Clutch operation

[siai47]

I have a new TT and have a question about clutch operation.  I noticed the transmission oil was almost black and with 30 miles on it, I  changed it.  I found a lot of fine metal on the drain plug.  I also realized that the clutch wasn't actually disengaging.  You could drive the bike at moderate power levels with the clutch lever pulled in.  Only at high power would the clutch disengage.  Once it did you could reduce the power, let the motor catch up and then drive again---still with the clutch lever pulled in.

Here's my question---does the normally operating bike (yours) allow you to pull the clutch in and open the "throttle" in gear and have the bike remain stationary?  Mine will move off unless you hold the brake.  This means that if and when you shift the bike, you might as well not use the clutch as it isn't disengaging anyway.

I checked the clutch hydraulic system and bled it.  No air found and no change in operation.  I did find an adjustment on the clutch lever to control how far the lever would move the clutch cylinder piston.  The adjustment screw had been sealed with epoxy from the factory.  After removing the epoxy and screwing in the screw all the way I have regained clutch disengagement when the bike is warm---it is still locked up when cold.  Any reply would be helpful before I go further or see the dealer.  That screw adjustment must be critical for some reason or the screw wouldn't have been "sealed".

[noone1569]

Mine seems to be the same way.  I'm not sure on the engineering behind it but it seems to be unique to this electric bike.

[frodus]

That's somewhat common for wet clutches to stick a little when cold. Once warmed it goes away. We don't have an engine like gas counterparts, so warming is a little slower. I usually just hop around in 2nd for a bit then it goes away.

[siai47]

Thanks for the replies.  I am just going to ride it and do another oil change in about 100 miles to see if the level of "crud" in the oil goes down.  Now that the clutch will disengage I feel a little better about this whole thing.  That first oil change at 30 miles was a surprise but not uncommon on a new transmission--I don't think shifting without clutch release helped the "break in"  .

[HadesOmega]

I'm pretty sure its normal for the oil to be that dirty during break in.  That's why its called break in.  You want the parts to wear faster so it'll break in faster.  They don't mention it in the manual, but when you do engine rebuild on a car your suppose to run regular mineral oil to speed the breakin process up.  That's why they say to change the oil at 600 miles because there's going to all that crud in there.  By changing the oil early you not encouraging it to break in.  I have a new TT also and I am following the break in requirements exactly outlined in the manual because that's how they engineered it.