I went out to get some riding time in this morning and to run errands to the post office, pushed my bike out to the driveway as usual and started her up. let her sit there for a minute and was off on my way. When I got on the bike, and shifted into 1st she lurched forward violently and stalled. The bike did tip over again, but i think the problem was present before today. the check engine light (dunno what its called for bikes) came on. I turned off the bike and turned it back on (with the key, going to power-on) and the light was gone so i cranked her over and she fired up as normal, idles and revs freely.

It feels as if the clutch is toast, or the master cylinder has a problem (prior to this morning, I laid her down very very gently in my garage.) Is there any clutch system problems i should look for before looking into replacing the clutch? (i've literally rode it for under 20 miles )

 

which ones for adjusting the clutch/shifter? i want to back out the clutch engagement as far as possible to the point where the bike won't stall in 1st gear with the clutch all the way out. I just want to rule out the clutch before buying a new one. clutch replacement looks like a breeze so im happy for that

 

your clutch system doesn't have a master cylinder, its cable operated.
If your plates are not seperating when you pull the lever it could be one of the following:
*cable is broken
*cable is not being pulled by lever
*cable not connected to actuator arm (near clutch cover right hand side)
*cable out of adjustment
EDIT *the internal actuator mechanism, or something else in the cutch assembly, could be damaged (Since you only recently bought it, this could be old damage/a cheap fix coming to light, maybe or maybe not resulting from the knocks to the casings, if any)

does the clutch feel normal to pull?
if the cable needs adjusting you need to back out the adjusters at each end of the cable to to pull the arm a bit more.
looks like you could do with a shop manual, they're handy

 

i thought the cable may have snapped but the clutch lever still has resistance to it (it pulls back when i squeeze) so i think it's still intact. I couldn't find a MC or resorvoir so i guess its cable operated?

what does the actuator arm look like? and would that lead to the symptoms im describing?

the clutch is not engaging even though the clutch lever is giving normal feedback and appears to be working properly. I shifted into first without the clutch and it stalled the same way with the clutch lever in. (i know, its bad for the gearbox)

thanks for the reply, i've been spending the past couple of hours looking at manuals and for similar problems online with limited success.

 

a bit close up but the best i cud find, the cable hooks in at the top in this pic. you'll see it under or over the clutch cover, watch for it, it'll move when you (or a friend) pull the lever.
there's usually an adjustment down there.
if your lever feels normal, and the adjusting does nothing, your plates may be stuck together or there's something worse inside.

 

i saw the adjustment part of the cable, it looks almost like a throttle cable in most hondas. i'll try adjusting it, but it does appear to be the clutch

 

adjusted the clear, maxed out both ways and many times on the way, didn't do anything.

I was wondering if there was a clutch safety switch on a bike? (meaning that the clutch has to be engaged to a certain point before the bike would start) I left the bike in first gear and adjusted it all the way in/out/every turn in between, and it didnt fire up throughout. the clutch cable and lever components appear to be all in working order. I'm at a loss, I think it may be the clutch itself : [

 

The bike wont start if its in gear and the clutch is out.
just to be sure, you can try to rock the bike back and forth or pushing it forward, while pulling in the clutch, after you make the adjustment. this will show if the clutch is 'breaking' the drive between engine and gearbox like its supposed to.

 

yeah i was doing that (forgot to post here, posted on the local forum) and its the same. the bike won't start with the clutch lever pulled all the way in. I'm beginning to think that something may have been knocked loose inside the clutch cover.

I inspected every exterior clutch component I saw with no obvious signs of failure. The clutch lever is connected, the clutch cable is connected, the bracket for adjustment is good and well with no kinks, and the springloaded lever on the outside near the right-peg functions normally as well. may be calling in a professional tomorrow

 

w00t everythings fixed, adjustment was out of whack because the bracket that holds the adjustment has a stripped thread. it was flexing against it slipping off.

 

Job oxo!