Transmission bump jerk snatch when setting off from standstill

Joined
Dec 11, 2011
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19
Location
United Kingdom
Have owned three1100's and latest low mileage bike had the above annoying problem that I didn't recall with previous two. It felt like some sort of back lash was being taken up and unless the clutch was slipped and let out very gently there was a slight noise and definite jerk forward right at the end point of the engagement, worse with pillion load or starting uphill. This is different to the occasional clutch growl where the clutch screeches and bike jumps forward which is another well known characteristic and not a problem on this bike. I suspected final drive, universal joint and even the transmission damper. Research showed this is not uncommon and was said by several to be just a characteristic of the bike. No similar symptoms on 1-2or other up changes. In trying to isolate the problem I tried starting off in second and third gears and repeat high Rev starts up hill in first. To my surprise the problem gradually cleared after 10 or starts in the space of a couple of minutes. Obviously the problem was due to the clutch plates and nothing mechanical in the clutch or rest of transmission. The hard use cleaned up the plates and stopped the final snatching. I wonder if it a consequence of the winter lay up and light previous use. I fitted new clutch plates last year and run on premium shell advance ultra oil so it should not have been that. Anyway so happy to have cleared this irritating problem and hope this post helps another rider.
 
Congratulations on sorting out your clutch issues. My wife's ER5 would be extremely snatchy and in cold weather the clutch plates stuck together making first pull-away of the day a nightmare. I changed her oil to Motul and it was fine ever since.
 
SNIP .......................

I fitted new clutch plates last year and run on premium shell advance ultra oil so it should not have been that. Anyway so happy to have cleared this irritating problem and hope this post helps another rider.

Just curious : Is the Shell oil you are using rated for wet clutches ( JASO MAx ) ?
 
What you were experiencing is called clutch chatter. It is caused from glazed clutch plates and many times caused by the anti-friction additives put into oil engineered for automotive engines. Oils that are made to be used in wet clutch applications do not use these additives. Sometimes slipping the clutch aggressively can burn off the glaze. I would consider changing oil types if this continues to be a problem.
 
Hi David:

The oil you pictured in your post above meets the JASO (Japanese Automotive Standards Association) specification 'MA', which is the specification we want for our wet-clutch engines. Any oil that meets JASO specifications also meets API (American Petroleum Institute) specification 'SG' or higher. Honda specifies that the minimum API specification for the ST 1100 is 'SF', and the minimum API specification for the ST 1300 is SG, hence, any oil that meets JASO specification MA is suitable for our motorcycles, provided we choose the correct viscosity (another matter entirely).

The JASO MA specification is further subdivided into two sub-ranges, MA1 and MA2. Honda does not address either of these two sub-ranges in any of their documentation for the ST 1100 or ST 1300, probably because these sub-ranges were not introduced until 2006, and these sub-range specifications were revised once again in 2012. But, that doesn't matter, because any oil that meets the MA1 or MA2 specification also meets the original MA specification, which was introduced in 1998.

Given that you fitted new clutch plates last year, and that you have been using a MA specification oil since then, I think we can rule out oil as the cause of your problem.

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Having said that... I do recall reading somewhere that when clutch plates on a ST 1100 are changed, it is prudent to examine the clutch basket very carefully, and ensure that there are no grooves, cuts, burrs, or other high or low spots in the slots on the side of the clutch basket, because if these exist, it will cause jerky and erratic (rather than smooth and gradual) clutch operation.

Here's a list of links to past discussions here in our forum community about similar clutch slipping / jerkiness problems. Perhaps you might find a clue or an 'ah-ha!' moment in one of these discussions:

ST1100 - Clutch R&R - Detailed Pics (read this one first, it might help you identify a possible error or omission you made during re-assembly)

having problem installing clutch basket
Clutch Noise - Solved
Clutch biting when hot
Clutch bearings??
Drivetrain clunk when accelerating out of first (lots of different ideas for your consideration in this discussion)

If all else fails, I'll be riding through Cumbria in June (look for a red ST 1100 with a Canadian licence plate, probably going down the wrong side of the road if there is no other traffic to remind me to keep left) - buy me a coffee and we can get together and tear your bike apart. :)

Michael
 
Thanks for the great reply Michael . Be great to meet and happy to show you some of my favourite roads around here though I am way until mid June. Pm me. That thread drive train clunk is spot on. Absolutely everything points to my plates being the issue. If it were the basket then the hard starting regime that cured it would maybe have got worse ! The plates were aftermarketso maybe it is that or maybe there was some contaminant from previous oil changes. Either way I am going to drop this oil and put in a semi synthetic brand. Incidentally rode the bike again and still problem free from cold so my cure was not just temporary when the plates and oil had heated up.
 
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