82 550 snubs when putting into gear

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while now...

When I start my bike after letting it sit overnight and I try to put it into gear, it seems like the clutch grabs and snubs the bike. I put it in neutral, start and put it in gear and no problems. The clutch is newer and it is adjusted properly. It has always kind of done it, but it's rather a pain in the @ss and kind of embarrassing when you're at work and you look like you don't know how to drive your bike

Clutch plates stick a lot after sitting for a while. That's normal.

However, it's not normal to kill the bike. Normally, if you just started the bike, the idle will be higher because it will still be on the high-idle mode along with the choke.

Maybe your high-idle is not high enough.

If your bike is a 550 A or 550 C, you can try out this choke mod which lets you set the high-idle without taking anything off the bike to get to the adjustment.

home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb/Carbure...PZchokeScrewMod.html

I hold the clutch in for maybe ten seconds and then lightly blip the throttle. Wait a few seconds and repeat. Do that for about a minute and the clutch should free up.

Are you running really thick oil like 20-50 or using STP oil treatment?

Just 10-40, but regular motor oil, not motorcycle oil. That'll get change shortly though to 10-40 motorcycle oil.

I used to get by with engaging/disengaging the clutch 4-5 times right before I shift, but that doesn't seem to help much anymore.

I don't think it has anything to do with my idle... it will do it warm or cold, choke or not. But once it does it, it doesn't do it again unless it sits for a while.

Without looking overly silly, you can just put it in gear before you go to start it (key off), give it a little rock back or forward and dump the clutch. I've found that is enough to spin the sticky clutch plates free. Then toss it in neutral and fire it up, it won't clunk into gear then and try to stall your bike out.

I can cheat at that since I have a kicker , but did that to all my inline 4s.

If you are in first gear, stopped, with the clutch lever pulled, does the bike feel like it's trying to pull forward?

If so, it may be time for new friction disks (or plates if they are warped). Use only factory disks.

You may be able to get away with just scuffing the metal plates a little.

apbling wrote:

Just 10-40, but regular motor oil, not motorcycle oil. That'll get change shortly though to 10-40 motorcycle oil.

I used to get by with engaging/disengaging the clutch 4-5 times right before I shift, but that doesn't seem to help much anymore.

I don't think it has anything to do with my idle... it will do it warm or cold, choke or not. But once it does it, it doesn't do it again unless it sits for a while.

I can say that when mine got to where it would not release, it was the clutch release assembly (the thing with a lever arm the clutch cable hooks into). I had to replace it and then it worked fine.

That's interesting you mention that... I thought it did feel like shifting had a little bit of resistance to it, but thought maybe it was just me because I did have 3 bikes at the time and they all feel different. I wonder how you tell when it's in need of replacement?

As for when its in first with the clutch in, no pulling at all. It's just that first shift into gear out of neutral.