Rough Idle and galloping at slow speeds

[allaraine]

Hello fellow riders.
I am new here and I have just bought my first Valkyrie. 1999 with 7104 miles on it.
When i brought it home I noticed that it was sputtering at low speeds and it had sort of a gallop to it also. I know nothing about this bike except my boss bought it 2 years ago from someone in Michigan. He rode it a little bit but he has another bike he liked more. I decided to buy it for the same price he bought it for $6300.00. I took it to a Honda dealer and he said it sounded like the slow jets were plugged somewhere. He also said it would cost around $700.00 to clean carbs and resync them. I know i could probably do it myself (clean the carbs) but I do not know where to start. I have seen some posts about Desmogging. ????? I live in PA. I have run several tanks of Fuel through it with different cleaners and nothing has changed. Ran 3 tanks of pure Gas (nonethenol) nothing changed.
Can someone tell me where to start from here? Please.
Where can I get good (cheap) part from also?

[Pete]

Pull the carbs.
Clean them very carefully.
Re install the carbs.

Yes if a dealer does it it is expensive.
Takes me a full half of a day, so plan on spending the time to do it right.

Information source - Honda service manual - available online.

NOTHING runs better that clean carbs.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Pull the carbs.
Clean them very carefully.
Re install the crabs.

Yes if a dealer does it it is expensive.
Takes me a full half of a day, so plan on spending the time to do it right.

Information source - Honda service manual - available online.

NOTHING runs better that clean carbs.

+1, I would also add when you clean the carbs take the jets out and clean them thoroughly.

[old2soon]

P M attic rat. He IS the in house carb guru. RIDE SAFE.

[pocobubba]

Where in Pa.

[Steve K (IA)]

First........put a whole can of Berryman's B-12 in the gas tank and putz around town for a while and then let it sit for a day or 2 and take it out again (riding slow).  You want it to work through the slow jets.  There's a good chance that will clear it up.   

Let us know what you decide and how things worked out.

[Edvalk]

Berrymans works best for me . I add 1/2 can with 2 gallons left in the tank run it around to make sure it's in the carbs and then let it sit overnight .. Then I fill it up to dilute it and run that tank till way on reserve .

[Patrick]

You didn't mention which cleaners you tried or the doses. So I agree with trying it again with very heavy doses of the cleaner.  While doing that drive the monster at low engine speeds to help force the cleaner thru the low jets. When it'll run along nicely in top gear at 1500 all is well.
However, if that doesn't clean them up then its time to get your hands dirty. Clean the jets and passages very carefully.
When it comes to check/adjust the sync, I just use a plain ole single vacuum gauge.

[Wewaman]

If all tries bring no sucess, then follow Pete's advice and get the Honda Service Manual or a Clymers 

 You can also SEE it done on YouTube, (D Ray) has about 6 or 8 videos taking you thru the process.

I think it's titled "Pt.1 1998 Honda GL 1500 C Valkyrie Project"

Good luck and follow Patrick' Advice with the 1 guage carb sync.  He out lined it step by step for me.  You may be able to find that post but I have no Idea what it was called.

 Wewa

[Steve K (IA)]

If all tries bring no sucess, then follow Pete's advice and get the Honda Service Manual or a Clymers 

 You can also SEE it done on YouTube, (D Ray) has about 6 or 8 videos taking you thru the process.

I think it's titled "Pt.1 1998 Honda GL 1500 C Valkyrie Project"

Good luck and follow Patrick' Advice with the 1 guage carb sync.  He out lined it step by step for me.  You may be able to find that post but I have no Idea what it was called.

 Wewa

Here is the link to Pt 1.  The introduction by D-Ray Smith
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ITyszhh4XHs?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

From there you can find Parts 2 - 9  Very informative videos

[allaraine]

Thank you to everyone.
I have run a tank of fuel with Seafoam in it. I have also ran 5 tanks of NONETHENOL gas through it. Nothing has helped so far.
I will try your suggestions and let everyone know how it goes , before I tear it down .

I am from Sayre, PA.  NY-PA Boarder on Susquehanna River.

[Firefighter]

It takes me some time to remove,take apart and clean the carbs. since I don't do it every day, but you can do it. If the carbs. are plugged and it sounds like they are, you had better shut off the gas when it sits as you might be a candidate for the dreaded hydrolock and you don't need that trouble. There are how to videos on youtube that really help. While on this site (VRCC), type in the search bar Valkyrie how to videos on youtube and I think you can find out how and what to do. Take your time. I have never had much luck with chemical cleaners if the carbs. are gummed bad. Doing it yourself is sometimes the only way to get it right, and you learn things that you might use on the road some where! With this site and a manual you can fix most anything. Let us know/help.  Firefighter

[John Schmidt]

Seafoam isn't what I call a good cleaner for carbs. Get some Berrymans as suggested and let it work for you as outlined. Once it's cleared up, use some Techron regularly, it will make a difference. If your boss didn't ride it much you can pretty well bet it's the slow jets are partially plugged.

[StrikingViking]

Something else that hasn't been suggested, but can be a major contributor, and will only take 2 minutes to sort... the clamps at the top of the intake manifolds.  The come loose.  Make sure they're tight.

[8Track]

And when people say to putt around town at low speeds, it means keep the revs under 2,000rpm. Under this is when the slow jets are being used.

So a heavy dose of Berrymans, revs under 2k and eventually it should clear. If not, time to remove the carbs and clean them properly.

[allaraine]

I will check the connections tonight when I get home. Rode to work today and it is definitely at low speeds only. I will run some Berrymans through it, if I can find it around here. I do use Techron every other tank full also, forgot to mention that.

[rugguy]

+1 on all the suggestions here. Here's mine. Order new O-ring and gasket sets for both the carbs and the intake runners. I got mine from Redeye. Go ahead and replace the airfilter too while you have easy access to it. You want everything tight, leak-free and breathing right when you're done. You will be happy with the change in performance.....

[Ramie]

Something else that hasn't been suggested, but can be a major contributor, and will only take 2 minutes to sort... the clamps at the top of the intake manifolds.  The come loose.  Make sure they're tight. 

Just did this tonight on my new to me valk.  It seem to be running fine once it warmed up but ran like crap until it warmed up good and I could swear I smelled gas every time  I came to a stop but could find no leaks.  I found all six of them loose, not rattle loose but I did a couple of turns on each one.  Didn't want to tork on them too much but I snugged them good and what do know, no more gas smell and it warms up much better.  I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

[RonW]

Just a nuance but it's been bothering me night and day 7 days a week and probably for the next 20 years, lol. In an earlier thread about replacing the o-rings for the intake runners, there was something about not having to remove the choke covers (carb covers ? ) .... to access the bottom bolts. There are two bolts at the bottom of each intake runner. The inner most bolt is tucked in there. Is the *choke cover* what's outlined in red in the pic below?

If that's indeed the *choke cover*, I don't understand how you won't be fumbling around torquing down the inner bolt without removing the choke cover. Besides it only takes unscrewing 3 screws to remove the choke cover. Just a few seconds so forth. 2nd pic below shows a ¼-inch drive easily reaching the inner bolt with choke cover removed and not an obstruction. The last pic shows a ⅜-inch drive extension if you have a torque wrench that reads down to 7 ft-lbs.

[Hoser]

First........put a whole can of Berryman's B-12 in the gas tank and putz around town for a while and then let it sit for a day or 2 and take it out again (riding slow).  You want it to work through the slow jets.  There's a good chance that will clear it up.   

Let us know what you decide and how things worked out.

What Steve says works, while you are running on the slow jets, run at half choke during some of the time.  Worked for me on a Valk I bought out of a storage unit.  Turned out to be a fine ride.  played with it on the backroads, took a couple hours to clear itself up.  Hoser   

[allaraine]

Ok. Just sent payment to Flt Doc for Cobra 6-6 pipes. Ordered 105 Main and 38 Slow jets. I will tough it out for now until I get the pipes here and installed. Then I will change out Jets as well as clean carbs completely as per AtticRats Instructions when I talked to him on the phone. I will be ordering The Digi Sync to sync carbs correctly. I hope everything works out well. I will update. Thanks everyone.

[indybobm]

I will check the connections tonight when I get home. Rode to work today and it is definitely at low speeds only. I will run some Berrymans through it, if I can find it around here. I do use Techron every other tank full also, forgot to mention that.

Walmart has it for under $4.00 a can. Good stuff. Do not be afraid to use a heavy dose. I use at least 1/2 can per tank. I would wait until you can ride it out instead of letting it sit there.

[Ricky-D]

I don't understand why you think installing #38 slow jets and #105 mains are going to help with your carburetor problems. It will not and most likely that will exacerbate the problems you are having and even may cause some new problems. Evidently your knowledge regarding the Valkyrie is very limited and you are relying on faulty information. I suggest you take some time to examine the threads regarding (Carburetor) jetting to become more informed regarding your Valkyrie.

***

[cookiedough]

Thank you to everyone.
I have run a tank of fuel with Seafoam in it. I have also ran 5 tanks of NONETHENOL gas through it. Nothing has helped so far.
I will try your suggestions and let everyone know how it goes , before I tear it down .

I am from Sayre, PA.  NY-PA Boarder on Susquehanna River.

seafoam is not strong enough, try techron or berrymans b12 in heavier doses.  Also, when putzing around town, try running full choke or darn near full choke to get the strong doses in the carbs at low idle speeds putzing around town.  Do that first BEFORE tearing everything apart. 

I felt mine was gummed up sitting in a barn for a few years not running when I bought my I/S 5+ years ago, heavy doses seemed to help, enough so it runs good enough for me probably 80-90% good enough is still better than a HD at 100%. 

that first year (first few months prior to winter) surely sucked though would sputter and not run as it should.  I also stepped up the idle speed adjustment screw just a tad felt it was only attempting to idle at 700 rpms kept dying,  so bumped that knob in front up to near 1000 rpms at idle, just moving the turn knob just a tiny bit is all. 

[Patrick]

Ok. Just sent payment to Flt Doc for Cobra 6-6 pipes. Ordered 105 Main and 38 Slow jets. I will tough it out for now until I get the pipes here and installed. Then I will change out Jets as well as clean carbs completely as per AtticRats Instructions when I talked to him on the phone. I will be ordering The Digi Sync to sync carbs correctly. I hope everything works out well. I will update. Thanks everyone.

Its your bike, do what you want. I don't have much of a problem with 38 lows [ set differently than 35s].  These monsters run rich to begin with so why the 105s I don't know. But the pipe company recommends them, I don't know. Don't complain about fuel consumption.

[allaraine]

I was just going with what the factory suggested when I put on the 6-6 pipes. I have tried just about everything that everyone has suggested. I will probably put pipes on and change out the slow jets or at least take carbs apart and clean them up thoroughly. When I change pipes to Cobra 6-6, is it a good thing to change jets or should I still stick with stock jets?

[Patrick]

I was just going with what the factory suggested when I put on the 6-6 pipes. I have tried just about everything that everyone has suggested. I will probably put pipes on and change out the slow jets or at least take carbs apart and clean them up thoroughly. When I change pipes to Cobra 6-6, is it a good thing to change jets or should I still stick with stock jets?

The fellas with Cobras can speak to that better than I can, I don't have any experience with them. It was my understanding that they just recommended changing needles. Apparently I'm wrong. So if I spoke out of place I'm sorry. It just seems that I remember fellas with aftermarket pipes having rich running issues when changing high jets.
I  don't have an issue with changing low jets to 38s even though I don't like doing it. It does seem to reduce varnishing problems with bikes not run regularly or with fuel not treated when needed.

[allaraine]

UPDATE::::
I have installed Cobra 6-6 pipes and cleaned and put new carb kits in. She runs like a raped ape now!
Thank you to everyone for the tips and suggestions.
BTW::: Getting the heat shield out and back in was the toughest part for me.
Word to the wise: MAKE SURE YOU CLOSE THE BOWL DRAINS BEFORE YOU START IT BACK UP (GAS EVERYWHERE) 

[Patrick]

Word to the wise: MAKE SURE YOU CLOSE THE BOWL DRAINS BEFORE YOU START IT BACK UP (GAS EVERYWHERE)  Undecided uglystupid2

end quote





Good safety tip !