Starter Clutch Failure

Ah, no I hadn't. I could have sworn I had!

Took it out about 90 minutes ago and the 3 remaining teeth dropped straight out. If only you had mentioned that bolt before I took the clutch out!

Bit of a setback after all of this.

There was a bit of damage to the starter idle gear but I thought I could get away with it. Rebuilt everything, pushed the starter, and there is still a rattling/clunking coming from around the starter motor/starter clutch. Nothing like it was before, a much quieter, more rapid noise, which does suggest to me that it is due to the starter idle gear.

Gonna be back in a week or so from Uni so will replace the gear when I get back, will also put in a new woodruff key as the one I've put in there wasn't a perfect fit.

I have a starter gear from a 2001 in great condition you can have for a tenner + postage

PM me if you want it

Originally Posted by mackemforever

Took it out about 90 minutes ago and the 3 remaining teeth dropped straight out. If only you had mentioned that bolt before I took the clutch out!

By your first post I thought you did.

Ok, one more problem for you lovely lot!

Got the teeth all out, replaced the starter clutch, rebuilt the clutch having taken it out, refilled with new oil, and started the bike.

Bike started fine, no noises, it was a bit slow turning over but that was partly due to a slightly low battery and I'm assuming partly because the starter clutch had been drained and so the new oil hadn't fully circulated.

However it is making a regular knocking noise, not too loud but easily audible, which sounds like it is coming from the clutch. Is it possible that I've just made a mistake when rebuilding the clutch? If so, what is the most likely thing? I'm assuming it can't be anything major as nothing major has been taken apart.

Thanks.

New update. Having had a proper listen to it, the noise sure as hell isn't coming from the clutch.

It sounds like it is coming from around the radiator. Does the radiator fan run faster at higher revs? The noise definitely gets more frequent if I rev it.

Yet another post, just realised that in theory the radiator fan shouldn't be on all the time so unless it's not working properly it can't be that.

Please help with ideas!

A lot of things can make noise, top end, bottom end, tensioner,...etc.
I have never seen starter gear break like your did so I would take good look in there, make sure casting for hole where starter gear sits is not broken. Clutch can make noise and sometime it is normal.

I appreciate that it could be a lot of things, but surely there are some things that are more likely to have gone wrong given that we know what has been done to the bike. As in it wasn't making this noise before the clutch & starter clutch were taken out.

Than start there. I can't tell you what is making noise, if I was there I would know but I am behind keyboard 10000 miles away