87' vt700c restoration

[oldskool]

Sooo, I was recently given two shadows that i found in a neighbors barn
I am starting with the 87', I belive the other is a 85ish, it would appear that someone was trying lower or chop or just destroy them.

I have no fenders, tanks, lights, side panels, rear shocks, or mufflers. I think they where trying to make them rigid, and the bars on the frame that the rear fender would attach to has been cut off. So before I started the big teardown I wanted to make sure it would fire and got it to run! After I replaced a cracked fuel line, fuel filter, battery and flushed the reserve tank, it fired right up.

It runs fine at idle, as soon as I rev it, it cuts out and runs like crap. That could be the lack of mufflers or needing a carb rebuild.

My main question right now is the clutch. It won't disengage. I don't think i need to bleed to because there seems to be plenty of pressure on the lever. Im guessing that the plates are stuck, any way to fix this without taking the assy apart?

[John Hopkins]

It really sounds as if the plates are gummed together, The correct way is a complete strip down...but...you could drain the oil and replace it with kerosine, then run it for a few minutes the let the korosine circulate and clean out the old oil while working the clutch lever..It's not the right thing to do, but what have you got to lose..

If it works, drain all the kerosine out and replace it with cheap 15/40 mineral oil.

John.

[oldskool]

Will the kerosene damage the friction plates?
My main reason for the lazynes is I just want to make sure every thing works or i can make it work before I get in over my head.

[oldskool]

Got the clutch working. Just need to find some new tins.... anyone got some for sale?

[oldskool]

Here she is exactly as i found her