First Gear Not Fully Disengaging

[tristdac]

Hi All,

This is my first post as I can't find another thread regarding this particular problem.

The problem is that when in first gear and clutch fully engaged, my SV still tries to lurch forward. I can hold it back with not much effort with my feet on the ground... I don't need to use brakes or anything. No problems in second, third or any other gear... only first.

I've tried adjusting the clutch cable tension many different ways and now have it set to give me the smallest chance of a runaway bike.

I realize that there will always be a little wheel movement with the clutch in , but not to extent that you can feel it pulling.

Has anyone come across anything like this before? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[zadar]

before you adjust cable you have to adjust mechanism that pushes clutch.
if that is not problem than you might want to take look at clutch.

[en4rab]

Does this happen everytime, or do you only notice it if the bike has been standing when you first put it into 1st gear?

My old xj600 diversion used to lurch when I first put it into 1st gear in the morning after it had stood all night.
As far as i could tell the clutch would develop a sort of stiction overnight and even though I had pulled the clutch lever in the plates remained stuck together.
When i selected first gear it would lurch slightly and the clutch would come unstuck and it was fine after that (well untill it had been left standing overnight)

[lookskyward1]

It sounds like the clutch is not fully disengaging. If you are struggling to resolve the problem I live in Penicuik if you want to pop out for me to have a look at it for you. Send a PM.

[Dangerous Dave]

If this is the only problem you are experiencing with the clutch, it sounds like the clutch is not fully disengaging (as 'lookskyward1' said)! Check the mechanism by the front sprocket as well as the adjuster on the lever, you will need to adjust it by the front sprocket if you are running out of adjustment at the lever.

[tristdac]

hey guys,
thanks for your comments. a friend of mine (who knows a bit about bikes) has played around with the adjustment on the sprocket. I'm not if we did it right but tried various differnt settings.

The problem occurs all the time, yet is more noticable sometimes than others. There is a bit of a burning smell coming from the engine when stopped at junctions etc... although that might be related to another problem I have (seized choke which i hope to get around to sorting in the new year or crud flyin up onto the engine from the filthy, wet roads).

As my other problems seemed to be common with SV's, I thought maybe this one was too. If i take off the sprocket cover, is there anything obvious to look for that might cause a problem like this?

Thanks again.

ps. lookskyward1.. thanks for you offer. very generous. hopefully i will be able to sort this out myself but i will send you a message if i have no joy. cheers

[Dangerous Dave]

Check to see how much cr*p is behind the sprocket cover, give it a good clean out and you might see something causing a problem but I doubt it.

How do you mean seized choke, is it stuck open/closed???

[lookskyward1]

If the choke is seized on giving you a higher than 'normal' idle speed this may make the matter worse and both problems together may contribute to the burnt smell.

If the sticking clutch still persists once you have eliminated the clutch cable adjustment/crud in the sproket area, it may be worth opening up the clutch to check to make sure the multi plates are not sticking in the basket and not damaged/warped from overheating.

An engine oil and filter change will probably be worth it as well if the clutch has been cooking.

[tristdac]

hey,

ive changed oil and filter about 3 weeks ago. thought that might have helped but it didnt.
funny thing about the choke and idle speed actually. the choke is open on one cylinder i think. i turned idle speed up as clutch only grips at low revs. it seems the engine speed reaches a point where the friction is broken between the plates... does that make sense? dont know how to explain this properly. like how a coin will slide easily across a table but the initial force needed to move it from stationary is greater.

would you be able to smell a burning smell from the clutch plate overheating due to excessive friction?

[dizzyblonde]

Check to see how much cr*p is behind the sprocket cover, give it a good clean out and you might see something causing a problem but I doubt it.

How do you mean seized choke, is it stuck open/closed???
know all about the crap behind the sprocket cover, Im Indoors had suze one winter going with only 2nd and 4th, 5th gear. or depending how it felt would give you first gear occasionally. We now know to check the gear shift shaft for crap on a regular basis

[lookskyward1]

would you be able to smell a burning smell from the clutch plate overheating due to excessive friction?

Yes you would, the heat build up from the friction on the clutch discs will be horrendous. This heat will raise your engine temperature dramatically rersulting in a burnt oil/friction plate smell.:smt103

By turning up the idle speed to overcome the drag of the clutch you could seriously damage your engine. Get it sorted ASAP.:smt021

[tristdac]

Yes you would, the heat build up from the friction on the clutch discs will be horrendous. This heat will raise your engine temperature dramatically rersulting in a burnt oil/friction plate smell.:smt103

By turning up the idle speed to overcome the drag of the clutch you could seriously damage your engine. Get it sorted ASAP.:smt021

Damn... I was afraid of that. Any of you ever had to replace clutch plate? I take it the clutch plate is designed to wear out before the teeth on the gears? Is it easy to replace the clutch plate? Or is it a garage job? If i were to take apart the clutch assembly and it WAS worn plates, would it be something like this i would need to get?

http://www.debben.co.uk/acatalog/SV650.html (about halfway down)

Happy new year guys & gals

[tristdac]

If i think about it actually. This wouldnt be due to worn a pressure plate or any other part. It has to be a problem in the way it's setup. If there was a worn plate.. would that not sit further back from the clutch disc or watever it is that it applies pressure to.
The result of worn plates would be clutch SLIP? I beleive i suffer from the opposite of SLIP (although a result of that might be worn plates in the long run)

I suppose the only way to tell is to pull the bugger apart and have a look.

If i take photos, can i post them somewhere on here for someone to look at?

[lookskyward1]

If i think about it actually. This wouldnt be due to worn a pressure plate or any other part. It has to be a problem in the way it's setup. If there was a worn plate.. would that not sit further back from the clutch disc or watever it is that it applies pressure to.
The result of worn plates would be clutch SLIP? I beleive i suffer from the opposite of SLIP (although a result of that might be worn plates in the long run)

I suppose the only way to tell is to pull the bugger apart and have a look.

If i take photos, can i post them somewhere on here for someone to look at?

First things first.

1. Don't panic this is all easy to remedy.

2. You cannot fully diagnose a problem until you have started to strip and check everything.

3. Check the release mechanism is clean, free, lubricatred and correctly adjusted by removing the sproket cover. As previously mentioned by Dangerous Dave and Dizzyblonde the mechanism/lever under the sproket cover can get very cruddy, even to the point of restricting the clutch release movement. If you are still having problems with clutch drag, move to item 4.

4. You are right, your clutch is dragging not slipping, therefore your friction discs are NOT worn. But they may be warped due to overheating, the teeth around the outside of the clutcjh plates can get raggy where they mate into the clutch basket and can interfere with the smooth operation of the clutch. This is easy to check by removing the clutch cover and the clutch springs, the plates will be easy to remove and check for rough splines and trueness with a sheet of glass.

5. Iffffffff............ you need a new set of plates, yes these are what you need although a second clutch and basket is on offer at http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=102151

My offer of help still stands.:cool:

[tristdac]

Thanks lookskyward1,

I needed calmed down there. was working myself into a hell of a state.

I may take you up on your offer as I think it's a bit beyond my capabilities. I'm in Musselburgh so not far at all.