Tips

PROBLEMS THAT MAY DEVELOP: I don't want to sound like an alarmist. I just want Valk owners to be aware of some problems that a few riders have experienced. I have over 20,000 problem free miles on my Valk.
A. A few riders have experienced tire failure with the Dunlops. It has been a tread separation. As far as I know there have not been any instances of imediate failure. There have been warnings, ie: thumping noises, funny sounds, etc. Keep an eye on air pressure and inspect your tires for lumps, bumps, or irregular wear. Refrain from smokey burnouts...
B. Loose bolts. Follow recommended torque values when tightening bolts or nuts. Check the mounting bolts on the exhaust headers. Several rider have found these to be loose. Check the bolts on the muffler bracket where the bracket bolts to the muffler and also where it bolts to the frame.
C. There have been a couple failures of rear wheel bearings with milage in the teens. This should be covered under warranty but if you can raise your bike and check the wheel for side play it might be a good idea to keep an eye on this.
D. On some of the earlier Valks a few of the riders had a problem with the splines on the rear drive being dry when they pulled the wheel to replace the rear tire. If you hear a noise when backing the bike up or rolling from a stop you might want to check this. I don't think this has been a problem recently.
E. Rattle in the front engine area. Check the radiator mounting bolts. A few have been loose. Again I think this has pretty much been taken care of with more recently made Valks.
F. Some riders have heard a clacking noise in the fork area when a bump is encountered. This has turned out to be the brakes. The brakes are designed to be loose and sometimes they will make a noise. If you have this problem check and make sure that is the cause of the noise.
G. Whirring or whining noises. Just the way the gears are cut and the timing belts. Switching to synthetic oil after a few thousand break-in miles usually makes most happy with this sound. At least one rider found the noise coming from the vents in the wheel. Maybe they had a rough edge or something.
H. Humming noise coming from front tire while making turns at slow to medium speeds is normal with the Dunlops. It is reportedly caused by the rain grooves in the tire and amplified by the front fender. The Dunlops are very good in the rain.
I. Finding enough time to ride. You are on your own here. I lie, cheat, and any other underhanded action necessary to get the Fat Lady out of the garage and on the road.

NOISY SHIFTING: Last oil change I switched to a synthetic blend oil (I used Valvoline 10W40) and I noticed that shifting seems to be quite a bit smoother. Probably any synthetic or synthetic blend would do the same. Be careful of oils with additives and additives for your oil. If you needed them Honda would recommend them. Some may cause problems with wet clutch systems.

OIL LEAK: This submitted by Paul Manning. Here's another tip that will save new Valkyrie owners some significant anxiety. Mine developed an apparent oil leak out of an indentation in the engine block on the left side. If you grab the bottom of the second exhaust pipe (make sure it is not hot), your index finger will almost point to this indentation. Mine appeared to be dripping oil and you can imagine how freaked out I became when I saw drops of oil on the garage floor. (references to another brand deleted) After discussing this problem with 3 Honda dealers, Stubbs Harley Davidson/Honda in Houston suggested it was merely remnants of the petroleum-based coating (creosote ?) applied at the factory for protection during shipping. He was right! It's oil but is not a leak and goes away after about 4K miles.

WINDSHIELD ADJUSTMENT: Submitted by Norm Garbauski (normgar@planet.eon.net)
For those of you that may not already know? You can adjust the angle of the Valkyrie factory windshield by loosening the top two mounting bolts and move the shield forward. I have found that for my height this made an already good shield into a better shield. It's very easy to do and absolutely worth a try! The small change in angle makes a big difference in wind buffeting.

A LITTLE LOUDER VOICE FOR THE FAT LADY: (Since I first posted this many riders have performed this "little piggy" mod. Some have been happy and others, myself included, have moved on to make their Fat Lady sing a little louder.) This could void your warranty but I doubt it. It is my understanding that if you cut 1/2" to 3/4" off of each individual (there are six) pipe that it will make the Valkyrie sound better. I have also heard that if you drill three 1/2" holes in the plate that regulates back pressure inside the exhaust extension that it will make the sound more obvious. There is the possibility that all either of these will do is make your Valkyrie really noisy and cause the fuel/air ratio to be off making rejetting of the carbs necessary.

I received this from Bud:

I read the tip above on your web page and have some info concerning it. The modification you referrred to entails cutting all six tailpipe exhaust tubes inside the rear tailpipe cover down to a length of 1 1/2" (you could go shorter, but one of the tailpipes on each side has a bracket and nut for securing the tailpipe cover about 1 1/2" from the muffler). My local Honda dealer performed this service to a friends Valk at the 600 service (guess they would not do it if it would be a warranty issue). I have since done it to my Valk on my own with a dremel cutting wheel. Performance and fuel economy are totally uneffected and it does increase the sound a small amount due to the exhaust resonating inside the tailpipe cover. It is not a large increase, but it adds a slight rumble sound at idle and a throatier roar under acceleration, more sport car like in sound. At cruise sound levels are slightly higher. Its a smooth sound, not raspy or iritating. In short it makes the bike sound better if you want a little more engine sound, without the complications (or expense) of a more radical exhaust system. As far as drilling out the baffles, you must perform the above modification before you can drill out the baffles. This is required because the tailpipe curve as they exit the muffler. I met a guy at Myrtle Beach, SC that drilled out his baffles with a large (3/4") bit welded to a steel rod and a regular drill. I said it did not effect performance or fuel economy. He started it for me and at idle it was about as quiet as it is with the modified tailpipe length. When revved it sounds raspy, with a significant increase in sound level. I didn't hear it while the bike was being ridden, but assume it sounds a lot like the burn out video that Two Brothers Racing has at their web site of a Valk with their 6 into 6 exhaust system. Its louder and meaner sound when hot rodding. Don't have a clue about sound at cruise though. I have performed the baffle drilling modification to harleys (and so does the harley dealer, I think its their number one exhaust change) and it gives a good sound on those bikes with no performance or fuel milage impact. Warranty was not impacted by this mod on harleys. Bud

DISCLAIMER: Tips here are based on my own or other's experiences. Your own judgement should be used before using them. Your conditions could be different.