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Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:53 pm
by desertrefugee
Good stuff, Lucien. Following with interest.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:34 pm
by Lucien Harpress
Revisiting the grab handles:
I put a slight bend in the rear to level out the handle, and clipped off the extra to clean the look up a little (the helmet lock thing didn't work out- I may revisit it, but not for a minute). I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to handle sealing the metal of the cut surfaces- as of now there's a touch of black paint on them to stop rusting, and doesn't look horrible at all. I may leave it, unless I come up with a better option.
A baby update, to be sure, but hopefully things pick up. I settled on a set of saddlebags, which should show up in a couple days. Hopefully they're as nice as they were in the picture.
Until then!
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 4:17 pm
by Lucien Harpress
Another day, another update. THIS one's a bit more photogenic, though.
Keeping with the "vintage-ish" theme of the bike, I did a little digging for some "traditional" leather saddlebags. The old brackets gave me a bit of size reference, and I figured brown would be a good change of color from my other bag attempts. Some eBay searches and about a week later, here's the results. Fresh from... India. Because why not.
I plan on stuffing them for a while to un-flatten them from packing, and I need to look into waterproofing them a bit before bolting them up, but attaching them should be a snap. 4 holes and 4 bolts per side, easy peasy.
Not the largest bags or the most rain-proof, but they should work well enough. Bulky loads will probably be more of a "rear rack" thing anyway, but that will be the NEXT adventure.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2021 8:02 pm
by desertrefugee
I like them Lucien, but you really need to lose the b***h pad. That bike will be perfect with the fender exposed.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 1:10 pm
by Lucien Harpress
I think that's close to next on the list. Honestly the big reason I haven't taken it off yet is because leaving it bolted on for now is the best place to store it (and not lose it- a blown apart GL1000 takes up a lot of space).
I gotta snag a small CT90 rack (or equivelant) to start some experiments. The pillion pad IS coming off, but I don't want to lower the look of the rear too much. It's going to be real easy to get this sloping line down from the tank over the back wheel, making the whole rear end look a bit aniemic. The trick for me is to keep all the body lines as horizontal as possible without adding too much bulk to the rear end. I'm hoping a rear fender rack will accomplish this.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:16 pm
by Lucien Harpress
Some minor progress. No pictures, but enough to liven the place up a tad.
Saddlebags have been bolted to the supports, and a rack to replace the rear seat is currently somewhere in Colorado. Been also weighing the pros and cons of fixing a dented rear fender full of holes or replacing it. Time will tell with that one.
In a minor bit of "fun" news, I managed to break the bottom tab of the chromed-yet-plastic alternator cover. On the one hand, it's 150 bucks to replace it, and it's a really weak area to fix. On the other, the chrome on my part is already bubbling pretty bad, and an exposed alternator does kinda fit with the "retro" aesthetic I'm looking at. The big green stripe down the middle does kind of ruin it, though...
I may try to adapt a chrome GL1000 alternator cover/heat shield, just for funsies. But I've got time.
Again, not much progress. More like a thinking out lout post than anything, but hey- it's STARTING to get above freezing around here....
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 9:22 pm
by desertrefugee
I think those things bubbled before they left the factory.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:45 pm
by Jonesz
Maybe fix the tab as best you can and then sand off the chrome and repaint the cover with high temp black or whatever. Or find a wrinkled one and sand it before repainting. I have yet to see one that wasn't bubbled and if mine gets any worse I will be sanding it off and painting. They are almost like "unobtainium" especially to find one in good shape. Mr Honda should be making warranty replacements for a part so poorly designed.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:52 am
by sgwilly
I've seen where someone made a stainless steel replacement for his bike. Looked OK. I hear a lot of people just remove it when it gets too obnoxious. I live with my wobbles for now.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:23 pm
by Lucien Harpress
I'm thinking I can do something with this. I'm looking at getting some perforated metal sheet to cover most of the alternator, probably painted black. I figure it'd be cool little touch to have a bit of the original Goldwing on this bike someplace. I may even find a small Honda emblem to stick in the middle of it. With the bracket there it really shouldn't be too hard to adapt something.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 7:03 pm
by sgwilly
I really like that! And I have a few of those chrome thingies around as well.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:57 am
by Jonesz
Lucien Harpress wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:23 pm
I'm thinking I can do something with this. I'm looking at getting some perforated metal sheet to cover most of the alternator, probably painted black. I figure it'd be cool little touch to have a bit of the original Goldwing on this bike someplace. I may even find a small Honda emblem to stick in the middle of it. With the bracket there it really shouldn't be too hard to adapt something.
Should end up looking pretty good and the perforated metal will allow some of the heat that destroyed the original cover to escape from the alternator.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2021 6:23 pm
by Lucien Harpress
Got some more parts in the mail, and we're edging closer to a final-ish look at the plan for the back end.
I always planned on losing the rear seat pad and replacing it with a luggage rack. While fender racks are available, they tend to follow the contour of the fender (not for me) and are really overpriced for what they are (DEFINITELY not for me). Solution?
Pull a rack from a Trail 90.
Surprisingly, I didn't have to modify it too much. I can use the front bracket of the passenger pad to mount the front, and I just had to bend the rear tabs on the rack to mount the back. I'm still debating on exact height, but this is pretty close.
I'm replacing the seat eventually, but that's not a top priority. Thankfully, the rack doesn't look back with the stock seat, either.
In addition, I snagged a couple small bits I may put on the gas tank later. I'm still playing with ideas, but we'll see.
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2021 8:04 pm
by sgwilly
That rack looks great on there. And I agree, curved racks are silly and the price they charge is pure silliness. I ended up cobbling together my own “expedition” rack. Looks passable and works great. I wouldn’t stand on it though.
- F9A1FAB0-0507-4B67-8134-510620172FF6.jpeg (306.91 KiB) Viewed 283 times
Re: I Did a Thing: Valk Build/Mod Thread
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 9:55 am
by Lucien Harpress
Oh, it gets better. If I need a larger rack? I'll just bolt on the larger carrier that was used on the CT90 too. The Trail 90 also came with a buddy seat that bolted to the same rack, so if I want to carry a passenger I can either use that, or just replace the rack with the original seat.
I've got options!