I'll try and do this tonight when the bike is warm after a run home from work. Having said that, I find that it can sometimes go from neutral to first gear with a "clunk" and sometimes silently, so I have to check the green light is out, it's unpredictable. What I do find is that on the move, changing gear up and down the box, I get the smoothest, silent gear changes if I pre-load the selector: i.e. a light touch on the shifter before I pull in the clutch and change gear - sort of to take the slack out of the shifter. I'm probably crap at describing this method, but when going up 1-2-3-4-5 I lightly touch the shifter before actually changing gear, enough to feel it through the thickness of my boot and no more. No clutchless changing for me...I just arrived at work and was thinking on the way - if the clutch is gone, then why doesn't it slip? I have also tested with applying the brakes and then slowly releasing the clutch, while in 1st gear, and the bike stalls.
Isn't the above an indication that there is still life in the clutch plates?
Can anyone please make a short video, same as mine, that will capture the sound of his bike going in 1st gear from idle and from 2000rpm?
Thank you for your support!
I just arrived at work and was thinking on the way - if the clutch is gone, then why doesn't it slip? I have also tested with applying the brakes and then slowly releasing the clutch, while in 1st gear, and the bike stalls.
Isn't the above an indication that there is still life in the clutch plates?
Can anyone please make a short video, same as mine, that will capture the sound of his bike going in 1st gear from idle and from 2000rpm?
Thank you for your support!
Here's my bike doing some clunky first gear selections. It's a clunk, not a grind. 2000kms since clutch and brake fluid change, about 3500kms since oil and filter change. Using synthetic oil.I'll try and do this tonight when the bike is warm after a run home from work. Having said that, I find that it can sometimes go from neutral to first gear with a "clunk" and sometimes silently, so I have to check the green light is out, it's unpredictable. What I do find is that on the move, changing gear up and down the box, I get the smoothest, silent gear changes if I pre-load the selector: i.e. a light touch on the shifter before I pull in the clutch and change gear - sort of to take the slack out of the shifter. I'm probably crap at describing this method, but when going up 1-2-3-4-5 I lightly touch the shifter before actually changing gear, enough to feel it through the thickness of my boot and no more. No clutchless changing for me...
I'll try this tonight, I'm not on the bike today so the bike will be colder (Canadian Autumn kicking in...) - but to be perfectly honest, I let the bike warm a little from cold before moving off. I usually start her up and wait for two bars...Hi Snave and thank you very much for the video. To me it looks and sounds the same as mine. I will try your method of shifting. I watched a bunch of shifting techniques in the net and I will try improving mine. I also shift early - around 2000 to 2500rpm(something I have from my old V-twin Suzuki VS1400 - wet clutchs as well.) which might also be the issue. I will go to a STealer to ask them look into the machine and eliminate me, my shifting technique and also my brain and being too detailed sometimes.
On the other point of making the grind if you have the machine cold in the morning and you start in neutral, normally the rpm's are around the 2000 - 2500rpm mark, do you get the grind or louder knock if you try to shift to first at that point?
Thanks again!
Didn't mean to jump into an oil thread just put out there what has worked for me on several of my bikes.Igofar, I don't want to jump in the oils discussion, but aren't these oils much thicker and thus the engine running dry at cold starts until the oil heats up and starts flowing through they tiny openings it has to flow through?
Love the bike and will try everything before I change the clutch as it will cost me 1/4 of the price I paid for the bike
P.S. If anyone can recommend an oil that worked for him well and I can find in Europe it will be highly appreciated.
H iT-C.Just to be clear,are you saying it is possible to reach & operate the remote clutch bleed nipple by removing only the lower left side engine cowling(usually coloured in black)? Many thanks,Ed.(Essex,UK).Can actually be done with just dropping the lower left fairing. 6 bolts and 3 plastic rivets?
Hi T-C.Top Tip there,many thanks,Ed.Yep, sure can. As explained it's kind of tucked up in there. Should have a little black vinyl dust cap over it.
Yes, the silence today surprised me too, normally I have helmet and earplugs in at this stage! I did say she can be silent or clonk - but at driving speed and shifting between the gears, using the famous "preload" technique she is silent. Good luck with the clutch change! I don't envy you getting that deep into it.Your bike really gets in gear seamlessly. I have decided to do the clutch change next year when I get back home and have all required tools to do it on my own. Don't want to have a STealer doing it as I don't have trust in them anymore.
Cheers and safe riding!