Crunchy 1st to 2nd gear change

[cyphertheory]

about 2/3 of my shifts between 1st and 2nd are pretty crunchy and its starting to concern me

obvious answer is to take it to the dealer as it is in warranty which is under way, but I wanted to know if others had experienced the same issue?

[UK_Vstrom650]

Chain adjustment/oil change 

[wurzel]

Mine is not exactly slick, but chain tension and fresh motor oil are your friend, I found slowing down my changes and fully using the clutch helps, which you could try bleeding.

[zippy]

hi, I found my bike was better with a semi synthetic oil than a fully synthetic , and chain tension is very important on the v2 . mine you I don't use the clutch once in second gear and upwards and it seems change really smooth without the clutch .I also change the oil every 3k
jason 

[cyphertheory]

Thanks both for the replies

I will change the oil, bleed the clutch and adjust the chain! obvious stuff really 

[wurzel]

  I must give mine an oil change,  it does freshen them up some, and mine has 6000 hard touring miles since the last one...

[sharealike]

No mention of the bikes mileage from new or if this problems crept in or has been there from new. In addition to the above I'd check the free movement in the rear cushion hub rubbers. And over many years I've learned that these engines change better with a lower rather than high oil level. Minimum in the window rather than max and be sure the bike is dead level when checking it. The bottom of the clutch easily hit by the sump oil if too full so oil drag between the plates affects the change quality.
Once all the above is checked and satisfactory the last resort could be deterioration of the damper built into the clutch basket. This relies on some friction to keep it taught during gear changes. This friction affected by mileage, synthetic oil and over filling.