Stubborn starter clutch

Strange noise. Sounded like at first the starter clutch didn't engage once? then it turned it and made the noise. Have you a Stethoscope? Or just put a piece of hose to your ear and listen where that sound comes from. Does the bike sound good when it is running? Any strange noises then?

Bike sounds great when running. That metal whining has always been present when starting and I had hoped that was part of the bad starter clutch but even after replacing it, it remains.

Might be a bad starter. :blink:

I just replaced it (starter clutch).

Could the rotor taper be slipping in turn not turning the crank? Would make the metal whining noise? Does it have a woodruff key? Did the tapers look galled. As previously stated, the starter motor itself could be faulty. Either way need to back to basics, fuel, air, and spark. The other thing to be clear on is to state whether it cranks but not starts or just not cranks? If it doesn't crank, that is an entirely desperate issue. If the carbs look good and clean, then need to ensure we have spark during crank and that simply isn't a fuse or wiring problem. Sorry if this is stating the obvious and you have done all this already.

Cory

Cory, I will have to check the first few things you mentioned. The carbs are clean and currently off the bike, I was just trying to ID the metal noise. It has decent spark and does crank.