Phatt Girl got some love today

[Bret SD]

I've been fighting a toothache since Christmas Eve and finally turned the corner on it this morning, we had intermittent rain in San Diego today and I didn't feel up to working full on.. so I went into the garage and admired my Valk thinking what I could do on her that was easy and productive.

First I installed a handlebar clock and thermometer which was easy, once I calibrated the thermometer. Next I checked the clutch fluid level, it was a little low and not super clear, so I proceeded to get busy with my vacuum setup and sucked the fluid out, once I cleaned the reservoir I refilled and bled the system. That was easy so I proceeded to do the front and rear brake fluid also. The rear was low and dirty, so good timing there.

I took her for a quick test ride and all was well. 

My clutch slips for a second or so when I hammer the throttle in 2nd gear, is it time for a clutch replacement soon? I understand there's no adjustment, though the clutch seems smoother now that I changed the fluid.
I'm using Delo 400 15W-40 in the crankcase, as I do with all my vehicles (they're all diesels except for the bikes)

Any advice?

[Chrisj CMA]

The clutch issue is most likely caused by the use of oil with friction modifiers. That oil may be great for your car but it’s bad for the clutch on your Valkyrie.

You asked

I would change the oil with a cheap oil without friction modifiers then add one of those rinse products and then drain. Then refill with a quality synthetic motorcycle compatible oil. The problem will likely solve itself

[hubcapsc]

Oil was my first guess too... I don't remember the specification that should be avoided, but
it would be listed on the bottle... I've added links to large pictures of the bottle... there's an
additive that's good for cars and stuff but is bad when you have a wet clutch that runs
in the same oil as the engine - like on motorcycles... so "motorcycle specific" oil isn't
the same as "snake oil"  ...


front:
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/4b5e52ec-df11-4f96-b98c-ec6f08be1345_1.7381e074752c73db7b2d4b04f1c05aed.jpeg

back:
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/a8f5fa3a-584e-407b-b154-427584ec3ff7.0a237604bda59220b6ee89f1acd1a537.jpeg

I hope it is oil, that will be cheap and quick to fix...

-Mike

[Bret SD]

The clutch issue is most likely caused by the use of oil with friction modifiers. That oil may be great for your car but it’s bad for the clutch on your Valkyrie.

You asked

I would change the oil with a cheap oil without friction modifiers then add one of those rinse products and then drain. Then refill with a quality synthetic motorcycle compatible oil. The problem will likely solve itself

Oil was my first guess too... I don't remember the specification that should be avoided, but
it would be listed on the bottle... I've added links to large pictures of the bottle... there's an
additive that's good for cars and stuff but is bad when you have a wet clutch that runs
in the same oil as the engine - like on motorcycles... so "motorcycle specific" oil isn't
the same as "snake oil"  ...


front:
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/4b5e52ec-df11-4f96-b98c-ec6f08be1345_1.7381e074752c73db7b2d4b04f1c05aed.jpeg

back:
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/a8f5fa3a-584e-407b-b154-427584ec3ff7.0a237604bda59220b6ee89f1acd1a537.jpeg

I hope it is oil, that will be cheap and quick to fix...

-Mike

I think you guys are right, so I ordered what I need to do the job. For some reason I thought Delo 400 didn't have anti-friction additives, maybe my thinking is tied to years ago.
I'm using Liqui Moly Pro-Line engine flush to clean it, recently an oil change was done along with the new oil filter of course, I'm not planning on changing the filter. The motor flush should clean everything out pretty well, looking forward to trying it out after the changeover.

Thanks for the help  , I'll be back to this thread for an update after the operation is complete.