Hi all. I was reading up on a thread on here about a starter clutch issue where the clutch chain may be broken, or the sprag rollers are bad. I currently have a 97 Nighthawk 750 that just recently started having starter/starter clutch issues.
For about 2 weeks of daily riding, my starter would not spin every so often. I needed to tap the starter with a wrench or ratchet for it to work. I assume the brushes were worn at this time, and I was right. I kept riding like this for a while, and the last time I tried starting the bike, the battery was low and the tapping trick no longer worked. I went ahead and ordered a starter rebuild kit and changed the brush assembly on the cap of the starter and cleaned the rest of the starter motor, greased the sun gear/planetaries. The starter itself now works fine, but now it only spins freely, it seems as if the starter clutch is worn out, and wont catch.
Here's what I can tell - With the starter off the bike, and the bike in neutral, I can spin the starter clutch gear (The one exposed behind where the starter motor sits) counterclockwise, but not clockwise. To me, this means the one-way roller/clutch/whatever is working. I can also use a long flat-headed screwdriver to spin the round silver clutch assembly (the big chrome thing behind this starter gear, directly behind the teeth of the starter gear, see picture) counterclockwise also with some force, and the drive chain will move with its movement. I'm not 100% sure if that means that the clutch is good, or if I'm misunderstanding the significance of that. I also tried tapping the gear/clutch pack with a sledgehammer and extension. I can also say that the alternator is working fine, as I'm getting 14.3~ volts at idle, and increasing voltage slightly as I rev the engine. The starter gear will also move clockwise and counterclockwise together with the starter clutch (chrome thing) when the bike is in gear and I roll the bike backwards and forwards. The bike starts fine when push-started, but the starter only spins, even if the bike is running in neutral, in gear, literally while I'm at speed. I even tried rolling the bike backwards and popping the clutch while starting, nothing. I can also slightly see a small chain near the chain guide which is behind the clutch pack (see pic) if I look at it from a weird angle with a flashlight. So I can also say the chain doesn't seem broken.
I always use rotella 15w40 T4 diesel oil for my motorcycles, never had a problem. Oil is only about 150 miles old since the last change. I also have a full battery, and also used a battery jump back to rule out low voltage. The alternator will also move the crank, and even drive chain when in gear, when spun with a ratchet, so I know the chain for that works.
So, any ideas?
Also, if my starter clutch is truly screwed, is there a way I can make a kick-starter for this bike? It would not be able to use the starter clutch gear to start.
For about 2 weeks of daily riding, my starter would not spin every so often. I needed to tap the starter with a wrench or ratchet for it to work. I assume the brushes were worn at this time, and I was right. I kept riding like this for a while, and the last time I tried starting the bike, the battery was low and the tapping trick no longer worked. I went ahead and ordered a starter rebuild kit and changed the brush assembly on the cap of the starter and cleaned the rest of the starter motor, greased the sun gear/planetaries. The starter itself now works fine, but now it only spins freely, it seems as if the starter clutch is worn out, and wont catch.
Here's what I can tell - With the starter off the bike, and the bike in neutral, I can spin the starter clutch gear (The one exposed behind where the starter motor sits) counterclockwise, but not clockwise. To me, this means the one-way roller/clutch/whatever is working. I can also use a long flat-headed screwdriver to spin the round silver clutch assembly (the big chrome thing behind this starter gear, directly behind the teeth of the starter gear, see picture) counterclockwise also with some force, and the drive chain will move with its movement. I'm not 100% sure if that means that the clutch is good, or if I'm misunderstanding the significance of that. I also tried tapping the gear/clutch pack with a sledgehammer and extension. I can also say that the alternator is working fine, as I'm getting 14.3~ volts at idle, and increasing voltage slightly as I rev the engine. The starter gear will also move clockwise and counterclockwise together with the starter clutch (chrome thing) when the bike is in gear and I roll the bike backwards and forwards. The bike starts fine when push-started, but the starter only spins, even if the bike is running in neutral, in gear, literally while I'm at speed. I even tried rolling the bike backwards and popping the clutch while starting, nothing. I can also slightly see a small chain near the chain guide which is behind the clutch pack (see pic) if I look at it from a weird angle with a flashlight. So I can also say the chain doesn't seem broken.
I always use rotella 15w40 T4 diesel oil for my motorcycles, never had a problem. Oil is only about 150 miles old since the last change. I also have a full battery, and also used a battery jump back to rule out low voltage. The alternator will also move the crank, and even drive chain when in gear, when spun with a ratchet, so I know the chain for that works.
So, any ideas?
Also, if my starter clutch is truly screwed, is there a way I can make a kick-starter for this bike? It would not be able to use the starter clutch gear to start.
