[FiremanRider]

Good morning! Happy Sunday to everyone. I have a quick question. I recently purchased my 2nd TW for my wife to ride. It’s A 1989 with a little over 4K miles. It’s in pretty good shape, slowly going through it with a little TLC. With that being said, when I initially start up the bike I’ll let it run for a few minutes on half choke then no choke, I’ll jump on the bike and shift into 1st gear clutch obviously in, and it’ll jump and die on me a couple times like the clutch isn’t pulled in. My 2002 will lurch forward just a bit when cold and shifted into first but nothing like this one. Eventually it’ll shift into 1st and act normal and never have an issue the rest of the ride. Has anyone had this issue? I plan to do a few oil changes and put full synthetic in, get all the o rings replaced and check the clutch cable tension. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks

 

[Purple]

Normal - there are a few ways of getting around this, but "blipping" the throttle before dumping into gear usually works

Many bikes do this, and in my experience, changing the oil only fixes it for a few months, then it's back to its old ways. "They say", that pulling the clutch a few times and rolling it back and forth is good - but hey - "blip and dump" is a lot simpler ......

 

[Workingman]

Just get out and ride the thing.
Lots of shifting..
Things will get better.
It's a great thing when having fun
makes things better. !
Mike from NC

 

[Badgerflorida]

What Purple said. Clutch plates are sticking together after the bike sits between rides.

 

[Errtu]

Up in Colorado mine does this every time if I don't warm it up long enough.

 

[Idon'thaveoneyet...]

Mine does it also. 2019, ~2500 miles. Rock back and forth without the clutch lever pulled in prior to starting the bike. Works for me.

 

[El Chivo]

I agree with Errtu. Warm it up longer & pull the clutch leaver a few times before engaging first gear.

 

[tallenjr]

Same here...I’ve got 5 miles on a 2021 so far, and with the exact same scenario. Called the dealer and explained, they recommended a little rev up before first shift. I’ve had good luck with shifting into 2nd, and then rolling back into 1st. Run through that a few times and it works perfect after that. I’m hoping mine will grow out of it, but it’s also been very cold here lately and I’m sure warmer weather will make it better.


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[Idon'thaveoneyet...]

Warmer weather makes everything better.

 

[FiremanRider]

Thanks guys! Went out and rode around the neighborhood today and tried a few things. Let it warm up a bit and gave a little blip and dropped it into first easy as pie. Good to know! You guys are awesome. I’m still a newbie so I’m sure more questions will surface 👍🏼 Excited for summer in Idaho.

 

[TW_in_BC]

Before starting, pull in the clutch and shift into first gear...then rock her back and forth a bit and kick her back into neutral.
Start....allow to idle for a minute or two, then kick into gear - you'll notice the lurch is gone.
Drive away.

 

[Will9519]

My 2019 has somewhere around 5000 miles dont recall the exact number but mine has done this since day one and continues everytime i start it. If you pull in the clutch while the bike is off and in first then rock it back forth, itll free up the clutch plates but blipping the throttle when shifting into first is the easiest solution.

 

[FIRE UP]

Well,
I'll go against the grain a bit here (nothing new about that) and say, why not just adjust the clutch cable just a tad tighter? That way, you're GARANTEED to disengage that clutch, even in the coldest of situations. I've done it many, many times on various bikes. Now, I'm not talking about a MASSIVE adjustment, just a turn or two on the cable housing. All that will happen will be that the clutch engages a little later in the lever movement. But, your clutch will fully disengage. Just a thought here.
Scott

 

[SHAG]

Getting oil between the clutch and friction plates is necessary for the bike to not move when in gear.

 

[bartruff]

What Fire up said.....simple adjustment

 

[tallenjr]

I’m gonna disagree. I think my clutch was just sticky because it’s brand new. I immediately called the dealer after the bike stalled 3x when I bought it. Why the heck pay the dealer assembly fees if the bike isn’t set up properly? Exactly what I told the dealer when I called them. Told them to come pick the bike up and fix it properly. That’s when they recommended rocking back and forth and dumping it in 2nd. I have no issues adjusting the clutch myself, but I believe it’s fully engaging, just sticky because it’s cold and never been shifted before. Obviously I think a few more miles and some warmer weather will fix the issue. If it doesn’t, they’ll come fix it


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[PlacerLode]

caution re synthetic make sure it is motorcycle designed / approved synthetic as bike clutches are bathed in oil and to slick of synthetic may cause slippage

re first shift into gear after cold start it will only lurch the first time and it will only die if at idle if you give it any throttle over idle it will not die and the lurch will be only a split second, this is normal and if it ever doesn't happen you have either died and gone to Heaven or you are living in a simulation lol

 

[Pops]

If it's cold or the bike has sat for a while, before starting I put it in neutral let the clutch out and roll the bike a foot or so until things break loose. You'll feel it. Since I'm often rolling the bike out of the garage before starting it, I do it on the way out.

My mighty BMW GS does the same thing, just to a lesser degree. A lot of bike do.

All normal.

 

[TinkerTown]

Mine is a 2021 and it does the same thing. I started shifting into 2nd then back down to 1st to keep it from jumping.

 

[TW-Brian]

After half a century of riding and owning close to 90 different bikes, I just automatically grab a handful of front brake, pull the clutch in, give it a little throttle and shift into first - no drama. In fact, if I don't feel a little lurch, I am surprised.