81 XJ 550 Maxim not starting

First off, I'm new to rebuilding bikes. First project. I bought two xj 550 maxims from craiglist. One was a parts bike and one with a title. The bike with the title had its carb, headers, and both cams off. I rebuilt the engine and used the cams from the parts bike because the guy took the sprocket off one of the cams and I could get it back on.other than that my bike has compression and I was able to turn the engine without plugs in easily. However when I try starting the bike (I have to jump the solenoid btw with a screw driver) the starter only makes a noise. Nothing happens. I cant roll the bike in gear, but can with the clutch pulled in and in neutral. I posted on reddit and they mostly concluded something wrong with my starter clutch system.

 

does the starter turn? or is it the starter making a noise what kind of noise.

swap sstarters disconnect wire to starter at solenoid not at starter

 

I had a starter in it the first time that i pulled out and tested with a battery. It spun, but it still didn't start my bike. I have swapped starters from the parts bike and its making the exact same noise. When I jump the solenoid, the starter makes a noise and my light dim a little.

 

Not real experienced here but double check that you have a strong battery. I have a brand new fully charged battery in my bike but it ran down pretty quickly when I first tried starting it after sitting for a few years. I used an automotive jump pack to get it started and my mc battery has been fine since.

 

This is my second battery Ive tried.

 

if it is the starter clutch it will sound like a can of rocks .
you can try cleaning it with a spray but if you need to fix it , it is my understanding you would have to split the cases big job.
you may want to try the starter in the parts bike see if it will turn the motor over.
that may be the way to go or a used motor

 

I think the starter clutch on the 550 can be accesed without splitting the cases.

 

You have to split the cases to get at the starter clutch. Been there did that, got the t-shirt!