Think I fried the electric starter.... Do I need it?

[Myke Nytemare]

I have finally gotten my bike to the point where it was starting, running, and could move a few inches in gear. Definitely need to tune the carbs a bit and safety check everything in the upcoming weeks....

... but today I started it after an oil change and heard a funny noise (like the electric starter was still engaged or even re-engaged after sounding fine for a few seconds. The bike seemed to rev up as well. I shut it down, nothing seemed wrong. When I went to push the electric start again (it's missing the button), I saw a spark in the handlebar control and then... Nothing. The fuses seem fine but the starter (or the handlebar control/electric) may be fried.

I am able to get the bike to start on one good kick when I guess I have it "lined up right" and can actually get the lever to travel smoothly without feeling too much backpressure... I'm definitely not an expert on kickstarting.

I really want to ride the bike soon and don't want to put serious money into it or troubleshoot electrical. Should I just do the electric starter delete? Is there any real reason I would need the electric start?

 

[BBS360]

If the kick starter works you don't need the electric start. It sure is nice for those occasional stalls in traffic though.

The starter delete will cost a bit to do properly. No need to remove anything unless you really want to save the weight.
Just check that nothing will short out in the handlebar controls if you leave it as-is. Probably a good idea to plug the starter button hole.