starleaf

I finished the job yesterday and my bike starts like NEW! I cleaned out and replaced the O-ring in the drain valve too. Still need to bleed the brakes/clutch and she should be all ready for a season's riding. Anyway, my starter clutch was pretty bad... but not terrible; The three bolts had worked loose and were damaged, and this caused the whole housing to rotate slightly etc. But all the pins and springs were still in place. Idler gear was prestine. I think the slow starter was 80% of the problem. I'm glad I have a new starter clutch, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected to find it. It would make a horrible "clatchy-cracky" sound often. thanx again for the advice. Chris

Thanks alot for the info... You did give me a bit of good news as I was afraid I needed to remove or shift the whole thermostat HOUSING. I got one of the lower Allen head bolts off before I quit for the night, scratching my head. Removing the thermo cover shouldn't be too painful, it is Allen bolts and I actually already have a new thermostat and O-ring from when I rebuilt the water pump, but elected to "not mess with the thermostat". Also I did notice some green seeping from the drain valve and collecting in the lower cover. Can I loosen and re-torque the exhaust without worrying about new seals? Thanx again for the help Chris

Hey; I followed alot of thread advice and I'm nearly done rebuilding/replacing the starter clutch on my 90' Venture Royale. I managed to get through this without problems. However, I thought swapping out the stater motor with a new 4 brush version would be the "easy part". - The starter motor is unbolted and loose: But I just cannot manage to free it from the bike. Is there a secret way to get the starter free without removing the thermostat housing? I've drained and removed the coolant and the two small hoses... I thought this would be enough? Chris