So with my build (1980 xs400) I decided to put new clutch plates in. I did not touch the kick start mechanism at all and it kicked fine before I took it all apart. Now that i have a fresh gasket with gasket sealer installed WITH NEW OIL IN THE MOTOR, it does nothing. I took the oil cap off and looked at it with a flash light and it engages a gear on the inside that I would believe to be the crank? However with no spark plugs in it is not turning the motor at all. I installed a new clutch cable and have read that if its too tight it won't engage, so i took the entire thing off, cover and everything and still nothing. Whats going on. Also my electric start doesn't work at all so now this thing is really screwed. please help!!!
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kick start not doing anything after new clutch
- Thread starter Tyler H
- Start date
XS NEWBIE
XS400 Member
On my 1979 I have to kick it over with no clutch... if I pull the clutch it doesn't do anything... so I just go.neutral and kick it over.
XS NEWBIE
XS400 Member
And as for.the electric start you need to find the issue.... if.its.the starter.relay or.the actual.starter.... on mine the relay is gone... I plan to get.rid of.it.. but I can't yet. So when I need to use the starter on some cold starts I just use.jumper cables to bypass the relay .
First off you should never use gasket sealer on any gaskets. A little grease to hold them into place is all you need. It also makes it easier to remove them later if you have to. If the clutch was assembled correctly ( there are two arrows that need to be aligned in the clutch basket) it should work. Make sure the cable was adjusted correctly at the top and bottom. Most people miss the bottom adjustment. There are threads on this in the forum. Also when you where in there you may have moved some parts associated with the kick mechanism.
stuartr
XS400 Member
If your clutch is adjusted to tight, allowing the plates to slip, the kick starter has no ability to turn the motor over. Try adjusting the clutch cable so it feels loose, then try the kick. You can always adjust more tension back in once you get the kick working. Also make sure that you have your clutch basket set properly, you can install everything together with the basket off a tooth so it will not seat properly on the clutch disks, this will also give zero action on the clutch lever so that will feel crazy weird.
When I reassembled my left side case I adjusted too much tension into the clutch cable and lost the ability to use the kick. it was a matter of maybe 2 turns on the top of the cable and like a 1/4 turn on the bottom and it made all the difference.
When I reassembled my left side case I adjusted too much tension into the clutch cable and lost the ability to use the kick. it was a matter of maybe 2 turns on the top of the cable and like a 1/4 turn on the bottom and it made all the difference.
Thank you for the input guys. I think it has to do with my new plates. I didn't know there was an orientation with the arrows, will look at that tonight. Also it seems like there is a huge gap between pressure plate and new disks.. could this be because of the alignment? Where are the arrows?
