Starter Goes the wrong way

[Kiwi]

OK, from looking at some starter clutch topics etc it seems that if i am looking at the starter motor from the left side of the bike, it should spin counter-clockwise when activated...
Mine goes the other way !!!
Now, i think it got shorted out earlier.  The plastic piece that holds the bolt that you attach the wire to was broken, and i believe this caused the short...

I knew it was going to be  bad when i saw those 2 harley davidsons park next to my bike at work....

Any suggestions on how to fix this mystery?

[Kiwi]

Does anyone have a diagram/ picture of how the starter goes together, specifically how it all lines up.  I think that might be where my problem lies.

[Walt_M.]

Look under Technical at the top of this page. There is a most excellent starter rebuild with pictures.

[Lucky]

There was some discussion of starters turning the 'wrong way' last year sometime.
Two things to keep in mind:

--There is an intermediate gear between the starter & flywheel, so they do turn the same direction.
--if you turn the intermediate gear by hand in the engine & it turns only 1 way, that is good. it has to turn the OTHER way to grip the crank & start the engine.

I'm not 100% sure on this last point, but i think we determined if the starter wasn't put back together properly, it can run the other direction.

MAKE SURE THE PLANETARY GEARS IN THE NOSE OF THE STARTER ARE LINED UP STRAIGHT or you'll wipe them out!

--Lucky

[Kiwi]

FIXED IT.  Hopefully it wont happen again
This time when i disassembled the starter i noticed a small round piece of metal connecting the inside cylinder to the shell of the starter.  It looked rather like the pin from a bicycle chain.
I removed it ( it was loose, not attached in anyway )
Put it all back together, and now it goes the correct way.
I have no clue where the pin came from... and now i dont really care. ( unless it breaks again )
Whew

[Coil Coyle]

Kiwi,

Rotating the "shell" that has the wound coils 90 degrees in relation to the end cap that holds the brushes will make a DC motor reverse directions.

$0.02
;)
Coil

[akvision]

Odd???  Don't you think?  Where did that part come from...?

It may seem fixed?  I would double check, because it will not be fun to not go when in the middle of nowhere.

[Lucky]

That pin you found is a locating pin, it goes in the outside edge in the gear end of the shell & you NEED to put it back in.  sorry, but you can probably save & reuse the oil if it's fresh..

--Lucky

[Lucky]

Kiwi,

Rotating the "shell" that has the wound coils 90 degrees in relation to the end cap that holds the brushes will make a DC motor reverse directions.

$0.02
;)
Coil

That reminds me of something from my RC car days, & may explane why Touring Vision is harder to start...

Electric RC car motors have adjustable 'timming'. that is the end cap with the brushes can be rotated a few degrees in relation to the perminant magnets mounted in the case.  the result is that the motor can be adjusted for either mor low end torque or higher rpms, & it does make a noticable difference.

years ago, when i first got the bike, i had all the usual starter issues, plus i misaligned the front gears & wiped them out.  somehow, my local bike shop came up with a new front section, & i was careful to align the gears the upon reassembly. 

The bike allways was hard to crank, i noticed with Glens 83 that his cranked easily, i figured it was an 83 thing (83's have lighter piston ring pressure), but Cafe bike cranks easy too...  Tourer MUST have a full battery charge, i usually turn the lights off (euro switchpod) and pull in the clutch. if everything, including choke has to be 'just right'...

i'll bet if i pulled the starter & examined it, i'd somehow find the body twisted.. maybe i'm missing the locating pins, the long thru bolts aren't tight, or perhaps somehow the brush plate is mislocated...

maybe next oil change i'll check it...

not sure if it cranks too slow (plenty of torque) or is set to crank faster, but doesn't have enough torque to actually crank it fast....?  hmmmmm.....

--Lucky