I bought a R 01 "salvaged" bike has 52,000 miles. Engine runs good but when I put it into 1st gear I hear it slip into 1st loud then the engine dies (stops running). No lunging or wanting to move forward the engine just stops.

Tried idleing it again in Neutral then ship to 2nd it seems like it is trying to get into a gear but finally within 5 seconds the engine stops running.

I checked with the Dealer and the transmission recall was done January 07. I popped off the clutch cover and the oil is really smelly and black. Could this be more of a clutch problem rather than a transmission problem? I did have quite a bit of clutch cable slack to take up which is unsual since it was the same cable that came on the bike.

Kind of praying that it is only the clutch so that I don't have to rip apart the cases.

Your opinions are welcomed.

2 things come to mind. First there is a safety switch on the clutch and if the clutch is not disengaging properly it will allow the engine to die that's what is it supposed to do. Can you get the bike in the air and test it with the wheels off the ground? With it in the air in gear pull the clutch handle and see if the bike will even start. That's where we need to start from.

Thanks hardone2get for your quick response. I already pulled of the clutch cover which doesn't allow me to use the clutch cable. I will try that by putting the cover back on a putting in gear with the wheels up and Clutch Lever pulled in.

Can you actually get the bike to start with it in gear with the clutch in? I actually never tried it?

If the clutch is not disengaging then it needs to be repalced.

I will try this on the weekend. Thanks for the tip.

Someone might pop in here on this but to the best of my knowledge I believe as long as you pull the clutch handle yes you should be able to start the bike in gear. Also don't forget about that stupid switch down there at the kickstand also. It will kill the engine if it's in the down position. I know I removed mine so that could not happen.

Danny

Thanks Danny

I will disconnet the switch at the kickstand just in case. It makes sense. The bike had a lot of dirt/dust over it and it may be sticking the switch in the open position. I wil try that also.

Any other suggestions are welcomed before this weekend will be put to a test.

Do R's clutches have a life when the clutch must be replaced by?

Thanks again.

if you are sayin that it shifted into 2nd for a few seconds and then quit on you i would highly doubt it is the switch...the switch doesnt wait it kills the motor immediately...the R* clutches are pretty good some guys have some crazy miles on them, the diaphragm is what is the weak link on these bikes...make sure you have the clutch adjusted right with good oil not the energy conserving stuff...if you replace the clutch then use oem clutch not barnett stuff but maybe upgrade to barnett pressure plate

Thanks, Silvasilv
The tranny sounded like it was trying to get into the 2nd gear and after 2 seconds it would kill the engine. It never made it into gear. But when I put it into 1st it was a loud clink and it died immediately.

The oil in this thing was really dirty and smelly and thought the guy fried the clutch racing the bike around. It is a salvage bike and had a lot of dirt and dust on it. Since I have the clutch cover open I will put in a new clutch oem stuff and upgrage to barnett pressure plate. Put in clean oil, adjust the cable and remove the kickstand switch, might just do the job. how do i test the clutch safety switch?

what happened to the bike to make it a salvage bike? you may want to inspect the clutch before you go just throwin on expensive parts...was there any metal debris in the oil? did you adjust the slack in the cable to tighten it up prior to pulling the clutch cover off? how easy/hard was it to pull the clutch lever in? if you look at the manual the clutch cable attaches to a sorta post that has teeth on it that translate over to the clutch...maybe the teeth are gone, or it was not aligned anymore so it would not engage the clutch

If the bike has been sitting the clutch plates might just be stuck together. I've seen that before and all that needed to be done was a disassembly seperate the plates and inspect them and reassemble.

Mine will start with the clutch pulled in and in gear. Could it be possible the friction discs of the clutch got dried out from sitting so long? Just a thought.