Clutch issue when shifting
- Thread starter WhiteSparrow
- Start date
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...
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.
https://youtu.be/oz2mSVxrV98
OP
OP
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!
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!
Last edited:
These bikes like to be shifted around 4k or so, also loading the lever, blip throttle etc.
You also stated that you use synthetic oil, this also caused these motors to be much louder than HDEO or even regular motor cycle oil.
You may want to try some diesel oil in it to eliminate the oil issues.
You also stated that you use synthetic oil, this also caused these motors to be much louder than HDEO or even regular motor cycle oil.
You may want to try some diesel oil in it to eliminate the oil issues.
OP
OP
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.
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.
Last edited:
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...
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.
Didn't mean to jump into an oil thread
just put out there what has worked for me on several of my bikes.My PC800 ran diesel oil its entire life (or I should say the entire time I rode it) and sold it to a very nice man and his wife with over 300,000.00 miles on it.
Last I heard, he's put almost another 100,000.00 miles on the original engine, with no work.
I would say the fear of dry starts is not that much of a concern.
And most folks don't know that almost ALL motorcycle oil sold in the late 70's and early 80's was diesel oil (shell rotella T I believe) that was marketed in smaller bottles for bikes)
.....now that's jumping into an oil thread
st11ray
2006 ST1300
10w30 is the same thickness whether it is HDEO or PCMO. I use Rotella T6 5W40 in mine.
No matter what brand of motorcycle you have, it'll crunch, grind, and be unhappy if you stick it in first at 2500 rpms cold....wait until the choke/high idle comes down before doing that....enjoy your ride.......ff
I'll add to the pre-load the shift lever prior to pulling in the clutch lever. I think you will find it will shift into gear earlier then you might think. Meaning that as you pull the clutch lever in it will shift before the lever is all the way in, kind of a sweet spot if you will. Of course that's for anything after first gear.
On both my Honda's (ST-1300 and 919), they both shift much smoother if I do it this way. If I pull the clutch all the way in first they both shift with more of a clunk and/or feeling through the shift lever.
On both my Honda's (ST-1300 and 919), they both shift much smoother if I do it this way. If I pull the clutch all the way in first they both shift with more of a clunk and/or feeling through the shift lever.
OP
OP
Hi edwardgoodwin, I can vouch for that as I did it last Sunday.
The bleeder is just underneath the coolant reservoir you will need a flash light if you're in the garage.
Good luck.
The bleeder is just underneath the coolant reservoir you will need a flash light if you're in the garage.
Good luck.
OP
OP
Hi,
I would like to thank you all for the responses. It turns out that the issue was all in my head and my shifting technique. There is no clutch replacement needed at this stage.
Then thread can be locked.
I would like to thank you all for the responses. It turns out that the issue was all in my head and my shifting technique. There is no clutch replacement needed at this stage.
Then thread can be locked.
Yep, sure can. As explained it's kind of tucked up in there. Should have a little black vinyl dust cap over it.
Here's my bike with a cold start. Seamless, silent, I had to check the green light was off each time. 2500RPM, 9C. At the end of the video you can see the leaves on the driveway, imagine the roads, no riding today !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQl3fUmEj3M&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQl3fUmEj3M&feature=youtu.be
OP
OP
Than you Snave, I also think it is not a good day to ride with all those leaves.
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!
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!
My suspicion would be warpage in clutch components (plates,frictions,pressure plate,) that is causing drag between plates even when disengaged. This can be confirmed when you get in there by laying the plates on a flat surface (glass or something near perfectly flat) and use a feeler gauge to see if it will slip under each plate as an indication of warpage. seeing as it is an ex police unit I'll bet those plates have seen some heat. I would also agree with Igofar and replace the bearing while you are in there and the collar under the basket, check the spring heights too. Continued use allowing the gear clash to occur is going to destroy transmission parts as well as send those particles into the shared oil for the rest of the engine....not good.
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.