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Followup To
Question -
Hi Chris. hope you can help.When I try to start the bike it usually clangs grinds and bangs and often just ends up whirring freely.I've had the stater motor off and cleaned it thoroughly,the brushes looked OK and it seems to have plenty of power.The bike has done 55k miles.If the answer lies with the starter clutch assembly {which all my biking friends tell me never gives problems}.How difficult a job is this for a mechanically competent owner.Noone I know seems to know anything about this engine,I do have a haynes workshop manual.I don't want to scrap this bike but it's to old to be worth spending too much on. thanks a lot...paul
Answer -
Hi again,thanks for your reply.When you talk about the starter gear,are you meaning the actual gear wheel or an assembly.I take it that this is still an engine out and split the crankcases job on this particular engine.
Do I have to remove many other components before splitting it,[the manual doesn't make this clear as it's written for a variety of jobs].Thanks again ...paul
Well, depending on the actual problem it could be very difficult and keep the bike out of service for quite a while.
Based on what you are telling me, though, I think that the problem isn't in the starer clutch as much as it is likely to be in the starter gear.
It could be as simple as retightening a few bolts or as complex as replacing the starter gear.
Either way, the manual was written with guys like you in mind. It will show you how to take it apart and fix it just as if you've been doing this for a living, even though you haven't.
BTW, the CB series is a fairly sturdy engine, so it will be well worth the effort to fix.
Good luck.
FALCON
AnswerHi Paul.
Actually, I don't recall if you will need to pull the engine and split the case at all.
The gear that I am talking about is the gear that the starter engages, which turns the crankcase on startup. You may only need to remove the sidecase on the engine to access it On my CB550 that gear was on the high side. Doublecheck that in your manual.
Now if the problem is the gearing on the crankshaft, then you may have to crack the case and replace the shaft, but that is a worst case scenario.
Good luck.
FALCON
