'98 Honda Valkyrie - hard starting, runs like crap. Let's dig into it! Video #1

'98 Valkyrie California emissions setup bike, runs like crap, hard to start, runs poorly, idle popping and other problems. Will this be a simple or complex repair?
For more detailed Valkyrie carb work and deeper dive, refer to the videos in this playlist from the 1999 Valkyrie Interstate work:
• 1999 Honda Valkyrie In...

[@mar1video]

I think you become the new guru of Honda Valkyrie in US ! I’m a bit worried about companies stopping production of quality replacement parts. What’s going to happen 10 years from now? Your videos are great ! I hope you will get many new subscribers and customers! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us !

[@MotoRestoFL]

Ah.... no. But thanks.

[@HardwayRanch]

I had a '98 Valkyrie Tourer for many years. The trick to keeping all those carbs happy is running a good quality carb cleaner in every other tank of fuel.

[@MotoRestoFL]

You bet. I use one but for the life of me, the name popped out of my skull. Cheers.

[@travelingman484]

@@MotoRestoFLI’ll find the name of the additive. But it’s the best I’ve used.

[@ipfreelynow]

Pretty bike, that looks like a heck of a job with all those carbs.

[@Pete-from-Tn]

99% sure the carbs will be done. Electrolysis and that tank will look good as new. Last one I did, tank came out perfect. Got one from a KZ1000 going to try and get done next week. Will use a galvanized bolt again. One I did 7 or 8 years ago still looks like new also.

[@MotoRestoFL]

How do you do electrolysis in a tank? I'd like to know more about that.

[@Pete-from-Tn]

@@MotoRestoFL Also I use borax in my water. Wife uses it to wash some items in the washing machine. Thinking its 20 mule team Borax.

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

I did this with an engine block. It actually works.

[@rabbitflow1]

Great job hello from Ireland thank for you sharing your experience ❤❤❤❤

[@matthewharlowehrscyclespor668]

We limit the model years of bikes due to the overwhelming demand for service. The newest model year we accept is 1980. We only provide service for metrics and some Europeans. There is too much work in the pipeline. I enjoy your conscientious work. You are spot on with diagnostics. You also invest in the tools necessary to provide a quality product. It is impressive to watch you design and fabricate necessary tools. Many / most shops will not invest the time. Many do not have the necessary equipment. Investment in tooling and appropriate machinery saves time. The ROI of that machinery can be amazingly swift. Great work, Tom. I was thinking of you and this project today as I was enjoying the neon "Valkyrie" sign in the shop. Be good. Remain safe.

[@evelyncarroll7702]

Thank You For All Your Hard Work! 💙🙏🏻💙

[@stevetompsett5102]

Hi Mate, thanks for a great video , I've a 2000 model but never done the carbs, but luckily purchased the red eye kit while they were still stocked , so one day may well need to do this Resto...cheers from western Australia PS I'll be looking forward to seeing how this Resto ends up....

[@MotoRestoFL]

I had one in the shed from a job that fell apart like a year, then the Interstate job came in and that's where that kit went.

[@henryhawk978]

Very nice work,Tom. Friend has a Interstate. Gonna share this with him. Not sure it'll do any good, he's not a youtube watching guy. Enjoyed the video and RIDE SAFE OUT THERE!

[@Francey4782]

Just watching a few of your videos and got to the vtx1300 one from about a year ago. I have a Honda bros (Hawk in US) 650. The thing has never had either a stock airbox or exhaust sinc l've had her. It used to run pretty well with the mesh type pods. Anyway, l had the engine taken apart a while back and after that there would be a fair amount of popping on deceleration. Also, a cut off of power at 5k rpm. When my mechanic finally had a go in it, he came back, chopped the latest pods down, jammed then on and she ran much better.

[@ridervfr2798]

That chrome radiator cover looks like it cause the bike to run hot. Not a big gladiator/skull/spike guy. Good to see you back!

[@MotoRestoFL]

I saw that too, but alas, it ain't my ride.

[@Francey4782]

It's me again. The bike was pretty good after this makeshift fix but l felt like it was missing something and popping was annoying, so l had the guy give the carbs another clean, replace shut off valves and swap main jets aeoind so that the rear was now a 138 on the front was 142 I think. Tbh they may have already been like that lol. Anyway I had also bought some foam pod filters. Bike ran great but rapidly went bad. I turned out air fuel slow screws a bit and that helped for a day or so. The popping was still there and, within a few days, she was breaking up at WOT and became all but unrideable.

[@MotoRestoFL]

You must have something else going on. Did you check the rubber insulators where the manifold goes to each head? Sounds like a vacuum leak. I've only worked on a handful of these but they all have been loose when I checked the clamps. Could be cracked and petrified.

[@Francey4782]

@@MotoRestoFL I wouldn't be surprised if there was a small as the bike does make soft little farting sounds now and again and has even cut out in the past. Anyhow, the guy messed with mixture screws a bit and she's been pretty sweet since. Possibly lacking a bit low end but hey, it's only a 650 and 30+ years old.

[@adamlanglois563]

Nice to see that old bike getting a little bit of TLC. My interstate has spark but no fire for cylinder 1&4. The bike has been sitting a while so its going to get a full strip and clean. Definitely going to clean the tank and replace the filter. Going to desmog while I've got the carbs off.

[@stephencox4224]

Careful with desmogging, in Australia 6 cylinder Holden Commodore people removed Exhaust Gas Recirulation thinking along the same lines and if they kept good records would find out the EGR dropped Combustion chamber temps about 100 degrees C removing it made them run much hotter and they lost about 100KM ,60 Miles out of a tank of Gas fuel range due to increased temps meaning it made the car run much richer trying to compensate as richer mixtures run cooler, ECU's are not foolproof

[@adamlanglois563]

@@stephencox4224 these bikes don't seem to mind. People run them for incredibly high miles (200k+ is not uncommon)with or without all that stuff. My valkyrie only has 46k kilometers. I hope to tour Canada on mine, fewer vacuum lines and no more PAIR system should take some guesswork out if it gives me trouble 2000 kilometers from home. And it's got carbs not an ECU and injectors. If I have to put a little more fuel to it I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

[@MotoRestoFL]

I think the PO was starting to desmog this one because it's missing 100% of the hoses that connect to the carbs which is a direct port into the throat of the carb. There's supposed to be a octupus connector that take the six hoses into one and that connections to the purge valve. Completely gone. And the ports on the carbs were NOT capped off, I forgot to mention that which I shall in Video #2. I am hooking all that crap back up. Factory put it there for a reason. Cheers.

[@MotoRestoFL]

If 1 - 4 are companion cylinders, gotta be the coil or the wires to the coil. I'm actually not sure, on an in-line 4 those are companion, but I've never had to do ignition diags on a Valkyrie. I'm figuring with 3 coils and six cylinders, it's a wasted spark system, so there must be companion cylinders to each coil. Check that. Cheers.

[@adamlanglois563]

@@MotoRestoFL it's got spark, but I'll test the coils to see that they're all in spec. I think it's probably Canadian gas is world class garbage. I've seen some gummed up carbs from our corn juice here. I figure the bike is 25, it's earned a refresh. I got it cheap not running, new plugs and seafoam shotguning the carbs got her to where she's at. so it has some wiggle room in the budget for repairs and maintenance.

[@Francey4782]

Went to see the guy again, he swapped the rear sparkplugs for some platinum ones and was awesome again. However, there are signs of issues returning. There's so many variables it seems with pods and open exhaust systems. Forgot to mention that the swapping round of mains was an idea l got from a forum post which also advised raising needle a little. I don't think my guy did this coz he thought it would run too rich if we did. I get that because the plugs have always shown signs of a rich condition.Any thoughts? 😅😅

[@Francey4782]

Possible solution/conclusion: My mechanic asjusted the slow mixture screws a bit today, and the symptoms have all but gone, still a bit of decel popping but smoother overall.

[@MotoRestoFL]

You must be referring to the VTX or another V-Twin where sometimes the front or rear jug has a slightly larger main jet. I think that scenario depends on whether the engineers drank liquor the night before designing the thing, because sometimes, their logic makes no sense on some of 'em.

[@wdhewson]

Every "Classic" I work on needs an ultra thorough carb cleaning, AND the carbs are always a bear to get off and back on !! The manufacturers need to do better for carb serviceability.

[@MotoRestoFL]

Yea, like an old BMW airhead... :)

[@ianhoyle8459]

The Everglades in California 😂❤

[@MrMonty414]

Great work. Has Red Eye ceased those carb kits altogether?😢

[@MotoRestoFL]

Far as I can tell. I emailed Rich awhile back about the full monty kit he used to do, he said he had a desmog kit. So I said no, the other full kit with the o-rings and he replied that I had asked about the desmog kit and that was all he had (which I had not). So... who knows.

[@rolandwheeler4842]

Great job on this complex machine. Question: How do I go about contacting you for technical advice? Willing to pay for your expertise! Thank you!

[@MotoRestoFL]

email: [e-mail]. No charge unless I have to make something like a special tool. It's why I have the channel, to try and help folks out.

[@rolandwheeler4842]

@@MotoRestoFL WOW!!!, THANKS!

[@williamllorens2141]

Fine work, by the way: can a bike of that year be converted into fuel injection? 😅

[@MotoRestoFL]

Way above my pay-grade. Who knows.

[@victorgonza4528]

Get a big oled tv for computer monitor and a real a/c for the shop .

[@MotoRestoFL]

There is a big oled TV monitor. I'm tinkering with the idea of a mini-split, but have to do major reconstructive surgery to shelves and storage in order to accommodate it. Then there's that little pesky challenge of paying for it. The house A/C is 26 years old, I figure any minute now it'll self-destruct. If the budget allows, I'll eventually due a min-split out there.

[@stevensapyak7971]

6.8.24. Damn…….game 1 of the Stanley Cup™️ Finals is just starting❗️I’ll mute the tv 📺 & watch this Video…..☝🏼

[@BIG1ED2]

Valkyrie videos perform well on KZbin, eh....??? 8K views so far....

[@MotoRestoFL]

Good for my videos. It's all perspective.

[@stephencox4224]

There can be many more causes especially with later bikes that use Keihin EFI, For example on a Kawasaki Concours GTR 1400 and many other models aftermarket Clutch levers can cause an issue whereby the clutch switch does not properly engage the Lever therefore the ECU drops into a limp mode and fuel consumption and performance suffers just because of a clutch switch operation issue. But beware in most cases it also does not throw a fault code so a good inspection and probably checking with the switch disconected from the bike and a multi metetr to verify correct operation is essential. I have come across similar issues simply because mainly Girl riders loosen the clutch so much it then does not work the switch correctly and the issues that arise vary bike to bike for instance Suzuli SV 650 suddenly becomes a bitch to just start because the clutch no longer operates within factory parameters. These issues can happen with many bikes so be aware.

[@ridervfr2798]

On my two 91 93 Hondas I used a jumper on the clutch wires and eliminated the switch. It is not like I am ever going to try to start the bike in gear with the clutch out. Good observation about the modern bikes though. I also jumped the side stand switch on a few other bikes I have owned.

[@MotoRestoFL]

You do realize that you commented on a video on a bike with carburetors, not EFI, and no ECU either, right? Clutch interlock switches have no impact on drivability, they don't control ignition voltage/current, just interlock the cranking of the engine under certain conditions, like kickstand down, etc. By the way, I own a Concours 14, there is no limp-mode. The clutch switch is simply and interlock just like it's been for 40 years on Japanese bikes. It completes the circuit of the starter motor only, very simple, very basic circuitry. I know pretty much every inch of that bike. So, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'd like to learn more because certainly, I don't know everything. Cheers.

[@stephencox4224]

@@MotoRestoFL I am relaying what I came across in regard to the Conquors 14 with Keihin EFI from a Kawasaki Australia Tech Info magazine Issue number 9 page 4 year 2015 the only mistake was it also applies to Mitsubishi ECU's also what happens when the clutch switch does not work correctly it means the secondary butterflys assume a nuetral position instead of a position relating to what gear you are in. They still operate but not correctly hence the statement "Limp Mode"which is basically what happens. By the way when not if your 1400 starts losing electrical power intermittantly which can be a nightmare when you cannot get any codes or often dash ignition etc untape the harness where it runs below the back of the fuel tank where it sits the lowest on the bike as what happens is water gets into the harness at that point and there are from memory three brass crimp connectors that join the power cables as a junction, The brass corrodes and sometimes the wires break making intermittant contact other times just the resistance goes skyhigh. could be a more common issue in Florida with high humidity and salty air depending on how close to the ocean you are. Result they run rich and it goes downhill from there, I have been a Motorcycle tech for some time lets just say I remember machining Triumph friction plates after replacing the frincion material by pressing in old wine corks, When HI Kawas had a distributor on the clutch cover and uncrating Z1's when they first came out and I still work on Kawasaki bikes and Mules among other brands. The comment was in General not just specific to that Bike or Carbs and I likely have more experience on Carbs than most people as well as in other areas So I was basically informing people as to other potential issues they may come across and miss diagnose, I do have a good memory hence how I remembered that information.