1st gear crunch

From cold the first time i engage 1st gear it really crunches its at the point i have to hold the clutch in when i start the bike to advoid it .is there a fix ive changed the clutch fluid but no luck.

The crunch you mention sounds like the clutch plates breaking free the first time you drop it in gear. The clutch is a wet clutch and lubed by the engine oil. What oil are you using?

First gear "clunk" is pretty common in all kinds of motorcycles.....straight cut gears don't mesh real well...try fanning the clutch a few times before attempting that first shift, or do like many and start it in first gear....and enjoy your ride....ff...after thought, is it more of a clunk or a crunch....might be 2 different things

The oil used is standard honda they service it. The noise it makes is like 2 gears running against each other no other bike ive had has done this and i find it very annoying all other gear changes are ok please tell me this can be made better

Try bleeding the clutch it may help, or try Valvoline Premium Blue 15W40 it does help

A 2002 ST1300 w/80k miles on it in the UK, a harsh environment.. it could happen to just be the clutch needs to be replaced.

Has it done this since you got it and are you the original owner?

i've had the bike a year its always done it maybe a little worse just lately, I rebuilt the water pump a couple of months back perhaps I should have done the clutch at the same time, but as it only happened at start up I wasn't to worried but now it's getting to be annoying

I agree with TMUS, bleed the clutch, to make sure the slave cylinder is producing the entire release stroke to fully relax pressure on the clutch plates and allow them to separate. When you pull the clutch lever, are you pulling it all the way back against the handgrip? An incomplete lever pull might produce the same symptom you're experiencing. If the PO let it sit for a long period of time, such as a year or two without running, the clutch plates may have glazed, which can cause them to stick together. One of my Kawasaki Z-1's does that, and will lurch forward when first is engaged on a cold start if it's been sitting for a while. On that bike before starting the motor, I will pull the clutch lever, place it in 1st and then roll it fore and aft while keeping the clutch lever pulled until the clutch plates break free. Try doing the same thing if bleeding the clutch doesn't help. Another trick is to put the bike on the centerstand, start in neutral, pull the clutch and engage 1st, then engage the back brake. This uses engine power to break the plates loose. If the plates are indeed glazed, replacing the fiber plates (and checking the steel plates for flatness) is the only sure cure.

Good Ridin'
slmjim

Every Honda I've ever owned had some degree of FGC as in Clunk not Crunch including the ST. It's harmless if annoying. If it's something actually crunching that's ABT possibly signifying damage.

At the very least I'd put the bike in first and grab a handful/footful of brake and start the bike. If something's wrong you can minimized the risk while planning an option. Maybe you can compare the sound to another ST.

Ive tried bleeding, i might change the slave parts see if that helps i cant start the bike in 1st gear it wont have it

I'd be reluctant to cold start a bike in gear,especially if it's displaying symptoms of the clutch dragging. It could,stress the starter and starter clutch excessively.
How far does the clutch lever travel before you feel significant resistance?

Good Ridin'
slmjim

As I mentioned earlier, the clutch plate are stuck together. Clutch disc that have good friction is a good thing. Start the bike in neutral allows the starter to spin the engine easier for starting. Once started let the bike warm up a little and pull the clutch in and out a few times while warming. Releasing the pressure on the plates will let a little more oil in so the initial breaking loose isn't as rough. As others have also said, this is fairly normal but is worse with some oils. However, NEVER! use an oil with friction modifiers or the clutch won't grab like it should and you'll be pissed at that.

It's all just figuring out what the bike likes. I almost forgot, if the clutch material has ever been replaced with Barnett clutch material they have a tendency to grab more than factory clutch disc's as well.

ednersand said:

Ive tried bleeding, i might change the slave parts see if that helps i cant start the bike in 1st gear it wont have it

Click to expand...

As in the starter won't crank the engine over in gear with the clutch in? That seems to indicate the clutch isn't disengaging/releasing properly. What happens if you try it in second gear?

+1 to Byron's and slamjim's points.

To help free the sticky clutch plates, you can also try this:
1) Get bike off kickstand, all kickstands up, you on bike, bike power off
2) Put bike in 1st gear (may have to rock it slightly to get it to drop into 1st)
3) Pull clutch lever
4) Gently roll the bike forward--you'll feel the bike resist the motion as the drivetrain slack is taken up. Your bike's gentle forward momentum puts gentle torque across through the clutch pack (much less torque than the engine puts through it normally; no worries). You may have to do this 'rocking forward' a couple times before the bike then freely rolls forward while in 1st gear, clutch lever pulled. Note: don't roll the bike backwards to free the plates as that can nudge the engine to turn backwards (not that that would cause a catastrophe, rather it is just not good practice).
5) Take bike out of 1st gear
6) Power up bike and start engine
7) Cycle clutch lever in neutral a couple times as Byron mentioned.