Clutch and 1st Gear stuck

So I bought this bike (81 650 maxim) with the purpose of learning how to rebuild it. The clutch does not activate and the owner told me it just stopped shifting and he had to ride it home in first and kill the engine. It´s been sitting ever since. It´s old, needs carb work, when I hold in the clutch and crank the motor the rear tire rotates and no audible grinding happens in the transmission case. No post on here has both these symptoms. So far I´ve tried tightening the clutch cable up by the handle but to no avail either. The cable retracts the bracket attached to the clutch case, externally it looks like it should work. No visible wear on the inside of the side transmission cover by the gear shifter (sorry for my lack of vocabulary, I´m not new to bikes, just new to communicating to others the bike part´s names) What are some possible problems?

 

tire is going to spin with clutch pulled in. the clutch is a wet cluch in oil. can you stop the tire from turning ?
as long as bike does not roll with clutch in

could be your clutch plates are stuck together from sitting a little seafoam in the oil will help clean out the sludge .
when you opened the shifter cover did you see any chunks in the hole chain guide could be your problem.

see this link on where and what to look for
http://www.xjcd.org/emergency_guidectomy


free download for you haynes 650/750 manual
XJ750 manuals

 

seeing this is your first post here is the welcome package of reading

some reading for you

The Information Overload Hour

The Ultimate Relay, Switch, Sensor, and Diodes Guide

IN THE CHURCH OF CLEAN

THE SECRET LIFE OF CARBURETORS

Something New, Something Naked

TALKIN' TECH: Various thoughts on various issues

AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT with Pics

AIRHEAD VALVE ADJUSTMENT Part 2: The Tool vs. ZipTie -w/pics

Choosing Oil for a Wet Clutch Motorcycle


SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a look


our forum supporting vendor plenty of parts and advice Chacal

XJ4Ever - Supporting Vendor

his web site
www.xj4ever.com

 

Welcome to the club.

Gary H.

 

Thanks for the material! i´ve been reading and it´s very helpful! I took the cover off and found the clutch plates are pretty grabby, the only way to get it to roll in neutral is to take the the plates off

 

An update, It´s not a clutch problem, and I fixed the spring returning the shifter to it´s original state, but I did find this little bugger hanging out in my transmission that I fished out of this hole. Could it be the ¨guide upper¨ in the starter clutch chapter of the the parts catalog? #23, it´s a flat plastic piece, definitely not a gear...

 

Look in there for more. I found 2 pieces that size in mine. I was wanting a plastic magnet to get mine out. I think it is a plastic timing or oil chain guide. Nice job on finding it.

 

thats part of the chain guide will could be more parts in the oil sump

 

Annnd... Removing the chunks is only a temporary measure. You will NEED to split the cases and replace the alternator chain guide unless you like having the oil nozzle and crankcase wear through. Rebuild the starter clutch while you have the cases open

 

The infamous chain guide. Several of us have fixed this problem so if you're up for it...

we're here to assist.

Gary H.

 

Thank you guys for all your info, I appreciate it! I also have a motor for a seca 750 (no clue what year, will find out tomorrow) I wanted to put in my bike so I don´t have to mess with taking the 650 apart but after reading The Information Overload Hour thread, I have now discovered I need to use the 750 TCI box... I don´t have that box with the engine but that´s another option I have to look into... I took the carb out and cleaned the jets, now I´m just looking at getting the time to take the 650 apart and finances to buy all the gaskets!

 

It´s a 1981 seca 750 YICS according to the TECH TOPIC: Model ID and VIN's thread. If needed, could I possibly use the chain guide from this motor´s transmission? Also, what does a TCI look like?

 

You should not use a 30+ year-old chain guide from any bike. The goal is to only have the engine apart once, and that requires using a new chain guide. Swapping in the 750 engine is a fine idea, but don't do it thinking that you won't have to replace an alternator chain guide. That one is old too, and they fail because of age. If you want to ride soon(isn) sell your spare engine and use the cash to buy parts with.

XJ750 TCI: