In Neutral Clutch Feeling

[valk2128]

Is it normal to feel a difference when the bike is in neutral with the clutch out, versus the clutch in?   I can feel a very slight difference in the handle bars when the clutch is out.

[christlj]

In neutral... Like most motorcycles, the Valkyrie has a [constant mesh transmission]. The engine puts power to the rear wheel with three shafts -- the crank which drives half the clutch, the input shaft which is driven by the other half of the clutch, and the ouput shaft (to the drive shaft). When the clutch is "in" it is not engaged and only the crank is turning -- the input shaft of the tranny won't be doing much since the other half of the clutch is not spinning (it is a little). When you let out the clutch, the input shaft causes all the gears inside the tranny to spin (even the output gears), splashing oil and whirring around just as if you were moving, but in neutral you're not engaged to the output shaft so you don't move. You'll feel a little vibration from this. The reason it is so noticeable with the Valkyrie is because the engine itself is so exceptionally smooth. Those now whirring gears get noticed. On a typical V-twin, this activity is usually masked by an engine vibration that the Valkyrie lacks almost entirely.