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I have started noticing a catch when shifting. I also notice that unless I pull the clutch in far in as I can, I mean really squeezing it tight, it doesn't seem like the gears are disengaging. As an example, it's almost impossible to start it in gear with the clutch in and when going down hill, I have to really pull the clutch hard to fully disengage the tranny. I notice this too if I try to pull in the clutch and roll the bike while still in gear, like when stalled on a hill and trying to roll up/down.

There is hardly any play in the lever, so I don't think it needs to be adjusted there. Do I need to adjust the cable near the gear box? Do you think the cable itself needs lubed or replaced? I have checked trans oil and it is at the level it should be and is fresh - changed not long ago.

Thanks

What did you put in for oil?

Is it worse when hot or cold?

Have manual for it?

If it just started doing this all of a sudden AND you just changed the oil recently, what GS is driving at sounds like the first logical thing to troubleshoot.

Usually its the oil when your clutch drags. If you just changed the oil cold without first running the engine to full warm, the plates tend to remain contaminated with particulates from the settled sediment. Warming the engine before changing the oil makes a huge difference, clutch-wise.

That's possible. It's been a couple of months since I changed the oil so I don't remember for sure if I warmed it up. I haven't ridden a whole during that 2 month period though.

I used Kawi engine oil, 10W-40, .7 quarts (per the owner's manual). I am almost sure I ran the engine for a couple of minutes to warm it up prior to changing.

I would say it came on gradually, but seems more noticeable in the last month or so. It's to the point though that the bike even lunges a bit when I put it in 1st gear out of neutral, and that's with the clutch lever in pretty well.

You don't have any suggestions on adjusting the clutch cable? As mentioned, there is virtually no play in the clutch lever, so I don't know what more I could adjust. I can certainly change the oil again. It's quick and inexpensive and worth a try.

I should have clarified - when I said the oil change was fresh, I meant it doesn't have much ride time on it since it was last changed.

Gotcha on the oil. Does the clutch draggin get worse or better as you ride longer(hotter oil)

Well, who wants to tell him about the clutch basket grooving? Im not very good at explaining things.....

It does seem to get better as the bike and oil warms up. At first, it chalked it up to cold oil as it seemed by far most noticeable when I would first start riding, especially that first kick into gear out of neutral. But it seems now like the difficulty in shifting is happening through pretty much all gears and does not seem better after the bike has warmed up.

It's to the point that I have to make a little extra effort to be sure I am getting a complete shift between gears and I am finding myself getting 'caught' in neutral when going from 1st to 2nd gear at least a couple of times per ride. I have to really give the shifter a solid lift of the toe to avoid this. My previous bike, a 4 stroke, didn't seem to do this at all. And I watch just about everyone pull in the clutch lever and start their bikes in gear, but I can't really do that at all.

Thanks for the help. Merry Christmas everyone.

Change your oil again and use an entire quart. In the winter use 10/30w...

Indawoods wrote:Change your oil again and use an entire quart. In the winter use 10/30w...

I asked my father if a should use a full quart a while back and he said something like it made more or less pressure in the transmission= not good. Have you been doing this for a while Inda?

Could your father have been referring to a 4 stroke?

GS wrote:Could your father have been referring to a 4 stroke?

My mistake I meant transmission.

Everybody does it on a KDX... there is no "pressure" in the transmission... it's a bath.....

Indawoods wrote:Everybody does it on a KDX... there is no "pressure" in the transmission... it's a bath.....

Thanks for the info Inda. No more half-full leftover oil bottles for me!

Inda, I will do that today. Thanks for the tip. This would be by far the easiest solution to the issue and it does make sense. While I know this is probably posted on 1000 different threads, do you have a preference for brand?

Anything that doesn't say "Energy Conserving" on the EPA sticker. I use Motul Transoil, but I think some synthetics/semi synthetics like Valvoline High Mileage, and a few of the Mobil's will not state "Energy Conserving." These don't contain friction modifiers that could hurt your clutch plates. For dino oil.....SAE30w every ride IMO.

I use 150ml (or so) of a new quart as a flush before I put the drain plug back in..then dump in what's left. No partial bottles..and I have the satisfaction of thinking I'm doing something good by kind'a rinsing out the last bit of gear teeth bits sitting in the bottom of the case.

Re: 'Well, who wants to tell him about the clutch basket grooving?'

Pretty good chance of that.

The fingers in the basket get notched from the friction plate tabs banging on them all the time (any time you use the clutch). When the basket fingers get notched deeply enough, the plates don't move when you pull the lever..the clutch 'sticks'.

This pic courtesy of the Rekluse site:

Thanks Canyon. That is an obvious, yet great idea regarding flushing out settlement. I will do that from now on. I am going to try Inda's suggestion of using a full quart and see if that makes a difference. If not, I guess the next step will be to look at the clutch basket and see if it resembles what is shown in the pic you posted.

Thanks for all the help. I'm ready to get back to smooth shifting and riding instead of trouble-shooting.

Clutch action in the KDX is less than stellar on a good day. You mentioned downhill clutch problems... That's pretty much always going to be there. If the bike stalls on a downhill and the bike's in gear, getting it OUT of gear (or getting it shifted into another gear) on the way down doesn't ever work well, if at all.

There are other things that effect clutch operation, as you mentioned.

As the plates wear, the angle of the activating lever changes. There are shims used between the that activating rod and the throwout bearing to adjust for that. You want the most lateral movement possible and that comes with the arm on the rod (where the cable attaches) moving through a 90º position during the pull.

Clutch cables do wear out..giving cable movement when there should be lever movement.

Clutch levers and cable pivots wear out..same effect, loss of movement in the desired direction/axis.


The whole lashup of the activating rod/case is less than stellar. Over time there gets to be some slop at the top. ...more wasted movement.

A lot of it comes down to clutch pack oiling. My bike shifts a whole lot better since I put in a new basket (Hinson) that has better oiling orifices.

You can make it better....just throw $$$$ at it!!