Start off slip

[colddrakes]

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on my problem. I have a 1983 xj1100. When I start off in 1st gear, if i apply much throttle, i get what feels like slipping and it seems pretty bad. If i dont apply much throttle, its fine. Once I change out of 1st, I can open up in all other gears with no issues.

[bikerphil]

The cogs on 1st gear are bad, a common problem. Can be fixed with the engine in the bike thru the oil pan.

http://www.xs11.com/xs11-info/tech-t...lwalkthru.html

[SFerinTEXAS]

Have the same problem. XJ Only in 1st. Just a momentary grunt , just once and then it will pull to redline without doing it again. Ive experienced the 2nd gear problem before and when it starts going it makes a clatter and jumps out of gear. This problem makes no noise, no gear disengagement, just a jolt, just once .. Leave it in 1st and let it slow down and gas it and it does it again, just once, no noise, just a jolt. I'm gonna try clutch springs first.just not in a hurry.

[CatatonicBug]

Have the same problem. XJ Only in 1st. Just a momentary grunt , just once and then it will pull to redline without doing it again. Ive experienced the 2nd gear problem before and when it starts going it makes a clatter and jumps out of gear. This problem makes no noise, no gear disengagement, just a jolt, just once .. Leave it in 1st and let it slow down and gas it and it does it again, just once, no noise, just a jolt. I'm gonna try clutch springs first.just not in a hurry.

Sounds to me like you are feeling the "slack" of the final drive. I bet if you let off the throttle in any gear so you are getting some engine braking, then punch the throttle, you'd get the same thing.

[cywelchjr]

Free play on the dogs will vary a little bit from gear to gear too. It might be that there is just enough slop in first to notice and not enough in the others.

[prometheus578]

...if i apply much throttle, i get what feels like slipping and it seems pretty bad. If i dont apply much throttle, its fine.

Doesn't sound like a gear or gear lash problem. If he steps on the throttle it slips, if he takes it easy, it doesn't. Gear lash clunks and noises would be felt/heard regardless of throttle usage. No mention of jumping out of gear, etc.


Clutch plates are slipping. If you're running synthetic oil or an oil with "friction modifiers", change it and don't use it again.

If that's not the case, you may be needing new friction plates... and new springs wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

[CatatonicBug]

I guess the question is, what do you mean by "slipping". Does it sound like a machine gun, or just a revving engine with no "go" happening?

[colddrakes]

its more like the machine gun. i guess the best way to explain it is a jumping combined with some noises and like its trying to grab but slipping the same time.

[prometheus578]

Well now.... that's different.
I would pursue the tranny gear issue.

(and no... "Tranny Gear" isn't "What I wear when I go out on Friday nights.")

[DGXSER]

Yep, sound slike the infamous 1st/2nd gear issue. When I bought my first XS, I had read on here about that problem before I bought it. So I was even looking for it to show up when I test drove the bike. Showed no signs of it. But then, I started riding it after I got it and really hammered on it, and dang if it did not show up.

So, I did the dremel fix and worked like a charm ever since.

[motoman]

Texas, you got "dogs" that aren't holding untill it jumps by in rotation to the next slots. Wasting your time putting in clutch springs. Guess you could replace them.....only after fixing the "dogs" as you may as well pull both sides off and drop shaft assembly out and do both first and second, cause if you don't do both, your gonna be repeating the tear down in short order.

[mmaddix]

Hello,
I have a spare engine that I want to do the 1st and 2nd gear fix to. The problem is i don't know how to take the main nut for the clutch basket off since I have nothing to stop the gears from spinning because the engine is not on a bike. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Mark

[cywelchjr]

Put it in gear and any sort of a big wrench on the output shaft of the middle drive and get it wedged against something, and in this situation an air impact wrench is your friend, it will pull it loose when nothing else will. You have to be careful, but it can be done by holding the clutch basket still, as Yamaha has a tool to do that. But with the engine out, it's pretty much without the Yamaha tool or the like a two person job IMHO, unless someone has a technique I've not heard of.

[mmaddix]

I should of said this before but the engine doesn't have a middle drive on it(and I don't have one besides the one on my bike).

[cywelchjr]

Ouch! You're stuck with figuring out how to duplicate the function of the Yamaha tool, which holds the clutch basket in place while you loosen or tighten the nut. The shop manual shows a picture of it IIRC but you should be able to figure out a way to wedge the basket carefully so it can't move while you remove the nut, maybe with a block of wood between it and the case in the clutch chamber area? I would be nervous trying to use anything metal to do this, but wood or similar should do the job of holding it from moving until the nut starts to move (and that's all it has to do).