Did i burn up my starter?

Well, i install the intake boots on my bike and i started it to see how it sounded. It was a very satisfying run:) the misfiring rattly noise is very quiet and it goes away completely now at about 2500 RPM. The Airbox really made a difference. I shut the bike off and went in the house for an hour or so to play some video games. I got a call from my mechanic about a battery box band for 5.00 that he had. I told him what was up with the bike and he said to adjust the air mixture screws on the top of the carbs and it should run even better than it does now. I walked out to the bike after the call and hooked up my dad's fuel tank to adjust the screws. I Hit the starter button and it cranked but wouldn't fire. I didn't know what was wrong. I disconnected the jumper cables and started the car up and let it run for a while to charge the battery (in the car). I shut the car off and hooked up the jumpers to my bike again. note- the car was off when jump starting my bike with it.
I crank the starter for about 10 seconds and all of the sudden the solenoid starts buzzing, the positive battery cable insulator started to smoke around the edges, and smoke seemed to roll out from the bottom of the carbs by the oil sender wire with that rubber cap on it. me-"so um... OMG WTF MY BIKES ON FIRE!!!!" I tore the jumper cables off real fast and started to blow air at where i thought the smoke was coming from. No fire, just burning rubber smell. The buzzing noise is coming from the solenoid but if the started seizes up, will it stop the solenoid from spinning or something?

Try this:

Starter Solenoid Checkout

Some simple steps to determine what is working and what's not:

1.Fully charge and test the battery(most bike shops can load test the battery, and then use a floating ball hydrometer to check specific gravity in the charged cells).

2.Clean all battery terminals of corrosion.

3.Tighten all starting related connections(Positive RED(+) battery terminal, Negative BLACK(-)terminal) and from the terminal to the engine case. All connections must be clean and tight.

4.Clean the cable from the starter solenoid to the starter motor.

5.Clean and check the "bullet connectors" going to the coil side of the starter solenoid.

6.Try again to start the bike, keep in mind some Kawasaki’s have a clutch interlock to prevent cranking the engine while it’s in gear, so the clutch lever must be squeezed.

7.If no luck, go to step #8

8.Wearing eye protection, bridge with pliers or a screwdriver the two heavy duty(large)terminals on the solenoid. If the bike cranks, your solenoid may be bad.

9. If the starter won’t turn over, one of several things has happened; The starter motor has seized due to brushes binding up, lack of lubrication in the bushings of the motor, the battery is weak , the engine has seized or it could be a combination of any of the above. Some websites for starter motor rebuild kits are:

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

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


10.The dealer may want $$$ for a new solenoid, but take your old one along and visit the nearest riding lawn mower shop. They have solenoids for about $15 that with a little work will fit. Be aware that the new solenoid from the lawn mower shop may require a ground wire for it to work.

11. I’d recommend upgrading from the existing battery cables to at least 6 gauge welding cables.
They are available in two colors(RED and BLACK) have more flexibility due to being constructed with finer conductors, and will fit in tighter areas.

12. The welding cable is sold by the foot, so take careful measurements or bring your old cables along. Most battery shops might be able to supply the cable too, so call to find out. The battery shop should be able to crimp/swage on the end of the welding cable the terminal ends or lugs using either a dedicated crimping machine or a tool that looks like a bolt cutter that has special dies to terminate the cable.

Timothy, I am just guessing based on you desciption.
It could be the starter solenoid buzzing was not because of the starter shorting internally, but because the short was somewhere else. Since the short was bad enough to smoke wires, then it probably dropped the voltage to the solenoid so low, that it started to "buzz". The solenoid needs at least 8 volts to reliably activate.
Now, I suggest you find the burned wire, and let us know at what points it begins, and ends the burned portion.
Theses bikes are tricky to jump start because it is very easy to cause a short when hooking up the jumper cable clamps. This may be the basic cause of the short. There MAYBE was nothing wrong with the bike's electrics before the jumper cables were hooked up.
I still recommend you remove the alternator rotor/flywheel, and tighten those starter one-way clutch bolts. Besides hammering on the bolts, and the holes they go through, at some point the bolts may loosen to the point that the alternator rotor starts rubbing on the windings of the stator mounted inside the cover. Bad news- remember the other poster who wrote about ruining his stator. Not something you want to do on a 30 year old bike. This is why it is rattling below 2500 rpm.

im going to skip straight to step 8. Next on the list is that rotor flywheel thing.

Thanks guys,
KT

Unbolt the 2 bolts for the starter motor cover, then you will see a post for the battery cable/ + positive. This is where when the solenoid is energized, the + battery voltage is applied. Now with your car turned off, attach the - negitive jumper to the engine block of you bike, then the + positive touched to the post on the starter it should spin over. If a big spark, or burning happens, and the starter does not turn it is shot. Then I would replace the starter and solenoid, while making sure the wiring and battery cables are undamaged. If the starter spins then you have a problem with the solenoid, or the wiring to it. Also possibly the + battery cable was what smoked as you were trying to jump it. When jumping always hook the - cable to the dead bikes frame or engine block.

would you guys recommend brand new starter, or could i get a rebuild kit? Money is tight right now and the kit is cheap...
Thank you for the replies.

Check on Ebay, there should be a good used 1 for a decent price. New would cost a fair bit, and yours is probably needing to be rewound, again expensive.
Have you checked out you circuits and cables? Did you jump between the engine block and the starter + post to see if it does anything?
I just looked on Ebay and there are many to choose from, ranging from $30-$140, plus shipping costs. You should be able to get a good 1 for about $50 or so.