Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all.

I have a 2016 Classic Chrome which is great in all aspects but one. I am finding it increasingly difficult to select neutral at a standstill. It's a classic scenario with older British bikes, i.e. if I select neutral just as I'm rolling to a stop it's fine, but if I fully stop it's impossible 9 times out of 10. Is this a common fault and if so is there a fix?

Smithy

The fix is :- Clutch adjustment ...

The only clutch adjustment available is cable slack; in my experience unless it is significantly too slack it won’t make much difference. Worth checking though.

Thanks for the idea chaps but I have the clutch adjusted as per the workshop manual. Any other thoughts? Ian

Hi Guys----- It'll only be an adjustment issue if the clutch as a whole is perfectly normal and ok...BUT, it might be that the friction plates are swelling with heat over time and / or the plain plates are warped...Are they the OE plates as originally fitted ??....

Is everything ok 1st thing in the morning, and then the symptoms show themselves as you ride, or is this problem there all the time ??..........Try this idea}--remove the spark plug...with the engine turned off and the bike in 1st gear, pull the clutch lever to fully disengage the clutch.....Now, as you continuously turn the engine over with the kick starter slowly release the clutch lever and try to feel for the feed-back of the clutch engaging........If the engagement feels smooth and even then it's likely to be the heating-up issue.............If it feels snatchy and uneven then those plain, steel plates are likely to be the cause.... Actually there may be up to 4 places where an "Adjuster" can be found ie}----- the 2 ends of the cable, an in-line expanding adjuster, and the pushrod adjuster nut in the centre of the pressure plate...Any one ( or more ) of those can have an effect................ Please note that my comments are based on experiences with multiplate clutches of a generic design within many different applications.....I'm assuming that your bikes clutch is of the same type ??

The clutch cable has no adjuster at the lever end, only one at the gearbox end. No inline expanding adjuster and no pushrod adjuster. So only one adjuster to twiddle with on the UCE motor.

That's what I was trying to say. Unlike a more conventional Brit bike clutch there is no provision for truing the pressure plate via spring adjustment or for setting the pushrod freeplay. So, if the clutch is adjusted correctly it's either an issue with the clutch itself, the gear selector mechanism or, possibly, the wrong type of oil. FWIW my clutch plates stick if I don't use the bike for a few weeks. Fortunately I have a kickstarter so can free them off in time-honoured Triumph fashion. I tend to select neutral while on the move anyway; mine will go into neutral with the bike stationery though.

Ignore a lot in here if the clutch runs in the engine oil, but it might be of some help.
http://www.snowvalley.20m.com/bikes/clutches.htm

Hi guys. Thanks for the thoughts. I am tending to think it is connected to swelling clutch plates as the problem definitely gets worse as the engine warms up. Would I be right in thinking that the OEM clutch plates are somewhat bargain basement? I know it can't be wear as the bike only has 5200 miles on the clock. I've decided not to worry too much about it as I too am used to the rolling neutral technique and everything else about the bike is just right for me. Ian

Mines a 2016 C5 as well and I have to say it a very sweet changing gearbox and clutch.
Slips on and out of neutral at a standstill, hot or cold, with no effort at all.
Maybe a change to different make of oil might help??
I use Castrol Racing 1 15/50 which is a fully synthetic oil.
I have another bike that uses this oil so Enfield gets the same.