starter problem

[blackers]

Hi;
I'm a new member just got a 1990 851 strada & the starter has packed it in can anyone tell me what's involved in removing it & will later models fit if I can't repair it.

Cheers, Blackers

[stafford]

What are the symptoms, to decide if this is sprag clutch or starter motor related?
If it's the starter replacement brushes can be fitted and quite often does the job.

[blackers]

Hi,

It was starting fine, it then behaved like the battery was flat & just wound over slowly & would not start, then nothing but the solinoid clicking when the starter buttons pushed. I have had a mechanic check it, he got it to wind over a couple of times by tapping the starter body. The battery is new & I have had it on charge with no change to the problem.
I don't have access to a bike mechanic as I live in a mining town & I'm not sure what's involved getting the starter of or repaired.
Any advice will be appreciated.

Cheers, Blackers

[marvin]

You have to pull the left side engine cover off to access the mounting bolts.

[Mr.R]

Originally Posted by blackers

Hi,

It was starting fine, it then behaved like the battery was flat & just wound over slowly & would not start, then nothing but the solinoid clicking when the starter buttons pushed. I have had a mechanic check it, he got it to wind over a couple of times by tapping the starter body. The battery is new & I have had it on charge with no change to the problem.
I don't have access to a bike mechanic as I live in a mining town & I'm not sure what's involved getting the starter of or repaired.
Any advice will be appreciated.

Cheers, Blackers

Hi Blackers,
I've just had exactly the same problem occur (Again) on my '92 851/916, only 2 weeks ago.
My money's on it being the starter motor.
In the past around 8 years ago (I've owned this bike for just over 11 years) I've had a starter motor go down with the same symptoms as yours and had it overhauled rewound/new brushes etc, which cured the problem this cost just under £100*.
I'd took it into the Electricians shop at my place of work for them to check, thinking that I might get away with a new set of brushes...
But after checking it they said "No Steve it's Fucked!"
I've also had a sprag clutch fail, this resulted in a loud rattling noise from the LH side of the motor when pressing the starter button.
Fortunately for me I've got few good spare starter motors, any of the starters from the 748,916,996, Monsters etc will fit, they were also fitted to some Jap' bikes and probably snowmobiles, lawn mowers etc.
I'm 99.9% certain that it's the same motor as fitted to the Suzuki GS400 twin.
As Marvin has said you'll need to pull the alternator cover, to do this you'll have to drain the coolant 1st.
If you don't want to drop the oil, then put the bike on a rear paddock stand with a 1+1/2"-2" block under the LH side of the stand, this will make the oil run away from the removed cover and not run out all over the floor!

*I wish that I'd known this bit before...
If it comes down to buying a new starter, get in contact with the USA ND-Nippon Denso importers as they'll probably charge a lot less than if you buy it from a bike dealers.
In the UK the importers will supply the exact same motor with a selection of gears/cogs so that it can adapted to fit your bike, for under 1/2 what you would pay Ducati.
You only need a pair of circlip pliers to swap the gear/cog over.

Steve R

[got2dv8]

Originally Posted by blackers

Hi,

It was starting fine, it then behaved like the battery was flat & just wound over slowly & would not start, then nothing but the solinoid clicking when the starter buttons pushed. I have had a mechanic check it, he got it to wind over a couple of times by tapping the starter body. The battery is new & I have had it on charge with no change to the problem.
I don't have access to a bike mechanic as I live in a mining town & I'm not sure what's involved getting the starter of or repaired.
Any advice will be appreciated.

Cheers, Blackers

I'd try another battery just to make sure... A dead cell could cause those issues. Might save you from pulling the cover off...especially if you are not experienced in that department. If the same thing happens, then you have plenty of advice already on replacing the starter. You may even wish to jump the bike to get her running so you can check the alternator output using a multitester and checking the voltage at the battery. Statically anything under 12.6 volts is a dead battery. When running it should be significantly higher. You may have an issue with the reg/rec if it's not charging properly. You haven't stated if you have the battery on a trickle charger.

Robert

[Henrik]

One cheap and easy thing to check before digging deeper is the cables, battery to starter relay and further to the start motor. If they are as old as the bike it's really not a long shot either.

Good luck
Henrik

[Mr.R]

Hi Robert,
I'm getting the same problems with a (in very good condition) Hawker Odyssey 545 battery (always kept on CTEK multi 3600 charger) and a new 916 Shindengen reg/rec.
I've also tried the bike with the (all but new) Heavy duty battery from my wifes 1600 VW Golf/Rabbit with the same results.
My money's still on it being the starter motor giving up the ghost.

Steve R

[got2dv8]

I'm not saying you are wrong nor did I intend to start a debate or step on any toes , just stating there may be a more simple solution to his problem. I had the same problem with my truck years ago. Battery showed full charge, but when putting a load on it it would dissipate it's charge immediately. Turned out to be a dead cell and a replacement battery solved my starting issues.

Robert

[blackers]

Thanks guys for the feedback!!
I'm probably going to have to trailer it to a bike mechanic as everything checks out OK except the starter. I have found quite a few starters for sale so at least if it's "cactus" based on Steve R's feedback I should be able to get another unit that fits. (Thanks for that info!)

Cheers, Blackers