Steps to address hydrolock
Jess from VA:
Taking a class is a good idea, but do you ride your own bike (Valk), or their smaller bikes? Many decades ago, all my classes were on my own bike, but today they are often with small starter bikes, which isn't bad, but no substitute for practice on your own bike.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) classes that put you in the box all day are the best for teaching the hardest riding there is, which is slow control tight maneuvers. And this kind of practice can be done on your own in parking lots, using the lines or concrete dead men to maneuver between and around. Gentle throttle, gentle brakes. This is the kind of practice that builds skill and confidence.
Also, when I took my initial classes, I was taught to only put left foot down, using the right foot to apply and hold the rear brake at all stops (so you don't roll fore or aft on slopes). Both feet down is OK, but not absolutely necessary. And with one left foot down, the subtle technique is to just barely lean left at all stops. This technique is also good for those with shorter legs (like me), where two flat feet can be difficult to achieve on all road surfaces.
The one thing you want to always avoid is rolling down a slope (like leaving a driveway), turning the bars into the street, then applying front brakes in that slow lean. That can dump you and the bike in the street in one second. In slow leans use only the rear brake and lay off the fronts. Once the Valk gets leaned over a certain amount, it gets real heavy real quickly, and you either have to muscle it back up using half your body, or go ahead and let it down on the guards, get off and lift it back up with your whole body.
The Valk really is a pretty easy and gentle bike to ride, except for the size and weight, or if you grab too much throttle. Just because it will go really fast doesn't mean you have to go fast. And if you have to stop real fast, get the bike straight and level before hard braking and you'll get a more harmonious result.
How is your fit to the bike? Two things many change to get a better fit are seats (to be able to get both feet down comfortably) and handlebar risers.
The Ultimate Lowboy Seat is an inch under stock with a narrower nose (and firmer with less padding). And can be had with driver's backrests, which I will not ride without.
You can also get a bit lower with 12.5" or 12" shocks (but no lower) (stock is 13"), but that gets spendy. Taller boot soles can help too.
3.5-4" handlebar risers give a much more comfortable reach to handlebars and more upright seating (I believe the stock risers are 3 1/8"). And will bolt up with no changes to handlebar wiring or cables (sometimes the wire keepers on the back of the bars need to be turned around 180 degrees, but that's it).
Gearhead24:
Thanks for those tips, luckily I’ve got some big parking lots right next to my house and country roads just 5 minutes away. I signed up for the Harley Davidson course which they have the option to use your own bike or their street 500’s. I took the class once before but never submitted the paperwork afterwards so it was pointless. My Valk currently isn’t registered nor insured so I’ll be using their bike for this.
Adjusting to the weight will be a bit tricky, but my fitment on the bike is good. I’m 6’2 and sit upright really comfortably on it. I do want to get floorboards and a heel/toe shifter so I can wear my work boots while riding but that’s it. So far everything is bone stock. The only time I found myself changing position was when I hit a 3 mile straightaway to my house and decided to open her up.
When I took it out yesterday the idle had been at 2500 while hot (950 while cold) so it was pulling with no additional throttle input coming out of stops. Will be turning that down before going back out today.
That tip about the rear brake is huge, thanks. That was actually how I biffed yesterday. Was turning into a parking lot to get fuel and someone was leaving the lot at the same time. On my 400 I was able to get away with lightly holding the front brake and continuing with a tighter turn but when I did it on the valk it threw itself out from under me. Definitely more practice to come, got to drive it out to my friends house who was jealous when I told him I got a valk, then not so much when he found out it didn’t run
Jess from VA:
Well Gearhead, I have the Cobra floorboards and Rattlebars heel toe shifters (called a kickshifter) on both my Valks, and wouldn't be without them.
Again with short legs, I had trouble getting my toe up under the flat 6 valve cover to shift on the little shift peg that comes on the Valk (esp with any kind of boots). And, I'd gotten used to heel toe shifting on my previous Dresser Hog (of 18 years).
My Cobra boards are ground off to sharp edges on both sides from dragging them through leaning sweepers (but it doesn't show much unless you look underneath them). The boards will drag just a bit sooner than OE (or similar) pegs, but not by much.
The Cobra boards should still be available (maybe), but Rattlebars is probably long gone. Ebay used may be a source. Also, check our own classified, and maybe post a wanted to buy add. One of our vendors (Carb rebuilding guy) may have a set for sale.
MC Enterprises made a floorboard/kickshifter combo for Valks which was pretty clunky, and probably long discontinued.
Here's the Cobra boards and Rattlebars kickshifter setup. As I recall the Cobras came in a traditional and swept board designs (I prefer the traditional). First pic is swept, the other 2 are traditional.
Finally, using rear brake alone is fine in slow tight turns; they won't get worn out. But there are plenty of riders afraid of the front brakes who rely nearly exclusively on the rear brake all the time, and that is a big mistake. Our dual front disks provide the vast majority of hard and emergency stopping power, and smooth use of both together should be the norm.
Adjusting the idle down between those red hot intake tubes requires long needle-nose (or something). I believe the manual says warm idle should be 900RPM, but I prefer 1000. I'm not sure 900 is even charging (not that I sit around idling all day).
Gearhead24:
Turned down the idle and it became so much easier to control. Rode it around a good bit, maybe 10 miles and when I went over a set of railroad tracks the motor just cut out and died suddenly. Got it pulled over into a bus stop. Won’t fire at all. Nothings leaking and I know it’s not the side stand nor the bank angle since the motor is turning. Going to pick up a spark plug right now to test
The emperor has no clothes:
Quote from: Gearhead24 on March 22, 2024, 07:19:14 PM
Turned down the idle and it became so much easier to control. Rode it around a good bit, maybe 10 miles and when I went over a set of railroad tracks the motor just cut out and died suddenly. Got it pulled over into a bus stop. Won’t fire at all. Nothings leaking and I know it’s not the side stand nor the bank angle since the motor is turning. Going to pick up a spark plug right now to test
Might try cycling the kill switch back and forth.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page