stiff clutch below 4k rpm

[Road_Clam]

when first leaving my house i find the clutch near impossible to upshift if below 4k rpm. but above 4k it shifts easily. downshifting is also easy. the problem seems to go away after i've been riding for a few minutes.
this is while riding in cold weather ~30-35F

is this normal, or are new clutch parts in my future?

If a bike sat for a long time, it's common for the clutch pak to become "stuck" this is simply lack of oil between the steel and fiber discs. Give your clutch some time to see if the problem goes away. You could also have a warped steel disc(s) causing the clutch to slightly drag. To do a simple clutch test get your bike quickly into 4th or 5th gear and whack the throttle wide open, if your rpm's quickly rise not your speed, your clutch is cooked. Also thicker viscosity oils (20W-50, 30wt, etc) will aggravate "cold" clutch drag.

[mordantmonkey]

I've got a clymers and i'll try adjusting the clutch cable this weekend. but from the manual it looks like i'll have to drain the oil and take the cover off to adjust the cable.

there are so many little things i feel like i need to do to this thing. even though it runs OK, i don't think i'll be satisfied until i get a lot of work done on it.

i need to check wheel alignment, rotor trueness. what's the easiest way to get the front wheel in the air?

also, i stripped one of the oil filter retension bolts. doesn't seem to leak, but how would i go about replacing the bolt?

[t3rmin]

If you do have to take the cover off, just lean the bike on the side stand and the oil should collect on the other side of the bike. Didn't loose a drop when I did it that way.