1982 Yamaha XJ650 Driveshaft Removal Question

Hi all,

I've been working on disassembling my XJ650 in hopes to do a full restoration. This is my first rebuild so i'm really learning as I go. I'm currently stuck on trying to figure out how to remove my driveshaft and any help would be greatly appreciated! I removed my rear tire and drive assembly (which may of been a mistake) and started removing my swing arm thinking that the drive shaft would pull out of the swing arm. I thought I could go this route without having to remove the four stubborn brass colored bolts from the engine to the drive shaft joint. I read somewhere that some models have a clip that hold the shaft to the u joint and can be removed by tugging and pulling the shaft out. I tied a slip knot over the end that is exposed on the swing arm but haven't had any luck. Plus I'm worried about pulling to hard. My goal is to remove my engine but not sure if i'm going the correct route. Should I reinstall the rear wheel and drive assembly and go back to trying to remove the four brassy bolts?

Thank you for your time!

 

If you are going to strip the whole bike you can take the driveshaft off in situe with the swinging arm. It's splined onto the coupling with the four brass coloured bolts. What l do is remove the front and back end so l am left with the frame. You can put the frame on its side with a plywood sheet or some timber. When you remove the bolts holding the engine in the frame you can lift the frame off of the engine. If you don't have a manual you should get one to help you disassemble the bike.


Here is a photo of my 900f driveshaft joint.

 

You should be able to pull the driveshaft out of the universal joint part 42.

 

Thank you for the advice on how to remove the engine from the frame. That sounds like the right approach to take. As far as the driveshaft and looking at your attached photo, it looks like the driveshaft is being held by two circlips which is why i'm struggling to pull out the shaft. Do you know if it is possible to pull out the shaft with the two circlips holding it in place?
Thanks again for the help.

 

You can remove the driveshaft from the splines on the universal joint without touching the circlip. The driveshaft is a push fit into the hub and the universal joint. I did what you did and pulled the hub but the shaft remained in the hub and came out of the universal joint. If you can apply some localised heat with a blowtorch that may help but you do not want to damage the rubber boot that covers the universal joint.

 

You will be able to just pull the shaft out. If you watch mezzmo on u-tube, you will see how he puts it back in. It is a pain to keep the universal joint level and steady when you push it back in, but if I can do it, anybody can.