What to do while wheels are off

[rich_kildow]

I need new tires (either the spare set of E3s that came with the bike or a car tire on the back) and want to do all the maintenance/mods necessary while the wheels are off.  Bike has 23k. I know that I should do these things on the rear:

3 O-rings: http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/Elusive%203rd%20O-Ring.htm

Double roller bearing: http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/5204_bearing_mod.pdf

Lube splines with MoS2: http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/TireChangeSplineLube.htm

Check/replace brake pads

Check u-joint

Is there anything else I should do while the wheels are off?  I'm not looking to add new shocks or anything, just preventative maintenance and mods that will prevent headaches down the road. 

[hubcapsc]

Check/replace brake pads

I replaced my pads and bled the system with I got my bike (24K)... it was kind of
hard to push the pistons back into the calipers. Later, my rear caliper locked up,
there was nasty contamination (which I think I pushed back in there when I changed
my pads...) back up inside of it when I got it apart.

Anywho... I've now formed the opinion that caliper pistons really need to be
cleaned well at pad-change time. I take my calipers off now and "rebuild" (clean and change out the seals)
them when I put in new pads. There's next to nothing in a caliper. When you clean
the part of the piston that you can see, you've done a pretty good job of it, but there's
still a ring of contamination that goes back to, or maybe beyond, the first (dust) seal...

Taking the calipers off is more of a pain (especially in the rear) than just replacing the pads.
There's guys on here who have removed the pads, then carefully mashed on the brakes
a little to make the pistons emerge further from the caliper and cleaned the hidden goo
off the pistons that way, without hardly doing any more work than normal. If you're clumsy
like me, that sounds like a recipe for a big mess (brake fluid eats paint).

The Valkyrie's brakes work really well when they're in good shape.

-Mike

[old2soon]

Change out clutch fluid. How old is the antifreeze?? Look at the shifter seal. If you see a hint of oil-it's starting to go. Cheap and easy fix. Battery and ground connections. Check the tightness of the carb clamps-3 per carb. Check the exhaust header bolts. GO REAL EASY HERE. They only need like 6 or 7 ft lbs to be tight. They break easy. Pull the timing belt cover and check general conditions in there. Get out your inspection mirror and get real nosy. It be your scoot. More might come to me later-or not. RIDE SAFE.

[The Anvil]

Sit on it and pretend it's a hover bike.

[bigfish_Oh]

borrow someone else's bike?

[rich_kildow]

My wife will mock me endlessly if she catches me acting out the bike scene from Star Wars in the garage. 

I've got a buddy with a V-max I've been itching to ride...might be a good time!

[Daniel Meyer]

Lube splines with MoS2: http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/TireChangeSplineLube.htm

# 20 in that article is absolutely critical for long lived splines.

Might also check the pinion joint if you haven't done that.

[valkyriemc]

If not mentioned previously, I'd pull those shocks and get a look at the bushings...

[Jess from VA]

All metal valve stems.

[rich_kildow]

Who is the supplier of those aftermarket shock bushing on here? 

I seem to remember somebody making aftermarket dampers or something to smooth out what little drivetrain lash there is...can somebody point me towards that as well?

[gordonv]

Gary the bushing guy.

There is another, and I'm sure someone else will post that. Sorry, I don't have the email handy, but you can do a search.

[PhredValk]

It's a great opportunity to clean all those hard to reach places, especially if you have saddlebags. Check the dampaners in the rear wheel, clean and lube everything. You could pull the pumpkin and clean, check and lube the drive shaft, pinion gear and cup.
Fred.

[X Ring]

Perform the Double Row Wheel Bearing Mod on the rear wheel.   

Marty

[rich_kildow]

Double row bearing mod was the top of my "preventative modifications" list!

What kind of grease goes of everything?  I know Moly Disulfide paste on the splines, but what about everything else?  I'd love to do a serviceable u-joint, but that will have to wait for winter. 

I've been in contact with Gary and I'll be posting a thread to see if I can round up 10 people for drive wheel dampers. 

[X Ring]

Double row bearing mod was the top of my "preventative modifications" list!

What kind of grease goes of everything?  I know Moly Disulfide paste on the splines, but what about everything else?  I'd love to do a serviceable u-joint, but that will have to wait for winter. 

I've been in contact with Gary and I'll be posting a thread to see if I can round up 10 people for drive wheel dampers. 

I use Valvoline SynPower Synthetic Disc Brake Wheel Bearing Grease.  It's got moly in it.  A tip I picked up from Chrisj is to burnish the surface of all the splines; wheel flange, final drive, pinion cup & driveshaft; then add grease.

Marty

[PhredValk]

Could you please describe the 'burnish' procedure. From the Wikipedia article I wouldn't know where to begin.
Fred.