what is your idle speed

[north-aurora]

when my bike is idling it runs at about 1100 rpm. How about yours?

[andycz1]

Mine too.

[Gryphon Rider]

I set mine at 1000. You can set yours using the grey idle speed knob between the front and middle carbs on the right side.

[sugerbear]

1000

[olddog1946]

900

[whitestroke]

900
why would you set it different then what the factory calls for. 

[PhredValk]

Between 900 and 1K. Depends if she's warm or not.
Fred.

[doubletee]

Between 900 and 1K. Depends if she's warm or not.
Fred.

+1

[Former BMW Guy]

Dead nuts on 900.

JP

[Chiefy]

I set it at 1000.  When I turn on my running lights (as soon as the bike is warm enough to idle okay) it drops to 900, as per Honda specs.

[JC]

600 cold, ~800 warm. i like mine a little lower than most just because I like the sound of it, but I've got to work it just a little more from a standing start.

[Patrick]

I like it a bit on the low side also, 800 when warm. That means 500-600 when cold.

[Xtracho]

800-900 when warm....I like the sound at that speed too!

[cookiedough]

Between 900 and 1K. Depends if she's warm or not.
Fred.

Same here, when it is not warmed up fully though and off choke completely, it likes to sputter at around 600-750 rpms is all, but usually keeps running.  When I first bought my Valk 4-5 years ago very low mileage and not taken care of too well,  the idle was around 600-700 rpms and after reading up on how to adjust that gray idle turn knob, a quick turn of it only once made a world of difference.  If I run 91 octane though it likes to churn back and forth between 1100-1200 rpms at idle once warmed up not a constant idle speed.

[97Valk_CT_Euless]

I like the sound of it, except when I get lazy on the throttle off the line and kill it...   

I keep it between 800-900 like the book says.  Doesn't sound as cool but makes me look somewhat less stupid...

[cookiedough]

I like the sound of it, except when I get lazy on the throttle off the line and kill it...   

I keep it between 800-900 like the book says.  Doesn't sound as cool but makes me look somewhat less stupid...

I thought the book says between 900-1000 rpms or was it just 900 rpms, don't remember 800-900 range?  I could very well be wrong though.

[97Valk_CT_Euless]

Ah... Ya got me.  It's not 800-900 in the Honda manual.  It's 900 +/- 100.  So it's 800-1000.

[Farther]

9-1000, idles better when it is in the 30's at start-up.

[john]

                    " Dead nuts "                                          

[Former BMW Guy]

Its a technical term.



JP

[BlueValk]

I don't know about the IS, but the standards' tachs are not even close to being accurate a 900 RPM's.

So, if you are using the tach as a meter, you have no idea what your actual RPM is.

Here is mine when at a low idle (no it is not broken):

[Rio Wil]

Off hand.....I would say if your tach can't tell the difference between 900 rpm and 0 rpm.....it's broke!

[Brian]

Is true that if your idle is too low your oil flow is not adequate enough to lubricate properly.  Someone told me this once but I question this logic as oil pumps are positive displacement. I have never had to touch my oil pump to know the inner workings. Please correct me.

[sugerbear]

alt charges a little better at 1000.

[Challenger]

"I don't know about the IS, but the standards' tachs are not even close to being accurate a 900 RPM's."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    I have a STD and an electronic master tachometer. They are pretty close other than determining where 900 RPM is on the guage. at 1000 however the Valk tach and the master tach are dead on. I would check some harness connections, especially with it showing zero at idle. Never saw that before.

[fudgie]

Out of gear 1100, in gear 1000.

[mmurffy03]

mine is 1000 with stock pipes and dosent like it much lower but my friends bike with open pipes and a crossover pipe and less backpressure will go to 5 or 600 no problem

[Chrisj CMA]

Why in the world would anyone intentionally set their idle speed on a Valkyrie at 500rpms.  Half what is recommended.  I have had a handful of bikes the lowest recommended idle was 800 and the highest was 1200.  900-1000 is not high it just sounds high until you get used to it.  Why risk oil pressure problems just to have what you think is a cool sounding idle

[MarcusS]

I turned my rpm down from 1000 to 900 yesterday because it seamed to be surging. I think the Ignition modle sees 1000 RPM as point to start the ignition advance curves and if your idle is there it is allways in and out of the curves. My cheap digital tack shows my bike tack to be about 50 RPM high at 900.  I think Honda gave us the big white adjustment knob because they know that fuel, temperature and humidity can change the RMP. 

The water pump rate is more of an issue than oil flow due to RPM unless your oil pump is worn and barely meeting demand. Water pumps do not work well at all at low rpm.