Motorcycle Repair: 1981 yamaha xv750 virago starter, starter solenoid, yamaha xv750

Question
starter only spins. i removed left cover and checked the gears.  everything looks ok.   when i hold the shaft and bump the starter button with the left cover off, the starter  engages,  but when i put the cover back on and try to start the bike, the starter moter spins but does not engage.  could you please give me an idea why?  thanks

Answer
hello steve ,

sounds to me you have a bad starter solenoid, or you have a short in yhe wiring where your solenoid attaches to the starter, if you need more info please contact me. but if you can jump the solenoid at the starter and it engages then you have a bad solenoid. hope this info helps you.

                                   sincerely
                                  mitch