Clutch Problem Possibly?

Hey guys got an 81' xj650 Maxim...put the clutch plate on the aligned right the swivel where the cable is aligned right everything adjusted blah blah..any shifts easily neutral it rolls perfectly. shit gear and hold in lever it will roll but hard if i let go it locks like it should i don't know what else it could be maybe the rear wheel is to tight idk i did the rear brakes slapped it back on any help or suggestions would be appreciated, until i figure it all valve clearances will be done. (teaser pic of the rebuilt and repainted engine, i will post more pics when the pics is completely done and running, maybe even a video)

 

1. Punctuation and grammar/spelling are your friends. Keep your friends close.
2. Engine looks BEAUTIFUL!
3. Try taking the rear brake shoes out and reattaching the wheel to rule out the brakes grabbing funny. If that's what it was, make sure everything is seated properly when you throw it back together, then adjust the tension on the lever pullrod (the thin bar that runs parallel to the swingarm). There's a nut on the end to let you set the pre-tension placement. If you put new shoes in, you might still be adjusted for the thinner shoes, so the new shoes are grabbing "earlier."

 

Sorry, I always ditched that day in school. Thank you for the compliment. I will try your suggestion and see what happens. Thank you again.

 

I know there is a gear on the inside of the clutch cover, does that have to be lined up in a certain way when installing?

 

This is for the the 500 and it's derivatives, but the 650 clutch is similar, and the part you're ascking about is identical in procedure. http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/clutches-101-part-1-the-400-550-600s-with-pics.29541/

 

Nope. You'll want to take the pull lever off entirely (the arm that the clutch cable attaches to) so that you can orient it the way you want later on. Otherwise, that gear rotates freely and has no required position.

Once you have the cover on and torqued down, you'll want to twist that rod clockwise with your fingers until it makes a tick sound. That's where it needs to be before you put the arm back on. The tick sound is made by the throwout pull rod getting pulled against the press-plate.

Make sure the pull rod shaft doesn't twist back as you put the arm back on, and orient the arm so that the notch on the cover and the almost invisible dent on the arm line up. I'll get you a picture of mine tonight if I can't find the picture someone else showed me a month or two ago.

 

Found it!

 

I will have to retry this. I know when i take the cover off i can spin it just fine, but when cover is on it will barely mover maybe a quarter turn each way.

 

Sorry, I phrased that poorly. When I said it would spin freely, I just meant that it is capable of spinning freely [when the cover is off] and that the orientation doesn't matter.

What you're experiencing is exactly how it should be: cover off = rod/gear spins freely, cover on = hardly any movement, and tick sounds when it gets to the ends of its movement range.

 

Alright, so with that being said; I need to spin to the right then but the lever on but keep the rod all the way to the right. Correct?

 

Correct, using only finger strength to twist said rod.

 

Till it stops? Then the cable does the rest.

 

Yep, you got it.

There is debate back and forth about how much tension/slack to leave on the pull rod when the clutch is fully engaged/clutch lever is let out fully. The argument for having slack is that you won't be constantly putting pressure on the throwout bearing, and it won't wear out as soon. I personally didn't see how it could be avoided, and the 34 year old bearing I replaced two months ago seemed just as nice as the new one I put in, so my personal take on it is "who-the-f-cares?" So long as you're not putting a lot of tension on it, and inadvertently disengaging the clutch prematurely, I think you're good.

 

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I will post and let you guys know if it takes care of the problem

 

Hey, I'm just paying it forward. Glad I can help.

 

So I did what you guys said and still doesn't do crap. Is the a certain way the drive shaft is supposed to be aligned like notches on that as well?

 

Lol wow I fell stupid, had my mechanic friend come out that's all he does is motorcycles. Well he looked at it felt around, turns to me chuckles and goes it's just a sticky clutch from not having oil in for awhile. Takes it apart soaked it in oil, put it back together all good.