[Corn Fed]

Hey Folks;

My new-to-me 2005 Wee (32,xxx) miles has a peculiarity I'm wondering if I need to be worried about.

If the bike is in 1st gear with the clutch held in, it often (not always) pulls forward 4-6 inches as I thumb the starter. It's not powerful enough to pull me off my feet, but it is irresistible. Sometimes it pulls harder than others, once in a while it doesn't pull at all, and it's always easy to stop it with simple leg power (i.e., don't need the brakes)

FWIW, I've also noticed it's a LOT easier to back the bike out of the garage in neutral than it is by holding the clutch while it's in 1st.

Could I be facing a clutch issue? If so, what kind?

Or is this something that happens to other Wees?

 

[Voltar]

On some bikes this is more pronounced when the motor is cold. Does your bike have the save drag with the motor hot as when it is cold? Does the bike shift fine? Is it 'clunky' when you put it into first?

A little drag is normal and I would expect the bike to be harder to push in gear with the clutch in than in neutral. 32,xxxx miles is not high mileage for a nicely treated clutch, but if the clutch has been misused (or just used hard) it could be getting worn.

 

[FuzzyRider]

Clutch

The clutch is sticking. As someone else said this is not a real problem. You can either start it in neutral or rock it a little in first with the clutch pulled in. My BMW F800ST did the same thing from day 1.

 

[gryphon51]

My 1000 was like that when it was newer... not so much now.........

 

[scrivens]

Why are you starting the bike or pushing it when in gear? Apart from being somewhat safer to have the bike in neutral in both cases, there's no benefit in being in gear as you have to overcome the resistance in the transmission. Getting a bit of a lurch hitting the starter in gear is normal, as is harder pushing, especially when the engine is cold. As has been said, unless you've caned the bike (wheelies, drag starts etc) the clutch should last for quite a lot of miles. If it crunches when you change gear it might need the cable slack pulled up a tad.

 

[greywolf]

Cable slack is only for cable slack. The clutch free play adjuster is by the front sprocket.

 

[Corn Fed]

Sounds like the consensus is it's not a big deal. Whew.

Since the bike is new to me, I've no real history on it. There are no other indications that it was abused, and the transmission isn't making any "chewing" noises.

As for why start it in first, mainly because it's always parked in first. Plus it has to be backed down my short driveway, and having it in 1st makes the descent easier (more predictable) than relying on brakes.

Thanks, all!

 

[scrivens]

Cable slack is only for cable slack. The clutch free play adjuster is by the front sprocket.

Yep, but if your cable is slack enough you can't get a full pull on the lever before it hits the bars, and it may be that the cable has never been adjusted under the little rubber cover. I like a very slack clutch cable and minor stretch is enough to need a slight tweak every few thousand km. For that adjustment I wouldn't use the free-play adjuster as it isn't take-up that's the problem.

 

[greywolf]

But nothing you do with the cable will cause clutch creep, only clutch slip if the cable is too tight.

 

[Scott E. Bonds]

I would check and adjust both the cable slack and the free play adjuster in that order. If the cable is too loose, the lever pulled to the bars will not totally dissengage the clutch, no matter the free play adjustment.

 

[jokermtb]

You probably have either a wear mark on the clutch basket that is causing a plate to hang up a tiny bit, or a slightly warped clutch plate. The clutch basket [aluminum] has lots of machined grooves the clutch plates slide over, and these sometimes get wear marks in em from the steel [maybe] portion of the clutch plate pack.

Either of which is not a big deal. Bet it never happens when the engine is warm, eh?

Curious which oil you're running. Sometimes a switch to a high quality motorcycle formulated oil [or that Diesel Shell Rotella], can make your problem go away.

It's worth a shot, or don't worry bout it and just ignore it!

 

[scrivens]

If the cable is too loose, the lever pulled to the bars will not totally dissengage the clutch, no matter the free play adjustment.

That's what I'm getting at, not creep or take-up points. A Bowden cable stretches as it ages, and if it has never been nipped up to take up the stretch the lever will not fully disengage the clutch in its travel. You can take up cable stretch with the clutch free play adjuster, but it's not a good idea.

I have around 1/4" slack in my cable because the Wee doesn't have an adjustable clutch lever and I want a short release pretty well right from the bar and not much lever travel, not a short release (ie, take up point) and then the full movement of the lever to the usual factory 1/8" slack or whatever after the clutch is fully engaged. As my cable stretches a mm or two then the clutch doesn't fully disengage when the lever is pulled to the bars.

 

[greywolf]

I was stuck on the idea of clutch not engaged for some reason. A too loose cable can cause creep if the lever is pulled back.

 

[Corn Fed]

I would check and adjust both the cable slack and the free play adjuster in that order. If the cable is too loose, the lever pulled to the bars will not totally dissengage the clutch, no matter the free play adjustment.

Makes sense. How exactly do I go about making those adjustments?

Bet it never happens when the engine is warm, eh?

Curious which oil you're running. Sometimes a switch to a high quality motorcycle formulated oil

I haven't noticed if the problem's there when the engine is warm. Will check it out next time the opportunity presents.

Not sure what oil's in there. Just received some Redline that will get used when I can swim to the surface of all the work sitting in my lap right now.

 

[OydnaR]

Good motorcycle oil has high shear strength additives and when the oil is cold viscosity of the oil between the plates adds enuf thickness for it to begin to slightly engage but slip even with the clutch properly adjusted and fully disengaged, as the oil warms and the viscosity thins, it goes away

as the clutch gets more miles and thickness of the plates get thinner from wear, cold oil becomes less likely to partially engage the clutch on cold startups



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