Bent forks

[careful1]

I recently purchased a 1997 Valkyrie that has obviously been punched in the front end. The signs were a dent in the back of the fender , leaky fork seals , scraped engine guard and mirror (on the right side). The final thing was when I took off the wheel you could see that both forks were slightly bent about 2" up the slide shaft and the axel was also slightly bent. Those are the only things I can see. What are some other things I should look for. As I said nothing is obvious . Thanks in advance.

[robnessa]

check around head stock, look for chiped or cracked paint in case the frame is bent

[Valker]

Cheapest way to fix forks is to have "Forking by Frank" repair them.....Google it.

[storm]

I've picked up several crashed bikes and seldom is the frame ever bent. The fork tubes on newer bikes are larger in diameter and softer so they bend and absorb impacts rather that transfer the shock to the frame and rider. Most tubes can be straightened and I have done several by thumping them across a 4x4 - kinda tricky but on mild bends it works in short order. Or you can have the tube fixer upper guy do it - probably much cheaper than new units.

[careful1]

Thanks for the advice. This is a good example of asking questions in this forum before taking action. I , unfortunately, did the later. I ordered a set of forks from a motorcycle dismantler . They are guaranteed not to be bent and in good working order. If I would have asked here first I would have probably looked into having them fixed. I still may have them repaired and try to sell them.

[Valker]

Thanks for the advice. This is a good example of asking questions in this forum before taking action. I , unfortunately, did the later. I ordered a set of forks from a motorcycle dismantler . They are guaranteed not to be bent and in good working order. If I would have asked here first I would have probably looked into having them fixed. I still may have them repaired and try to sell them.

You could probably sell them for what you paid for the other ones. Frank (or maybe another) make them as good as new.

[MP]

There is a good set just listed on evilbay right now.
MP

[careful1]

This is how my day went. After waiting for 2 weeks for the Dismantler to send me the forks, I call and they inform me they actually don't have a set. Then I call FRANK'S FORKS... they don't do the bigger size that apparently t he Valkyrie is. Does anyone know of another place that will fix them? They can't be just straightened because of the rippling.

[Bob E.]

You can purchase new sliders from HDL and rebuild them.  The entire fork leg assembly is $882.22 per side, which is what I bought after hitting a deer a couple years ago.  That's pretty expensive, but that is what the dealer said was required and my insurance was paying for it...and MSRP is over $1200 each if I had bought from the dealer, so I kinda made out.  But you can buy the individual pieces.  The sliders are $320.81 per side.  Still kind of expensive, but alot less than buying the complete assemblies if you know the rest of the fork is good.  Here's the link to HDL Parts. 

http://www.hdlparts.com/fiche_select.asp

[storm]

Ever get the feeling the sport / recreational companies are ripping you off?

At least they don't discriminate - they all rip you off equally!

[admin]

OK.    I wrote to Traxxion in Georgia and this is what they have available for the VALK.   I am leaning towards the first mod he mentioned, seems to be the best one.

Terry,

 

The Valkyrie is a little different animal this most.  The Valkyrie only has a cartridge in the right leg and NO damper in the left leg at all.  The right fork does all the damping.  The left fork has a spring only.  So the two options we have are to re-valve the OEM cartridge on the right and upgrade the springs with the appropriate spring for your weight and riding preferences.  This upgrade will run you about $500 if you ship the forks to us.  We will revalve the cartridge with our Axxion valves so the forks will absorb bumps better and give you a better feel on the front end.  We will perform a full service on the forks which includes replacing the seals, polishing the fork tubes, cleaning/inspecting all components, and replacing in bushings that may be worn.  This will give you a tremendous improvement over stock.

The second option is our AK-20 Axxion Cartridge Kit, $999.95.  The AK-20 Kit is a complete replacement cartridge system.  Installation of the kit is $150.  So if you ship the forks in to us we will service the forks, install the kit and setup everything for you so as delivered back the forks are ready to install and ride.  The only issue is the left fork.  It is not drilled or tapped to hold and cartridge.  So we will need to remove the lower casting, drill, tap, and reinstall the casting on the lower leg.  We have performed the process several times and the forks perform flawlessly after the upgrade.  We would need to charge $100 for the additional labor involved to machine the lower casting.

One other option would be to just install the AK-20 on the Right side and upgrade the springs on both sides.  This option would run $565 plus the $150 installation/service.

Let me know if you have any other questions or need any further information.

Thanks!

 

Mike

 

===========================

Champions Choose Traxxion...

Mike Hardy

Sales Manager

Traxxion Dynamics, Inc.

[storm]

The Valkyrie setup is actually pretty standard and Honda likes to do the right side dampening and left side spring only approach. Kinda make one wonder why only the right leg seems prone to leaking.
I'm not much of a believer in spring changes as most do more to alter mental feelings than actual ride improvements. I guess The Traxxion guys are OK but way high in price - almost as bad ad Honda OEM.

But it's your machine and you got to do something so whatever you do it's going to cost unfortunately.

[paul]

Good question. About 1 hour ago I took delivery of an I/S and noticed that the front mudguard was nearly touching the tire on one side. One of the allen bolts was not tightened fully, but tightening it properly did not make any difference. Could the problem also be caused by bent forks? I cannot see any accident damage, but then I'm no expert. The forkss look straight. I can twist the mugguard with my hands but when I let go it springs back again!

[Bob E.]

Good question. About 1 hour ago I took delivery of an I/S and noticed that the front mudguard was nearly touching the tire on one side. One of the allen bolts was not tightened fully, but tightening it properly did not make any difference. Could the problem also be caused by bent forks? I cannot see any accident damage, but then I'm no expert. The forkss look straight. I can twist the mugguard with my hands but when I let go it springs back again!

I had a similar problem when I re-built my front end after hitting a deer.  I was confused because all of the parts were brand new, including the forks, triple trees, and the fender.  To fix it, I just loosened everything up, including the fender bolts, axle and pinch bolts.  Then I started over, tightening the front axle and pinch bolts following the procedure in the service manual.  After that, I tightened the fender.  It seems that tightening the axle first aligned everything, then the fender just fell in place where it belongs.

[paul]

Thanks for the tip, Bob E. The front tire is new, so I'm going to try loosening everything as you suggested.