1977 GS750 wont move under power -(no clutch???)

[Guest]

So I am looking at a 1977 Gs750 with around 43k miles. Bike is in rougher shape cosmetically but the engine/mechanical seems to be good. Fired up cold (not fired in at least 6 months), sounds good no engine noise. Has dyna S iggy with accel coils and wires, pods with header. The problem is that it wont move when you let out the clutch lever. THe bike will just bog and die without moving.


The rear wheel spins freely in neutral- no weird noises (both on ground and center stand). And on stand when the bike is in second gear you can spin the wheel and hear slight compression but then the wheel just spins.

I have not tried to get it to move rear wheel on the center stand with the bike running. Will try that before I make a decision to buy.

Just trying to diagnose whats worst case scenario on the bike.

So what could be wrong, give me worst case stuff as well as if it is just the clutch is burnt up that it just slips.

Also can i hear the slipping or tell that it is slipping someway???? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

And no I cant just pull the clutch cover off, its in the backroom of a dealership and they want 500 to get it gone. Im on the clock, have this weekend or it goes to auction. If its just the clutch is gone i am ok, otherwise I will lose big on the deal. Please help.

Thanks

Matt

[Agemax]

it cant be anything to serious. is there any freeplay on the clutch lever? back off the adjuster a bit and see if it helps.
could be the cable or worm drive just seized up, as its been sat for 6 months.
for that money i would take a gamble. to strip and refurbish the whole clutch isn't a big deal, so go for it.

[Gold01ca]

it cant be anything to serious. is there any freeplay on the clutch lever? back off the adjuster a bit and see if it helps.
could be the cable or worm drive just seized up, as its been sat for 6 months.
for that money i would take a gamble. to strip and refurbish the whole clutch isn't a big deal, so go for it.

+1, worse case scenario, might be as simple as the wrong oil (ie. high slip, energy saving automotive).
Take the plunge!

[tom203]

"rough shape cosmetically "? bike no move ? $500 is too much to take a chance. I wonder why this dealer didn't at least attempt to correct clutch
Wait till auction and offer less.

[hotrods316]

thanks guys, i just wanted to check and make sure i wasnt missing something in the high ecitement of buying another project bike. already have two on the backburner but i am a sucker for the ole gs's,they ride great and are usually easy flips.

it is at a harley dealership, they wont touch metric. tried to get some tips from a service tech but he don't know no japanese junk, only HD. lol.

I will try to back off the adjuster at the handle(give it more freeplay correct?) and will see if I can get the wheel to spin under power with no weight.

BTW the cable has a definite pull through my hand when pull in but dont remember feeling it while releasing.

can the plates stick in the disengaged position (no power transmitted thru clutch?)

I have plunged into a few 1000's and not got bit (except by the racing bug ). but never any 750s, not sure of any differences and if there was anything to avoid on the 750's. just didnt want to lose my gains from the last 1000s i flipped on a lemon 750.

Thanks again.

matt

[eil]

The problem might be a bad clutch... but if the engine doesn't move the rear wheel at all, that's a fairly unusual failure. Even a burned-up slipping clutch pack should move the wheel with it off the ground. Maybe the PO accidentally left out a few (or all) plates upon reassembly?

Did you run it through all the gears? If the problem persists in all gears, it's more likely a misadjusted clutch cable. If it only happens in one or some, I'd suspect a bad transmission. Which isn't the end of the world to fix, just a rather labor-intensive one.

Comes down to a judgement call, I suppose. If you like the bike and don't mind working on it some, $500 may not be a bad deal. (For me, motorcycles are for recreation and good-condition GSes are not expensive or terribly rare. But as they say, your mileage may vary.)

[hotrods316]

the rear wheel did move with the clutch lever adjusted out and on the center stand. unfortunatley the kickstart was broken. not sure if related or not.

I did not buy the bike. To many if's for my liking.

MODS feel free to leave for others with clutch issues or delete as you see fit. thanks everyone for the help.\

matt

[tkent02]

Worst case, it needs an engine.

No big deal if the rest of the bike is good. For $500 I'd hit it if it's all there and looks decent.
Pop in a GS1000 engine and don't look back.