QuestionMy 1985 700cc virago's starter drive kicks out and spins. I have taken the drive apart many times now. I have replaced the secondary gear with no avaial. I have heard there is a shim kit to repair this problem. Have also been told you can machine the teeth on one of the gears to correct problem. I really like this bike, butt this starter problem has to go.Awaiting your thoughts, THANKS, SPUD
AnswerHi Spud,
Read the following:
We Virago owners all know about the starter problems with these bikes (It's usually not the starter, it's the FLYWHEEL!!)(Yamaha calls it a "rotor") And it happens to all the older Viragos 535,750 and 920 !! This auction is for a flywheel re-machining service that we perform. What we do is after the auction, you send us your flywheel and we will service it and send it back to you with a set of re-machined teeth with nice sharp edges and it will be shipped within 3 business days !!
Everyone is very happy with this service !! Take a look at your flywheel teeth before you spend big bucks on a new or used flywheel (If they're rounded-off at the inner edges, that's your problem ) (Also look at the gear that engages the flywheel-if it's teeth are rounded-off, you'll need one of these too)(you can get this from Yamaha - it's called the #2 idler).
This is not the only problem with the Virago starter, but if your flywheel is damaged (teeth smoothed, or rounded-off, then you need this service). The shim kit sold on E-bay is highly recommended in addition (not instead of) because they address 2 different short-comings of the starting system. The shim kit sold by dwsparrish@hotmail.com (on E-bay)is the original and one of the 2 proven successful fix for the starter drive mechanism (this is the other) .
The problem is normally the flywheel teeth have been ground to an angle or are rounded-off because the starter drive gear is already spinning when it engages the flywheel teeth (which means that it grinds a little metal off the flywheel each time you use the starter) and it causes the starter gear to slip across the flywheel teeth and to grind, not engage at all, or else crank for a split second and then just spin.(Which ruins a perfectly fine bike or else gives a 500-700.00 repair bill)
The bad news is that a new flywheel from Yamaha is very expensive!! (Bad news for bike owners, but Yamaha knows what we need). And the salvage yard guys only chuckle and tell you that they haven't seen a good used Virago flywheel in years !! (BEWARE OF SALVAGE YARDS THAT DON'T HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THESE FLYWHEELS, OR DON'T KNOW A GOOD ONE FROM A BAD ONE!!)
I run a small motorcycle repair shop in Pennsylvania and I have had more than one Virago owner with this problem and I wanted to give them a little help without costing $500.00 and our flywheel re-machining service works very well for Virago owners. PLUS, IT'S A LOT LOWER-PRICED THAN A NEW ONE AT BIG MONEY OR A USED ONE FROM A SALVAGE YARD THAT WON'T LAST TILL THE END OF THE SEASON !! This auction is for a flywheel re-machining service for the Yamaha Virago 535,750, and 920. They work well because it gives the starter drive gear a new sharp surface to engage and it helps take away the grinding and slipping starter that either won't engage or kicks out after a split-second of cranking.
These have saved quite a few Virago owners a few bucks. At the auction end, I will E-mail you with our address to send it to and ask for your payment option.(the machining takes 2-3 business days) I have excellent feed-back, so bid with confidence that this is a true-to-life product that will help your starting problems.
Payment can be made with Pay-Pal , or you can mail a money-order along with the flywheel. The item will usually be in the mail in 2-3 business days. Shipping is 14.95 east of the Mississippi, or 17.95 west of the Mississippi because of the weight of this item. Thanks and happy bidding !!! IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE STARTER SYSTEMS, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT SHOESVW@CS.COM)
Respectfully,
Mark Shively
