82 550 ltd max speed (please help)

ok for all you gurus out there i need an answer i got my permit for my bike and took it out for a ride today. my speedo is working properly i was with the flow of traffic so i know i wasnt going over. SO why in the hell is my max speed 45 freakin mph in 6th gear. i counted every shift and it would go no higher but it was reving high at 45 like 6 or 7 grand is this usual for this bike or has someone changed something please help

Your clutch is probably slipping. Try adjusting it according the the instructions in the manual and it may be ok. Ed

What he said

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Does it have power low end?

When you pull away from a stop or really get on her through the gears does it feel like it slips at all?

When my clutch was going, it would slip badly on take offs and when I really got on her through the gears. Eventually it slipped so bad it wouldn't even pull away from a stop.

It might even be time for new clutch disks and springs. There is a thread on here where you can take your clutch apart, clean the disks and rough them up a bit with a scotch brite pad and then you can just replace the springs with new ones. This is only if the disks pass the thickness spec outlined in the manual. I did this on my 750 after it was slipping and the issues went away for at least 5k miles, and then I sold it.

Other than the clutch slipping, I guess a possibility is that someone changed the sprockets to the obscene low end, but I doubt it's even possible, and if it was the old girl could pull the front end up in the first 3 gears...haha. I can vouche that my 82 550 will easily wrap the needle past 85.

I have a speed calculator in my signature, if you know the rear tire dimensions and your sprocket teeth.

I also have a guide for the clutch actuator adjustment. The one in the aftermarket manual is wrong for the 3-ball-ramp type actuator (which is what your bike should have).

There are also several manuals in my signature. Grab all of them.