Who makes the best STARTER,cables,

[Johnnieye]

Ok so I think I need a new starter. I read all posts and tried everything, still have "whizzing' sometimes.

My thought is to replace the Starter, Battery cables, & install Compression releases.

Thought I'd ask the BDB family their thoughts on what is quality parts and where to buy them.

Oh, my bike is a 2003 Bulldog, 107 ci , I think my original starter is a Thunderheart , I saw the heart & sword logo on it. Thanks for any advice.

 

[ChoppaNoob]

Best bang for your buck from what ive read is the Ultima Thunderfire and the All balls. Sure there are more expensive starters. But i've read nothing but good things on these. I had the 1.4 Thunderfire shipped for 130 and it cured all my zingin noises. It runs great with my 270cca battery. I have 111 with compression releases.

 

[bruce]

why are you replacing so any parts, have you cleaned starter solenoid, and when does it whizzing.

 

[Johnnieye]

Thanks ChoppaNoob, thats the setup I was thinking about after reading the posts on here. Bruce, I've cleaned the solenoid contacts, checked all cables & wires, & even pulled the primary cover to look at the jackshaft & gear. I'm not a mechanic but everything looked ok to me.

The reason I'm going with new cables & compression releases is that from what i've been reading, is that low voltage to the starter & high compression is what kills these starters. My starter is tucked in real tight, looks to me like i'll have to drop my oil tank to get to it.

Like I said I'm not a mechanic, so any ideas or advice would be great. Thanks

oh, it whizzes about 50% of the time when I hit the start button, a lot less after warmup. Funny thing though, when I had the primary cover off and spark plugs removed, I hit the start button 15 times with no whizzing ?

 

[ChoppaNoob]

Okay you can check your compression releases by putting you finger in the 2 wholes on top of the engine and hittin the starter. You should feel them click. The grounds should be paint free and tight. You said you checked the jackshaft gear in the primary. So, If you are still getting zinging noises. Pull your starter and remove the 2 long screws that separate the motor and clutch section. Inside there is another gear, that could be fukked. This is the problem I had. You could have that starter rebuilt and that gear replaced. But for the money, I just went with a new starter cuzz i was tired of dickin with it. Here's a pick of the internal gear from mine. You can see the lower section of the gear is worn down and would not engage.

Hope this helps. Electrical problems can be a bitch.

Ohh also. When exchanging starters, you can remove the two 2 long bolts i mentioned earlier and install the starter as a two piece deal. I had to do the same on mine. It was a bit tricky, but better than yanking the exhaust and oil lines imo...
One other easy thing to do is to clean your starter and starter button contacts with alcohol. Just be sure to blast them with compressed air and letting them sit for a few hours to be sure 100% that they are dry before applying power.