Bike Pulls Slightly With Clutch Pulled

[MattEnTheHat]

So when I start my bike in first gear with the clutch pulled it has a tendency to roll forward. It is very minor, but definitely noticeable. Today I revved my engine jokingly at a friend and noticed that it also tried to roll slightly forward then. Could my clutch cable be adjusted slightly wrong or am I looking at something more major like a clutch going out? Or, is this totally normal and I'm worrying about nothing?

 

[Bert-Aus]

Adjust the friction point on the clutch,

look up "Adjusting Clutch Cable Free Play" under Periodic Maintenance, page 148 in (Xj6) service manual

 

[MattEnTheHat]

Thanks for the suggestion.
I figured that was the problem but had tried adjusting it before to no avail, but I went ahead and tried it again today. I tried adjusting it to the point I believed was correct per the instructions (a bit more tension than i previously had). That certainly changed the point that I needed to hold the lever at to hit the friction point, but it did not seem to change the rolling forward on starting/when revving the engine problem at all. I then tried adjusting it significantly in each direction, but no point of adjustment seemed to change it. Just to be very clear, the "free play" specified in the manual refers to the amount you can wiggle the clutch lever without encountering any resistance in the lever, correct?
Any other ideas?
Sorry if these are obvious questions, I am pretty new to motorcycle (and vehicles in general) maintenance.
Thanks again for the help!

 

[Bert-Aus]

The adjustment toggle on the (hand) lever only adjusts the levers placement relative to the handlebar -this is for different hand sizes/ rider comfort. The clutch friction poin is adjusted down on the engine block where the cable connects with a spring & lever that actions the clutch internal to the block

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

 

[buzzbomb]

The adjustment toggle on the (hand) lever only adjusts the levers placement relative to the handlebar -this is for different hand sizes/ rider comfort. The clutch friction poin is adjusted down on the engine block where the cable connects with a spring & lever that actions the clutch internal to the block

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

The thumb screw on the lever adjusts more than the lever's location. It adjusts the amount of slack in the cable. Crank it one way and the cable will get so tight that clutch won't engage.

Crank it the other way and when the handle meets the bar, the clutch still won't be fully disengaged.

The cable stretches with use. That's why the manual specifies the adjustment.

To the OP: If you put the backside up on a paddock stand, pull in the clutch and put it in gear, the back tire will spin. I'm not enough of a mechanic to tell you why, but it does.

Personally, I don't notice a "pull" when at a stop light. If you've got the adjustment per the manual and the bike still feels like it's to go forward...

Hmm. I'd try adjusting the cable tighter. Just as a test, because the clutch might not be able to fully engage with the cable that tight. If that fixes the problem, I'd say your cable has been stretched beyond it's usable limits and needs to be replaced.

That usually takes a whole lot of miles, but stuff happens. Grit can get in the cable sleeve and increase the friction between sleeve and cable for instance.

 

[MattEnTheHat]

The thumb screw on the lever adjusts more than the lever's location. It adjusts the amount of slack in the cable. Crank it one way and the cable will get so tight that clutch won't engage.

Crank it the other way and when the handle meets the bar, the clutch still won't be fully disengaged.

The cable stretches with use. That's why the manual specifies the adjustment.

To the OP: If you put the backside up on a paddock stand, pull in the clutch and put it in gear, the back tire will spin. I'm not enough of a mechanic to tell you why, but it does.

Personally, I don't notice a "pull" when at a stop light. If you've got the adjustment per the manual and the bike still feels like it's to go forward...

Hmm. I'd try adjusting the cable tighter. Just as a test, because the clutch might not be able to fully engage with the cable that tight. If that fixes the problem, I'd say your cable has been stretched beyond it's usable limits and needs to be replaced.

That usually takes a whole lot of miles, but stuff happens. Grit can get in the cable sleeve and increase the friction between sleeve and cable for instance.

I only notice a pull at stoplights if I rev the engine, which is obviously not something I would do in normal situations. Based on what you're saying about the rear wheel spinning while on a stand it sounds like what I have is pretty normal. Thanks for the info!