Motorcycle Repair: Starter motor?, gsx 600f, engine cranks

Question
Hi,

I just bought a 1999 Suzuki Katana GSX 600F for a low price because it was not starting. It only has 14K and I think the owner maintained it well. It had been sitting for only 1 month over the winter, garaged. Anyways, I put in new spark plugs and emptied the gas tank in case the gas had gummed up. Looking inside the tank though it was perfectly clean, no varnish. After recharging the battery the engine still cranked over very slowly, a voltmeter showed the battery may have been bad so I got a quality new battery and charged it. Engine cranks a little faster with the new battery but still much slower than it should, 50%. I think it may be something with the starter motor but don't know what? The engine never really catches at all but I think that is probably the result of the starter motor cranking very slowly.

Thanks for any help,

Jeff

Answer
Hi Jeff,

Sorry for the delay in replying. AllExperts' servers were down all weekend.

I suspect the sluggish starter motor is due to worn brushes. Get a copy of the service manual. Learn how to measure the length of the starter motor's carbon brushes.

I would be surprised if the fuel in the carburetors has not varnished.

Respectfully,
Mark Shively