lots of throttle causes high rev and no acceleration

I don't know what causes this problem on my 85 Maxim XJ 700 air-cooled model but here's the skinny. When I am accelerating through the gears if I give it too much throttle the RPM's go through the roof instantly and I get no power. If I slowly accelerate through the gears I don't really have the problem but if I get on it it's like I pass a certain point and it's like I'm out of gear. if I let off and give it more gas it seems to "catch" and I have power again. This is most prevalent in 3-5th gear. It's the worst in top gear when I am crusing about 50 or 55 and goose the accelerator. It starts to accelerate and then I lose power, RPM's increase dramatically from like 4K to about 6-7K practically instantly. I'm concerned I may have a transmission problem but I've also thought that I have a clutch adjustment problem and that the clutch is not fully disengaged and makes itself apparent under high load. Lastly, and this may or may not be related but when accelerating HARD in 1st gear it sometimes slips out into neutral, and of course it revs out of control until I realize it's happened and let off the gas and shift into 2nd. This only happens about 50% of the time. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

that sounds to me like a clutch issue. how tight is your cable? try loosening it a bit and getting a lil slack in there. see if it still happens.

 

I had the same issue before and thought my clutch was going out but I adjusted the clutch and it was a hole new world. I could actually lift the front tire just by pumping the throttle in first gear. Man these things will surprise you. Just adjust the clutch so that the lever grabs the gear a little sooner and you should see a big difference. (NOT MUCH MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE)

 

Are you talking about the clutch adjustment o-ring screw deal at the clutch handle or the nuts at the clutch itself down by the engine? I've adjusted the one up at the handlebars every which way I can imagine and I'm getting nowhere.

 

The one down by the engine. That should be the one that makes a big difference.

 

You can adjust the cable at the perch, you should have just about 1/8" of free movement.

 

Make sure the Cable isn't too tight.
Which I think you already did.

When the Clutches slip in the higher gears it usually means you've had about alll the fun your going to get out of those Clutches and it's time to order a Kit.

If you haven't damaged any of the Steel Drivers and they're not scored or burned, ... you may re-use them and replace the Friction Clutches.

Having a Brand New Clutches is such a joy; I recommend you do
Clutches, Hardware and Springs.

If you do the job yourself ... you will save enough money to do a Full Monte.
Brand New -- EVERYTHING!

Get yourself a decent aftermarket Clutch Kit and reward yourself with a New Clutch.
Then, whenn you are foot-pegs to foot-pegs with some other guy waiting for the light to turn green ...

You can lean on it and not baby it!

 

If you get new clutch friction plates soak them overnight in clean engine oil before you install them. They need to be impregnated with oil for them to work correctly.

 

A quick wipe of oil before installation should be plenty - I've never soaked a new friction plate and have never had an issue in any of my bikes.

 

I recommend dropping them all in a bowl of oil prior to beginning assembly; no soaking overnight but they should be well-dredged.

If you're keeping a good set of used plates, it's a good idea to store them submerged in oil.

 

Barnett High Performance Clutches
Customer Service Department

Greetings:

I'm writing to settle an discussion in a Yamaha Motorcycle Forum.

One member says new Clutch Friction Pads need to be soaked in Oil before installed.
Another says just wiping Oil on the Pads before replacing them will suffice.

I say there is nothing in the Factory Manual that says New Clutch Plates need any Prep.
Open the box, blow them of with Air and stick them in the Basket.

What is the Manufacturers recommendation.

Rick Massey
Yamaha XJBikes.Com

Reply from Barnett Clutches:

Rick,
Technically, you are all correct. With the older motors and friction materials, it was more critical to pre-soak the plates before installation.
However, with today's friction materials, it's really not as critical. Most likely, whether you install them wet or dry, you will not have any issues.
We at Barnett generally recommend that you give our plates a coat of oil when being installed in a wet clutch.
No need to soak them for hours or overnight like many people think. That's just a waste of your time.
The oil acts as a coolant for the plates and many of the big bore bikes such as the FJ's, R1's, GSXR's, etc. have clutches that run with a minimal amount of oil so giving the plates a coat of oil before installing is a good idea. When I am installing plates, I just pour a little bit of the oil in the bag that the friction plates are in, dip the plates until they are covered, then wipe the excess off and install.

What the OEM's recommend appears to vary by manufacturer and model. For example, the factory service manual for my Honda CBR1100XX says to coat the plates in "clean engine oil" before installing. Yet, the service manual for a 2004 GSXR1000 doesn't say anything about coating the plates in oil. You can't go wrong by going with the manufacturer recommendations and I strongly recommend that anybody who is going to work on their own bike have a factory service manual. They aren't cheap, but it's one of the best tools you can have in the box.

I hope this helps answer your questions!

Regards,
Chris Taylor
Barnett Tool & Eng.

 

You are the man RickCo

 

After reading the above I referenced ch. 2 periodic inspections
and adjustments (clutch instalation) of the XJ700N/NC
factory servive manual.
No mention of pre-oilling of any kind. Just install the plates.