New Purchase Advise

[JohnnyRocker]

Hello,

I am looking at a 1999 Valkyrie Cruiser this week to purchase.  It has 40K but hasn't been ridden much in that past couple of years (or maintained).  The prior owner has all of the maintenance history and it looks well maintained up to 2013.  Any suggestions on what to specifically look for?  I have no experience with the flat 6 Honda engines and don't know how best to tell if the carbs are synced.  He claims the bike starts and runs excellent but hasn't been driven more than 2k miles since 2013.

No dents/marks (it's clean) and he claims it's never been dropped.  If it all checks out I will be riding it home this week.

I plan to catch it up on all maintenance first thing and I am a DIYer.  Engine and drive oil first,  brake/clutch inspection and fluid change next.  He said the tires are new, but I will inspect and possibly replace those.  that leaves the engine, forks, and carbs.  I will need to research those and might take it to someone instead of trying to tackle myself.

Any works of wisdom and support are welcome.

Thanks!
Johnny

[Hook#3287]

You answered your question with the statement "it starts and runs excellent "

Hydro lock or plugged jets would be my first concern.

Running excellent at idle or without load doesn't mean it will when cruising, but should run well enough.

Get fresh gas, check the tires for problems and pressure, make sure the brakes, lights & horn work, check the radiator for fluid, chech the oil level, get on her and ride.

If you're overly concerned and have the ability, you could do a oil & filter change and check the pumpkin level.

Everything else can wait till you got a few miles on her.

Congratulations 

[..]

Check your email.

[hubcapsc]

I'm at least the third, maybe fourth, owner of my Valkyrie.
It said 24K on the odometer, but sometimes I wonder
if it wasn't 124K.

It was kind of tired (I think the last guy parked it outside
at the apartments where he lived) when I got it, but it
ran good and all the tins were good.

I've fixed a lot of the tiredness (not cheap, but fun) and
it has been the greatest bike for the last nine years
and many thousands of miles 

You've covered a couple of what I think are the most
important things... runs good, tins are good. Most everyone
wants good mufflers, look close at them, are the headers
rusty on the bottom? Are the piggies still there?



-Mike

[cookiedough]

2000 miles in 2-3 years is fine, better than 200 miles in 2-3 years.  Sounds like it has been run enough to avoid any issues more than likely.  

If price is right,  I'd buy it if wanted another VAlk.

I'm sure my carbs need a tweak and sync, but runs 90% which is still better than 90% of most other bikes on the road.  Maybe I need to remove a spark plug and be on par with some V-twins on the road today?  

I replaced my spark plugs as well (easy to do) since my bike was neglected (barn find not ran much had 15K on it in 7 years).  I also upped the idle speed was too low at 700 rpms barely running at idle, needs to be 900-1000 rpms or so at idle once warm and no choke.  Easy to do with set screw turned by hand in front.  

Coolant flush and rear gear drive oil is easy to do as well which I plan on doing both sometime this summer since been 3-5 years since last done it.  

[solo1]

Just for peace of mind, inspect the rear drive splines, and the complete drive line. That is the weak spot, if not maintained, as noted by many here and by my son, who's done a lot of them.

[Misfit]

There are no weak spots on a Valkyrie. You are buying a used bike that for the most part just sits. Buy it cheap and bring it up to par. If it runs and moves through all of the gears you should have no worries. 

[solo1]

Yeah, there are no weak spots on a Valk.    Maybe I should say that, for a person who just rides and doesn't know maintenance, it can be a weak spot for them.

[Willow]

Even if the carbs have been synced buy yourself a digital carb sync tool from Bons for $175.  It will get them much, much closer.

[sandy]

Tell us where you live. Maybe somebody can go with you to check it out. Then afterwards, help with maintenance.

[JohnnyRocker]

Update:

Thank you all for the feedback.

I passed on the Valk above, but found another.  It's a black 99 (Standard) with 23K from a dealer in Ohio.  I know someone who has a connection with that dealer and was able to work out a great deal!  This bike is in excellent condition - one small scratch on the front fender but otherwise looks showroom new.  My search is over!

Judging from the maintenance schedule it will require the 24K maintenance items soon.  I'm reading through all of the info on this board (and others) to help me keep this bike running for a long time.  I'm a DIYer and will be looking for tips/tricks as I go.

[Hook#3287]

Congratulations

Sounds like a long term relationship

The best place for info, on her, is here.

[Danny McMillin]

What Solo1 said!!! I am hung up on the rear spline gears!! GREASE, GREASE, GREASE....and I ain't talkin' John Travolta!!

[JohnnyRocker]

What Solo1 said!!! I am hung up on the rear spline gears!! GREASE, GREASE, GREASE....and I ain't talkin' John Travolta!!

Is there a good link you can share on the DIY procedure for this maintenance? 

[hubcapsc]

What Solo1 said!!! I am hung up on the rear spline gears!! GREASE, GREASE, GREASE....and I ain't talkin' John Travolta!!

Is there a good link you can share on the DIY procedure for this maintenance? 

There's a link in this site's "Shoptalk" by chrisj that shows how he does it. He
has lots of miles and no wear...

http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/rear_end_service.pptx

-Mike

[Jess Tolbirt]

if the lifters are not making a ticking sound, dont worry about setting the gap..i had over 100k on my bike and the valves were not worn a bit

[Brewer]

If you like the price, buy it
The rest is solvable as you are a diy guy and this site is an amazing source for information and helpful, good guidance.

[therapist]

Buy a shop manual and use the Tech board. Between the two, you will be able to maintain your
Valk.