Yamaha XJ750 Starter rattling noise

1982 Yamaha XJ750 Seca (Canadian)

I'm having problems with the starter not engaging and sounding like it's a rattling can.

Problem only occurs when the engine is hot, when the engine is cold the problem isn't there. This is a problem cause when I do some riding and if I end up stalling I won't be able to start my bike.

I'm guessing the problem is the starter clutch?

 

Yes, you are correct. Unfortunately.

Problem can be made worse depending on what type of oil you’re using.

Start here:
https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/thre...building-your-slipping-starter-clutch.130438/

 

I've been using shell rotella t4 15w40 which others have recommended here, is that not a good oil to use?

 

T4 is the gold standard. If you've been using T4 then you probably have to start thinking about what you want to do with it.

These starter clutches are a known issue, and it's only a matter of time before they will need to be dealt with.

I have one with 33,000+ miles on it that slips much like you describe - on days with a warm ambient temperature (80F or more) if I stop and restart after riding a while, I will get one or two failures to start, and then eventually catch. On cooler days it's not usually a problem. But I know it's only a matter of time before I'm going to have to tear it down - they only get worse.

@Jetfixer did a nice writeup of doing starter clutch repair on a couple of engines:
https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/dreaded-starter-clutch-replacement.130190/