Newbie needs help!

[alibabu22]

Hey everyone!
so new guy to bikes in general here, and i need your infinite wisdom! So i bought an 80, xs400 of a buddy of mine the other day. its a bit of a bagger but he did a little work before i got it and it seemed like a good deal. ( can you hear me questioning myself here? ). The carbs were done last month at a reputable motorcycle shop in Regina and it hadn't been ridden up until yesterday beause it was waiting on a new clutch; so now i own it, and it seems to me like the carb is clapped out (no power, hard to start, small sputter.) and the clutch doesnt seem to be engaging right at all. it only engages in the last 1/8th of the clutch handle/lever? ive tried adjusting it both on the side of the crankcase and on the top end of the cable to no real progress. So before i take it to a shop and leave it for a week and empty my bank account does anyone have any advise that can point me in the right direction?!
sorry for the long post, im just getting frustrated at this point because i really want to get out there and rip up Regina!
Thanks a lot, Alistair Whittington

 

[bcware]

If the cable adjuster and the lifter adjuster are not working I would take apart the clutch and push rod; ensure that the ball bearings are in place and actually watch the lifter move. That would be my first guess.

The carbs may be clean, but the float height may be wrong and/or any o-rings within the carbs might need replacing.

 

[alibabu22]

okay, with the clutch cover off how far approximately should the outside plate move off the clutch discs? and from what ive read the floats need to be at 26mm? is that right? and from where to where do i measure that

 

[bcware]

Gosh, I couldn't say exactly how far the clutch moves, but you can visibly see the plates separate; it's not a lot.

Yes, 26mm is good for the floats. Measure like the photo shows, but ignore the height shown.

For a clutch that bites too far out you should be screwing the adjuster at the clutch lever IN and the adjuster on the side of the engine should be turned OUT. Is this what you did?

 

[alibabu22]

I pretty much screwed around with every clutch combination today but who knows. i know the top end clutch cable is currently screwed all the way in, and i think the case screw is about halfway in. Im assuming that, on the case cover screw side that as soon as pressure is released off the screw when your loosening it off its time to stop? or is it okay to not feel the pushrod on the screw? that's about the only thing i haven't tried yet. the bike is driveable, mind you barely. its shifts great from 2nd up, but getting off the line is a hell of a chore!
thanks again guys

 

[bcware]

I would try loosening the adjuster on the engine more; worst case scenario it doesn't work.

I just played with mine while the bike was off. Leave it in 1st and sit on/walk the bike with the clutch lever pulled in; slowly let it out to find the bite point.

I had this problem too, but I don't remember feeling any tension on the engine side adjuster; all I did was keep loosening it until it behaved the way I wanted it to.

If you have the cover off it won't hurt to lube the crap out of the lifter too (this also made a big difference for me). I used chain lube.