Motorcycle Repair: Starter Motor Removal, richard ormsby, starter clutch

Question
Hi Bill:
First of all I want to thank you for your time to help us with questions. I have a 1983 Honda CB750SC Nighthawk. I want to take out the starter and rebuild it. I noticed a small panel right below the carbs on the case. Once I take off the panel. What is involved removing the starter? Will the starter squeeze through the small space between the bowls of carbs and the case? Any special tools needed to remove the starter? I am sure it can't be all the hard. I wanted to ask an espert such as yourself before I attempted to do this. Always pays to ask ? first. I have wrenched on a ton of cars and just a small handful of bikes. Thanks again ahd have a great day.

Sincerely, Richard Ormsby


Answer
Had to go online to: http://www.powersportspro.com/partsfish/ to get some images of the starter.  Looks like it will unbolt from the upper case and slide back and off the bike. Before you dive in there, you may have a good starter and a bad starter drive.

The starter motor spins an intermediate gear that engages the starter clutch hub. There are three springs, caps and rollers that comprise the 1-way clutch that actually turns the engine over. The springs often fail and need replacing.
This the motorcycle version of a BENDIX drive problem on a car. If the starter motor spins but the drive doesn't catch, then the motor is probably okay and you need to repair the starter clutch assy, instead.

If the starter motor does nothing, then jump across the solenoid posts to eliminate the solenoid as a problem. If it spins, then the solenoid is bad. No spin, then you may have a faulty starter motor.... or a bad starter switch on the handlebars, assuming that none of the safety switches are disabled/broken.

Bill Silver