Maxim troubles

[Gideon]

Hi everyone. I'm Gideon. I'm from the Detroit area and I'm new around here. I've got a little problem I need some help with.

So, here's the deal. I have an '83 XJ750 Maxim taking up space in the garage. It has sat in my garage for two years and before that for about eighteen months outside in Michigan weather in the previous owner's Ex-girlfriend's driveway. I went to fetch it in the driveway in '03 (where, incidentally, the ex had left a big pile of dog crap in the saddle for him) with a bag of tricks including a new battery, new plugs, carb cleaner and fresh fuel. I got the thing running and running strong with the little tune up I gave it then came the kicker. When you pull in the clutch lever and drop it into gear the thing stalls. The clutch appeared to be hung up. So instead of riding it back to my garage I put it in the truck and took it home.

The PO has pretty much abandoned it, the sniveling little dilletante that he is, and has left me with the check as it were. Now I've taken the cover off, pulled the clutch plates and cleaned 'em up (they were rusty and stuck together) reinstalled 'em with all the proper torque on the bolts, the springs are okay, got a new clutch cable and installed and adjusted it correctly. Don't you know the bugger still still does it. Pull in the clutch lever, shift into first and the thing jumps and stalls. Now I've tried busting the plates loose again by placing it on the center stand, throttling up and dropping it into gear, but it just stalls the engine. So I'm at my wits' end with this bike. It would make a great scooter if I could just figure this clutch problem out. Any one have any ideas?
Gracias
Gid.

[Pat Kelly]

Check the clutch safety switch on the clutch lever perch

[John]

Also check the kickstand switch, if it has one.

[Jerry]

Let me elaborate a bit.....

Starting in '82, Yamaha included a safety interlock in the form of a sidestand switch. If you put the bike in gear with the sidestand down the engine will kill. This switch is a known problem area on the '82 XJ1100J models, and is no longer available from Yamaha. (You would have to check on the XJ 750 version.) The work-around is to disconnect the side stand switch (3 wire connector on the XJ1100) and connect all terminals together on the bike side. This makes the electrical system think the sidestand is in the 'up' position.

The XJ750K does not have the clutch interlock but there are also MK and RK versions, and I don't know about those. If your bike has an extra electrical cable coming out of the clutch lever housing, disconnect the cable in the headlight bucket and jump the 2 wires together on the bike side. I ran my XJ this way for about a year before I replaced the cable.

Sure sounds like the sidestand switch is the culprit. You may need to locate a 750 wiring diagram and start tracking things down.

If all else fails, I could probably give the bike a good home....

[Gideon]

Okay, I realized that all this time I've been trying to shift into gear with the bike on the center stand while the kickstand is down. That solves the stalling problem but not the clutch problem. With the bike running and the kickstand up while on the centerstand when I pull in the clutch lever and attempt to shift the bike slams into first and the tire starts to go. The clutch seems to be totally inoperative. I have even used a pair of channel locks to move the lever on the clutch cover (where the clutch cable attaches) to its maximum elevation and still no luck. The more I work on this thing the more I notice that it's considerably less...intuitive...than my XS850.

[Jerry]

OK, well, you are half-way there, since the bike no longer quites!

I susopec the clutch is not adjusted properly. There is another clutch adjustment other than the cable. Again, this is for the 1100 but should be similar for the 750:

Clutch Adjustment Procedure

Give that a try and let us know what happens.

[DiverRay]

The other thing you may need to do after Jerry's fix:
Start the bike and warm it up a little on the center stand. Put it in third gear, rev it up to about 3,000 RPM, and pull in the clutch. Put the rear brake on HARD, giving the bike more throttle if it tries to die. The clutch is probably still trying to stick, and this should brake it loose. Once it does start to work, RIDE IT !! Use the clutch for a while, and expect it to stick in the morning for the first week or so.
It should clear up and work normally after about a week. If not, plan on replacement of the friction AND metal plates.
Ray