85 Yamaha XJ700?

Hello everyone, my names Jake. I'm 17 and a senior in highschool. I enjoy working on anything with a motor, welding and metal fab, and detailing motorcycles. I've owned/co-owned 15 or so two wheeled machines, and worked on all of them. Then I have all my buddies asking for me to work on theirs HAH. Anyways I just bought an 85 Yamaha Maxim, I think it's a 700 but I'm not positive. It runs, has about 42k on it, and will clean up very nice. I payed $350 for it and it came with a clean title. I believe it needs clutch work. Running in neutral, I can pull the clutch in and drop it into first. As soon I as do, the bike grinds and dies. Tried revving it up to 4K or so then doing it, and same results. The actuator is moving and I can feel the springs compressing when I pull the lever. The lever pull felt O.K. no extreme resistance or lack of resistance. It was sitting for 4 months or more, I can't remember what the P.O. said. So I pulled the clutch cover and started taking the clutch plates out. Nothing was stuck together, it all slid apart fairly easy. Hit the steels with scotchbrite and after school tomorrow I'll hit the fibers with carb cleaner, and start from there. Only other culprit I can think of is the clutch springs possibly? Only issue I've ever had is a slipping clutch, never a locked up clutch. So I'm draining my brain power thinking about what else could do this. I plan on bobbing it, or reselling it depending on what else I run into. Any advice or input is appreciated!

Thanks,
Jake

 

I know my clutch sticks a little after I put new plates in, but only when it is cold and more of a hard clunk into first after I've started it first thing in the morning.
The grinding and dying part though...
Do you mean it grinds like you don't have the clutch in at all and then dies when it pops into gear?
If so 4K should give you a nice bit of a lurch you'd think!
Sounds like a clutch adjustment issue for sure. Tighten that cable right up and it ought to slip like a mug... loosen it off and it ought to not slip at all... loosen it too much and it wont remove enough of the spring pressure to let it slip when you pull the lever.
or...
If someone manage to slip an extra plate or friction disc in somehow... that'd put it right out of whack.
and
Please dont bob it... buy a seca and bob that lol, leave the maxim looking sexy.

 

It grinds as if the clutch is still engaged and when it grabs the gear it dies. I agree 4K launch in the gravel I expected to burn out a little and take off. I should have adjusted the cable to the extremes first before I tore it apart. Is it possible because it sat with clutch spring pressure the cable slowly stretched? The P.O. said it never had this issue before it was parked, and he seemed to be a trustworthy guy. You can't start the bike it gear correct? What if the switch that senses it in gear has an issue? I would think if it was a stuck open circuit it still wouldn't start in neutral. Also I don't know if the gear lever throw would go as far as grinding before she dies. We will know by the end of today for sure. Thanks cds1984!

 

Welcome Jake
I ran into the same thing on an fz750 clutch plates had rust on them and after a good polish they were good as new. A bead blaster is one way to clean them up. Just sitting shouldn't stretch the cable.
Ps nice bike for $350!

 

The safety switch relay disconnects the starter if it is in gear but pulling the clutch lever (which has a switch on it and is another reason the cable needs to be just right but not too tight) bypasses the safety switch relay.
So you can start it in gear if that switch is working correctly.


It is just a little 2 wire switch at the clutch lever and only stops it starting when it isn't in neutral. Purely electrical bypass.

Same thing applies to the side stand switch. If the side stand is down you can't start it, I think... I admit I always leave it on the centre stand.

 

Toomanybikes, the steels did actually have a little surface rust in them. It was such a little amount though, I feel like it wouldn't have done that. I'm obviously no expert though, so it's possible. cds1984, ok on one of my bikes I can remember it not starting in gear at all. Clutch lever either had a faulty switch or something. I do recall being able to start in gear with the lever pulled in on different bikes though. I was in a wreck a few months ago and received a not so wonderful brain injury. You could say my memory is not exactly pin point, I'm sure it will be noticed again. I know it won't start if the side stand is down, because I sold a bike and the next day the guy who bought It called me screaming cause I screwed him. It wouldn't start no matter what he did according to him. First thing I said was are the side and center stands up? Guy says oh no I forgot about that, kicks it up and gives it a whirl. Fired right up, at least he apologized for screaming and swearing at me HAH.

Thanks Toomanybikes and cds1984!

 

Any rust on 7 plates x 40 little spots on each one = lots of friction !
Did you try in on centre stand

 

Good point Toomanybikes. Yes I tried it on the center stand with the same results, that's what really stumped me.

 

It should start with the side stand down if it is in neutral, as the neutral switch should engage both the side stand relay and the starter cutoff relay.

If it won't start in gear with the clutch pulled in and the side stand up then one of the two switches is defective. Since it stalls upon placing it in gear (even on the center stand) the side stand circuit may be faulty. Try pulling the side stand switch plunger out next time after raising the side stand. A good cleaning of the plunger with contact cleaner may be in order for the side stand switch to get it functioning correctly.

You can also disconnect the side stand relay as a troubleshooting aid. Once removed, the bike should run regardless of the position of the side stand. It still won't crank in gear with the clutch pulled in and the side stand up though if one of the switches is defective, as the starter cutoff relay requires both the clutch and side stand switch to engage when not in neutral.

 

Got the clutch put back in yesterday and adjusted, feels great. Started it up, and still the same problem. Swore and said time to check wiring. Pulled the clutch safety switch on the perch, and twisted the wires together. Still nothing, so I traced those wires and found nothing wrong. Went on to look for the neutral safety switch and had a hard time finding it. So I was messing around with a test light, had it grounded and touched the wires for the clutch safety switch. I heard a relay or solonoid click when I touched them, that instantly gave it away. All I had to do was ground those two wires on the clutch safety switch and it worked great. Ran pretty well, the clutch felt great and it shifted smooth as butter. It actually surprised me how peppy that bike is, now I'm in the process of cleaning it up and the front brakes have a leak. Some genius used regular old washers for the banjo bolt on the calliper, I assume that's where the leak is coming from. Thanks again everyone for the help!

 

So yes grounding the clutch switch wires will defeat the starter safety circuit and the ignition (side stand) safety circuit. Hopefully, you can find some more time for troubleshooting the electrical issue to repair safety circuits. Symptoms of stalling when placing in gear most likely point to a defective / stuck side stand switch.

 

Yeah I need to get it figured out so the starter doesn't get burnt out trying to start in gear or something.

 

Jake, if your gauges are in MPH, you have a 700. If its in KPH, it could still be either. USA didnt get the 85/86 750's.

Check on the front of the engine to see what the casting says:

696 cm3 =xj700

 

I ran the vin and it's an XJ700, the speedo is in MPH as well.

 

Got the right side of the engine cleaned up. Working on the left side

 

She's all finished up. I have $470 including purchase price sunk into this one. I'm going to put it up for $1700 and take $1500. What do you guys and gals think?

 

Nice bike. I paid $900 for my 1982 XJ650 which is weathered and not shiny like yours. I paid $1200 for my 1982 XJ1100. Somebody may want to pay you $1500. Put it on your local Craigslist and see what happens. I bought both of my bikes from sellers on Craigslist.

 

$1500-1900 is the range for around my area.... Some have gone lower, some have gone higher but that's pretty much the ballpark that you're in

 

Great, I'm glad I'm not outrageously overpriced or something. Thanks for the help!

 

You may not want my advice, but I'd say keep it. Such a nice bike, and it couldn't take up that much space.
"Can we keep it mom? Can we? Pleeeeeeeese? "
But I might be a collector (hoarder).

 

I was planning on keeping it, until I bought a 86 Yamaha Fazer for $300

 

Ahhhh. An upgrade situation! Any pics of the FZR?

 

That looks awesome, I bet you could get your asking price if you repair the tear in the seat, IMHO, nobody wants a wet bum from rain or dew.
Alan

 

I would have the seat recovered. I had my professionally done--both saddle and rear seat-- for $100.

 

Here she is. When I first bought it, and how it sits as of Wednesday

 

Nice and cle

Nice and clean bikes like that going for about that money here with exchange rate = 2000 cdn and up