82 650 Maxim

Both, sort of. It's a rubber gasket.

 

Well thanks to a fellow forum member I now have a clutch cover without any cracks in it. Was extremely careful when I torqued everything down, little by little criss crossing back and forth around the cover. I decided to make my own cover gasket and reused the center cover rubber gasket. No offense to chacal or any other parts source, money is just extremely tight right now. If it leaks, well then I'll be ordering gaskets but the center one looked really good and I was very careful transferring it to the replacement cover. Thanks for all the comments and advice. I'm sure this won't be the last time I post about an issue but trying to keep everything about this bike in this thread so there's a history. Oh and I painted the cover just because I wanted to see how it'd turn out and so far I like it.

 

Well guys, everything as far as the clutch is concerned is working out as it should. There are some more things I need to do to fine tune it's running and all but with life always seeming to get in the way, etc etc. I am currently in the process of swapping in another used rear tire, courtesy of a buddy as the old dunlop isn't far from having no visible tread outline, and I am wondering about the rear wheel bearings. They feel nice and smooth. I am estimating that the bike has between 25-30k miles on it and have no idea when or if they have ever been replaced. Should I just plan to replace them anyway as good practice, or run them since I can find no real reason other than age/mileage to replace them? Also, I am curious if there are any specs, procedure, etc outlined here for what the fall should be on the neck bearings? Thanks in advance, any help is appreciated.

 

Not sure about neck bearings - you can adjust any slack out, but they shouldn't be tight, rough or notchy.
As for the wheel bearings, stick your finger in them, one at a time and rotate, any roughness or slack, change them, otherwise leave alone.
Just my own methodollogy, feel free to disagree anyone.

 

The reason I ask about the neck bearings is that I have a head shake going on at hwy speeds. Upon checking the neck bearings the other night I notice that there is very little to no resistance when turning the bars with the front wheel off the ground. I have come to understand that on most bikes there is a range of spec for the fall off the front end when turning from center. For now I need to snug them up ever so slightly and hopefully over the winter convert to tapered roller bearings. As far as the rear wheel bearings are concerned, i found no cause to replace them so i didn't. I am very happy with the new rear tire. Although i will say i definitely notice the difference in size between manufacturers. Little by little i am turning and tweaking this little 650 into one heck of a sleeper. Thanks for the reply @Minimutly

 

The standard that I use for steering stem bearings is set them tight enough so the wheel stays centered until I push on the end of the handlebar with one finger, at which point it should flop over full-lock to the opposite side.
There should be no forward/aft, or side to side play at the bars, even if they move smothly.

Headshake can be caused by a number of things. Steering stem bearings worn or out of adjustment, swingarm bearings worn, wheel bearings worn, shocks worn-out, forks in need of rebuilding, out of balance front tire....the list does go on.

 

So here I am yet again. Having more troubles with things I thought I had sorted out. This spring I thoroughly cleaned the forks inside and out, replaced seals, new oil, etc. I also installed some tapered bearing in the steering head. Which after some minor adjustments seem to be going ok. I also removed the carbs for inspection, increasing pilot jet size, resetting bench sync, rechecking float height, etc. It runs ok after running sync and colortune. Not 100% happy in that dept. What really let me down was when the clutch started slipping again after just having replaced the friction disks and springs almost literally a year ago. Now I am stuck with deciding what to do. Part of me just wants to push it into the corner and let it sit there but I enjoy riding too much to realistically let that happen. I believe I should replace the friction and steel disks along with the springs again. Trouble is my budget is extremely small after everything I've already done to it this spring. Is it worth it to buy a 40 dollar caltric clutch kit that includes both sets of disks and springs? Or should I just leave it sit until I can afford a Barnett kit? Other than the lack of lining on the old disks I couldn't find anything wrong. The steels are unburned and flat, I haven't measured their thickness though which is one thing I did wrong, and i always checked the cable free play religiously almost every time i ride. Just looking for some thoughts to hopefully get me through this extremely frustrating time with my xj

 

What oil did you put in it?

 

I have been using 20w50 valvoline motorcycle oil. Might be a touch on the heavy side for early spring and late fall riding but that's what most everyone I know around here runs. Doesnt necessarily make it the right choice but that's part of what swayed my decision. I had thought about using 10w40 but I had the 20w50 still on the shelf from last year so that's what I went with. I'm planning to replace both friction and steel disks this time and go from there.

 

If its still cool uout where you are, thicker oil could cause a bit of a slip, however once the engine is warm it shouldnt matter. Did you pre-soak the fibers in the oil for 24 hrs?
Otherwise, only a notched out basket, or weak springs should cause slippage, unless the dics are worn out already.

 

Yea, they were soaked for well over 24 hrs. Bike was good and warm before it started happening. I carefully inspected the basket and pressure plate before putting it together the last time and didn't find any notches or anything that indicated a problem. We will see what I find when I crack it open. Parts wont be here till next week so that's probably when I'll look at it. It's on a time out right now haha

 

Double check the clutch cable adjustment. It might not be allowing the clutch to fully engage.

 

That was one of the first things I double and triple checked. I have it set to 3-4, closer to 4mm instead of the Haynes manual calling for 2-3mm.

 

how long did you ride it? with a one year old clutch, i'd be tempted to try and let it fix itself
with the lever that loose, does it creep forward in first with the lever in?

 

Theres a slight nudge forward when you first drop it in gear but that's about it. I rode it for a few miles after I noticed it starting to slip and every time it was under heavy load/hard acceleration/high rpm it would slip like clockwork. If I'm nice to it, in town riding/lower rpms it doesnt seem to slip but let's face it, what fun is that. Unfortunately it means spending some more money but I've come to terms with it. Need to get through this wintery blast that is supposed to hit us, which will give me time to fix it, and I'll go from there.

 

Does your bike have a clutch master? If so have to checked to make sure the fluid return hole is open? That can cause the fluid to keep pressure on the line and then the clutch would slip.
What type of engine oil did you use? Something that might be making the clutch slip? These are just questions for trouble shooting. Might not apply.

 

Cable clutch, have been checking the free play every time I rode it. Using same oil as always 20w50 valvoline motorcycle oil. Not sure what's going on but plan to replace everything again and go from there.

 

Could be the springs or bolts backing out?

 

That's definitely one thing I'm going to check when I crack it open. I dont recall if I used any blue loctite on the bolts or not. I know I carefully torqued them to spec.

 

a nudge when it is first put in gear is a normal thing until oil gets warmed up. oil clutches have oil between the plates which will cause movement

 

Have you over filled the crankcase
Too much oil can do that. And did you clean the metal plates? If they were glazed from previous fibre plates that will also cause an issue.

 

The oil is filled to the top of the window with a very small bubble at the top. By the time the message to quit pouring reached my hand it was already to that point. I hadn't thought of too much oil causing the clutch to slip. I did clean the steel plates before they were installed last time. I believe I gave them a very, very light sanding on a flat surface to break any glaze,cleaned them again before installing. Question I have now is, if infact I do have the crankcase overfilled which caused the clutch to slip, have I done too much damage to simply correct the overfull condition and keep riding? We are currently getting snow so it wont be ridden anytime soon. On a somber note, my grandfather would have been 98 today. We lost him in January, day of his funeral was a big snow storm. Supposedly there was a big snow storm on this day in 1921 when he was born.

 

New parts have arrived but I am curious about the possibility of having the crankcase overfilled which causes the clutch to slip under high rpm hard pulls. Since it has slipped a small number of times is it automatically junk? I haven't had a chance to even look at it for the past few days but plan to when I get home tonight. If all I need to do is remove some oil after checking the level and good to go that would be great. I'm also prepared for the other side of it meaning replacing friction plates, steel plates, and springs. Just wondering if someone can shed some light on this for me. Is it worth it to try to save it not knowing if or when it may act up again? Or just go ahead and replace it for peace of mind that I wont end up stranded hundreds of miles from home

 

I would not expect overfilling to cause permanent friction plate issues. I would expect poor oil quality or low oil to cause heat damage to all of the plates.

 

You know... Before going farther, id try changing the oil, use the proper 10w40 motorcyle oil.
There us the possibility the oil is too thick, also old oil, unless synthetic can break down over time and not work 100%
Its a cheap, easy thing to try before ripping your bike apart to check the clutch
Also, if the clutch has slipped, the oil is likley burnt a bit.

 

"Synthetic" mineral oil is typically derived from crude oil, same as conventional. Amsoil is one of the few formulators that use a pure base oil instead of distilling the base directly from market crude and adding to it. So, despite what the bottle may say a "synthetic" oil is only as "pure" as the base used to make the oil blend. Having said that all mineral oils break down over time from moisture and heat. Moisture is one of the biggest enemies of mineral oil. The more pure the base mineral oil, the less crap is in it which can cause faster break down and water absorption. Ester oil is a totally different animal and rarely used in highway engines due to how quickly it turns into carbon, but that's exactly what you want from it.

 

I just changed the oil before I started riding it this season. Yes, I used 20w50 but it is motorcycle oil designed for use with wet clutches. I'm not saying the oil still couldn't be partly at fault, but it just seems odd to me that it was fine at the end of last season, changed it this spring, and now clutch slip. Hopefully tonight I will get a chance to verify whether or not the crankcase is overfull

 

An overfull crankcase won't cause clutch slip, unless the extra volume is made up of gasoline (and even then it's not going to slip unless the clutch is already going out).

Even new parts can be faulty. Sucks when that happens, but it does happen.

 

Did you use the same oil last season? If the oil change is the only real factor in the "new" clutch slip, id be apt to blame the oil...
Only other thing ive seen is that some oils arent meant for old school cork friction plates.
After sitting they (if ya pull em out) get slimy feeling, and they slip, kinda like the wood/cork grew an algae on it.
Clean em off with brake clean and a pile o'rags and youll get a film off them.
Re soak, re-install, good to go.
And try a different brand oil, even if the one yr using is for bikes

 

I did use the same oil last season. I dropped the friction plates in a clean oil bath before I left for work this morning. Maybe they will be ready to go by the time I get home, maybe I'll just wait until tomorrow. I have a few other things to tend to as well so not a huge deal. I think 24hrs is the recommended soak time

 

One other thing as far as my choice of oil goes, I have been running the same oil in the girlfriends 650 with no issues. Last night I got the new clutch plates and springs put in. I didnt get a chance for a test ride because the girlfriend came home early from work and was a little upset that I was working on my bike yet again while hers sat on the lift untouched for over a week. So I worked on hers instead so she got to go for a test ride around the block which made her happy. Rain here today so looking like a test ride isnt going to happen but i have a few more things to button up on both bikes before I'll call them good to go for the season. I appreciate everyone's input and here's to hoping I wont have to remove my clutch cover for a long time.