CLUTCHES 101-Part 1: the 400/550/600s with pics

Thanks for the detailed write up! I followed your instructions and adjusted my cable accordingly but I'm having the stall when trying to put it i gear too...

When I got the bike (550) the plates were stuck together so I cleaned them up really well - now I've adjusted the tension on the throwrod / cable to the point where even in first gear (with engine off etc) I can turn the rear wheel without engaging the clutch (with resistance, just to see if I'm fully engaging the mechanism and if I could get a free spin like it should)...engaging the clutch then lowers the resistance but not enough to freely spin the wheel like in neutral

Any suggestions?

/edit - I found another thread where you were helping another member with this issue and it turned out to be incorrect assembly of the boss spring and special plate...mine didn't have either of those when I took it apart...just 7 metal and 8 black grabby plates

 

Great write up Fitz...............

Question.......

What purpose does the clutch boss spring serve?.... Release/take up wear/smoother engage?
Never have ran across that item before.

For what its worth my 82 550 came from the original owner.....Clutch cover has never been off it till I went in for a look see......Its like new! Friction plates and steels all measured out the same thickness,pressure plate could pass for NOS and the hub splines have shadow marks but nothing that will catch on a inspection probe/point......23,000 miles PO was not a hole shot type, just used it for transportation..............

The more I get into this XJ the more I like what I see. ...........

 

i think there is something wrong with my pressure pins? my bike will run great until i pull back hard on the throttle. when i do this, the RPM's soar but there is no output in speed. I just changed the oil in it today to make sure the previous owner hadn't put regular car oil in it. put in 10W-40, because yamaha doesn't make 20W-40 like the manual calls for. My friend thinks i should check the pressure bolts, and tighten/lossen them. (Bike also takes a while to shift between gears.)

Do you guys think this might fix the problem with the RPM's also?

 

Hey Fritz.........did all the "right stuff" but when I got it all back together I turned the throw out rod clockwise, connected the clutch cable and all. When I pull on the lever, it's locked solid and wont move. Did I do something wrong with the pull rod?

BTW, my bike is a 750

Regards,
Mike

 

My guess would be that you forgot to line the dot on the plate up with the dot on the basket and the pressure plate is stuck.

When you turned the shaft, prior to installing the lever, could you feel it moving the pull rod?

It sounds like something's jammed.

 

Yep..you guessed it.....didn't line the dots up. Right after I posted I went out and drained the case and pulled it apart. Sure enough, I didn't align the dots. Working fine now, just have to charge the battery from her long winters sleep.

Thanks for taking the time to post this here, it really helps us newbs to motorcycle maintenance.

 

You're welcome; the "dot thing" was covered, you know. The pressure plate and hub are not quite symmetrical; that's why it matters. The pressure plate only fits the hub correctly in one position, hence the dots.

I try really hard to plug as many "gaps" in the books as possible; glad it helps.

 

Yeah I got back in the house and jumped online to see if it was covered.......and i quickly found out I didn't follow one important thing.

Again........thanks for the help and info. Next I need to figure out what's going on with my Speedo, but that's a different problem all together.

 

Yeah I got back in the house and jumped online to see if it was covered.......and i quickly found out I didn't follow one important thing.

Again........thanks for the help and info. Next I need to figure out what's going on with my Speedo, but that's a different problem all together.

 

Very helpful write up Fitz. I pulled the plates out yesterday and noticed that the plain plates don't have any tabs on them as pictured. I'm assuming these are aftermarket plates because they look way too pretty to be 30 years old. So I'm wondering if some brands of aftermarket plates don't have the tabs and will this affect my clutch operation?

 

The "tabbed" plain plates are only used in the 550/600s; a 750 should have just "normal" round plain plates, and no "clutch boss spring inside a special friction plate" to worry about.

 

Thanks! I read about it not having the clutch boss spring but didn't see anything about the tabs. Good to know they aren't the wrong ones.

 

I'm not sure what "wiggle fit" means. I'm having a tough time getting my cover back on. The bolts are torqued down on my 750, gasket is "glued" on, and I turned the pull rod to 9 o clock.

The cover just gets stuck about a 1/4" off of the face of the engine.

What am I doing wrong?

This was a great write up, and I thank. I always screw up some mundane detail.

 

Thank you, and it doesn't sound like you've screwed up.

Take the throwout lever OFF if it's still installed. It's nearly impossible (and entirely unnecessary) to reinstall the cover and get the shaft to engage with the pullrod in the same "mesh" it had before. The lever could be stopping the throwout shaft from rotating as it comes into mesh with the pull rod.

The other possibility is that one of your dowel pins (the short, thin "sleeves" used to help locate the cover) is hanging up. There are two of them, located at about the 7:00 and 4:30 positions on the cover. Make sure they're fully seated. The screws don't locate the cover, they hold it on; the dowel pins do the locating. Sometimes they stay with the bike, most times they come off with the cover. (Oh, and POs sometimes lose them.)

 

Wow, you reply fast! Thanks.

I quit too soon. It felt tight, but it snugged down once I threw the allen wrench on it. I didn't want to force it, but I tried, and it worked.

Back off to, "rotate the shaft clockwise until it stops"

Damn, I need a laptop for the garage.

 

Only sometimes. Just got home, figured I check my PMs, etc., then I'm going for a ride.

Glad I could help.

 

Alright, I know cars, and this is my first venture into motorcycles.

I had the throw out shaft lever disconnected, and the throw out pull rod in the 9 o clock position.

I said that the cover felt too tight going on, and it was. I kept hearing a click as I tightened it down, and apparently that was the teeth of the pull rod and shaft gear jumping one another. I could never spin the throwout shaft by hand ("clockwise"). I tried to take the cover off, and the shaft gear and pull rod were hung up. I popped it off with a screw driver. I know that was wrong, but I was frustrated.

The pull rod is fine, where should I go for a new throw out shaft gear?

Any idea why I had to force the cover on, and it got all jammed up?

 

When i disassembled my clutch,I found that I have 7 plain plates!! What gives here?.,,, Mark

 

OK ,sorry ,my bad.There is supposed to be 7, I was just unsure of the position of the 6th and 7th tab,but I see what you were saying.Thanks... Mark

 

Yeah, the manual seems to have left the position of that last tab up to "mechanic's discretion."

Choices are to start over in the rotation, or go to 180 degrees.

I honestly don't think it matters. I'm not so sure the tabby plates achieve anything different than if they were just round; the Barnett's plain plates have no tabs and I've noticed no difference between it and the Yammie clutches.