Valkyrie Gl 1500

well I have been on vacation but i am back and a new Valkyrie owner ,I have ordered hard bags ,but need tires ,and wheel bearings
I have notice the left bearing is leaking some on the front ,and have heard they have had bearing trouble on the 97 model ?
what kind of bearings should I get ?and have they done a recall ,also my rear turn lights are loose,can I go to the dark side on the Valkyrie ,if so how does it Handel ,?
I have a car tire on my 1100 shadow and it is OK but sometimes i must manhandle it depending on the pavement ,
not sure I could do it on the Valkyrie it is a bit bigger bike I love the way it runs so smooth and handles like a dream ,I have Dunlap now .I have always liked them .
also i think the left fork seal may be leaking ,how hard is it to fix
I am changing the oil and the drive oil ,some one told me to go synthetic on the drive oil it would run cooler is this correct ?
I will do most of the work ,ho I will grease the spline when I do the rear wheel ,have also heard that some didn't get done at the factory ,causing wear ,is this wright , ?
can I remove the baffles on the stock exhaust system with out rejeting the carbs ,I would just like a little beefer sound,?
I hope you guy's can help the old man out !!!!! Blade

If you have seen any of Smokin'joe's posts you have seen his yellow valk taking the twisties dragging everyting with a car tire.....He is the guy you have to talk to. Send him a pm. I'm sure he will help you......

Jerry

Go over to the VRCC site and search the archives on the Tech Board...many questions can be answered there...

You can also go to the Regional Board area and find the Texas Board to see if anyone lives out your way that can lend you a hand...

Congratulations on the purchase of the Valkryie, you won't be sorry. I bought my Interstate a year and a half ago and have had no problems of any kind with it. It had brand new rubber front and rear and I am about to put a C/T on her. I have a friend who works for a tire distributor and we are going to sit down this week and look through his books for the tire with the tread pattern that I want. I can't help you with the other problems you are having but once you have them ironed out you are going to enjoy the big fat lady. She is a real pleasure to ride.

Thank you Gondul , your first post and you did it to help someone out , welcome to the board.

That's what it is all about , no?

Blade wrote:
I have notice the left bearing is leaking some on the front ,and have heard they have had bearing trouble on the 97 model ?

Left front? Speedo sensor side? May just need a new dust seal. The 97 front bearings are different from the rest of the years, but no recall, and no serious problems. Just check them for smoothness at each tire change and change as needed.

Blade wrote:
what kind of bearings should I get ?and have they done a recall

Go to http://valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/ lots of great information there. JeffK's generic parts page has cross numbers for all the bearings so you can get them at Napa or any bearing house.

Blade wrote:
can I go to the dark side on the Valkyrie ,if so how does it Handel ,?

Everything I've got to say about Valkrie car tires is here:
http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/27/theDarkSide.html

Blade wrote:
I have Dunlap now .I have always liked them

I prefer the Avons on a Valk to the dunlops...and if you still have the oem dunlop (Not the e3) you just need to get rid of it. Worst tire ever.

By the way, run your front tire at 40-42 psi on the valk to avoid cupping and premature failure. Rear MC tire at 44-48 (rear CT at 32-36)

Blade wrote:
also i think the left fork seal may be leaking ,how hard is it to fix

Left? Not hard, but requires the special tool. Check with the Valkyrie riders tech board, chances are someone has one near you. Change 'em both at the same time, and the bushings as well is the bike is over 30,000 miles. Consider the progressive springs up front as well. Big improvement, minimal cost.

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/vrcc_tech.cgi?

Blade wrote:
I am changing the oil and the drive oil ,some one told me to go synthetic on the drive oil it would run cooler is this correct ?

Any good hypoid gear oil...the synthetics are superior for this application...75/90 or 80/140...it's all good.

Blade wrote:
I will do most of the work ,ho I will grease the spline when I do the rear wheel ,have also heard that some didn't get done at the factory ,causing wear ,is this wright , ?

The rear drive splines wear because folks install the rear tire incorrectly. You need to loosen the 4 bolts that hold the pumpkin to the swing arm BEFORE you torque the axle, then tighten them afterwards. This is for alignment and has been a necessary thing since the early goldwings on this drive. Also check the pinion cup frequently. There are also 3-rings that should be replaced in the rear wheel when changing...look at shoptalk again, great article on that.

Blade wrote:
can I remove the baffles on the stock exhaust system with out rejeting the carbs ,I would just like a little beefer sound,?

I don't recommend it...I much prefer the sound of "torque" from the engine instead of loud exhausts, but it's your machine and many prefer the noise. There are several exhaust mods listed on shoptalk.