XJ 600 clutch slipping

[zenedge]

Hi All,

New to biking, just got my first bike today, it's a 1992 XJ600.

Got a little problem with it on the first ride, the clutch is slipping when i open it up (at least i think it's the clutch, i'm a car guy and to me it sounds like that's the problem).

My question is, is there any adjustment in the clutch and how should i go about adjusting it if there is? I'm kinda handy with a spanner, not great, but i know what end to use .

If there's no adjustment and it means a new clutch, is that a job that i could tackle myself? I've never worked on bikes before, but i'd be happy to change the clutch plate, pressure plate and thrust bearing (sorry i'm from UK) on a car.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers all,

Zen

[oldschoolorange]

you can check your cable adjustment. Your plates can be worn out or there may be the wrong type of fluid in your trans most car oils have friction modafiers, drain it out, change yout filter and refill with proper motorcycle oil, see if that helpes, if not then ya your clutch is probably shot, they are not very difficult to change.


wait one more thing, your clutch springs may be punched

[zenedge]

Thanx for the reply oldschoolorange.

But... here's what happened, i looked the the bike over from lever to gearbox, read a few other threads on TMW (great site BTW) and felt that the cable wasn't properly adjusted since there was no free play in the lever AT ALL. I set about adjusting the cable at the box since there is a little clamp type thingy with a nut on either side to tension or slacken the cable in order to give a little more slack in the clutch cable/lever. then oiled the cable up a little.

I took the bike out this morning and gave it a little run around the loch for 30 mins then took it onto the straight and opened it up in every gear, OK i didn't open it up, i'm a newbie, but a lot more than i had previously when it was slipping.... hey presto, job's good.

The adjustment worked, it's now a little tricky to find neutral, but i think i just need to tinker with it a little more, maybe just slackened it a bit too much. It's just difficult to find neutral but it will go, it's not a major problem whereas the clutch slip was.

I'm definately not saying that i knew exactly what i was doing, i just didn't have much to lose, if my clutch was shot (which i thought it was) i'd have done no more than shoot it even more right???

Now the only thing that worries me is..... how long did the guy who had the bike before me ride it like this and has he put massive wear on the clutch. Only time will tell eh.

Cheers,

Zen

[oldschoolorange]

check into this yourself as it may vary between different bikes but I belive clutch freeplay is supposed to be 2 mm. glad to hear the adjustment worked for you, about the length of time the other guy had had the clutch improperly adjusted, you dont really know so just ride it till it starts slipping, best bet is to have a price on a new one or have one at home so when the time comes you can change it quickly and not have to look around and spend time ordering parts

[zenedge]

Hiya,

Yeah, sorry, that wasn't really a question about the guy that had it before me, more of an observation (i was thinking and typing at the same time).

That's a good call though about ordering the parts before i actually need them, coz it's inevitable that i WILL need them, and quite possibly soon if this guy has been riding with the clutch like this for a while.

I can't believe he didn't fix the problem, i mean he 'looked' like a biker type dude, I am defo not a biker type dude (like i said i'm a newbie), and i noticed this and fixed it within a day of having the bike. Crayzee eh???

Well thanx again for the help, will hopefully go put lots of happy miles motoring on this ride now.

Cheers,

Zen

[moto_hanki]

Hey there,
Regarding parts for your XJ, definately order before you need them. I have discovered that every part I have needed for my 92 had to be ordered. No one carries parts for these bikes, and the tires are a funky size so you'll have to do some searching for the appropriate size. I oredered mine from a local shop but I think I will scour the internet next time.

Good luck!