Starter won't turn - HELP!

[shrap66]

Thanks Steve,

The manual points to a single cover bolt and there are 2. Yes I know I should have checked the part diagram.🥹

Ok was able to remove the cover, the spacer and the ground cable. Stuck at part #2. I will take a break and attack this later. Those parts needs a good cleaning.

[shrap66]

Success !!! I did end up bending that @##$&!? Tab for the starter to come out. I will shave it off later. I used a large screwdriver from the right side and a rubber mallet and gave it a few knocks and it came right off. Tested it with a battery and it doesn’t turn.

I will do a rebuild and keep it as a spare and / or I was thinking about ordering Tim’s CBX Heavy duty starter. Any experience with this replacement ? I see a lot of Rick’ motorsport too ?

[shrap66]

The inside of the starter is filled with dust and the brushes are worn out.

[NobleHops]

Do a search here, the service of that is detailed here.

[shrap66]

Thanks Nils, yes I found your excellent write-up !!!

I ordered the rebuild kit but still pondering if I should also get Tim's Heavy Duty starter withe the 4 brushes. Looks like a good upgrade.

[NobleHops]

Luc, I have that exact thing on my black ‘80, and it works great. I think that could be really useful on a higher compression engine, but by now I have serviced a couple dozen of those for the princely sum of $18 or so, and they all worked perfectly too. So that’s how I’d steer you, if there are no real problems in yours.

Side note: none of the rebuild kits I have seen have the right bearing for the output shaft in the cap on that end. If yours is decent, clean it out, dry and lube it and leave it be. The important service at that end is the seal and the oring that seals the shaft to the case, and the two thin rings that seal the caps to the body. Good brushes, a clean commutator, and some paint and you’ll be good to go, I bet.

[shrap66]

Well my rebuild kit came in, which I purchased on Ebay for $40 CAN including shipping. I had cleaned repainted everything so it was a pretty easy job. Did the test with a battery and it works great. Put back everything in the bike and did a test run. Great so real happy of the outcome and I know my bike a bit better today

Decided a good way to enjoy it was to go at the ACMA Montreal Moto Expo, which is a Vintage bike gathering in Ormstown Quebec so me and brother left early. It was a great ride until about 40km in we made a stop and when I started the bike again it was stuck in 1st gear.

I can no longer disengage from the 1st gear to neutral or anything else. Came back home on 1st gear and with the tail between my legs.

The good news is that the starter, engine and 1st gear work great

So doing some service manual reading this morning and will likely be posting something new in the engine section

[NobleHops]

Well done, Luc! Thanks for circling back.

[daves79x]

Your problem may well be the shifter selector spring - located under the left cover where the shifter shaft exits.

Dave

[herdygerdy]

Exactly those symptoms happened to me decades ago and it was EXACTLY as daves79x describes. I was stuck in the city in 4th gear two up. And managed to ride it home that way.
Unfortunately a certain 'someone' had not properly secured the fitting (a nut IIRC??) on the shifter arm pivot and it had dislodged.

[shrap66]

Thanks for the heads up Dave and herdygerdy !!!

I suspect its the spring as when I play with the shifter I can hear something wiggling back behind the left cover. I was also able to shift it up to 4th gear I think. Went around the block a few times and drained the oil. Will be opening up the left cover today.

[shrap66]

So removed the cover this morning but I could see the spring through the oil filler hole. Indeed a small spring. I am a bit relieved that it is not something major. Will clean everything up and order a replacement gasket, spring and maybe the different O-rings because seems to me that cover was pretty dirty and maybe it was sweating somewhere.

[shrap66]

Have replacements springs as well as a O-ring kit incoming from CMSNL and gaskets and stuff from Tims.

So is all I need to do is install the spring and put everything back together ? Seems too good to be true ?

[NobleHops]

Ya, man, I would say you have found and fixed the issue. I'd be mighty tempted to replace that shifter shaft seal in the cover, you know, WHILE YOU'RE THERE (aieeee!) and grease up the shifter linkages and pivots under the boots too.

Did you find the busted stub of the spring? If not you might be tempted to drop the oil pan while the oil is out, see if it's there or on that level of the crankcase that you can feel with your fingers, and inspect and clean the oil pickup screen. The oil pan oring is usually reusable. Don't try to remove that oil pickup screen unless you're going to replace it, high probability that it's hard and will get destroyed on removal. Believe it or not, I'm not above sticking a shop vac on that screen just to remove any wedged crap in it.

[NobleHops]

P. S. the neutral switch is a common culprit for leaking oil there. Be gentle with it if you attempt to reseal.