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clutch

StelvioGT

StelvioGT

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
Nov 18, 2009
Messages
77
Location
Eastern MO
My Stelvio has a warning decal that advises to engage the clutch before starting. I have always started all of my bikes in neutral standing beside the bike with clutch not engaged. Why am I not able to do this with the Guzzi? Is it due to the single disc clutch and if so, why?
After 500 miles on the Stelvio I have to say that the transmission, clutch and shaft drive are the finest in all of motorcycledom. The six speed on the Guzzi makes both of my past FJR's seem agricultural and the CARC eliminates virtually all of the shaft jacking that is extreme on the Yamaha. Absolutely a superb machine! This bike is a keeper!
 
Nah, it's a bullshit 'Safety' thing. If you pull the clutch in then even if there is something wrong with one of the other 'We're here to protect you' fail-safes and it fires up it won't run amock and kill preschool aged children or smash into the side of a minibus full of nuns! :roll:

Some bikes have a failsafe that means that the clutch has to be puled in. Some of them will start quite happinly as long as the sidestand is down but if you try to engage a gear with the stand down it kills the engine. It seems to vary by model and I have no idea why it isn't standardised. I have no idea what the score is with the Stelvio, I can't remember. But NO harm will come to the clutch or anything else if you start it without the lever pulled in. It's just that it may not do so!

Pete
 
Everything Pete says is correct as usual.

That said, squeezing in the clutch (to me dis-engage) is a safety hold ever from the time that neutral lights lied, and side stand switches didn't exist. I believe it is still a good practice for when all the "safety" interlocks fail. The best safety feature is your brain, and doing what you should so you really don't need all the interlocks. I'm one of those guys that always squeezes in the clutch when starting any bike. It is what I believe to be a good habit.
 
Standing next to the bike to start it up as a habit, may someday bite you. Should anything go wrong, you may run over the family cat or worse, damage the bike as it falls onto your car.
 
I always put the bike in neutral when I park it. I have been riding a very long time with no mishaps. I wanted to be sure it was not a mechanical issue with the clutch regarding the warning. I can be responsible for my own safety thanks.
 
My thoughts exactly it's all legalese BS, The same goes with the "Recommended" break in procedure, Ive always thought it was written with the lawyers dictating it.
 
StelvioGT said:
I always put the bike in neutral when I park it. I have been riding a very long time with no mishaps. I wanted to be sure it was not a mechanical issue with the clutch regarding the warning. I can be responsible for my own safety thanks.
Click to expand...

Can you guarantee it is still in neutral when you return to the bike?
 
Yes, I roll it outside and when I turn the key on the neutral light is lit. If for some reason the light was not lit I would confirm it was not in gear. My question was not how to start a bike, it was why would Guzzi put such a warning label on it. I thought it was for mechanical reasons not covered in the owners manual. Consensus is though it is a liability/safety warning for careless/stupid people from starting the bike in gear or relying solely on 'safety' devices meant to protect careless/stupid from themselves and having them fail. Thus the sticker.
 
Since this starter locks in until the bike starts, if something goes wrong, letting up on the start button isn't going to help, it will keep going wrong. Holding the clutch is a safety thing.
That latching start button scares the lawyers no doubt.
 
Wayne Orwig said:
Since this starter locks in until the bike starts, if something goes wrong, letting up on the start button isn't going to help, it will keep going wrong. Holding the clutch is a safety thing.
That latching start button scares the lawyers no doubt.
Click to expand...
There is always that other safety item called a front brake lever. For use only when the sh1t hits the fanblades.
 
Always use the clutch when starting any vehicle. Aside from the safety issues on some vehicles, it gives the starter an easier time. Especially in the cold weather when you`re turning over thick gear oil. I know there`s only a small amount of oil in the Guzzi box and what I`m relating to is bigger (truck) boxes. But hey, any help is better than no help at all.
 
I've had Triumphs before my gorgeous Stelvio beauty, and they all start with the clutch in. Like the previous poster I start everything with the clutch in. Just seems to be a sensible thing to do - apart from things that kick-start! Like I always turn the Stelvio off before putting the silly M/G side-stand down so as not to pop it in gear by accident. Needs to be done. Needs to be learned.

Get used to it.
 
I never asked anyone how to start a bike or how they start theirs.I did not want this to become a referendum on safety or a poll on start-up procedure. The sticker simply made no sense to me and still does not. Just like the sticker on my lawn mower advising me to 'not trim hedges with this machine'. I simply wanted to know if not holding the clutch in while starting the bike in neutral would harm the clutch or engine. I was appealing to the mechanically inclined, period. The question has been answered thank you, start your bike however you want and remember you are responsible for you and your safety.
 
:lol: :lol: It's Winter, just be glad you didn't ask about putting on your right or left glove first. :shock: :? ;)
 
bobw said:
:lol: :lol: It's Winter, just be glad you didn't ask about putting on your right or left glove first. :shock: :? ;)
Click to expand...

My owners manual has almost three pages devoted to what side of the bike to mount it from and how the passenger should mount it.

Obviously too many lawyers working for them. :lol:
 
Fair enough - but my 3 Triumphs (not missed at all!) all had similar warning stickers. There were 4 on the tank, including the one about 'always wear a safety helmet' when riding!!!!!!!

Glad you like your gearbox and the CARC as much as I do!
 
StelvioGT said:
ust like the sticker on my lawn mower advising me to 'not trim hedges with this machine'
Click to expand...
Believe it or not GT people actually been known to try that! I work for an air ambulance service and a couple of years ago one of the helicopters was dispatched to a call where a guy avtually did that and took off all his fingers. Two days later another call same neighbourhood. His neighbour 2 houses down had seen him and thought he'd try it... same result. No more nose pickin' :lol: Thought you might like a laugh.
FBC
 
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