Clutch won't release

Hi guys.New to the site and to motorcycles,I have a 82 750 Maxim that has been sitting for a long time.Finally got enough parts to get it running but the clutch wont release.Every time I put it in gear it kills the motor.I dont believe it is a switch, if I put it in gear and hold the lever in and turn the rear wheel I can feel a drag on it.Out of gear the wheel turns freely. Clutch plates stuck together? If so is there any way to free them up without taking it apart?Any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

Is the "side stand" warning light on ?

If the switch is bad it will think the kick stand is down and kill it i believe (mine was wired around).

Or another question...

When it dies does it lurch hard ?

 

Seems like I recall seeing a post on another list in the past about a similar thing...

Rex

Ah - Here it is in my personal email archives:
----------
From: July 27, 2004 on the MicaPeak XJ List:
Subject: Re: Question about friction plates, non XJ
X-Comment: Yamaha XJ owners discussion

Brad,


Thanks for the advice. I put the bike up against the garage wall and
cranked the engine with the clutch in and the bike in gear. After a few
tires I feld the plates seprate. Now all I need to do is clean the tank
and change the pads and off she goes!

Wayne

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004, Bradford Bowen wrote:

> That wouldn't hurt, also make sure the clutch lever and cable are within
> 1/8" of being tight, that way you know its not just a cable that is not
> taking the clutch pack apart. Also cables tend to build up elastic stretch
> over time, so a new cable may be the solution. I have seen a few bikes where
> the cable was stretching enough that the bike couldn't fully disengage the
> clutch and a new cable "fixed" the clutch. This may not be your case as a
> sitting bike will often have a stuck clutch pack.
>
> Brad
> 1985 Maxim X
> among others
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <wks@bitsense.net>
> To: "Yamaha XJ owners discussion" <xj-owners@micapeak.com>
> Sent: Monday, July 26, 2004 10:43 AM
> Subject: Question about friction plates, non XJ
>
>
> > Howdy folks, Just a quick question here, to those who are more
> > knowledgable than I.
> >
> > I bought an 85 Honda Rebel for my wife last week, that had been sitting
> > around for a while. I rebuilt the carbs and gave it some gas and the bike
> > started right up. BUT when I put the bike in gear it takes off. I am
> > assuming the friction plates are stuck together. What is the best way to
> > get them apart without having to take the side cover off? Should I try to
> > flush the engine with seafoam or koresene?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Wayne

 

Thanks for the replies.When I got home from work today I tried it "one last time" when I pulled on the clutch lever I felt something pop and now it works OK.Once again thanks guys,now some lites and a couple of tires and it will be ready to go.

 

I would suspect your cable housing got hung up on the perch. Make sure you check the adjustment on the cable to make sure there isn't enough slack to allow this to happen again.