It seems to me when I start the bike in 1st versus neutral, that the starter has a little more to turn over if in gear, yes obviously with clutch pulled in. I could almost feel it move the bike a little and seems a little harder to start. 2000 ultra, unknown mods, third owner, 25,000 miles.

 

Good observation, mine act's the same. I don't think it makes any difference but more often than not I start in neutral.

 

Maybe because your using the starter to turn over the gears too ( when your in gear )?

Well unless you forget to pull in the clutch!

 

When you start in gear with the clutch pulled in, the bike has been sitting and the clutch plates are "stuck" a little. The starter is working harder to "break them" loose and turn the engine over. Next time you do it, pull in the clutch, then rock the bike a little to break things loose... you will find it starts easier.. not like in neutral but you can tell the difference.

 

well sure..the clutch is not an on and off mechanism, the one set of plates will rotate with the motor, the other set is attached to the tranny.

if the clutch lever is pulled, the interleaved plates and disks are free to move away from each other ( least resistance)..but the fluid moving between the 2 will cause some drag. and the colder and thicker the fluid, the more drag.

in practical every day starting it makes almost zero difference, but if starting in gear with clutch pulled, there will be a slight lurch as the starter turns...the colder and thicker the fluid, the more lurch. a hot bike less.

starting in neutral allows me to monitor and warm the machine while checking the mirrors, instruments and controls, fixing my hair etc.

If a rider is worried about stressing the electrical system, put in a cut out switch for the headlight, that makes more of a difference

mike

 

Personally I start mine in neutral and pulling the clutch. Your not turning any gears but at the same time it helps to release the clutch plates. I can then engage 1st gear with absolute silence. (no clunk)

 

Good information. Thanks

 

The lack of understanding of the drive line amazes me. With the transmission in ANY gear, the drive line from the rear wheel to the transmission side of the clutch is locked together. No gear can turn while the bike is stationary. In a constant mesh transmission, all or no gears turn, there is no other way. They all turn when you are moving, none turn when you are not moving. This always being locked together is what makes it possible for the rear wheel to slide (most frequently when downshifting) on slippery surfaces even with the clutch lever fully pulled in.

There is always a liitle drag built into the clutch, primarily because it is a wet clutch. That is described above. For an illustration of drag, PUSH your bike while it is neutral, then push it while in gear and the clutch lever pulled fully in. If the bike has been sitting for a while, you will feel both the effort to "unstick" the clutch plates AND after that, you will feel the added drag (as compared to neutral) of moving the clutch plates past each other. When starting your bike in gear, your starter ALWAYS has to overpower that added drag. When in neutral, the transmission INPUT shaft is free to spin while not connected to any gear. Typically spinning the input shaft is easier than ungluing the clutch and then having the plates spinning past each other. I reserve starting in gear for the rare times I stall the engine on the street and want a quick restart to promote traffic flow.

 

"btsom" explains it rather well ... Optimally, you should start the scooter in neutral with the clutch pulled in ... It also saves wear and tear on the starter drive and other components in the system ... All in all it's just a good idea!

 

Neutral.