socalbw

I did change the clutch fluid by bleeding it through and refilling the reservoir. I think I'm OK there.

Good idea! I still love the bike and don't regret the purchase for a moment! Definitely no snow here!

The only thing I noticed was a "clicking" sound and feel in the bars when braking when going slow. I thought it might be something in the brakes which I why I asked them to check it out. I agree caution around repair shops is important. I have used these guys for repairs on my Nighthawk for years so there is a level of trust. The clutch does work great now.

I wanted to post a follow up on my clutch situation from August. After trying several of the suggestions, I took it to a local repair shop to investigate. They discovered that the clutch plates were warped, probably because of abuse by the previous owner. To further confirm that, the steering head bearings were shot which I am told is usually a result of wheel stands. So, $600 later, all is repaired and the bike is fine. At least for nowl. I guess I better be more careful about my future used motorcycle purchases. It would, however, have been nice if the seller had mentioned the clutch before he had my $$$ in his pocket!!

Thanks for the ideas. I'll get working on these ASAP.

Well, hopefully, the tips you and the others have offered will get it cleared up. I did the oil change and that didn't help. Now to find the time to work on the other ideas.....

:lmao: Good idea! Hmmm........Your in S.D. and you just bought a 97............I know a guy who used to own a 97 until a few weeks ago he sold it and he also had the same clutch problem.........hmmmmm............ Could it be the same guy? It could be. Did he ever mention if he had this problem on the forum? It doesn't matter but just curious.

Thanks for the advice. I changed the oil last night but didn't get to ride it today. :-( I looked at the clutch fluid in the master cyclinder reservior and it is very dark. I will replace that and bleed the system. I think air and old fluid is probably the culprit. I hadn't thought about the fact it may be pumping up like brakes. My Nighthawk (previous bike) has a cable clutch so this is new to me.

I have just purchased a '97 blackbird and I have a problem with the clutch. The seller informed me he had been experiencing this for a long time. The bike has 29K mile on it. When the bike is cold, I pull in the clutch to put the bike in and it stalls as the clutch isn't completely releasing. If I try again and wait 5 seconds after pulling in the clutch, it will operate fine. Any thoughts on the cause and remedy?