Do i need a new starter or not?????

Ok guys and gals, the old 750 has been running great for the past 2 or 3 months once i got all the little bugs worked out. about 2 weeks ago i noticed that the starter seemed to have a little free spin (sounded like my ford pickup when the bendix went out, and when it cracked the flywheel) With a little help by just pushing it it first gear to help the starter catch there were not so much of a problem. Making things worse last week I noticed that the bike was having issues starting while in gear, like it was pulling the bike with the starter even with the clutch pulled in. checked the clutch and there doesnt seem to he any problem while the bike is running or idled at stop while in gear. :ohmy: having given you a run down of the past couple of weeks i finally arrive to the current problem... last night when I was attempting to leave work the starter turned the motor over just enough to get the bike cranked, stupid me forgot something inside so i killed the bike to go back inside ( dont want anyone to steal my baby) back outside i tried to crank it again, the solenoid decided to give me the click. tried to do all the old tricks from working on a tractor, no they arent safe at all so dont try them... arced the starter across the solenoid with no luck. arced the starter straight to the battery with no result. conclusion solenoid works fine, starter has issues... NOW FOR THE REAL QUESTION... WHAT WOULD CAUSE THE STARTER TO JUST GIVE OUT LIKE THAT, CAN IT BE FIXED EASILY, OR DO I NEED TO GET A NEW STARTER. IF I NEED A NEW ONE WHERE TO GET ONE AND HOW MUCH WILL IT COST....

sorry for the long post, but i didnt want to have to answer several questions in reply. so i just gave the whole story. ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

You sure is not just the battery that went south?

hugo wrote:

You sure is not just the battery that went south?

Battery is just fine, shows 12.4-12.7 volts and amperage is high enough to jump start a lawnmower with. forgot to mention i also tested starter with a jumpstart box with no result. bendix is not even spinning with direct wires to jump start box

Some websites that have rebuild kits for starters:

1. www.mawonline.com/newsite/rick_s_motorsp...-starter_brushes.htm

2. www.cyclewareables.com/pages/street_star...kits/startmtrkit.htm

Ask around at the local electrical motor rebuild shops, they might save you a few $$.

My starter was exhibiting the same symptoms. I pulled it off and tore it down, only to find it completely full of crud and dry as a bone!

I just cleaned everthing really well. Made sure all the electrical contacts were nice and solid/clean. Put it all back together and oiled in the right spots.

It works like new! Used it all season wihtout even the slightest hiccup!

Alot cheaper than a new one!

Good Luck.



Too bad no kicker... :laugh:

TeK9iNe wrote:

Too bad no kicker... :laugh:

No joke on that one, I am going to guess there is no way to install a kicker on an 83 without having to replace half of the drivetrain with something that was factory with a kickstart... Wouldnt have to worry with forgetting to plug trickle in

sounds like you have a bad brush pack.

timebomb33 wrote:

sounds like you have a bad brush pack.

This sounds like what I want to be wrong... Semi easy to fix and not too expensive either... I am glad to get all of these ideas from you guys while I am sitting here at work, I can use the KISS method when I am off and not have to wait for what else would be wrong... Thanks Keep them coming A good productive day off trouble shooting versus just staring at it will be great. Thanks A Lot, keep em rollin in here

when you get it apart and have it all cleaned up you will want to clean up the comutator up to do this properly i chuck the amarature up in a drill press and get a peice of of crocus cloth and then spin away and hold the crocus cloth against it until the commutator is shiny and even then you should be pretty much good to go after you clean it real good with contact cleaner. pretty easy to do but abit tricky to get back together if it is a 4 brush pack extra thumbs and fingers are nice to have.

Well day off comes tomorrow, it will be time to break it all down and try to find the problem. Any other ideas out there that might possibly give me something to look for/at in case none of this fixes the problem? I plan to take it one step at a time with the easiest suggestion first. Please let me know if you have any other thoughts on this subject.

thanks again
hopefully by tomorrow at this time i will have some news to give. really hoping so at least, have a charity ride starting tomorrow afternoon all the way through sunday. not really wanting to have to bump start everytime we stop for a break

It should be a easy to diagnose problem, just make sure to disconnect the Negative(-) battery terminal before working on the bike. We'd hate to hear of fire,smoke and welding impressions being done while taking the starter motor out of the engine.

Some riders on other forums have reported loose magnets,dry bushings, and worn brushes and commutators.

Before taking the motor housings apart, use a magic marker and put a line so the housing lines up in case it's critical for operation.

i always use a scribe of some sort to mark the case as paint or a marker can get washed off. and i'm a clutz so sure as shit that would happen to me.