hi guys. just bought a damaged 04' xtx from the auctions and I cant seem to get any gear, its just like its in neutral through all the gears. the clutch lever is very weak when you pull it in. i adjusted the clutch adjustments right up (normally that would make it very tight), but when it felt correctly adjusted and with the right tension on the lever it still had no gears.

any idea whats wrong before I go pulling off the clutch cover?
thanks in advance!

Hi

With the back wheel in the air (or rolling back and forth) can you tell if the gears are engaging?

If yes I would be looking at the clutch.

If no my first thoughts are to look at the gear lever actuating linkage.
(Unfortunately I think you have to take the clutch out to get to it)
But I am sure someone with better knowledge than me will be along shortly.

you can hear it clunking into gear but when you let the clutch out with the engine running it wont move forward. if you push the bike in first and without the engine running you can just feel a slight drag. it freewheels fine in neutral as it should. oil looks good.

theres no telling how long its been sitting coming from the auctions, maybe a few months at the most...
hope the clutch is ok, as the damage to the bike was minimal (just a headlight and dash). The clutch could have died and the last owner could have just pushed it down a hill into the back of a truck to claim the insurance... you never know!

It could be several of the springs that push the clutchplate that has been broken, that would hinder the clutch from engaging. Another long shot is that the previous owner has used some kind of oil additive e.g slick 50 or similar, that will make wetclutches stop working.

Either way, you need to open the the clutch side cover and check.

pull the side cover off.... undo the 6 bolts holding the pressure plate
remove it , pull the clutch plate out " keep in the same order"
Clean/ check and reinstal set all clutch adjustments...




.

__________________
Harley Davidson..
The easyest way to turn gasoline into noise with out the side efect of horse power...

not wrong Pete, thats what I just did, but now im stuck.
ive cleaned the plates and replaced them in order. with the clutch cover removed I pushed the bike in gear and the plates spun like the bike was in neutral... is this normal? without the clutch cover on if you push the loose plates in theres a gap of about 5mm. i thought this should be a tight fit, like this its like theres 2 plates missing!

another damaged XT i bought last week (basket case) had last been started about 6 months ago has the same problem! Ive taken the clutch cover off and checked the plates they too have a gap and spin when you hang off one of the clutch spring bolts when its in gear......

think I worked it out. feels good now. took it apart, checked the centre basket nut again reassemled it and the hub seemed to line up better with all the plates firm. the oil was extremely sticky. i think thats where the problem was at first, additives or contaminated or old oil. I'll see how i go with fresh oil in it tomorrow.
funny plate set up on it-the closest plate to the engine was thinner with a seperate metal curved ring. the other plates were 2 different colours, some brighter than the darker ones .. thanks for the input guys!