82 XJ750 Seca Clutch Stuck/Gummed Up/Something??

I am slowly recessitating this bike after 20+ years in a barn. The bike only has 4900 miles on it and to the best of my knowledge was in good working order when it was sent to the barn. I have cleaned and coated the inside of the fuel tank, and rebuilt the petcock. I am still sorting the carbs out and have yet to start the bike.

Anyway, I was pushing the bike around the garage the other day and noticed that it only rolls freely in neutral; it will not roll while in gear with the clutch pulled in. The clutch cable is fine and connected but the bike acts the same clutch in or out, while in gear. Thoughts?

 

The clutch is stuck. I would just pull the side cover and plan on a new set of friction discs.

 

Thanks for the quick response. I was reading thru BigFitz's clutch tutorial and other resources. It doesn't look like a terribly difficult or expensive job. I am however curious; once the girl gets running and has some nice, fresh, and warm oil circulating thru her, could the clutch get "unstuck"?

 

Sure it could.

But let's think about this for a minute.

Bike is 30 years old, and has 4900 miles on it. (1900 overdue for first valve clearance check, BTW.)

For it to be that old with that few miles, it did some sitting.

With the clutch half in and half out of whatever oil it was parked with.

Clutch friction discs are a collection of miniature brake pads that are meant to live soaked in oil. The half that WEREN'T submerged in oil for the last umpteen years all dried out, and became tiny little blocks of linoleum. The other half basically dissolved in whatever they were sitting in. Meanwhile, ALL of them "became one" with the plain plates they were sandwiched in with. Which is why it's stuck.

So sure, it might break loose. But the plain plates now have little "remembrances" of the friction pads etched into/onto them; and you're going to expect those 30 year old crumbly linoleum friction plates to function the way they once did?

Rebuilding the clutch is just as important as rebuilding the brakes, in terms of reliability. Most people give it no thought, and are "surprised" when it begins to act up once they put the bike back in service.

I'd be surprised if it DIDN'T have problems.

New friction plates, springs and bolts, and a gasket. And some Scotchbrite and a fresh jar of elbow grease. Be sure to flush and lube the cable; and clean and lube the lever pivot.

Clutches are easy, and actually fun, to work on (for me anyway.) Just be patient and proceed carefully, and soak all of the parts in oil beforehand. And use a proper range torque wrench for the bolts.

 

That's crazy talk. Next thing you're going to tell me not to reuse those perfectly good 30 year old brake pads... kidding. Or I'd better get my parts from Chacal or my bike will explode... Seriously though, thank you for the rational straight talk.

 

Personally, I recommend the original plain plates, Scotchbrited back to health; K&L (chacal's "aftermarket" brand) friction plates; and OEM Yamaha springs (not the "15% stiffer" aftermarket ones.)

The K&L friction plates perform better than the OE Yamaha plates in a number of ways; and the stiffer springs do nothing except give your hand more exercise.

 

CAUTION: New guy causing trouble...

Based on a recent post, it looks like Len's friction plates are a little pricey... Sure would be nice if he had a website (other than this one). I accept that he is the XJ Oracle (I asked for pricing on some brake parts and got a 30 PAGE E-MAIL). I find it bizarre to have to e-mail him for pricing. I digress...

Back to the clutch, I understand your concerns about the crusty old friction plates, but why replace the springs? Is it one of those "since you're in there" things?

And how do you know the valves weren't checked at 3000 miles?

 

The springs tend to "sag" after being squished for so long; plus the metal they make springs out of nowadays is far better than it was 30 years ago.

Re: valves-- do you know they were? Most of these bikes were never taken back to the dealer, and valve clearance checks were beyond the scope of the average owner. It's the single-most neglected maintenance item on an old XJ.

 

Doesn't the "squishing" occur when the clutch lever is squeezed? Better metal? Is it "Readon Metal" (vague reference to Atlas Shrugged)?

Maybe I've already checked them... I haven't; I will.

Thanks Fitz.

 

The clutch springs are always compressed, or the pressure plate would have no "bite" on the stack of plates.

When you pull in the lever, you compress them even more, to the point of being nearly fully compressed.

If you rebuild the clutch and use the original springs, the new clutch may slip.

 

Being on a tighter budget as well, When i rebuilt mine the other week I searched and found a few options.

This place sells them for 48.00, but they are their "own" brand, so not really sure where/who makes them.
http://www.maccycles-parts.com/servlet/StoreFront

I got EBC's from powersport superstore through amazon: (free shipping then)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GTUZ50/ref ... T1_3p_dp_1

I went with the ebc's as i have been satisfied with their brake products and turns out have been satisfied with the clutch plates as well. If you havent done your wheel bearings, you can also get the all balls sets through them real cheap and shipped for free along with the clutch plates. Then you dont have to worry about them. pretty sure around 20$ total f&r from them.

For springs i bought them off ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390457704308?it ... 60&vxp=mtr


If you get the wheel bearings, its cheaper buying directly through powersports super store and buying everything from them, but if youre just getting the springs and friction plates, its cheaper to get the free shipping through amazon as well as 12.00 shipped for the springs.

for me, it was cheaper to but the bolts at the dealership for 1.75 a piece than to pay for shipping from somewhere else.

The bolts you need are yamaha part number:
95817-06025-00 - you'll need 5 of them.

Hopefully that makes sense.

Everthing at powersports superstore:

Friction Plates:
http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/EBC ... m?CartID=3

Springs:
http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/EBC ... 104837.htm

Front wheel bearings:
http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/All ... m?CartID=1

Rear wheel bearings:
http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/All ... m?CartID=2


Notes:
Replace the bolts! yes they look fine im sure but yamaha recommends replacing them anyway. do it. its cheap insurance. (Reuse/transfer the washers though)

DO NOT over tighten the 5 bolts previously mentioned - torque setting is 7.2 ft lbs. USE a torque wrench. They snap EASY.

tighten the clutch cover in a symetrical pattern to prevent dis-contorting the cover and causing it to leak. M5 allens are also to be torqued to 7.2 ft lbs. again use a torque wrench.

As for a gasket, i personally just used permatex ultra black rtv and have had no issues with leaks.

Be sure to soak the new plates in oil before installation.

-use scotchbrite pads to scrub the surface of the plain plates even if they look good

-in regards to which springs to use, im sure the oem springs would be easier to pull and as fitz said having stiffer springs wont increase clutch preformance, but i just got the ebc's as they were easily availible at a cheaper price. and they're not that "hard" to pull.

I also installed a new clutch cable when i did mine, just for preventative maintenance as it was only like 10 bucks and i'd rather spend 10 bucks then be somewhere away from home with a broken clutch cable.

Good luck! I agree in saying that its a "fun" project, just take your time and look to fitz's tutorial if you find yourself confused.

Have fun!

 

DOH!!

just realized you have a seca and not a maxim -

the clutch parts are all the same, but the wheel bearings will be wrong most likely. I'm sure they sell the kits you need, but you'll have to do some searching for that.

sorry bout that.

 

Fitz, got it; thanks for the explanation.

 

Good gauge, thanks for the info. Not sure about the "no gasket" though, guess I'll check with the dealer when I get the bolts...

 

All my parts came in so I decided to take the clutch apart last night. It was pretty mucked up in there. Tried a green scrubby pad on the plain plates but had to resort to a wire brush to get them cleaned up. They looked pretty good once they'd had a good brushing. None are warped, but a few look like they may have some minor pitting. Should I be concerned?