XJ650LJ clutch slippage at 7000 RPM and above

Hello fellow XJ riders.
I am new to the forums and have a question.
On my XJ650LJ when cranking the throttle open in 5th gear and approaching 6800 RPM (yeah, I know, speeding) the clutch slips from there to redline. It will do it from any gear though when the turbo boosts.
Any suggestions? Is there an adjustment? Or am I stuck figuring out how toi replace the 8 clutch discs?
It only has 13,500 miles on her. A US bike imported to Canada in 1998.

 

Ouch. Classic symptom of "beginning to be" worn out clutch, doesn't start slipping til the powerband hits. (Any) bike clutch NOT difficult, just a lot of parts to keep in the right order. You COULD pull it apart and clean it, but I'll bet you find ugly things when you do. Or, you could get lucky and it's just all gummed/varnished up. I'd buy the parts first--with 13K you will probably only need friction plates unless the driven plates are all burnt blue. Not horribly expensive, not difficult at all, very messy. Have fun.

 

So I just need plates?

 

Good possibility. Or (MAYBE) just a good cleaning. The friction plates (the ones with the "brake pad" material on them) are the intended wear item. The plain plates will be fine if they aren't scored (highly unusual unless the other ones are worn totally out) or burnt blue. If they're burnt (blue, you'll be able to tell) they will need to be replaced also--if any burnt, replace them all--but at at 13K they should be fine, barring abuse. You could get away with complete disassembly and cleaning but at that mileage with that bike, they're probably worn out. Take heart, a good aftermarket set (Barnett or the like) will last MUCH longer...

 

Any suggestions beyond Barnett?

 

stronger springs?

 

For that Bike ...

A Barnett Set of Frictions and the Clutch Hardware Kit.
If this is just starting ... don't burn-up your Drivers.

But before you go and order all the Parts ...
Pluck the Cluutch Cable down at the Case end.
If it too tight ... give is some breathing room (if you haven't already).

Still slipping after giving it some slack.
Order the parts and start wrenching.

Nothing like a Brandy-Newski set of Clutches to make Summer even more fun than it is now.

 

Thank you for the advice. I will check the cable slack and do that. IF it is slacking then its to the parts.
If any of you have more suggestions please keep them coming.
Guess that means getting the 3 CD's as well (yeah, I have no manual either)

 

Well, got the Barnett part numbers

1982-83 XJ650L Seca Turbo
Friction Plates: 301-90-10025(8)
Tempered Steel Metal Plates: 401-90-063015(7)
Spring Kit: 501-58-05045

I am going to do it all. Gg big or go home : )

 

even though you haven't done it before I am sure it would be appreciated if you have a digi cam to take some pic during tear down and reassembly. This will do two things 1) if you have a question the guys can see it in a pic and give you good info. 2) it would make a good post for those of us that haven't done it yet and want to know what we are getting into. So I take it the cable adjustment didn't fix you up then.

 

amen, my clutch slipped today. im in the same boat.

 

Geez- - nobody mentioned oil? Or friction modifiers?
So, what oil are you running? Just curious.

 

Yeah, what oil are you using? A clutch job is easy but dont spend the $ if you dont have to.

 

EBC clutch friction plates and HD springs did the trick for me, but to be honest, this bike is going to be hard on anything you put in there. A few of my steel plates were beginning to blue, but I reused them to no ill effect. Have a good look at the clutch basket fingers, there may be chatter marks on the edges which makes clutch action less than slick. Easy job, you don't even have to drain the oil if you put the bike on the side stand to do it. There are no instructions with the EBC plates, but if you look at them very closely, you will see a very small "pip" on the ID of the clutch friction plate steel backing ring. I'm not sure if they have to be lined up, or staggered, or in or out, so you might want to contact the company to find out for sure. I paid no heed and everything worked out normally, so I doubt it's a big issue.

 

Hi Guys,
I am using Castol 20w50 Motorcycle oil.
Changed it a few times as the oil was black.
Then the slipping started.
Figure it may have been more than just oil in them there case ; )

The other news is I sold it on thursday and am going to be out in Victoria BC where there is another one that looks to be a nice restoration project for 700 bucks.
Thank you all for your help and assistance.!!!!

 

LOL

I better get some clutch plates as well, mine started slipping , but i guess thats expected when you have 26 year old clutches and 26k miles.