[jellies]

I asked previously about the scrambler being hard to push with clutch in and in gear. The received wisdom was its just a clutch thing they are centrifugal, and with cold oil etc.. So push in neutral or just use more muscle

But today with clutch lever in, pushing the starter button actually rolled the bike forward I had to grab the brake. It (the starter motor) was also laboured (just like me when I roll it out).

Once ridden to warm up all of this goes away.

Should the cold clutch when disengaged by the lever, stick to the extent the starter pushes the bike?

Note the bite point is a good distance away on the lever: at the lights i have to let more than half the lever go before feeling the bite. this is not a lever engagement adjustment issue.

 

[Derek]

No way should the starter be able to move the bike with the clutch disengaged. There must be severe clutch drag to cause this. I'd expect that you must find it very difficult to select neutral too.
The only adjustment available on the clutch is the lever free play which should be about 2 to 3 mm. If it is substantially more than this the plates may not be lifting enough to free properly, causing the dragging you're experiencing. If the free play is within spec then the problem is in the cutch itself.

 

[jellies]

Like a brake on a bicycle I can wind the clutch cable adjuster so that the cable is longer or shorter. longer: more slack when not pulling lever, more likely clutch is clamped.
Shorter: no free play and more like clutch might slip. Right?

As of now, I have to let the clutch lever out a full inch, before there is any bite felt. The bite point feels right, it is about the middle, not at one extreme or the other.

All my clutch drag (and starter drag) problems, with lever pulled, are there when the bike is cold.. As soon as I ride a bit, the bike is easier to push in gear with clutch in, and the starter doesn't labor (or move the bike!).

 

[jellies]

I wonder if I have the same problem:

from another forum, Scrambler:

"I took my bike in for it's 1st service yesterday. Having mentioned the number of false neutrals I was getting, together with the difficulty I was having finding neutral, they decided to strip my clutch down to investigate the problem. What was supposed to take a few hours, ended up being a day-and-a-half, (although, I did get to play with an 899 Panigale for a day!). (They said that the bike had been built using incorrectly sized clutch plates!)"

Oh well, guess I'll book it in to check out under warranty because anyway my front disc is warped or has pad material on it or something: I can feel an uneven retardation when rolling to a stop, with a cycle time equal to the same place on the disc going past the gripping pads. And a little noise to go with it too

 

[Derek]

Like a brake on a bicycle I can wind the clutch cable adjuster so that the cable is longer or shorter. longer: more slack when not pulling lever, more likely clutch is clamped.
Shorter: no free play and more like clutch might slip. Right?

As of now, I have to let the clutch lever out a full inch, before there is any bite felt. The bite point feels right, it is about the middle, not at one extreme or the other.

All my clutch drag (and starter drag) problems, with lever pulled, are there when the bike is cold.. As soon as I ride a bit, the bike is easier to push in gear with clutch in, and the starter doesn't labor (or move the bike!).

You shouldn't be adjusting the cable for where the bite point "feels" right, you should be adjusting it to the specified free play of 2 - 3mm, about 1/8" of an inch. As long as there is free play it won't slip unless the plates are worn. If there is too much free play it will drag, which will also lead to premature wear of the plates because they are not clearing at full lift.

 

[jellies]

I am not adjusting it at all..

But yes there is a bit, but not a lot, of free play before the lever starts pulling on the cable.

I don't see how it could be dragging if all motive power vanishes at half lever pull. This isn't a particularly progressive clutch after all.

 

[Derek]

I can only assume then that the drag is caused by the oil being cold since it vanishes when the engine is warm. Maybe you should just make sure it is in neutral before operating the starter when the engine is cold. You should ask your dealer to check it since the bike will still be under warranty.

 

[greer]

Let us know how it goes, jellies. I generally avoid cranking any cold bike in gear because I don't like that "jump"; seems somewhat typical for most any bike I've ever owned. Want to hear about that front brake, too. Good luck.

Sarah

 

[jellies]

I never encountered any drag in gear with clutch on a nineT, or any of 2 triumphs, but I own up to not having much experience pushing bikes around.

Today I checked the cable on the clutch housing and there is definitely just a little bit of play: which means the clutch is able to use all its clamping force, and a full lever pull is 98% translated to movement there, meaning the clutch is as disengaged as it can be.

Yet there is enough drag to audibly slow the starter motor .. It made me think the battery was getting tired until I connected the dots.

I would leave it in neutral more often, but to be honest it's 50:50 that my gentle shove up from first is rewarded with a green light.

at the moment the front brake variable resistance is more annoying, though.