my riding is done for awhile

[3W-lonerider]

went riding this morning and stopped to do allittle car shopping. walking back to the bike i notice a screw in the left rear tire.
well the tires were down in tread so dropped the wife off at the house and i went to the tire dealer and got new tires on the back.
backed the trike out of the service bay at the tire dealer and proceded to go up the street to get the state inspection done.
after pulling out of the tire shop i started to smell smoke, kept looking around to see where the building was on fire. did'nt recall hearing any fire engines.
so i pull into the inspection station and the smoke bellowed up around the gas tank, one of the guys came out with a fire extinguisher and sprayed it. we got the positive off the battery.
they left me borrow a truck and trailer to haul it home.
getting ready to pull the tank and check the damage. first time in 20 years my bike has been on a trailer. sure looked sad back there..

[DIGGER]

Sorry to hear it.   Sounds like it could be an expensive fix

[..]

 

[Valkorado]

Brutal!   Have you had the tank off the bike recently or noticed any fuel smell,  or electrical in nature?

[Chrisj CMA]

Sorry to hear that. Same thing happened to my RD350 Yamaha and I had to have the entire wiring harness replaced. Curious to hear that the malfunction was

[3W-lonerider]

well got the tank off. just ordered a used clutch hydraulic hose from pinwall, seems that part is no longer available brand new.
as far as the cause. looks like the radio wiring rubbed threw and shorted out
burnt a hole in the clutch hose and took out all my assessory wiring. also melted the tilt sensor and center cover.
looks like the relays and harness are toasted to.
think i'll just call the insurance company and see what they'll give me for it.
almost ever part i look up is discontinued. i think its time for a new trike.

[The emperor has no clothes]

well got the tank off. just ordered a used clutch hydraulic hose from pinwall, seems that part is no longer available brand new.
as far as the cause. looks like the radio wiring rubbed threw and shorted out
burnt a hole in the clutch hose and took out all my assessory wiring. also melted the tilt sensor and center cover.
looks like the relays and harness are toasted to.
think i'll just call the insurance company and see what they'll give me for it.
almost ever part i look up is discontinued. i think its time for a new trike.

I know this must seem dire. But I think you might be able to get most everything you need aftermarket. Including stainless clutch line, relays, etc. I'm glad nobody was hurt.

[3W-lonerider]

at this point, i seriously think i'm going to let them total it and i'm going to buy a newer trike.

[Oss]

You rode the crap out of that trike   Hope you can remove some farkles and doodads and still get a good number from the insurance.

If the number is low enough you can make a mint just parting the trike out as everyone knows you took great care of your ride.

[hubcapsc]

Your bike caught on fire, so no one's better than you to decide
when it should be replaced, but it looks like the clutch hydraulic
line is not discontinued...

I looked it up at partzilla for both Tourers and Interstates...

Sorry that happened to you...

-Mike

[NewValker]

Well that sure sux...glad you didn't get toasted too.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do with it.
Craig

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

Good luck with whatever you decide.

That said, if the insurance makes you an offer, tell them you'd like a day or two to decide, then post here. Someone that is interested in a trike, but doesn't mind a bit of a project, may end up giving you more for it than they will. You never know.

[Rams]

Rick,
I am saddened to learn of this.   No one is more qualified to say she's done more than you.  Do what ever is in your best interest.

Rams 

[3W-lonerider]

its repairable with a new wiring harness and alternator. plus a new hose for the clutch and
odds and ends here and there that got melted and burnt.
but do i really feel like repairing it. not really, just getting fed up with constant issues and having to work on it all the time.
one of those deals. you solve one problem and 10 more pop up.
besides i might end up having to repair it because a wiring harness and alternator, plus the time to install it may not add up to enough to have it totaled.
if thats the case it ain't gonna be ridable till next year because i'm in no hurry to fix it. if i ever feel like fixing it.

[Rams]

its repairable with a new wiring harness and alternator. plus a new hose for the clutch and
odds and ends here and there that got melted and burnt.
but do i really feel like repairing it. not really, just getting fed up with constant issues and having to work on it all the time.
one of those deals. you solve one problem and 10 more pop up.
besides i might end up having to repair it because a wiring harness and alternator, plus the time to install it may not add up to enough to have it totaled.
if thats the case it ain't gonna be ridable till next year because i'm in no hurry to fix it. if i ever feel like fixing it.

I fully understand.   I just traded off one of my trucks I have loved driving for years.   Had just over 310,000 miles on it, that Cummins engine was still doing everything it was designed to do but the damn electrical gremlins were nickel and diming me to death.    Finally when an electrical short caused the lift pump to fail. I had had enough.    Traded for something smaller, more fuel efficient while I look for the right replacement truck.

Rams

[gordonv]

If they write it off, ask how much to buy it back. Offer it up for sale to your fellow VRCC members. I'm sure someone here is getting to that point in their life that a trike would fit in, and have the ability to restore it to working condition, rather than sending it off to one of the many wreckers and losing another Valkyrie.

At least, remove any after market parts before writing it off, and sell them off, will most likely get more $ for it than the insurance company would pay you for it.

[3W-lonerider]

yep i will be removing alot of unobtainium that i have and offering it up.

[3W-lonerider]

I've totaled up everything that i need. Or that i can see that i need and its coming up to 2500 bucks. I can. Buy almost everything used except for a few items. So we'll see. Still don't know if i wanna spend the time to do it but the main harness doesn't look that hard to install if you remove the battery box.  Been looking at the new yamaha transcontinental but nobody is making a trike kit for it yet. Still have a few days to think about it.

[bill-jr]

Ill bet i got a I/s wire harness and a whole lotta other little pieces you would need i would gladly send to you for shipping costs ....
If you do insurance route i may be interested in buying & trying to fix it back ....

[3W-lonerider]

Insurance adjuster showing up tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

[Bagger John - #3785]

Don't usually post much over here these days, but I'll ask:

How many miles on the trike?

Besides the electrical issues and clutch line/bank-angle sensor, what sort of shape is the rest of the vehicle in?

If the balance of the trike is in good, serviceable condition I'd fix it. What I'd also do is to look at why the radio harness caused a fire of sufficient intensity to damage as much as it did. All the electrical stuff should be fused as close to the battery as possible, using the lowest amperage fuse which will allow the circuits to operate normally at peak loading but not blow.

Was this an aftermarket/accessory installation, or a problem with the stock harness?

[3W-lonerider]

From what I'm seeing after digging further into it. Looks like the cable going to the alternator started it. I'm figuring there wasn't much damage until the clutch fluid caught on fire and started melting everything. Theres 214.000 and as far as everything else. Its all in good shape.

[Bagger John - #3785]

From what I'm seeing after digging further into it. Looks like the cable going to the alternator started it. I'm figuring there wasn't much damage until the clutch fluid caught on fire and started melting everything. Theres 214.000 and as far as everything else. Its all in good shape.

Very fixable, then.

Might be a good idea for all of us to periodically check the cable for wear. A piece of rubber hose slipped over the cable at areas prone to rubbing would help prevent future issues. Without looking at the cable in question, I'm surprised that Honda didn't spec it as double-insulated.

[3W-lonerider]

insurance adjuster just left, he took pics and said the same conclusion i came to. the main cable going to the alternator is what caused it. being the hefty  wire that it is. once it started melting there was no fuze blowing that was going to stop it.
should know what is gonna happen by the end of next week.

[3W-lonerider]

called the insurance company twice and they are still waiting on the adjusters report. the man needs a fire lit under his ass. 2 weeks since he's been here and still nothing.
but on the bright side. i went and looked at a 2019 kawasaki vaquaro today, they sell for 18,000 new but the company i work for has an indian/kaw dealership and i'm able to get one at cost. salesman looked into any specials that kaw was running and they are. kawasaki employees/ service tecks that work on them qualify for even bigger discount. which would bring the price down to 13,100. i don't know if i can refuse a deal like that, plus 15 grand for the trike kit with the assessories i want. would give me a new trike at 30G..was looking at 1800 wings used but do i really want to spend 6 hours installing an air filter when the time comes, or the 6 hours spent removing and resealing the forks till everything is done, oh hell no.