Transmission Tear Down

[KingofKossuth]

I've got a 1999 Valkyrie Interstate, had it for 10 years, rode 20K miles (its got 60K miles on it), and I love the bike. However the last few years shifting has become an issue. I still ride the bike and can get it into all the gears okay, but the majority of my shifts are not smooth. shifts into gears 4 and 5 are the best. Sometimes it will pop into neutral between 1 & 2 and the shifts are very "notchy". I bought a Jersey shifter brace and installed hoping this would help, but unfortunately I didn't see much of a difference. I am thinking that this winter I need to do something because it's continually getting worse. I talked to my local motorcycle mechanic and he said that it would be a major job to tear down the transmission $2-$3K. I am mechanically inclined and thought about tacking it myself, but not sure what I would be getting into. Any advice or suggestions? Also if I do this are there any modifications that I can make to improve the transmission? Thanks in advance.

[SCain]

I think the transmissions are pretty bullet proof, never heard one having any trouble, Jerseys shifter bracket should have helps some. I would lean more towards a clutch issue, have you bled the clutch? Might be worth rebuilding the clutch slave cylinder too. I wouldn't dive into the tranny.
You can buy a good motor $500 +/-.
I am sure others will chime in, my .02

[Bighead]

I think the transmissions are pretty bullet proof, never heard one having any trouble, Jerseys shifter bracket should have helps some. I would lean more towards a clutch issue, have you bled the clutch? Might be worth rebuilding the clutch slave cylinder too. I wouldn't dive into the tranny.
You can buy a good motor $500 +/-.
I am sure others will chime in, my .02

+1 never heard of one single tranny issue.

[sandy]

If you haven't done already, Change to a good quality synthetic oil. Mobil 1; Shell Rotella. Be sure to use a non moly content oil.

[Bagger John - #3785]

If you haven't done already, Change to a good quality synthetic oil. Mobil 1; Shell Rotella. Be sure to use a non moly content oil.

+1.

With mine, Golden Spectro full synthetic makes them shift like butter.

[rug_burn]

  I did a lot of clunky shifts, too when I first got my Valk.  I found that paying more attention to rpm when shifting solved that problem. 
  Known as 'RPM Matching,' with videos online I'm sure, you can get good enough that often you won't even use the clutch shifting between most gears.   Gear 1 to 2 is usually the hardest to get right for me, but it's good practice.
  Vehicles with relatively big massive engines are the ones that need most care while shifting, because you got this big mass which doesn't want to slow down quick when you dump the clutch at a speed mismatch.  The result is that clunk or jerk at shift.

[3W-lonerider]

i have what you'd call a clunky tempermental transmission. but heres my thoughts on it.
when i shift it seems like there is a ridge on the gears, to get it to go fully into a gear it goes part way then seems to catch something before going the rest of the way.
i attribute it to for many years not being aggressive with the shifter and not putting it fully into gear and only catching half the gear, also the extreme play in my shifter made it difficult to fully put it into any gear most of the time.
i installed a jersey shifter and it improved things alot.
but i still have alot of the notchyness from alot of miles being the way it was.
i'm sure over time it will wear that ridge on the gears down and straighten itself out.
so my comments to the op, ride it and being that you installed a jersey shifter support, let it go awhile and see if it improves. i would not tear the tranny apart.
it may take 10 or 20 thousand miles to square those gear surfaces up again after many miles of not being fully seated.

[Ricky-D]

The Valkyrie transmission is a "constant mesh" transmission.

This transmission designation means that the gears in the transmission are always meshed and there is no "sliding" in and out of gear.

What is commonly thought of as sliding in and out of gear is actually "dogs" and "slots" being coupled and uncoupled.

This coupling action is being done using forks that slide the couplers back and forth inside the transmission.

The forks are mounted on a drum, that turns, and the design of the drum when rotated, moves the forks back and forth along the length of the drum.

When you shift the transmission, you are rotating the drum, moving the forks, coupling and uncoupling the "dogs" to be in the gear you want.

The Valkyrie transmission is pretty much "bulletproof" and any problems perceived as transmission problems are usually found to be clutch related.

***

[3W-lonerider]

yes it is a constant mesh transmission. but you are still sliding dogs from one gear to another on a splined shaft. if that dog does'nt slide all the way into the next gear it can wear the edge of the dog some and create the knotchyness feeling. but it isn't worth tearing the transmission apart to repair unless you have one that is constantly jumping out of gear.
before installing the jersey shifter support mine would jump out of 1st and 2nd gear unless i stomped on that shifter to fully engage it. and i don't mean shifting with authority i mean having to really jamb it. now it has a knotchyness feeling but i can shift it like any normal bike and not have to stomp on that shifter..
https://youtu.be/IFjSVgNFd6E

[98valk]

suggest search goldwing GL1500 forums.  they have stated some clutches will act up and usually it is because of oil problems. many have cleared up their problems with an engine flush.
one of the better flushes is www.auto-rx.com
some problems were due to gummed up slave cylinder. has to be taken apart to completely clean it out, a fluid flush doesn't do it, if it is the problem. regular maintenance flush prevents it from gumming up.

or the damper plate is going bad, much written about that here in the tech pages.

[Alberta Patriot]

My bike suffers from balky/clunky shifting as well. Shifting from First to Second "was" resulting in mis-shifts into neutral unless I gave the lever a good hard pull into second. Even up/down shifting to 3rd-4th-5th was always clunky.
2 days ago I decided to thoroughly flush the area around the shifter where it comes out of the engine case with silicon spray lube and then repeatedly sprayed small doses of  "Blaster PB50" Teflon Lube directly on the shaft/seal while rocking the shifter back and forth.  
Yesterday I went for a 5 hour ride and all the shifting problems were gone!!! except a bit of balkiness shifting down to 4th.
I have been using this product on a lot of things for some time now, including the kickstand, trailer door hinges, car door hinges, garage door rollers etc, etc. ...with AMAZING long lasting results.
BTW... I also pulled the top cap off the throttle case at the same time and sprayed multiple doses of PB50 down into the cables as well as directly onto the carb throttle plate shafts...twisting the grip has never been that light.
Available here for 'great white north residents'...not sure where US riders would find it.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/blaster-pb-50-multipurpose-lubricant-with-teflon-0380403p.html

[gordonv]

My bike suffers from balky/clunky shifting as well. Shifting from First to Second "was" resulting in mis-shifts into neutral unless I gave the lever a good hard pull into second.

Also moving the shifter one notch either direction can help in shifting. It's amazing, but people have reported it, and I also found it worked on my GW.

[Alberta Patriot]

My bike suffers from balky/clunky shifting as well. Shifting from First to Second "was" resulting in mis-shifts into neutral unless I gave the lever a good hard pull into second.

Also moving the shifter one notch either direction can help in shifting. It's amazing, but people have reported it, and I also found it worked on my GW.

What I don't get is why spraying the Teflon Lube externally around the shifter rod and oil seal would make such a big difference??? Some of it must be seeping past the oil seal somehow.

[98valk]

My bike suffers from balky/clunky shifting as well. Shifting from First to Second "was" resulting in mis-shifts into neutral unless I gave the lever a good hard pull into second.

Also moving the shifter one notch either direction can help in shifting. It's amazing, but people have reported it, and I also found it worked on my GW.

What I don't get is why spraying the Teflon Lube externally around the shifter rod and oil seal would make such a big difference??? Some of it must be seeping past the oil seal somehow.

some synthetic lubricates actually cause certain seal materials to swell. 

Group III motor oil causes seal shrinkage and when the companies have to put the swell additives in it.
sometimes the additive is not enough.
case in point I was using Delo 15w40 in my low mileage 7.3l powerstroke and started to have high oil usage. found out the delo was a group III and was shrinking the injector o-rings. went back to conventional oil, high oil usage stopped during that oil change.

[Alberta Patriot]

My bike suffers from balky/clunky shifting as well. Shifting from First to Second "was" resulting in mis-shifts into neutral unless I gave the lever a good hard pull into second.

Also moving the shifter one notch either direction can help in shifting. It's amazing, but people have reported it, and I also found it worked on my GW.

What I don't get is why spraying the Teflon Lube externally around the shifter rod and oil seal would make such a big difference??? Some of it must be seeping past the oil seal somehow.

some synthetic lubricates actually cause certain seal materials to swell. 

Group III motor oil causes seal shrinkage and when the companies have to put the swell additives in it.
sometimes the additive is not enough.
case in point I was using Delo 15w40 in my low mileage 7.3l powerstroke and started to have high oil usage. found out the delo was a group III and was shrinking the injector o-rings. went back to conventional oil, high oil usage stopped during that oil change.

I can't explain why shifting smoothness has improved by spraying the Teflon externally on the Shifter/Seal, but I am going to keep doing it when the effects start fading. So far so good.

[Jersey]

https://youtu.be/IFjSVgNFd6E

Nice video of 'SIX' gears... almost had a little 'gear envy' by the end.  lol

[Paladin528]

I suffered similar issues on my 99 when I got it.  70,000 on the clock now.
Step 1 good oil
Step 2  replace the shifter seal whether its leaking or not
Step 3 install Jersey shifter brace.  FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO A T
You should now have a smooth shifting bike

[KingofKossuth]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I did start using synthetic motorcycle oil a few years ago, but didn't for the first 6-8 years. I have found that pre-loading the shifter does seem to help a lot. I need to pay more attention to RPM when I shift. I just wish there was a way to make the bike shift like it used to. Anyway thanks again everyone.