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Help with my two XJ550 Please....

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Tony222, Jun 7, 2021.

  1. Tony222

    Tony222 Member

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    Hello everyone, I started a new thread as now I am just dealing with a couple issues with my 2 1982- XJ550's maxims. For reference here is a picture:
    2 bikes.jpg
    So the bike that I think I need to get going first is my black one and that's the one going to my son so he can get his license and do some road trips with me and his younger brother. Here's the problem: It was not shifting right and I was missing gears so I got a Yamaha mechanic to put in some new clutch plates and pressure plates and now it is worse than ever. I just tried adjusting the clutch in several different ways and I can barely get going. I rev it up to 3,000 rpm's and I have to push my feet on the ground to get it going. Also standing in the driveway I can engage first gear and I can just hold the bike with my own strength and not using any brakes and it doesn't not pull very hard. When I picked up the bike the mechanic said that I need a new shifter and spring and that could be the problem as the shifter moves up and down probably 3/4's an inch just if free play. He said that I needed these parts:
    parts list.jpg
    The mechanic said that I need parts 4 and 6. Do you guys think that this could be the problem or am I missing something and also can I get these parts anymore? Should I get any other parts?

    Okay so now onto bike 2 ( the silver bullet ) This bike still has the same issue as always. I will start in first gear and I can go up to 2nd and then back to 1st no problem over and over again but it seems that as soon as I get into 3rd then I can never go back down to 2nd or 1st and at stop signs and lights I have to start off in 3rd which is not very fun. The only way to get it back into 1st is to turn it off and use my hand to pop the gear down while I slowly push the bike forward a bit and put pressure on the gears and then it goes back in and I am good until I go back up into 3 rd or higher. What do you think that's is and what can I do about it?
     
  2. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    If you need a new shifter and spring for the black bike how can you be sure the clutch was faulty? Do you have photographs of the old clutch parts? Do you have a Haynes workshop manual for the bike?
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2021
  3. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Your “mechanic” could replace a clutch pack but not do the other side? He apparently didn’t replace things there either, if those are bad. Even if those are bad, your. clutch should engage strongly. Sounds like either he did a poor job to begin with, or he doesn’t know what he’s doing. If he knew you needed other parts on the other side, why didn’t he replace them, since you paid him to fix the clutch?? I’m stumped on that.

    without seeing the bike, I’d guess the clutch cable needs adjustment, and possibly the lever on the clutch cover needs to be re-indexed.

    I hope he put ALL new parts in the clutch pack, not just SOME
     
  4. Tony222

    Tony222 Member

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    I don't have the hanyes manual for it but he showed me the old clutch plates and pressure plates and to be honest that's the first time I ever saw a set in my life so I never knew if they were good or bad. He said that yes they were time to switch out to new ones. He also didn't say that he adjusted anything on the other side? What are you suppose to adjust on the other side to make everything work better hog? Is there a write up about what to adjust or a video somewhere?
     
  5. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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  6. Tony222

    Tony222 Member

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    Thanks Hog I will start reading:)
     
  7. Rooster53

    Rooster53 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I think on the 550 they are under the right side cover behind the clutch, which is even worse if the mechanic was there why didn't he fix it then?

    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/82-550-seca-wont-shift.34817/#post-302207
     
  8. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Good call rooster, I couldn’t find fitzy’s post. Glad you Could dig it up.
     
  9. Tony222

    Tony222 Member

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    I am not sure. So now what. The bike barely moves now and I am going to have to take it back to the mechanic again and tell he to look at what or do what?
     
  10. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    I am really surprised if he did not test the bike once he replaced the clutch. There must be something wrong with the selector mechanism as described above, he should have picked that up. My mistake he did, just re read it.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2021
  11. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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  12. Tony222

    Tony222 Member

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    Yes that looks like it Franz. When I went to pick up the bike he told me that the clutch was still slipping and he wasn't authorized to do anything else so I think he just did what he was authorized to do which was put the new clutch and pressure plates in. I just made another appointment with him for Saturday and he will look at the bike again. Either way I do not know what to do anymore and its out of my mechanical skill level so I guess it's up to him to figure it out??
     
  13. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Not authorized to finish a job? I’m no tv following that logic. To me, that’s like a brake job where a guy says:
    “I had new pads put on but I have no brakes”
    And the repair guy says: “ I was only authorized to put the pad in. I wasn’t authorized to bleed the system”
     
  14. Tony222

    Tony222 Member

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    ha ha that's funny hog. I have never been in any gears or clutches on bikes in my life and I don't want to wreck my son's bike. This is the only thing left to fix and its good to go so I will throw a few bucks at a mechanic to fix it and getting running better and shifting good. Its a dad thing plus I am leaving in two days on a 10 day quad trip in the mountains and these two project bikes are taking way way too long. I use to just collect Honda shadows (500cc) and ya know I have never ever had a problem with a shadow clutch or gears ever out of like 5 bikes that I worked ion and rebuilt and sold. Is this just a Yamaha thing or maybe just a XJ thing?
     
  15. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    I have not seen or heard that Yamaha's or XJ's are predisposed to clutch problems. My son bought an older Kawasaki Vulcan and we had to replace the clutch basket and all the plates. I don't think it's a Kawasaki thing either.
     
  16. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    It’s not “an XJ thing”. It’s a “since it has a clutch and it’s going to wear down at some point, and you’re gonna have to put new parts in.....and when you do put new parts in, YOU HAVE TO RE-ADJUST it to work properly again” thing.
    It sure sounds TO ME like it’s a case of” the mechanic didn’t do everything he was suspposed to do
     
  17. Tony222

    Tony222 Member

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    You maybe right Hog but I don't know the difference anyway.
     

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