Cost of Replacing the Clutch

[Calboy]

I would like to know how much I would be looking at in parts if I had to replace the clutch in one of these Valkyries.

[Hook#3287]

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda/motorcycle/1999/gl1500cf-a-valkyrie-interstate/clutch

It depends on what you need to replace.

[98valk]

clutches are normally good for 300+k miles. many Gold wing GL1500s pulling a traveler get that.
in '97 all GL1500 engines received upgrade clutch plates, there are none better.

there was a bad batch of damper plates in '98. mine went bad. I replaced the damper and clutch plates on either side.

[Bagger John - #3785]

there was a bad batch of damper plates in '98. mine went bad. I replaced the damper and clutch plates on either side.

Any other years affected?

Seems I've seen failures here and there over the years. Once upon a time there was a discussion thread about potential causes but I haven't followed it in a while.

Agreed that the clutches in these engines ought to outlast the chassis. Regardless, I got hold of a couple new damper plates to keep in my parts stash, and will probably get a few spare friction plates as well...just in case.

[98valk]

there was a bad batch of damper plates in '98. mine went bad. I replaced the damper and clutch plates on either side.

Any other years affected?

Seems I've seen failures here and there over the years. Once upon a time there was a discussion thread about potential causes but I haven't followed it in a while.

Agreed that the clutches in these engines ought to outlast the chassis. Regardless, I got hold of a couple new damper plates to keep in my parts stash, and will probably get a few spare friction plates as well...just in case.

when mine went bad at 42000 miles, a few others posted that is was '98s that got bad dampers. however there are some '98 owners that never had the problem. I tend to remember a few '99 owners posted having a bad damper, that is all I remember.

[Bagger John - #3785]

I tend to remember a few '99 owners posted having a bad damper, that is all I remember.

One of mine is a '99. Hopefully I won't experience a problem but have parts available (including all the snap/split rings and so forth) if I do.

[Ricky-D]

The Valkyrie clutch is not dependent upon the damper plates.

You can substitute additional friction plates and metal plates for the damper plates.

The only requirement would be the necessity of having the stack height close to the OEM required height.

***

[98valk]

The Valkyrie clutch is not dependent upon the damper plates.

You can substitute additional friction plates and metal plates for the damper plates.

The only requirement would be the necessity of having the stack height close to the OEM required height.

***

one of supercharger guys did away with the damper and said DON'T DO IT.  too grapping.

that idea came from the GL1200 guys, where due to the design of the engine it works well. doesn't work for any other GLs from what I've read.

[Tfrank59]

 I think the original poster is looking for a dollar amount for anybody who might know it, and maybe a breakdown of the cost of an entire clutch pack or just friction plates or whatever. Hooks reply more or less provides the answer at least according to partzilla

[Calboy]

I think the original poster is looking for a dollar amount for anybody who might know it, and maybe a breakdown of the cost of an entire clutch pack or just friction plates or whatever. Hooks reply more or less provides the answer at least according to partzilla

You are absolutely correct!

[Jess from VA]

I do not know the answer, but I do know that for a complete clutch replacement, the labor is the lion's share of the cost (over parts).

So call a local dealer or bike repair job and get a couple quotes for labor only and you'll have close to your answer.

I have the same problem with one of my bikes.  I'm not sure it's a complete clutch or not.  My one man shop is swamped for the summer, so I'll take it in this Winter when he's slow.  That's why I have two bikes.

My guy is a Honda 1500 expert.  Not many are anymore, so beware. 

[Tfrank59]

Well it seems like he wants to do the work himself I guess he can speak to that

[Bagger John - #3785]

My guy is a Honda 1500 expert.  Not many are anymore, so beware. 

Slight thread hijack:

We're "it" - for better or for worse - as far as supporting these bikes is concerned. You'll get differences of opinion on things such as oil and blinker fluid ( ) but this particular community continues to be the go-to for technical knowledge concerning the F6.

Speaking for myself, I try to contribute to the base of knowledge whenever possible...and that spirit is echoed amongst many Tech Board participants.

Back to your (ir)regularly scheduled teardown...

[Jess from VA]

Well, I should have read the OP closer. 

He did want a parts price, not a labor price.

I lack the expertise to do many things on these bikes (including carbs and clutches), though I do what I can.  My guy is an expert.

My comment on not many left was not referring to this great crowd (at all), it was referring to dealers and shops in general.

[Bagger John - #3785]

My comment on not many left was not referring to this great crowd (at all), it was referring to dealers and shops in general.

If it's older than 10 or so years, most major franchise shops simply won't be bothered with a given model bike...unless they take something in on trade which can be readily serviced (due to excellent condition) then flipped.

What's going to be interesting is when the current(new) crop of high-end motorcycles - such as the 1800 'Wing, or any of Harley's Rushmore line, for example - begins aging past the service point and they subsequently develop issues with their engine or suspension management computers. Issues which require a significant investment in both technical expertise and servicing equipment to diagnose.

We've begun to enter the disposable motorcycle phase, I'm afraid.

[Jess from VA]

(sorry for the drift)

I'm afraid it's not just disposable bikes alone.

It's disposable everything.

The cost of human labor is the highest portion of (most all) manufactured goods.  So when it breaks, if it's not DIY or an easy/simple fix, it goes to the dump, and we buy another one.  Esp when the cost to fix it goes well beyond half the price of a new one (small change for parts, and high labor).  Then we ask ourselves the age old question, I am I better served with a fixed old one, or a new one?  And it seems that more lately, we feel better with new, than repaired old (but not Valkyries).

But are new ones better?  Some are, but some clearly aren't.  My first Am Std water heater went some 25 years, the next AO Smith went about 12, and I'm told my newest AO Smith Proline can only be expected to go 7-9 years (and it's much larger because of EPA insulation requirements, and it cost more than the previous two together).  Nobody even suggested the old one be repaired (and I didn't bring it up, not liking to be laughed at).  

Our older (but not aged) cars and bikes get totaled by insurance companies because they cost more to fix than they are worth (they say).  And it's usually the labor cost that puts them over the top (except for new air bags).

And now it seems we have disposable marriages, and values, and religion, and even countries.

I suppose this is why I tend to value some the old things in my life, that have stood the test of time and are still working as new..... like firearms (back to 1889), and tools, and my mom (90).  Mom doesn't look like new, and doesn't have the energy she used to, but she is the same lady I've known all my life; smart and witty and full of vim and vinegar.  And she is the sole remaining survivor of her family, and has an amazing memory of multiple branches of our family tree, and when she is gone, that history is gone, forever.

For instance, mom's father, born around 1900, was one of twins.  The family was desperately poor, and his twin brother was sickly and not expected to live, so his parents kept him home, but farmed my grandfather out to a farming family out in the country at 6yo where he was used for labor and milking cows, and he only got to see his parents about once a year.

And my dad's mother, born 1889, was a schoolteacher who took a horse and buggy to a one room elementary school house beginning at about 18yo.  Some years later, she was my mother's mom's teacher in elementary school. When I was a boy, dad's mom used to tell me about all the civil war veterans she had known in her life.

History should never be disposable.        

OK, I'll stop now.  

 

[98valk]

My comment on not many left was not referring to this great crowd (at all), it was referring to dealers and shops in general.

If it's older than 10 or so years, most major franchise shops simply won't be bothered with a given model bike...unless they take something in on trade which can be readily serviced (due to excellent condition) then flipped.

What's going to be interesting is when the current(new) crop of high-end motorcycles - such as the 1800 'Wing, or any of Harley's Rushmore line, for example - begins aging past the service point and they subsequently develop issues with their engine or suspension management computers. Issues which require a significant investment in both technical expertise and servicing equipment to diagnose.

We've begun to enter the disposable motorcycle phase, I'm afraid.

its called Planned Obsolescence. been going on in many industries for at least a decade. this makes people to keep having to buy things, making corporations rich and keeping people working, but in essence making most people poorer.
if one plans on keeping their valkyrie, stock up on parts, that are specific to the valkyrie. I just picked up the lower frame supports, no longer avail from honda, $22 shipped for both sides, ebay. reason? my left one the front internal threads are partially rusted away, it still works for now. how it became rusted don't know.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I would like to know how much I would be looking at in parts if I had to replace the clutch in one of these Valkyries.

Bill (Hook) is absolutely correct. It depends on what you need. My damper plate rivets gave out a while back. Not wanting to take a chance of not having what I would need, I ordered most everything minus the steel plates. I would have been fine with just the damper and a gasket.
 Do you know what is wrong with your clutch ? What are the symptoms it exhibits ?

[Bagger John - #3785]

if one plans on keeping their valkyrie, stock up on parts, that are specific to the valkyrie. I just picked up the lower frame supports, no longer avail from honda, $22 shipped for both sides, ebay. reason? my left one the front internal threads are partially rusted away, it still works for now. how it became rusted don't know.

I just did likewise.

And the bolded...my '99 Tourer is a CA-model which spent most of its low-mileage life near the ocean. The 1st owner was transferred to NJ and took the bike with him. Eventually, the gent who sold it to me bought the bike and rode it along the coast for another season or two.

When I bought it, the bike had a bit of corrosion here and there and I replaced almost everything which couldn't be cleaned and sealed. One of the remaining rusty parts is the left lower subframe - specifically, the threads where the engine guard attachment bolt engages. They're not shot, but an on-hand replacement isn't a bad thing to have at this point.

[F6Dave]

I'm just curious -- what are the symptoms?  When the rivets shear in the damper plates there is a very distinct symptom:  the lever will hit a hard stop about half way in.  The problem goes away for a while after centrifugal force spits the rivet out, then returns as the next one shears.

The parts aren't too expensive.  I think I paid less than $200, and I replaced several things I didn't need to.