MarkRoberto Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Hello all, I just picked my first bike a week ago - a 1981 XS400 Special II. I knew the starter didn't work well when I bought it but I figured it might give me something to tinker with. The starter turns every time I press the starter button; there's no problem with the electrical wiring or solenoid. The starter doesn't, however, always engage and actually start the engine. Sometimes it just spins, other times it'll start to engage then drop out. But again, occasionally it engages and the engine fires right up, especially when the engine is warm. Since I'm not familiar with the interface between the starter and the rotor, I'd like to get in there and see what's wrong. How do I go about removing the starter? Is there a cover over the rotor that I can remove to see what happens when I try starting the engine? Ideally I'd like to see the engagement and whether or not it's a worn gear or something. Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted August 3, 2008 Moderator Share Posted August 3, 2008 its the starter clutch, there are little cylindrical "bearings" which are pushed aginst the crank by little springs and when the engine is stationary the starter motor can spin the clutch up and the "bearings" grip the crank and turn over the engine. when these wear flat they just spin round the crank. to repair you need to take off the left covers and pull off the stator to get to the clutch. special puller is needed to extract the stator. and you can buy clutch starter kits from mike xs which i think fit yours drewpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkRoberto Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 Thanks for the reply drewpy. I tried to find a "mike xs" in the list of members but to no avail. Do you know his exact username? Does he also sell the puller tool, or do you know where I can get one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted August 6, 2008 Moderator Share Posted August 6, 2008 Thanks for the reply drewpy. I tried to find a "mike xs" in the list of members but to no avail. Do you know his exact username? Does he also sell the puller tool, or do you know where I can get one? sorry mate, should have been more explicit. Mikes xs is a shop http://www.mikesxs.net/mikesxs-tools.php?category_id=7.1 Alternator Rotor Puller - Safely pulls rotor without damaging it. Fits: All 650’s. Part #35-0040 $10.00 USD EA. I think nthat this will do it, need to check thread size with yours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakeryan90 Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 sorry mate, should have been more explicit. Mikes xs is a shop http://www.mikesxs.net/mikesxs-tools.php?category_id=7.1 Alternator Rotor Puller - Safely pulls rotor without damaging it. Fits: All 650’s. Part #35-0040 $10.00 USD EA. I think nthat this will do it, need to check thread size with yours Hey Mark, Did this do it for you? I am in a similar situation....just bought my first motorcycle ever (1980 XS400) with the same issue, and as the weather gets colder it is getting harder to kickstart. Would love to hear if this worked for you. Thanks, Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkRoberto Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Hey Mark, Did this do it for you? I am in a similar situation....just bought my first motorcycle ever (1980 XS400) with the same issue, and as the weather gets colder it is getting harder to kickstart. Would love to hear if this worked for you. Thanks, Jake I ended up getting the stator off with a three-jaw puller and a hammer. I loosened the center screw that retains the stator and used that to apply pressure with the puller. The hammer helped loosen things up with some gentle-turned-rougher tapping. Once off, I found that I only had 2 of the 3 bearings required. I had a friend machine a new bearing for me to the same size as the other 2. Unfortunately, this didn't fix my problem. It helped for the first few days, and when the bike is warm, but when it's cold, all I can do is kick start. Now that I'm thinking about it again, does anyone know what the correct dimensions for these bearings are (outer diameter and length)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted November 20, 2008 Moderator Share Posted November 20, 2008 I ended up getting the stator off with a three-jaw puller and a hammer. I loosened the center screw that retains the stator and used that to apply pressure with the puller. The hammer helped loosen things up with some gentle-turned-rougher tapping. Once off, I found that I only had 2 of the 3 bearings required. I had a friend machine a new bearing for me to the same size as the other 2. Unfortunately, this didn't fix my problem. It helped for the first few days, and when the bike is warm, but when it's cold, all I can do is kick start. Now that I'm thinking about it again, does anyone know what the correct dimensions for these bearings are (outer diameter and length)? kits from here http://shop.wemoto.com/pictures.dyn?u=2147868qqq5828092 http://www.motogrid.com/pages/parts/viewbybrand/7/honda.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexeril Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Why is it so hard to find a kit in the US? I need one like last week! ARRGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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