[notworried]

I have an issue with the clutch since I got the bike.
When the bike is cold and when I pull the clutch in for the first time it makes a small clicking sound and feels like something is released. After that first pull, next ones feel fine.

Then when its time to move and I start releasing the clutch for the first time, the bike jerks forward a bit while still in the friction zone. Feels like the plates grip suddenly. It also makes a weird grrrch sound at the same time.

This usually happens 'only once' when starting the ride. It's perfectly fine after that. Actually it is so fine that i never even had any trouble finding neutral once. I can find neutral first try every try and it's all very smooth. Never even had one false neutral between any gear. Considered myself pretty lucky reading other riders problems with false neutrals.

The bike is now at 700 km's, i thought this issue would go away after the first few hundred km's of breaking in but it's still here so I though I could share it with you. If you have any experiences like this with your scrambler or your other bikes, I appreciate all the info. Thanks.

 

[Doc59]

I've got 1700kms on mine now and never had a problem with the clutch or gearbox. Trying to think what would cause the symptoms you describe and simplest thing that comes to mind is the clutch cable binding somewhere and then suddenly releasing, that doesn't explain the grrrch noise though. Use the warranty, mention it to your dealer next time you visit and get them to sort it during the first service providing it doesn't get worse before then.

 

[notworried]

Yeah definitely going to mention it to my dealer soon. Checked the cluth cable and it looked ok to me. I thought it might be about the cold oil between the clutch plates. They get stuck somehow and I release some part of it by pulling in the clutch. Clutch is ok when the bike is hot so makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense is that never heard anyone mention such a problem. So it is not just cold oil but maybe somethings are also adjusted wrong down there.

 

[outofthebox]

I suspect this issue is related to clutch plates and engine oil viscosity issues at cold temperatures (assuming Scrambler has a wet clutch - haven't checked). I had a similar problem in my Korean cruiser bike. The solution there was to press the clutch and pump the kick a few times before firing up the engine in the mornings. The idea was to get the oil flowing by making it a bit fluid/loose.

No idea how to do the same in a Scrambler.

 

[silverluxe]

I'm pretty sure it's just the clutch plates being new and cohesion from the oil. ALL of my old bikes I have, when I start them up for the first time in spring are basically locked into 'drive' because the clutch plates are stuck together. I have to rock the bike back and forth in neutral until they let go of each other. Sometimes this takes a lot of effort in older bikes I have (1970s CB350 Honda comes to mind.)

And this time of year when it's cold and I have to use choke on my street bikes, when I first start them and shift from neutral into first gear the bike lurches forward even with the clutch cable pulled in. It's because the plates are stuck together until the bike gets up to operating temperature. Just a 'feature' of wet clutches soaked in engine oil.

I bet it'll stop happening when the night time temperature outdoors rises up above 70F (20C).

 

[notworried]

I'm pretty sure it's just the clutch plates being new and cohesion from the oil. ALL of my old bikes I have, when I start them up for the first time in spring are basically locked into 'drive' because the clutch plates are stuck together. I have to rock the bike back and forth in neutral until they let go of each other. Sometimes this takes a lot of effort in older bikes I have (1970s CB350 Honda comes to mind.)

And this time of year when it's cold and I have to use choke on my street bikes, when I first start them and shift from neutral into first gear the bike lurches forward even with the clutch cable pulled in. It's because the plates are stuck together until the bike gets up to operating temperature. Just a 'feature' of wet clutches soaked in engine oil.

I bet it'll stop happening when the night time temperature outdoors rises up above 70F (20C).

Yep, that makes a lot of sense, thank you for the answer. That's what I thought also but I don't understand why I am the only one reporting this issue while I have a closed underground garage which is not cold at all since it is almost summer here in Istanbul. But anyway it is probably not that big of a deal as you said.

 

[Remy Dupont]

Same problem here

Hi everyone,

I am having the exact same problem, I am riding every day my scrambler to go to work and I have the problem at the morning and at the evening.

My icon is around 3000 miles now.

I contacted the dealer today and I am wanting for and answer.

Let me know if you have any news.

 

[Slaine]

Dealer has put the wrong type of oil in the engine.

 

[Rakesh Bisth]

Cluth plate issue

Hi Guys,
My bike has completed 11000 kms and it feels that my cluth plate is worn out,i am not sure how much does the scrambler clutch runs for.Anyone else came across the same issue or have Run more than 11000 km and still running in the same cluth plates.

Thanks.

 

[Phil Harris]

11000 km is nowhere near the expected life of a set of clutch plates.

Do you ride a lot in heavy traffic?

30 years ago I worked at a London dealership supplying Kawasakis to dispatch riders, they would clock up 40 or 50 thousand miles a year. We found that in some cases the clutch plates would need replacing at around 30,000 miles (50,000 km) but in others they would keep going much longer. The difference was the guys that did the long distance work were getting much longer clutch life because they spent less time in heavy traffic.

It's my suggestion that the nature of the Scramblers throttle is a cause of accelerated clutch wear. The on/off nature of the throttle at low RPM causes riders to slip the clutch to maintain control of how much power is getting to the rear wheel, thus wearing it out much faster than usual.

The cheapest and an extremely effective solution is a throttle tamer which spreads the action of the first 5 degrees of throttle twist to make it much easier to be accurate at low RPM. The negates the need to slip the clutch in traffic.

 

[outofthebox]

@Rakesh Bisth whereabouts are you located? I'm a Scrambler owner from New Delhi, India and my clutch plates are gone too at 2600Kms.

Another fellow Scrambler owner from my city had his clutch plates replaced at 5600km. Mine is more of a weekend ride and I have only used the bike occasionally in urban traffic conditions.

My bike started showing the symptoms after the 1000km service. Maybe the service centre folks are doing something wrong?

 

[YankeeDoodle]

plates gone at 2,800 miles, service manager claims they are the smallest clutch pack he has ever seen... heavy Chicago traffic

 

[Bounty320i]

@Rakesh Bisth whereabouts are you located? I'm a Scrambler owner from New Delhi, India and my clutch plates are gone too at 2600Kms.

Another fellow Scrambler owner from my city had his clutch plates replaced at 5600km. Mine is more of a weekend ride and I have only used the bike occasionally in urban traffic conditions.

My bike started showing the symptoms after the 1000km service. Maybe the service centre folks are doing something wrong?

Mine had to be replaced at 4000kms. My clutch was never right from day 1. My warranty claim was rejected and I had to pay for a replacement. Check the cable and make sure it is properly adjusted. Not just from the lever side but from the clutch too.



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[outofthebox]

Mine had to be replaced at 4000kms. My clutch was never right from day 1. My warranty claim was rejected and I had to pay for a replacement.

Sorry to hear that you had to pay for it mate. I've been told by my SA that there was a factory issue with incorrect free play setting of clutch and that an advisory has been issued to this effect. I'm going to post that in a new thread. See if it helps you to claim a refund.