clutch problems... help needed

hey guys with all the help from the guys on the from even a newbie like me got an old 1981 xj750 working. oil chang and cleaned carbs
one final piece remains.
i had taken off my clutch cable and put it back on. and now i find two things happening.
1. the clutch is slipping since i put it back on. when i have clutch lever pulled in the bike moves very very slightly sometimes.
2. it is very hard to change gears. very stiff. this was the case before i took off the clutch cable but since then not only is it still hard to change gears but its near impossible to go into neutral.

any advice is appreciated

 

So out of 24 views of this topic, not one person has asked you, have you adjusted the cable?
There should be about 2 to 3 mm play at the lever end, that is the handlebar end. I don't know if there should be any play at the actual clutch end, as it's about 20 years ago when i was last familiar with the 750.
Check the cable for fraying at both ends, 'cos if it is frayed it's about shot.

 

See RickCoMatic's clutch adjustment thread: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2672.html

If you completely removed the cable, you likely disturbed the adjustment on the engine side of the cable and will have to adjust that end before making the fine tuning adjustment at the lever.