Starter Clutch....

I had one of the best Yamaha mechanics in the world [Kelowna BC Yamaha] attempt the clutch removal through the Alternator as described above and he said after the attempt that it was totally impossible to manipulate the clutch to achieve a separation. Bad on me for trying something not in my manuel, bad on the bullshitters that put this crap up on sites like this. In future I will treat these to good to be true fixes with a grain of salt.

 

Digging up an old-abandoned thread is unnecessary.
The "fix" described herein has been found to be utter bullshit (as applied to the XJ series), and there are several, much newer threads that say so.

That fact is also pointed out in this very thread. #18 #20

 

I worked on one of these 3-dog sprags before... In a Honda, it was slipping cause the springs were broken, i replaced them with springs from a Bic click pen... 3 of them actually... Lol!
Not proper, but was a budget quick fix, still working 2 years later.
More modern engines now use a multi sprag clutch usually 25+ sprags. Known as a one-way bearing, or slangly as a peanut drive (the roller spags are shaped like peanuts) they last way longer and grip better.