Bike was fine - Now it wont start?

[dellrio]

So my 1980 XS400S has been running fine for months. Now it wont start, kickstart really sucks and rarely turns over a cold engine, but works fine once the engine is hot. Electric start has been working fine all along, but now it is not. The starter motor is spinning just fine, but it sounds like nothing else is happening. I pulled off the side cover today to make sure the starter gear and chain were fine, they are fine, the gears have all their teeth, the chain is in good condition. I removed the starter gear and pressed the start button and watched it spin. I was able to get the kick start to turn the bike over once, then i killed the bike because its late and did not want to piss of people. So I know the engine runs, I know the starter motor, gear and chain are fine. What would cause the starter to spin but not engage the engine? Would this be the starter clutch, or could there be some other issue? I am new to Motorcycles have only been here for about 3 months, so any ideas would be helpful. Thanks?

 

[drewpy]

either starter clutch or battery in a low state of amperage/dirty fuse connections/shit earthing

 

[dellrio]

I checked all the electrical stuff and put the battery on a charger to top it off (its only 2 months old anyway). I pulled everything apart and I'm pretty convinced the starter clutch is bad. I ordered a replacement today - i hope that is the cause of this. I will follow up on here for future searches after the replacement is installed.