My 82 XJ550 is now doing this....help please.

Have you tried the bike today?

 

thats what I was expecting to read about, but it was not said?

 

Ok thanks mechanic. Sorry too for addressing the mechanic issue but on other blogs some people spent more time trying to wreck the reputation of my mechanic then actually coming up with ideas on how to fix the problem. I m not saying that my mechanic is the best or does everything right but he does what he can and I appreciate that. The cable is the original. I checked out the how to multiple times and thanks for doing that. Everything is set and its test drive time.

 

Its ok, and no problem, let us know how it goes..

 

Back from my test drive and now the clutch is slipping at a lower rpm as in around 3000 and up so what I did made it worse. I will change it back to the way I got it when it came back which was like :

Also when I got the bike back from the mechanic the clutch lever was super loose and i could pull it in with no movement for a good inch ?? So thinking along the same lines I would say that the clutch is not properly disengaging? Is that a spring/bolt thing or maybe a cable thing? At least we are narrowing it down. thanks

 

you see in your last picture, there is two nuts on the cable there, put both "jamb" nuts on the left side of the bracket and see if you get full release.

 

Could you have the wrong cable?

 

he says its original to bike...? and it appears to have some rusting age to the end there.

 

Your point about the nuts is probably the cause. Makes sense.

 

Yes, those nuts are in wrong position, they are supposed to be to tighten up angst each "jamb" other to ensure they don't loosen up, I bet that will give you back full release.

 

Great catch @Mechanic1978!! That's an easy mistake to make, but a real hard one to find when you're just standing there looking at it wondering "what's wrong, everything looks OK??"

 

Clutch lever free play should probably be only 2-3 MM. No free play = possible slippage. Too much free play = possible hard shifting.

 

Those nuts are in the correct position.
The cable is adjustable at this end by moving the nuts on the threads.
Putting the nuts together would eliminate any adjustment at this end.

 

I understand your point, however there is two nuts for a reason, and they are called jamb nuts for the specific purpose as I have mentioned before. If not there would be no reason for the nut Shape molded into the cable end and second nut. The molded nut is to hold the cable casing from spinning when tightening the first nut, and the second is a safety measure to "jamb" angst the first nut to prevent it from vibrating loose. There is no opinions here, that's how the system was designed.

 

My XJ700 manual only shows and references one nut but my replacement cable on my bike has two and I placed them one each side of the mount. I don't think there is any right or wrong way.

 

correct, or the 2nd nut.

The cable is adjusted at this end by positioning the nut at the right of the bracket, there's over a 1/2 inch of adjustment available.
A nut is tightened against the bracket on both sides to lock it in place.
What you are saying eliminates any adjustment at this end.
It appears in the photo that he already has it adjusted all the way.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

 

His is the 550, and yes there is a right way, and his in the photos, is not correct. The extra nut thickness on right side of the bracket is preventing the arm a full release. This prevents the outer clutch spring plate to fully clamp down the plate pack, that little bit was source of his initial trouble of slipping between 4500 rpm and 5500. Now that he has backed the cable more, it is slipping at a lower rpm.

 

Yes, in his picture there is no room for adjustment. However adjustment at the lever accomplishes the exact same thing. If the lever has free play, it will not affect the clutch plates clamping. Only an issue if the lever is tight, too tight to allow full release.

 

Lever adjustment is for minuet adjustments over time as clutches wear in.

 

from Yamaha Seca Turbo manual but they're all the same