starter motor question

Hey everyone.
I'm having trouble starting my bike. I push the starter button the starter motor cranks and then slowly dies like a symptom of a dying battery. I charged up my battery and the same thing happens. The battery was just installed at the beginning of the season. I noticed that the bike will start if I let off the starter for a few seconds and then push it again and add throttle. This just started happening and the only thing that has changed is cooler weather. Does anyone know what the problem could be?

Check all of the large battery cables; from the battery to ground(usually a engine mounting bolt), the one from the Positive(+) battery post to the starter solenoid, and from it to the starter motor. All must be clean and tight, if they look good, your starter motor may need cleaning or repair, as they buildup carbon from the brushes, the commutator wears,and the end bushings need lube.

I just took all the battery cables and grounds off the bike and sanded them to get rid of any corrosion that might have been there. They all seemed pretty clean but I did it anyway to make sure. Went to turn the bike on and the same thing happened. I'm noticing it is an intermittent problem. When I start the bike for the first time in the day it is requiring the throttle being open and holding the starter button until the motor cranks and dies and then comes back to turn it on. If I have been riding the bike it will usually turn on like its supposed to. I have never worked with an automotive battery before and I accidently added a little too much electrolyte. I'm not sure if it would just drain from the tube and not cause any issues but could it still be a bad battery even if it is holding a charge and reading 12,3 volts?

This doesn't sound completely like a starter problem. Have you checked the valves lately?

I haven't opened the valve cover since I bought the bike last may however there is good compression, it has a lot of power while its driving, and no backfiring which I've read are all symptoms of bad valve clearance. I'm pretty sure its electrical because my neutral and oil lights flicker when I push the starter button. I'll be opening the valve cover this winter at some point to replace my valve cover gasket so I'll just check my clearances when I'm in there

nickleo373:
I wish I could tell you exactly what is keeping your bike from starting properly, but I am not sure. Are you using enough choke for the carbs to make the mixture rich enough to start?

What I do know, is why my bike won't start. Checked the battery, wiring, solenoid, and finally removed the starter and disassembled it. There used to be 4 brushes. Two of them had crumbled down to nothing but the copper wires barely touching the armature. The other two were still present, but less than 1/8" thick. No wonder the thing has not been starting well for a while, and now not at all.

Z1 has some brushes for some other bikes, but not my '82 KZ650. Does anybody know where I can buy new brushes? Many thanks.

WABBMW wrote: nickleo373:
..... Checked the battery, wiring, solenoid, and finally removed the starter and disassembled it. There used to be 4 brushes. Two of them had crumbled down to nothing but the copper wires barely touching the armature. The other two were still present, but less than 1/8" thick. No wonder the thing has not been starting well for a while, and now not at all.

Z1 has some brushes for some other bikes, but not my '82 KZ650. Does anybody know where I can buy new brushes? Many thanks.

According to Kawasaki.com the brush assembly is still available, but I don't see them showing the individual brushes. Partzilla lists it at $48.96 (see link). Ed

find.partzilla.com/?s=1&q=21039-1053&x=0&y=0

I did a test on my battery today. It reads 12.2 volts with the ignition off. When i turn the key on the volts drop to 9.3 and drops .1 every few seconds. Is this normal for a battery or should it be replaced?

650ed:
Thanks for the info on the brush assemblies. My KZ has been so reliable that I haven't bought parts for years, and didn't even think about checking the Kawasaki or Partzilla for sources.

Nickleo353:
I have found that with a good battery you will get voltage of about 12.7 with the ignition OFF, and about 11.8 volts with the ignition ON, which will be running lights, coils, etc. Sounds like your battery may be suspect. As a test, how about connecting the KZ battery to a car battery with some good jumper cables. Start the car and turn off accessories. Let it charge the moto battery for a few minutes. Then see if, and how it starts. Good luck.

Do not try to start your bike with jumper cables from a RUNNING car or you will fry your electrics.
The voltage drop you describe sounds suspect but I would let more knowledgeable people than I comment more on that.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationI know 650Ed showed where the entire brush plate assembly can be replaced for about $50., but I found, bought and installed new brushes, shipped to my house for $11.50. Here is the link:


These are brushes for the Battery + side of the starter motor. I bought a quantity of 2. One set bolts right in. For the other set, I cut the wires from the metal bracket and clamped the wire to the existing wire that is grounded to the brush plate.

The brushes are 10mm. x 5mm. x 12mm. They fit the brush holders perfectly. Works beautifully. All for $3.95 each, plus $3.60 shipping. Hope this helps others.