Starting the Bike in Gear (2003 EC300)

[prunty]

Just a quick question; the clutch seems to drag a lot on my bike and I can never start her in gear.

While doing any of the cross country events when I stall her I end up having to take it out of gear by hand (as it is difficult to get neutral sometimes) before starting it. It's a good job I'm there for the fun rather than to be ultra-competitive.

I thought it was maybe that I had the wrong oil in it so I changed it to the correct spec (info obtained of this site) and it didn't make any difference.

Any opinions??

[GMP]

Make sure your clutch system is bled properly, and master/slave seals in good shape. Adjust the lever out far enough to allow the piston in the master to extend fully. Finally, pull the clutch pack and inspect the plates for burrs. warpage, etc., as well as the basket for grooves. I had an '03 that was a clutch dragger until I found a burred steel plate, a few seconds with a file fixed it.

[gasser]

Thinner oils can help with clutch drag. A lot of us here on the forum use Rotella with great results and it's only $11 - $21 a gallon at walmart. The full synthetic is the thinnest and works best with dragging clutches.

[(F5)]

My 02 was bad for it & it was the inner clutch basket had bumps. Dremeled them out & it was a lot better. Eventually both inner & outer basket may need replacing. Its 10yrs old.