First thing I would check is cable adjustment. Make sure there is enough. As mentioned it can be seen through the filler cap.

Second change the oil! If it's too thick it will drag the clutch.

I definitely would, but I can't find any new clutch kits for under $100. Today I am going to take it all apart and check the thicknesses of the plates as well as the steel plates for any warpage. The bike was maintained like a clock before I picked her up. The guy was the only owner since the bike was new and worked for a motorcycle shop, so he had all the service records. That being said, 33k miles is a lot for a clutch so I will see what I find.


Cable is adjusted perfectly, theres just a bit of free play to prevent riding the clutch and theres plenty of movement when observed through the filler cap. As far as the oil goes, I will be switching the T6 15w-40 out with T6 5w-40 to see if it helps at all when cold. Thing is even when the bike is all warmed up I am getting the same clunky shifts through 1st and 3nd and the same creep, but eliminating the oil as a contributing factor will help.

Creeping through all the gears would make me feel more confident in an easier and possibly cheaper fix, ie too thick oil or worn clutch pack. If it ends up being the clutch, I've had good results with Barnett. I put a couple through my Ducati and that bike loved to eat clutches, especially on the track. I don't know what the price difference between triumph and Barnett is but I see you get springs, frictions and steels with the Barnett kit. Good luck

It’s all pretty much been said about your clutch issue.

I’ll comment about the gasket maker. You say this bike has been maintained like a clock. Keep it that way and get a decent replacement gasket. They probably cost just a few bucks more than a tube of gasket maker. Dont use that crap and keep an engine nice and clean.

With that out of the way
Subscribed to see how the issue is resolved since I had a similar issue

I recently worked on a friend’s 2012 R6, did a frayed clutch cable replacement and oil + filter change. When we started the engine the bike would creep like you described but only on the starter motor. Meaning if I start the engine in 1st with clutch pulled in, it would creep (slightly) while the starter motor is running. Once the engine is running there would be no creep at all even if I rev the engine (in 1st with clutch pulled in). Clutch cable is properly adjusted with good free play. Bike has less than 15k miles on it and has been treated nicely overall.
There was a bit of a clunky gear shift 1st-2nd but that’s now gone.
My friend doesn’t seem to recall if this issue was present before the clutch cable issue.

Don’t mean to hijack the thread but these seemed like similar issues so why not pool our brain power


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A trick with the old FZRs was to use 3 Barnett and 3 OEM springs; the kit springs were quite heavy and gave your clutch hand a serious workout.

Called my local triumph dealer for a parts quote, he said go on bikebandit so I did. For OEM its $159 for the friction disk kit, dont know if that includes the steel plates. Springs $4 each. I asked what brands he recommends and he said they havent had good luck with EBC or Barnett, and to stick with OEM. However I've read people have had good luck with Barnett (not sure about EBC though), and the full kit is $190. For EBC, friction pads are $75, springs $10, but steels not included. Probably go with Barnett. I am going to be checking for warpage of the steels, but I think at this point I should just replace everything and start fresh.

Past bikes of mine would do that when starting, I believe its just because the oil hasnt had a chance to circulate through the clutch pack yet. No biggie.

Good to know, might have to do this if the Barnett springs are too aggressive!

For the past week I have been working on the bike, doing valves and stuff. Finally that portion is back together and finished up, so today I cracked open the clutch to install the new plates that have been soaking in oil. After removing the stock plates, I noticed the basket is pretty grooved. I can feel the indentations with my finger, and they are on the basket and hub. I am certain this is whats been causing my issues, I only wish I didnt spend 200 on a clutch kit as the current ones look mint. I really was hoping the basket wasnt grooved, but here we are.

Attached a pic of the damage. I also noticed that only the front 2 plates were oil coated, the rest of them were basically dry. I have no idea what thats about. What should I do now?

Attached Thumbnails

 

You can smooth out the grooves with a fine file; chalk the teeth to avoid excessive pinning. This will increase the clearances and lead to accelerated wear, but you're basically buying more time on worn parts, so ...



The fiber plates may or may not show a film of oil, depending on the oil flow of the clutch, but they should be soaked overnight in clean oil before installing.

+1 for filling, much cheaper than a new basket.
I put a Barnett basket in my Duc years ago cause it had steel caps on the leading and trailing edges of the basket teeth. Worked great but not cheap. Dry clutches eat aluminum clutch baskets so it was a must.

I've never heard of anyone filing their basket. That's interesting but seems like a lot of extra work & risk when so many 1st & 2nd gen owners are switching to 3rd gen slipper clutches. I bet you can pick up a basket pretty cheap.