starter clutch woes

[cyclemikey]

I'm sort of a new member - I used to be on the forum years ago but haven't been doing much with my '79 CBX for a few years. I'm a collector/restorer with a large motorcycle collection in Coos Bay, Oregon. Anyway, here's my issue - my bike's starter clutch is failing rapidly. At the OVM show in Corvallis last weekend I almost could not get it started. Every time, instead of cranking, it just makes the dreaded "ka-whiiiiiinnnnng" noise and kicks out. But now I find that every single part except the little spring caps has been discontinued. Is anyone reproducing any of these parts? It's a beautiful bike (it won another award at the show) but if I can't start it any more, it's essentially just very pretty scrap. So, what, if anything, are people doing when this occurs? Lordy, I've had this bike for a quarter-century and I'd really hate to have to part it out because of this.

[tevan]

Pm sent

[EMS]

Welcome back, cyclemikey! If you don't want to rebuild the starter, you can always go this route:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CBX-1979- ... cf&vxp=mtr

[tevan]

I think he is referring to the starter clutch. I might be wrong though.

[cyclemikey]

Yes, I am indeed talking about the starter clutch. The starter motor cranks fine once it gets hooked up by the clutch. Thanks for the PM, Tevan. I may go that route, but first I'm going to try changing to dino (non-synth) oil and see if that has any effect. if not, I may be moving on. I guess I had forgotten, if I ever knew, that changing out the starter drive is pretty much a total teardown of the motor. And then starts the "as long as I'm here..." syndrome, until you have a completely rebuilt engine. Ten or twenty years ago, that wouldn't have bothered me. Now, there are too many projects and too little time left.

[asacuta]

What oil and weight are you using now?

[cyclemikey]

Mobil 1 Motorcycle 4T, 10W-40. I'll probably put in some Rotella or Valvoline dino oil and see what happens. Couldn't hurt. Surprisingly, when I went to pull it out if the trailer today, it started up fine, stone cold. The innate perversity of inanimate objects, I suppose.

[asacuta]

I had the same starter trouble using Mobil 1 20W-50: it's simply too thick at lower temperatures. I've been using Rotella T6 5W-40 synthetic, and the starter seems happy with that. It was also happy with 4T 10W-40, but that was a few kilometres ago.

[daves79x]

I think your starter clutch will straighten up with regular oil. Worth a try. Not much wears in the starter clutch - the center hub can get worn, but a good cleaning and reassembly, along with regular oil, would be all you would likely need, if just the oil change didn't work (but I think it will)

Dave

[NobleHops]

Dave, what would you think of a quart of kerosene in a load of oil, and some gentle running. Think that might rinse that synth off a little quicker?

[daves79x]

Yes, nothing wrong with doing that for a bit. I've had 2 or 3 with synthetic oil do the same thing, and a simple change to regular oil was all it took, but that would rinse everything more quickly. The bike in question sitting for many years didn't help either. But I think it will be OK.

Dave