Starter motor trouble 83 KZ1100

My bike wouldn't turn over, did some troubleshooting and found the starter itself at fault. I want to know how you guys recommend fixing it and if it was a wear issue or if something shorted and messed it up or.......

I didn't have any issues starting the bike and then the bike died. I pushed it home and eventually got around to looking at it. This is what I found. The inside had lots of carbon build up, a few small pieces, but otherwise just a layer of it. Whats the safest/best way to clean it up? One of the brushes has a chip in the edge of it as well. And the culprit itself, a broken wire to a brush. 



I think a rebuild kit would be the best solution, is there one anyone recommends? The only ones I've found (through limited searching) say they fit, but the reviews say they don't.


Thanks,
Matt

You will find (4-brush) rebuild kits listed on ebay in a wide range of prices.

I found a 4 brush one that said it fit and ordered it. Supposed to be here by Friday (the 10th).

Before ordering a brush kit check armature resistance. The brushes won't help if anything is out of specs. Mine had windings shorted to the shaft, so I had to replace the starter.

The copper wire to the brush can be soldered easily.

Scirocco:
I figured the best repair would be replacement, I also already ordered it.

VTEC:
To check, its the commutator resistance to the shaft right? I did that and it wasn't. However all of the individual plates on the commutator were connected. That doesn't seem right.

For whatever reason, I didn't consult the service manual to check service limits. I just checked them and aside from the broken wire the only thing that isn't in spec is the commutator groove depth. The manual says service limit is .2mm, standard is .5-.8mm. There is no insulation between the commutator plates. I tried to get a picture of it, but its not the best.

Note that 0.2 mm is significantly different than 2.0 mm.

Your commutator needs a 5 minutes job on the lathe.

Does the groove depth mean a new starter?

Daveo:
That was a typo.

No, you have to machining the commutator to a cylindric shape and remove the concave form with a minimum of metal remove in the brushing area.

There seems to be no mica at all between the segments. Won't that be a problem ? It appears to be a lot more than the 0.2mm maximum allowed by Kawasaki.