I have just bought a 1980 Sportster XL1000. Bike was partial disassembled when I got it.

The bad:
I have never worked on a bike. Never ever.

The good:
I have years and years of automotive mechanical experience.

So....off we go!
The previous owner is....well, less then mechanically inclined. He started disassembly of this running bike to make 'improvements'.... Lets just say that some of his actions are...less than logical.

With THAT being said, he told me he was riding it (before disassmebly) and the clutch stopped working, so he took it apart.

"stopped working" could mean:
1:It stopped engaging
2:It stopped disengaging
3:It started slipping
4: I needed an excuse to rip it apart, and never put it back together.

When I started the reassmebly process, the clutch lever would pull in, and stay in - fully free movement - almost as if the cable was snapped. So I RE removed the transmission cover (unsure of WHAT its called - covers the engine to transmission chain).

Noticed that the cable WASN'T broke. The round peice (ramp) seemed to move freely clockwise and counterclockwise. So, I removed the cable to investigate. The I thought, maybey he installed that plate upside down - seeing there are divits in the same identical spot on the opposite plate. Well, we all know I failed misaerably at that. THEN, I noticed that there was wear marks in the divits.....almost like some sort of plutonium ...or maybey a steel ball was in there.

To my dismay, I searched and searched for 3 steel *****, and to no avail.

Since the nearest HD dealer is 30 miles away, I set off to the trust farm&home, and retrived 3 ball bearings that seemed to be apprpriate in size (1/4"). I assembled the cover, and after a LOAD of trial and error, I got it together!!!

<<Hint>>Hold the large jam nut on the outside with a needle nose vice grips. If the Vice Grips is wedged in far enough, the ??ramp plate?? cant move, hence, holding those three ^#$%$ ***** in, while you struggle with the gasket.

OK, got it together, adjusted to what common sence would suggest, and the lever feels normal. Put the bike in gear - can't move it. Pull the lever - can't move it. Adjusted PAST where there was preload on the ??pushrod?? STILL couldn't move it.

So I thought, maybey the 1/4 ***** aren't letting the plate push the clutch in far enough to release.....

So my next step was to retrive some larger ***** - 5?16 I belive they were. Installed those. STILL cant roll the bike. Adjusted all the way in even, with a BUT load of preload.....Nope, still cant - and at THAT point, the lever gets very hard to move at the end of it's travel

Yes, if I put the bike in Nutral, I can move it no problem - eliminated that....

This bike was sitting for 2 years. Could it be possible that the clutches are stuck together? If so, how do I force them apart?

What other causes am I missing?

Are my ball sizes right?

THANX for the help!!!!!