Oh Dear Another Starter Clutch.

[[jh]]

I believe my starter clutch is totally wing wang bing banged. When I tried to start it yesterday it made some very nasty chunkiddy clunkiddy sounds and wasn't turning the engine over very well. Kind of catching and not catching or something. I managed to get it started, but it was nasty. Does this sound about correct? So, I have looked around the site to see what info is out there and from what I can gather they are rather hard to come by. Is this the case? Can they be purchased from a dealer at all? Are there compatible options from other bikes? What do I do? I have pumped a lot of money into my black beauty, a starter clutch can't be the end to it. Can it?

[cvincer]

I would:-

           1)  Recharge the battery & try again (how old is the battery)

           2)  Look inside the starter motor for good brushes, commutator & no oil, fix any probs, try again.

           3)  If  (1) or (2) are not the problem, time to get into the starter clutch

[QBS]

How many miles on the bike?  Is the history of starter clutch reattachement known?  If so, what is it?

[Cdnlouie]

Starter clutches are one of those regular maintenance items on a Vision. If yours has never been checked in recent history (or since you have owned it) it is overdue to have the rotor pulled and inspected.  The bolt threads fatigue in the rotor and loosen over time. Any movement accelerates deterioration. A regular check of these items during stator replacement is highly recommended to avoid their destruction.  It's not a big deal to check them for these units are growing scarce  :(. At the same time the balancer nut must be checked as it comes loose as well.  This one can be corrected pretty much permanently, but the starter bolts need regular inspection. If you don't know your Vision history I would just do a check and then you know what you've got.

[[jh]]

Ya not sure on the history of the starter clutch. I know I never checked mine.  :'( The battery is good, it has lots of juice. Its not a matter of power, it is a matter of clunkiddy clunkiddy sounds when it turns over. I have found more info that sounds to me like it is the starter clutch. I will confirm it when I have the time. So, just in case, are these available brand new anymore? I read somewhere sometime that Yamaha used the sameones on many bikes up till about 96 or so??? I will buy a new one if I can find it.

[QBS]

Cdnlouie, with all due respect, I must absolutely disagree with your policy of regular inspection of V starter clutch attachment bolts.  Once the oem bolts are replaced and their replacements are properly tightened and peened, the repair is permanent and needs no futher attention.

If the repaired bike should again begin to exhibit the tell tale sign of the tap/knock that disappears above 2500 rpm, a faulty reattachment procedure is indicated.  The fix is the same as before, only it should be done correctly the second time.

My '83 exhibited the loose starter clutch problem at 10k miles in '84.  A very knowledgeable Yamaha shop immediately recognized the problem and performed the bolt replacement/starter clutch reattachment procedure.  78k miles later and it is still fixed.

[fret not]

The starter clutch is still available as it fits the XVZ, XV1200, VMAX through 2007.  I found one from a dealer for about $107.

[Cdnlouie]

I hear ya QBS and I'm glad it worked out for you, but I don't share your confidence.  It is such a variable for degree of starter usage by different riders, condition of maintenance, design stresses, that it is a wise idea to keep your eye on that item. It really does not cost very much to do an inspection, then you know, you're good.

It is interesting that even the Venture & V-Max that used the same unit, same Yamaha installation process never developed any issues here, yet a smaller engine did (something is different on the Vision). Yamaha sent a bulletin early on to do a peening procedure to make sure they didn't walk out of the rotor.  My own bike had the peening and the bolt did not actually move (peens still lined up), but the clutch was still loose after 50,000km usage, which was not bad. My repair may last the bike out, but I intend to check it for looseness regardless of that, because it can go a long way loose and you just never know when it may fracture.

For new Vision owners I think it is a no brainer to check the starter clutch so that you know it is done in recent history.  Insurance is cheap for this one, check it during a stator replacement and your golden.

[QBS]

V4s' have a much smoother idle than V2' do.  Fewer degrees of crankshaft rotation between firing impulses makes for less crankshaft acceleration and shock when those impulses occure. 

[Lucky]

a new one would still need to have its bolts prop;erly peened...

[[jh]]

Thanks everyone, will check this bidness out. My bike is stored for the winter as I did not insure it this year  :-\ so I should hopefully have the time and money to do the repairs.

[Cdnlouie]

That's good news for availability and not a bad price.  Hopefully everyone will have good success with their repairs  :).

[QBS]

jh,..... how many miles on the bike?

[Night Vision]

I believe my starter clutch is totally wing wang bing banged. When I tried to start it yesterday it made some very nasty chunkiddy clunkiddy sounds and wasn't turning the engine over very well. Kind of catching and not catching or something. I managed to get it started, but it was nasty. Does this sound about correct?

sounds like a weak battery causing kickback or a cracked stater clutch or weak starter clutch innards...

after 30k miles, mine is stating to clunk more and will probably redo the springs, caps, and roller innards this winter to the tune of $50.

[[jh]]

My bike has 43,000 km.

[QBS]

At that odometer reading, if it is the oem assembly, your starter clutch is in its' death throes.

If you have any stator issues, now is the time to address them.  Starter clutch repair includes approx. 85-90% of stator replacement labor.