Maintenance

[jdp]

If mileage is around 70,000 and up what do they recommend for maintenance? Like timing belts and fluids, I was thinking of wheel bearings too, I want to make a cross country trip next spring and don't want anything to go wrong

[WintrSol]

The manual stops at 24,000; says 100,000 for the timing belts.
Every 8,000: replace oil + filter, spark plugs
Every 12,000: replace air cleaner, brake and clutch fluid*
Every 24,000: replace coolant, final drive oil.
Everything else should be inspected.

*Brake and clutch fluid should be replaced every 2 years.

If you don't know how long it's been, do it now, and inspect the belts.

[John97]

Unless you're planning on having the dealership change the belts, do it yourself. They aren't difficult to change and they'll probably look fine but your bike is 20+ years old. And it's an interference engine so it sucks if a belt breaks. You can get them from NAPA for much much cheaper than OE Honda. And if you don't know if they've been changed then view it as they haven't.

*8000 miles on plugs? I should be on my ninth set instead of my second! The ones I took out were hard to distinguish from the new ones but whatever.

[Hook#3287]

My feeling on the plug replacement is that it was conceived back in the mid 90's and plug tech has improved somewhat.

Idk if that's correct or not, just a theory.

I also go well over the suggested 8k and have not experienced any plug failures to date.

[Hook#3287]

Before I took a cross country trip on any vehicle, I'd inspect every moving part I could possibly inspect and swap out all fluids.  Swap out air filter if it's got mileage.

Maybe swap out the battery if it's got some time on it.

If your not swapping tires, you might consider doing a rear wheel, final drive inspection.

Wheel bearings are pretty bullet proof on a Valk, but inspection is a good thing.

Doing that work will get you intimate with your bike and you may find some unforeseen issues.

[h13man]

Great advice given above and whatever OEM Honda manual suggest as most have said. As for plug's, I've had two failures right at 10,000 mi. mark two different cylinders with standard NGK thus 8,000 mi. interval seems to apply to my bike. I went to NGK Iridium thus excellent cold starting and I'm @ 15,000 mi. on them. I use the choke only after winter layup and last year took two attempts to start but most years one attempts.    Maybe long sits thru the season but after 2wks., not yet so far. They are expensive but the cold starts are worth it to me in the "Nawth" climate.  They really helped my PITA VT1100C Spirit cold starting as both bikes use the same battery.

[WintrSol]

If you do decide to change the belts yourself, make sure you lock the cams in place; it is an interference engine, and if the cam rotates a bit, you'll have to take the head off and replace one or more valves (if that is all that it does).

[WintrSol]

Replace plugs and air filter on Honda's schedule?  Most of us will remove and examine those and replace them only if necessary.  That's what I do.

Iridium plugs really changed that math. And air filters depend very much on the air quality where you ride.

[F6Dave]

I've always questioned some of Honda's maintenance recommendations. I rarely change plugs before 50,000 miles and they always look fine. I did read on a GL1800 site about someone who had 'name brand' plugs fail early. It turned out they were Chinese counterfeits he bought from Amazon. They looked just like OEM plugs.

I can't imagine an air filter needing replacement at anywhere near 12,000 miles unless you ride on dusty roads exclusively. My F6B filters are a similar size and always last at least 50,000 miles. I change those as little as possible since it takes hours to access the GL1800 air filter. The picture below shows the parts you need to remove to change the filter.

[98valk]

I've always questioned some of Honda's maintenance recommendations. I rarely change plugs before 50,000 miles and they always look fine. I did read on a GL1800 site about someone who had 'name brand' plugs fail early. It turned out they were Chinese counterfeits he bought from Amazon. They looked just like OEM plugs.

I can't imagine an air filter needing replacement at anywhere near 12,000 miles unless you ride on dusty roads exclusively. My F6B filters are a similar size and always last at least 50,000 miles. I change those as little as possible since it takes hours to access the GL1800 air filter. The picture below shows the parts you need to remove to change the filter.

air filters got the 12k change out policy, back in the '80s-'90s?? epa lies. I've tested my filter at 30k miles zero change in flow verse new. the oem filter is a high tech synthetic filter. pre '80s vehicle air filter change out was usually 40k recommended unless always in dusting conditions dirt roads, construction sites, etc. I read a maintenance guide from '60s?? yrs ago, filter change out was when vehicle performance was reduced and black exhaust.

a way to keep a check on plugs is OHM test them when new for a baseline, 40-50k is most likely good time to re-test them.
looks not always a good indicator, I've a few over the yrs other vehicles where the ohm reading was getting higher meaning the internal resistor was going bad.

[turtle254]

If you do decide to change the belts yourself, make sure you lock the cams in place; it is an interference engine, and if the cam rotates a bit, you'll have to take the head off and replace one or more valves (if that is all that it does).

How would you lock the cams? Pull the spark plugs? Still have valve spring pressure.

[F6Dave]

air filters got the 12k change out policy, back in the '80s-'90s?? epa lies. I've tested my filter at 30k miles zero change in flow verse new. the oem filter is a high tech synthetic filter. pre '80s vehicle air filter change out was usually 40k recommended unless always in dusting conditions dirt roads, construction sites, etc. I read a maintenance guide from '60s?? yrs ago, filter change out was when vehicle performance was reduced and black exhaust.

a way to keep a check on plugs is OHM test them when new for a baseline, 40-50k is most likely good time to re-test them.
looks not always a good indicator, I've a few over the yrs other vehicles where the ohm reading was getting higher meaning the internal resistor was going bad.

Has anyone ever used an 'air filter minder'? It's basically a simple vacuum gauge that retains the highest reading. It's attached to the outside of the airbox and reads the vacuum inside. With a free flowing filter the vacuum is low, but as the media clogs up the vacuum increases, and the gauge shows when the filter is becoming too restricted.

Wix and K&N sell them for about $25 or $30 on Amazon. On a bike like the GL1800, which takes hours to access the filter, something like this would be very useful.

[WintrSol]

A minder sounds like a good idea, until you see them. Mounting them where they can be seen on our bikes looks like a real puzzler. Maybe a remote mount with a bit of tubing, and a hole drilled into the air box would work.

[F6Dave]

A minder sounds like a good idea, until you see them. Mounting them where they can be seen on our bikes looks like a real puzzler. Maybe a remote mount with a bit of tubing, and a hole drilled into the air box would work.

They sell versions with a hose and fittings for remote mounting. It wouldn't be worth the trouble on a Valkyrie since the air filter is so easily accessible. But on a GL1800 it would be nice to know the condition of the filter before spending hours getting to it.

[WintrSol]

They sell versions with a hose and fittings for remote mounting. It wouldn't be worth the trouble on a Valkyrie since the air filter is so easily accessible. But on a GL1800 it would be nice to know the condition of the filter before spending hours getting to it.

Not on my bike. Taking off the tank involves draining it first, then jamming a spacer under the aft end which lifts it just enough for space for the wrench to disconnect the large hose to the belly tank. Then, I can remove the tank.

OTOH, I don't put all that many miles on it in a good year; this year, barely more that a full tank or two. So, minding the filter vacuum isn't much of a concern for me.