Erratic clutch engagement when cold

[PizzaMonster]

In the last few weeks I have noticed that when the engine temp is still low my clutch engagement seems a bit unpredictable.  It's as if the internals are "hanging up" for a split second so I never know exazctly where the friction point is going to be.  In neutral the lever feels fine.  Once in gear it has a very slight jerky feeling in it's release.  It's more an inconvenience than a problem but it is forcing me to feather the throttle and clutch a bit more than I'd like to on a start.  A few times it's caught me out and I've stalled the bike when it finally does decide to engage.  Pumping the lever doesn't seem to make any difference.

Once the bike has warmed (over about 95 C  or 200 F) it works fine.  I'm wondering if it has something to do with the oil. The bike is an '07 S2R800 (so it has the wet clutch) with about 9000km (5500 mi) on it.  The oil and filter was changed to Motul 5100 at its 1000km inspection and was changed again at 6000km.   The oil level is right up and anyways I really can't see the oil being considered "old" at 4 months.

I'll probably just live with it and mention it at my 12000 km service but in the meantime its a bit annoying and hopefuly not a sign of bigger problems to come.

Am I looking in the wrong place for this problem?  Anyone having a suggestion or a report of a similar experience would be appreciated.

[OverCaffeinated]

I've got the same bike, an 06'. When I first got the bike I did have some stalling issues, when cold. I did find myself having to feather the controls off the start. That has since gone away after a break in period. The clutch is still iffy when cold, harder to find neutral. I have learned to just live with that issue. I've only got 3000 miles on my clock, and your around 5500 and still having issues. I've also learned to give this bike more throttle off the line than I would with other bikes. If the issues are only when cold I wouldn't worry, that's why we are supposed to warm our bikes up. If you think there is a bigger issue search the forum, I've seen threads specifically on the s2r 800 clutch.

[PizzaMonster]

Thanks for the input but this doesn't seem to be a "cold engine sputtering" kind of problem.  It's definitely some kind of uneven resistance in the clutch mechanism.  I pulled off the reservoir lid to check the fluid level and it seems to be fine. 

I'm remembering back to my last few rides now and I did ride home in a torrential downpour the other day.  I can't really remember if I noticed this clutch issue before then or not.  I suppose it could be related to parts getting any lube washed off of them in that rain but then why would it stop acting up when warm?  Could moisture have gotten into the hydraulic system?  I'm not really sure what water would look like when mixed with brake fluid so I can't tell if its contaminated or not.

[CairnsDuc]

I also have the 07 S2R 800, Mine has about 9000k's on it now, And I have always found the clutch is a bit "Iffy" when the bike is cold, But one it's in the 60's (C) it starts to smooth out, it will still shudder a little in heavy traffic until the temp gets up into the 80's/90's, but I'm used to it now.

The only thing I could suggest is the O ring seal for the clutch slave is damaged where it attaches to the engine case, My dealer has a lot of Issues with them under warranty, we have a lot of fine sand on our roads up here and it's gets in to and wears that O ring out very quickly and causes no end of clutch issues.

And I figure, if it's an issue, ask your dealer, That's why you have warranty, may as well catch it now, before it turns into a bigger more expensive issue (outside of warranty)

[PizzaMonster]

Thanks fellas.  I'll check out the O-ring possibility but judging from other's experience I'm beginning to get the impression I'm just lucky I didn't notice this "Ducati quirk" sooner than I did.

If you see some guy stall his Monster at a light and then restart it, rev it stupidly and launch off in a flurry of noise......that would be me.....       .