[bobster]

Hi folks,

I'm a new owner of a 2017 Supersport S.

I love it but on initial take off, especially when cold, the clutch seems to continue to let itself out even though the lever is not moving (but not fully released) This has resulted in a couple of embarrassing stalls!

With enough revs I can always get away from a standstill but you can really feel it if you’re trying to move the bike slowly, like around a garage etc. You let it out just enough to crawl forwards and suddenly it lets a lot more out, resulting in a jump forward and often a stall. Like the clutch is on delay.

I've already checked and lubed the cable and the lever moves in sync with the actuator rod so my issue isn't there. Is this just characteristic grabiness?

Any thoughts welcome.

 

[Ed K]

@bobster If you mean the clutch is a bit “grabby” on the first launch but smooths out after warm, yes, that is very normal for SuperSports.

 

[bobster]

Ok, thanks Ed,

I’ll stop stressing about it so much and try to do an objective comparison on cold V warm.

 

[Miweber929]

As @Ed K said it’s definitely not an uncommon characteristic with the SS. I’ve had Ducati do a ton of work to mine including a new clutch basket, clutch plates, they experimented with different oils, oil jet pressure adjustments and while not really related, they did it at the same time to help with finding neutral, replaced the shift star with a Factory Pro brand unit and it’s made almost no difference.

Start the bike, then start the process to put on your gear, make sure it’s registering temperature on the display, know that first start will be funky and you’ll be good.

 

[Triplesapper]

It's a Ducati

 

[bobster]

Thank you for relating your experience and advice Miweber929.

This thread has made me feel much better about the bike and I won’t waste time/money chasing a characteristic trait. Apart from the difficulty in finding neutral sometimes, which I know is expected, it was the only issue with an otherwise fantastic machine.

Meantime, I’ll keep working on the cold clutch technique and longer warm ups!

 

[LowRyter]

We call that "character".

I've learned to cycle the cold clutch a couple of times before I get out on the open road. The clutch is grabby and there are only two cylinders where one piston travels further than the other between fires.

 

[bobster]

Thanks LowRyter,

As long as it doesn’t develop “character” like old English bikes I’m happy!

 

[theresanothersteve]

Hi folks,

I'm a new owner of a 2017 Supersport S.

I love it but on initial take off, especially when cold, the clutch seems to continue to let itself out even though the lever is not moving (but not fully released) This has resulted in a couple of embarrassing stalls!

With enough revs I can always get away from a standstill but you can really feel it if you’re trying to move the bike slowly, like around a garage etc. You let it out just enough to crawl forwards and suddenly it lets a lot more out, resulting in a jump forward and often a stall. Like the clutch is on delay.

I've already checked and lubed the cable and the lever moves in sync with the actuator rod so my issue isn't there. Is this just characteristic grabiness?

Any thoughts welcome.

There are a few older threads on this, but...

How many kays has the bike done? It gets better as it gets older.

Premium oil helps a lot. I'm using Penrite fully synthetic, changed every 5,000 km. Expensive, but oil is the cheapest form of insurance for the motor.

Neutral is easier to find while still moving, just before stopping. That, too, gets better as the bike ages and also as it warms up.

The sudden release sounds odd, I'd look at checking the cable moves freely and give it a lube.

 

[bobster]

Hi Another Steve,

Thanks for your reply. The bike has done 8500km but I have no idea what sort of oil is in it, or when it was last changed for that matter as I've just acquired it. I'm waiting for the service record to arrive (it's a long story) Changing the oil now sounds like a good idea in any case. Out of interest, why don't you use the recommended Shell oil?

Yes, the cable was checked and lubed as the first culprit and ruled out as the offending part.

In the last few days I also worked out that neutral is easier to find while moving but thanks for the tip

 

[bobster]

Some other thoughts on the delayed engagement...

It's been suggested that the delay may be down to the oil being more viscous when cold, therefore slower to squeeze out from between the clutch plates until warmed up. This makes sense to my amateur mechanical mind and would explain my delay experience.

 

[theresanothersteve]

...Out of interest, why don't you use the recommended Shell oil?..

Without trying to start yet another internet forum oil discussion I found the ger and clutch operation better with Penrite. I also like the fact they are Australian and sponsor local motorsport.
I once posted a question via their online contact form and I had somebody from their lab ring me within 30 minutes and they provided an answer straight away in terms I could understand.

We've been using Penrite since about 1980...

 

[bobster]

Fair enough.

Great support from a local company!

 

[Dino de Laurentiis]

Despite the 939 having a cable clutch, there’s an adjustment to clutch oil pressure that seems like it needs to be done with relatively regular intervals. I dont really understand how that works but I know that adjustment (by the dealer) made a big difference on my 939, although changing gears never worked very well on that bike. Neutral I’d say was almost more difficult with time rather than improving.

Heres a post on the subject: Grabby Clutch?

 

[bobster]

Hey DdL,

Thanks for your post and referral to that previous thread on the issue. Symptoms exactly like mine. I'll quiz my dealer about the clutch oil pressure if the problem persists.

 

[Matt_SSS]

Yep, mine was terrible too. Sadly you just have to live with it although adjusting the diaphragm pressure did improve mine somewhat.

Mat

 

[Grossi.BP]

I confirm. In my previous town after a garage I had a slight slope up coming to a cross section with a tram stop. 7/10 times there after stopping I shut the engine next to people. 3/10 I got enough revs to drive smoothly later.

 

[Ed K]

Clutch oil pressure was a different issue from clutch grabbiness, at least on my SuperSport. As mentioned above, most SuperSports have a bit of a grab with first clutch engagement when cold until it warms-up. That’s typical.

The oil pressure issue manifested different symptoms, needed adjustment only once over about 20,000 miles on mine, and is documented separately on the Forum. Essentially, the motorcycle was almost impossible to get into first gear, and was unrelated to the clutch grabbing.

And this issue was completely resolved when the tech adjusted the clutch oil pressure, that was found to be excessively high. Not sure how the pressure got so high, but during that period I always kept my clutch depressed when stopped, even at very long traffic lights. Perhaps that had some cumulative effect? Not sure, may not be have caused the pressure to increase. Wouldn’t think so, but the cause is unconfirmed.

 

[Lopez0101]

I'm on the other end where neutral is extremely easy to find on mine. Have never adjusted the oil pressure. Neutral did get a bit easier after several thousand k's. I run Motul 7100T 15w-50 and don't have any issues taking off from cold...most of the time.

The only shifting issue I still run into is if I go too light on shifting I'll get false neutrals. Then I have to slow way down and slam the bike into gear, which always hurts me on the inside. My transmission prefers a strong foot!

Go test ride a 2022+ Triumph Speed Triple. You'll never complain about neutral being hard to find on the SS again. Hahahahah................

 

[BruderMaximus]

Yeah it’s not leaking oil…… so…. it’s normal, whatever it’s doing, that’s normal.