Battery, Starter or Starter Clutch???

Is the part you need shown on the diagram below? Ed

Ed, there is no part number on the diagram. It is part of 21039. It is directly to the left of the starter armature. The starter rebuild kits have everything but that particular piece. Sorry, I don't have a computer to circle on the diagram.

That carbon brush assembly is still an "Active" part, so any dealer can order it. Ronayers.com lists it a $44.99. Ed

www.ronayers.com/Search.aspx?k=21039-1053

I was just about to order that part. But I just saw a little oil coming out of my left fork boot. Does that mean a total fork rebuild now? So now I need to replace 1. the starter brush assembly, 2. the battery, 3. rebuild the forks, 4. buy new carb to box boots so I can finally install the air box. Oh, and the back of my speedometer is cracked and needs replacing.

Ahhh, the joy of owning a bike as old as yourself.

Ed,
Do you have any experience ordering from ronayers? I just want to know if I can rely on them. Today is the day to order what I need.

LuckyLucOnBass wrote: Ed,
Do you have any experience ordering from ronayers? I just want to know if I can rely on them. Today is the day to order what I need.

Yes, I bought from them many times and was always satisfied. Same is true of Partzilla. One word of caution with both vendors - both of their web sites show prices for Kawasaki parts that are no longer available. If you order those parts you will get a refund. So before ordering, make sure the part is still listed as "Active" on Kawasaki.com. Other than that, they both are fine. Ed

That is the plastic cup that holds the positive brushes in place. It was melted, which tells me there was a bad short going on. I don't know what would cause it. But I'm hoping the replacement will fix my starter issue at least. Perfect riding weather here in Texas. 70-some degrees outside.

im having the same issues with my bike not starting i havent torn into anything yet but i was wondering were u are at with it. and if the fix worked

There's an easy way to check and see if it's the starter clutch, we'll at least it worked for me. Put your bike in first gear and shift it forward or backward which moves the starter assembly. Then try starting the bike. A lot of times one or 2 of the springs lose tension or break but in certain positions it will still start. It could explain why the bike started at the beginning of the ride but not after you gased up.

Jrbrownie00 wrote: There's an easy way to check and see if it's the starter clutch, we'll at least it worked for me. Put your bike in first gear and shift it forward or backward which moves the starter assembly. Then try starting the bike. A lot of times one or 2 of the springs lose tension or break but in certain positions it will still start. It could explain why the bike started at the beginning of the ride but not after you gased up.

So if I rock the bike in first gear, and it does start, then it is a bad clutch? Or a good clutch?

lightitup wrote: im having the same issues with my bike not starting i havent torn into anything yet but i was wondering were u are at with it. and if the fix worked

I bought a new starter rebuild kit. New brushes, the plastic... EVERYTHING. I charged up my battery. Connected everything and hit the start... NOTHING! Just clicks from the solenoid. Oh, and by the way, I found the complete kit, brand new for $25. More than half price. And a genuine Kawaski part.

When that didn't work, I pulled the starter and tried jumping directly to my truck battery. Nothing, again. Why?! Can the armature be bad? My bike has 14,400 miles. Is there any tests I should run on the starter to see if it is the starter itself? I don't want to buy a new starter. And where would I even find one?

Ok... I did some reading on the internet here. I did clean the armature and commutator when I rebuilt my starter. But I read that maybe I need to clean the mica gaps between the commutator segments. I'll do that in a bit. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Even after I get the starter working, I need to see if my starter clutch needs replacing. I really don't know if I want to get that deep with it. I love riding this bike. But times are a little hard right now on this side.

It could still be a bad clutch but when mine went bad I could occasionally start it in certain positions

This is like the end all be all of starter issues! I love it.

I pulled my starter apart, the gears were nasty and dry. Cleaned and lubed, the starter spins very nice on the bench. and with the spark plugs out. Back on the bike, same grindy sound and minimal crank movement. Glad I found this post. Looks like it's the starter clutch. Any pro's want to confirm this?

Video shows the crank bolt for reference to see what the motor is actually doing compared to the sound.