Spring? Start-Up

[pegasus54]

My XJ-1100 has been on the patio all winter (Sta-Bil in the gas and well covered in the nasty weather). After a few hours on the battery charger, it cranked over and settled into a nice idle. Thought I'd put it in gear and move it a short distance. Clicked into 1st, let clutch out, and it promptly clunked into a stall. Have the clutch plates seized up from sitting all winter, or can anyone suggest another possible problem??

[DGXSER]

Have you moved it period? Are the brakes locked up?? IF the clutch plates were locked it would have died when you put it in gear, not letting the clutch out.

When you pulled the clutch cable you simply released spring pressure holding the plates and friction disc to each other. If they were not loose from each other, they would not have slid past and let the engine run wihtout effecting the transmission when you put it in gear. When you let the clutch out, you applied spring pressure to push them together.

Did you let it idle up good before trying to move, did you put the choke all the way in instead of halfway (or however that works on the XJ models). IF the mixture is to lean it will have no power and die when you try to put load on the engine.

[pegasus54]

Clutch? Prob

The bike was idling, choke all the way back in. It rolls (i.e., brakes are not locked up). I'm going to try again tomorrow and retrace the steps to the point where it stalls out.

[3Phase]

Pegasus, there's a switch on the kickstand that will kill the engine. Maybe the kickstand switch is loose or something?

[pegasus54]

Spring?Start-Up

Thanks 3Phase. I'll try again tomorrow and see if that's it. Might have it all figured out by the time the good weather hits :-)

[DGXSER]

Hey Scott, would that switch not have killed it the second he dropped it into gear though, not when he let out the clutch?

My best guess is your putting the choke all the way off to quickly. I know for me, I need to leave it halfway out for the first mile of riding. Then put it all the way in.

[3Phase]

Yep, best guess is old fuel or not enough choke and not enough throttle with the engine not warmed up enough for old fuel with stabilizer in it.

If it just dies even after warming up the engine and giving it plenty of throttle, the kickstand switch (or something else in the interlock chain) might be loose. It works okay until the bike starts to move, kills the ignition, then goes back into place. The engine will restart and run until you try to move the bike again.

That or 'stuff' in the carbs.