Question about possible bad clutch

[BOZ]

The wife and I were out on our '98 Std. Valk (with 100k miles on it) yesterday and on the ride home the bike seemed to jump and shudder when taking off normally in first gear (mostly when taking off on an uphill slope). Once it got going it was fine and did not make any unusual noises in any gear. It did not always shudder when taking off in 1st gear with just me on the bike, but it did have a pronounced shudder with both of us on the bike. I took off in 2nd gear a few times, taking it easy and feathering the clutch a little, with no unusual noises or shudders. I didn't try taking off in 2nd gear on an uphill slope though.

I've regularly inspected the rear wheel, bearings, spline and driveshaft and do not believe any of these areas are problems. The wheel came off another Valk with about 50k miles on it and the u-joint was replaced about 10k miles ago.

It feels like a bad clutch to me. Those who've had clutch problems... does this sound like a bad clutch to you?

[Ricky-D]

If the clutch gets overly hot it will want to chatter/shudder.

Usually that will happen if you ride the clutch too much.

Shouldn't be a problem after cooling down.

Sometimes changing to a different oil will cause that.

Could be a sign of wear, but not necessarily.

Eliminate any other possibilities by changing/bleeding fluid, lubricating lever, etc.

***

[BOZ]

Thanks Ricky-D, but I've considered all of those possibilities already. I've got 100k miles on this Valk and have done all my own mechanical work, so I'm pretty familiar with the old gal. This chatter/shudder is a new thing to her and not something to be allowed to continue... without expecting unwanted results.

[daytona]

Hate to say it! but it sounds exactly what happened to me (2up) yesterday!

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php?topic=14617.0

[3W-lonerider]

Boz..i went threw the same identical thing 2 years ago..bad clutch shutter when taking off. tried different oils and the only one that iliminated some of it was castrol syn. 10W40..this went on all summer long..that winter i tore into the clutch. what i found was everything was fine with the rivit plate. but the clutch disks had glazed. so i just installed a new clutch. i'd say try the castrol..if that does'nt remove the shutter..then ride it the rest of the year or tear it down on a rainy weekend. i would'nt tear into it on a nice weekend unless you want to..it's still ridable. i know it's annoying but more than likely your clutch itself is ok with the exception for when it gets warmed up..it will shutter and shake on takeoff.

[fudgie]

U-Joint?  ???