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I like the clutch on my Valk. Was a bit concerned after driving other makes with hydraulic clutch actuation since there is no adjustment. No need to worry, works as well or better than all the cable clutches I've had. Bleed the clutch and brakes at 14,000 miles. Will do it again bu 30,000 or less depending on the season.
 
1st gear is really short and must be for trailers , stump pulling and such .
i normally shift out at about 12 MPH as it just gets me rolling before i am done with it.
around the harley guys i just use 2nd and they think this thing has a monster 1st gear like my hayabusa which is good to 70 MPH
 
Last month, the owner warned me on my first test ride about the clutch. It stilled jerked because it engages so soon. I assumed this was something I'd need to get used to. I bought it.

Gotten used to it but still too short a time when 1st gear engages. I still have some shifting issues sometimes such as going from neutral to first and not engaging. Shifting down to 4th and not easily engaging. I chalk this up to not enough foot force.

This machine is overall easy to operate but has its quirks as every bike does.

I've purposely started off in 2nd and it seamlessly takes off which makes me wonder why this isn't just a stinking 4 speed.

I grin a good bit for what the valky can do but do miss my loud pipes when taking off or passing an iphone driver.
 
Last month, the owner warned me on my first test ride about the clutch. It stilled jerked because it engages so soon. I assumed this was something I'd need to get used to. I bought it.
If your clutch engages to soon you have the same problem. I called another Honda dealer and had to leave a message. They did not even return my call. It's going to really p. me off if I have to fix this. Some warranty.
 
I like the clutch on my Valk. Was a bit concerned after driving other makes with hydraulic clutch actuation since there is no adjustment. No need to worry, works as well or better than all the cable clutches I've had. Bleed the clutch and brakes at 14,000 miles. Will do it again bu 30,000 or less depending on the season.
My CTX and 96 GWing both have hydraulic clutches that work perfectly. The Val came with a clutch that was not disengaging enough. Misstime your shift and you are basically shifting without a clutch. Damage your trany and no warranty coverage due to abuse.
 
If your clutch engages to soon you have the same problem. I called another Honda dealer and had to leave a message. They did not even return my call. It's going to really p. me off if I have to fix this. Some warranty.
I've adjusted to it but would still like it engaging a little later. Thinking about rotating clutch lever a little further up.
 
Last month, the owner warned me on my first test ride about the clutch. It stilled jerked because it engages so soon. I assumed this was something I'd need to get used to. I bought it.

Gotten used to it but still too short a time when 1st gear engages. I still have some shifting issues sometimes such as going from neutral to first and not engaging. Shifting down to 4th and not easily engaging. I chalk this up to not enough foot force.

This machine is overall easy to operate but has its quirks as every bike does.

I've purposely started off in 2nd and it seamlessly takes off which makes me wonder why this isn't just a stinking 4 speed.

I grin a good bit for what the valky can do but do miss my loud pipes when taking off or passing an iphone driver.
It doesn't take any foot force at all for my Valk to switch gears. The only time I have issue shifting is if I don't fully disengage the clutch. But I got over that problem quickly by using all 4 fingers to pull the clutch lever rather than only using my first two fingers like I have done on other bikes.
 
Hello Forum:

I'm a new member who just purchased a 2014 Valkyrie. I love that bike!!

I was'nt sure where to ask this question and since this thread was referencing shifting I thought this could be the right place. My shifter pedal is almost lined up evenly with my left peg. It makes it a little difficult for me to get my size 13 foot under it. I spoke with my dealer and asked him about raising the shifter lever a bit and he told me that he could only raise it by 1/2". Is that possible? I was under the impression that the shift lever was on a sprocket and as such the lever hardware could be loosened a bit and then raised to an appropriate height. Has anyone been able to raise their shifter lever higher then 1/2"? Has anyone completely changed their shifter lever? If so what are you using?

I would also like to raise my rear brake lever a bit and make my rear brake pad a bit larger. I have been researching the Kuryakyn Trident Wide Brake Pedal with Arm. That brake pedal pad is an inch wider than the stock brake pedal pad and that arm, according to Kuryakyn, is height adjustable. I read somewhere that the Trident collection has both a brake lever and shift lever in it. If anyone is familiar with that collection please educate me.

Any help or information is greatly appreciated.

Thank You Forum,

Steve18643
 
Hello Forum:

I'm a new member who just purchased a 2014 Valkyrie. I love that bike!!

I was'nt sure where to ask this question and since this thread was referencing shifting I thought this could be the right place. My shifter pedal is almost lined up evenly with my left peg. It makes it a little difficult for me to get my size 13 foot under it. I spoke with my dealer and asked him about raising the shifter lever a bit and he told me that he could only raise it by 1/2". Is that possible? I was under the impression that the shift lever was on a sprocket and as such the lever hardware could be loosened a bit and then raised to an appropriate height. Has anyone been able to raise their shifter lever higher then 1/2"? Has anyone completely changed their shifter lever? If so what are you using?

I would also like to raise my rear brake lever a bit and make my rear brake pad a bit larger. I have been researching the Kuryakyn Trident Wide Brake Pedal with Arm. That brake pedal pad is an inch wider than the stock brake pedal pad and that arm, according to Kuryakyn, is height adjustable. I read somewhere that the Trident collection has both a brake lever and shift lever in it. If anyone is familiar with that collection please educate me.

Any help or information is greatly appreciated.

Thank You Forum,

Steve18643
I'm also size 13. I just ride with my toes to the side of the shifter and brake pedal. Either that or I put the balls of my feet on the pegs to keep them off the pedals. It's not a big deal. Better to just get used to it rather than spend a ton of money for basically no reason.
 
Discussion starter · #31 · (Edited)
... or I put the balls of my feet on the pegs to keep them off the pedals
Same. It also lets your legs act as shock absorbers. When you see a bump you don't necessarily stand on the pegs but just transfer a little weight to them through the balls of your feet. Saves your spine. I won't be going back to a feet-forward bike anytime soon....back killers. Another thing is to always have your lower back arched slightly inwards, not outwards. Big difference in comfort.
 
So I let my cousin ride my Valk and as he rode by he shifted into second gear with an audible clunk that I had not heard before. After discussing it with him and paying close attention to his hands as he rides, I believe I have figured out what might be causing your clunk.

You are probably letting off the throttle too much or taking too long to shift one you have let of the throttle.

A lot of people almost fully release the throttle when shifting. This is not necessary at all. All you have to do is release the tension on the gears. Just rolling back your throttle the slightest amount is more than enough to shift. And you should be shifting just as soon as the rpms begin to drop. When I shift, my throttle hand barely moves and I try my best to minimize the amount of time the entire shifting process takes.

The longer you wait, or the lower you let your rpms drop before shifting, the harder your clunk will be.
 
It took me a while to get used to shifting. The clutch engages earlier than others I've owned. Finally got used to clutch but then every so often, especially going downhill, shifting from 5 to 4, it wants to pop back in 5. I often knock it into neutral at stoplights and sometimes don't tromp it into 1st hard enough when light changes and it pops back into neutral.

I don't care or worry about any clunking because sometimes my shifting is spot on and effortless then other times I'm jerking it a little. With this being such a quiet bike, I notice many more sounds such as the new dunflops I just put on and a whistling around or near right of rear tire.

I chalk it up as idiosyncrasies of the valky. I used to have a kawai that sounded like a sewing machine and lots of guys complained but it was nature of the bike.

I have just now noticed there is a particular whirring when in 4th so now will use this queue when not sure if I made it to 5th yet.

Lord help me if this was an automatic. I'd be bored to tears... >:D
 
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