Josh.  I'd already worked my way through that list from your General Board thread and was hoping that more info would be provided re specs like lumen & light pattern.  I'll ask my question in the other thread.