On one hand it's good to know I'm not the ham-fisted and footed driver my friends think I am (when attempting to make a spirited shift from 1st to 2nd) but on the other hand, I would rather it were something with my driving that I could change to fix...

Maybe it still is, but based on all the excellent posts here, it would appear that there's a problem with the transmission... flywheel... clutch... system.

Otherwise, average, "normal" driving is not a problem (once the transmission warms up).

Crossfire Techs: Any technical info on why this is, what can be changed or adjusted?