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

finally got it off!!! PO evidently didnt know what a torque wrench was and i ended up having to cut all 4 bolts that were holding the side cover on, not fun at all...
A friend called in the middle of this and told me about a shop right down the road about 20 miles, who has a strange obsession with vintage japanese bikes, (sounds like a good guy to me)he rebuilds them for around 25$ sweetness right, and i can watch him work so i dont screw this up and can do it myself next time. Time to load up in the thing with doors:( good thing it is a jeep so i still feel the wind... well off to the shop to see what he has to say thanks for all the help guys (and gals if there were any who submitted)

timebomb33 wrote:

sounds like you have a bad brush pack.

youre telling me! :woohoo:

PLUMMEN wrote:

timebomb33 wrote:

sounds like you have a bad brush pack.

youre telling me! :woohoo:

Like i said the PO did a bunch of "DIY improvements" so howd you find his picture on the internet anyway????:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

cricketfire46 wrote:

PLUMMEN wrote:

And I'm cleaning a happy little armature that lives down the lane from the little commutator. Over here I will put a nice little witness mark ..just like that. Not too much don't want to scare the bearings that lives at the poles. Now clean those brushes! Good...
Young Bob Ross The Starter Rebuilder :huh:

well, dropped the starter off and as i was kinda suspecting the brushes were GONE is the right word for that. when he opened it up there was just black powder. I really did not think it was going to be that bad. The Local motorcycle guru said something about having to turn something. (if you think you know where this is going just keep reading, im not that stupid) and the part he was pointing at did kinda resemble lets say a factory brake drum from a 1966 mack truck only inverted. yeah it was rough and it does need to be turned, NOW FOR THE QUESTION. EXACTLY WHAT IS THAT HE HAS TO TURN????? best way i can describe it, in the center of the brushpack looked like it functioned as some sort of hub maybe, not really important but what is it and what does it do??

By "turning" he probably means to smooth the commutator and under cut the insulation between the copper/brass parts.

The commutator is where the brushes rub,turning electrical energy into mechanical energy as the windings attract/repell making the motor turn.

Locozuna wrote:

cricketfire46 wrote:

PLUMMEN wrote:

And I'm cleaning a happy little armature that lives down the lane from the little commutator. Over here I will put a nice little witness mark ..just like that. Not too much don't want to scare the bearings that lives at the poles. Now clean those brushes! Good...
Young Bob Ross The Starter Rebuilder :huh:

:woohoo:

timebomb33 wrote:

That's the last one I'll touch while it's running!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Click on image to enlarge fro]

Patton wrote:

timebomb33 wrote:

That's the last one I'll touch while it's running!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Click on image to enlarge fro]

im a trendsetter i tell ya! :laugh:

SUCCESS!!!!!!!! newly rebuilt starter is finally on, after like 9 inches of rain slacked up long enough to get to work:angry: She cranks like a brand new bike now. its great just walk out in the morning and crank her up. every now and then, it seems like there is something freespinning in there, hit the button, the starter spins but the motor doesnt seem to be trying to turn over. again like the sound my truck made when the bendix was stripped. the "fly wheel" thats what i am going to call it, thats what it is on a big motor. the gear the starter turns whatever you wanna call it has all the teeth, with no cracks or any other things out of the ordinary. any ideas to what the spinning may be would be great to hear. again thanks in advance for the help.

This refers to the Kz900's,1000's and 1100's but probably applies to your bike's starting problem.

Over Running Starter Clutch Repair On the Older, Bigger 4’S

1. When preparing to repair the starter over running clutch have a few items on hand:

A. New alternator cover gasket.
B. New springs (3).
C. New spring caps (3).
D. New rollers (3).

2. If possible, put the motorcycle on the center stand and tilt to the right to reduce the oil volume in the alternator cover.

3. Place an oil catch pan under the left side of the engine to collect what small amount of oil that will escape when the alternator cover is removed.

4. Remove the foot shifter lever, left foot peg assembly and the sprocket cover.

5. Some Kawasaki’s have socket head cap screws(Allen type) and others may have fasteners with a Phillips type. If the latter is there, a # 3 bit seems to work the best for removal.

6. Remove the alternator cover and take care with the three wires coming from the alternator stator. These are the voltage supply wires for the motorcycle. Rest the cover on some newspaper or rags to prevent damage.

7. The magnetic Rotor or flywheel will probably require a removal bolt or puller. NOTE, SOME ENGINES HAVE LEFT HAND THREADS ON THE ROTOR!!


8. The over running clutch is bolted to the back of the rotor with three Allen head fasteners.

9. Separate the rotor from the over running clutch and inspect for damage in the springs, rollers, and spring caps. Replace any worn parts.

10. Re-assemble in reverse order taking care when re-installing the Alternator cover not to pinch any wires. If the cover will not re-install without force, check before any damage occurs.


I believe the staring clutch on the 750's is further inside the engine then what the bigger 4's have.

Does anyone know were I can get a Diagram of a starter for my 81 750 Kawa,I need to find out if my starter had all its parts?