81 xj550H stalls when i put in Gear

hi xj lovers im having a issue with my 81 xj550 it runs and starts great but when i go to put it in gear it turns off i have to either rev up high and trick it to go into first or i have to push the bike a little foward at the same time as i start it but as soon as shes off she rides fine
Here is a little video i made i of the symptom im haveing i know i have the kickstand down and its not going to start with it down but just to show you the symptom im haveing when the kickstand is up
heres the youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFFUs03DldA

 

does that machine have the side stand safety switch, which kills the engine if it's attempted to be put in gear with the stand down? if so the switch may be defective.

 

yes it does have the switch and it does work i only posted the video to show the symptom that im haveing i know that the kickstand is down on the video but when i pick it up it stalls out when i get into first gear
i have to either push it foward alittle and start at the same time or rev up high and put it into gear let me see if i can post later this evening but i need my lady to hold the camera while i start ok thx

 

Remove the side stand relay and see if this fixes the problem, If this works you have a bad relay or wrong relay in place.

 

its possible that your clutch is not adjusted properly - it's not disengaging so when you put it in gear it stalls the motor. I think if the relay was bad, you wouldn't be able to roll/rev it up to keep it going.

Also, if the bike has been sitting for a long while, the clutch discs can sometimes get gummed together and cause the stalling. I would bet on the cable first though.

 

I think Ace is right. My XJ sat partially disassembled for 3 years. The PO had kind of forgotten all the things he did or didn't do to it and when we first fired it up, it did the same thing- stalled when put into gear.

Check your clutch adjustment.

 

hey guys the bike sat for 5 months PO in a underground garage im going to adjust the cable and see if it works im going to do it tommorrow hopefully it dont rain hey guys thank you very much ill let you know what the turn out was and ill post another video thanks a million be safe XJer's

 

Clutch adjustment, or maybe clutch plates sticking?

 

i had the same problem with mine in two different ways.

first, the kickstand has a little piston that comes out when the kickstand is in the up position. This is a kill switch to let you know the stand is down. try putting the kickstand up and pull this piston out as far as you can and try it again. obviously if it stays running with the bike in first gear, that is your problem, even if it isn't make sure to lube it very well with some di-electric grease or axle grease.

Second, this problem occurred after I had fixed the first problem.
On your clutch lever there is a spring loaded prong that sticks out when the clutch lever is released. It will be in between the clutch cable adjuster and the handle bar. If this prong is not pushed in all the way by the clutch lever when engaged or is broken the bike will die because it thinks you do not have the clutch lever pulled in all the way when trying to go into gear.

both problems don't take much to fix it is just very annoying when it happens.
These are the first two places i would start.
If both of those are OK, then I agree with ace. Check the clutch adjustment. I replaced my clutch pack and still haven't got the adjustment perfect. It is a very tedious process that you will get to know on this bike.
hope this helps and good luck.
joshw

 

Clutch adjustment on the 550 is just like any other XJ and it's pretty simple. It sounds to me like the clutch is sticky; even if properly adjusted it will drag if gummed up.

It may free up after a couple hundred miles' worth of riding; if not you will need to pull it apart and clean everything. It's not a difficult process but on the 550 there are a couple of "tricks" to it; do not take it apart until you have a service manual.

 

ok so i adjusted the clutch on top where the perch and clutch lever is but i wanted to know if the adjustment screw is to far out and if it is should i do a adjustment on the bottom adjuster on the caseing here is a pic of my adjustment on top oh and by the way no more red light creep but still stalls out when i go to put it in first gear from nuetral thxs all

 

I had the same problem exactly when I installed a new clutch lever assembly. If the neutral/kickstand switch is defective, the bike "thinks" the kickstand is down. All that it took to fix it was bridging the wire so that the bike "thought" the kickstand was up. The wire that comes from the clutch lever can be spliced together to fix it. Otherwise get a new switch at the kickstand or clean the old one and see what happens.

 

ok im going to take a look at the sidestand switch i take it off and clean it with wd40 if not ill purchase a new one last alternative ill take it off all together thank you everybody this place is a blessing

 

I'd bet big time that your kickstand safety switch is sticking on. It works fine when the stand is down. It kills the engine when you put it in gear as your video shows. If it does the same thing when the stand is up, then the switch is the likely culprit.

 

They do this, especially when cold. Adjust your clutch, bump start, deal with it....