So how do these starter motors work?

[FlyingAnvil]

Just pulled the carbs of for an inspection cause my bike had a high idle like 3500rpm high, so I pulled of the carbs for a cleaning and they actually looked ok. Since I had the carbs off anyway, I decided I would inspect my starter motor because when I hit the button it just "CLICKS". Tracked down the solenoid and there was a wire or group of wires missing off the large post (Not the battery post, the one that I assume goes to the starter). Pulled the starter cover off, pulled the starter out and there was not one wire hooked up to the starter. Put the starter motor on the bench and hooked up a battery charger and put black on the starter body and red on the post of the starter motor and it does indeed spin a little slow but it does spin.
Now here is where it gets weird, I put the starter back in it's place, tightened it back down, hooked up the battery charger just like on the bench and it just spins, it does NOT turn the engine over. Is something broken in there? Should be turning the engine over but it's not.
I would really like to have booth the electric start and kick start. Especially after taking the carbs apart electric would be awesome for that instead of the one hundred kick and pray start.

 

[FlyingAnvil]

some more goodness... http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6216

 

[scoutnaround]

if its slow it is bad. had one doing the same thing, so i swapped the starter off the parts bike it almost jumped out of my hand

 

[corruptmind]

Did you drop the gear the starter is attached to?

 

[corruptmind]

To clairfy, on my '81 I went to remove the starter to check if it was good because I had electric start problems aswell. When I pulled it I heard a small clunk. After looking into the microfinche I discovered theres a small gear that attaches to the shaft of the starter and if you remove the starter it falls to its doom.

 

[scoutnaround]

drain the oil and pull the cover and put the gear back on

 

[FlyingAnvil]

Now wait a second there was a small splined gear on the end of the starter maybe about say 3/4 to 7/8 of an inch around.

 

[redratbike]

on the end of that is a drive chain ..was that there? see pic below

maybe someone disconnected the starter and removed the chain before

 

[ThePsuedoMonkey]

There should have been a circlip holding the gear on the starter too. That's the only problem with chain-driven starter motors: you can't just unfasten them! You're gonna need to open her up (alternator side) before you do anything else. There are two covers on that side, and thus two gaskets that you should be prepared to replace; the outer one is probably fine to reuse (rubber), but the other one is probably not. The inner one goes for ~$15 on bikebandit, so it may be worthwhile to cut your own from gasket paper.

 

[drewpy]

keep the bike upright and you won't need to drain any oil out of the engine!

 

[FlyingAnvil]

OK I see in the picture that there seems to be a problem, looks like I may have to open er up....didn't really want too...story of my life. Makes for a good winter time project. Just got Hanes manual, so far didn't need one, pretty simple bikes. Wish there was a better more detailed picture, appears there is a gear on the splined starter motor shaft. Perhaps mine is disconnected.