Another Starter Question

Frogger

Member
Ok, first off I have a 2006 Mastiff; I have a new Braille battery on order from autoanything.com and a new starter on order from shovelheadkicker on eBay.
Prior to installing a new starter, which I know I will eventually have to do I wanted to run this by you guys.

Symptoms:
When attempting to start the bike it sounds like teeth are broken on the starter, a continuous clicking/grinding as long as I hold the start button. It is a horrible sound and the engine never turns.

I charged the battery to 100% and left it connected to the charger which has a start option, hoping it would act as a fully charged battery, even if the battery was bad (not sure this works). It continued to make the sound of death with no start.

I assumed it was a broken starter shaft or broken teeth. I removed the starter and examined the shaft and teeth, It appeared normal. I went to a Honda dealer (the only nearby motorcycle mechanics) to have them bench test the starter. They said the shaft popped out but did not spin and that the starter was most likely bad.

I read Raywoods post "Starter System," I removed the starter end cap to examine the solenoid contacts, they were a little black and dirty but no pits.

Now that I have a starter on order, I started thinking about the bench test, and came up with the question.

Is it possible that the "Key, Run, Start" safeties prevented the bench test from working properly?

I just don't want to replace a working starter with a working starter, nor do I want to re-instal the old starter just to have to take it off and put the new one on.

Any advise?
 

POPEYE

Active Member
all you need to bench test is a positive and negative and a jumper wire,check the starter clutch drive the teeth in there might be bad
 

bruce

Active Member
If the noise is with your old battery that you charged still hooked up, I would wait and see what happens with the new battery. a lot of problems come from batteries that are old or not kept on battery tender. To check starter you should be able to hook jumper cables to car battery, black to casing for ground and hold starter firm and (touch) red power cable to power bolt and starter gear in front should come out and spin.
 

danosrs

Member
I had exactly the same problem several years ago, bought a new battery and still grinding and no start. Took the battery out hooked up to the battery and starter shaft extended but no rotation. took the starter apart and the reduction gear was is pieces. Got the gear from HD installed it and it lasted about 3 months and happened again so I tossed it. Got me a spike 1.7Kw starter and been good ever since. Get the best starter you can and be sure you have good cables with the ground mounted on the starter. This is the only problem I have had with my BD.

Good luck.
 
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