Starting

[Zombie Master]

My dealer can't confirm which starter my '84 has base on the SIN. I guess there is a difference in the number of gear teeth. GSPD send me a link for a knock off replacement for $100. Anybody used these? I have a shop in town that can rebuild what I have.



https://www.kijiji.ca/v-motorcycle-part ... kerhj0Mw1E

[Rob Frankham]

The 8 tooth starter pinion went out of use in 1974 with the start of the /6 series... all airhead motors after that date have a nine tooth starter pinion. Any one of them will fit an '84 and work. The only difference in fitment between the Bosch type motor and the later Valeo is that the Valeo does not use the support bracket at the rear of the starter motor (that is to say the front of the engine). There were various motors used over the years... the specified motor for an '84 machine is a Bosch 0.001.157.023, which is a .7kw motor.

The main functional difference between the Bosch and the Valeo motor is that the Bosch has a field coil motor which drives the pinion direct. The Valeo has a permanent magnet motor driving the pinion through a reduction gear. In use, the Valeo unit is smaller and more powerful but has the aforementioned drawback that the permanent magnets sometime come loose and, as is always the case, this tends to happen at the least convenient time. Later Valeo motors were modified to address this problem and, as far as I'm aware, the later ones don't suffer from it. Apart from that both designs are quite robust and give long service. If you replace a Bosch with a Valeo, you will find that it does turn the engine more quickly but, as usual, there's no free lunch. It draws more power from the battery and requires the replacement on the starter relay as it will burn out the earlier type.

Rebuilding a starter is quite easy. Bosch parts are readily obtainable, Valeo less so but you can still get them. I would say it is well within the abilities of most amateur mechanics. The only 'specialist skill' required is the ability to effectvely solder the brush braids (if the brushes need replacing). If you do rebuild a starter, make a point of replacing the bearing bushes. They're cheap and many starting problems can be traced to worn bushes which makes the starter sluggish. Assuming all of the major components are in good condition, I would say (without knowing much about parts prices in Canada) you could rebuild a starter for less the $25.00 and it would be as good as anything you could buy over the counter.

The starter in the link appears to be a 'knock off' of a Valeo design. There are numerous different knock offs available if you look for them and it's impossible to make a sweeping statement about how good they are... (in probability, they're all likely to be made in the same one or two factories in China or India). One of the big issues with cheaply made parts is quality control. One unit might last forever while another supposedly identical unit might fail at the first use. As in all cases like this, cheap isn't always good and you take your chances.

Hope that helps

Rob

[Kurt in S.A.]

Motorrad Elektrik offers the Nippondenso starter:

http://www.motoelekt.com/starter.htm

EME also offers starters and rebuilds:

https://www.euromotoelectrics.com/category-s/1614.htm

Kurt in S.A.

[Zombie Master]

Lots of options thanx!!! That's one of the great things about Airheads...There are parts.

I'm thinking that I should just use it till the fall and then take everything apart. I have a kit with new hd wires that I never installed. So if the starter works perfectly 80% of the time will it hurt anything to use it the way it is for a bit? It may take a couple of attempts but it always starts. It would be nice to do the rebuild myself....but in the fall.

[SteveD]

The parts are available and cheap enough to have a crack.
Brushes, bushes and a clean out. It'll go another 30 years.

[Zombie Master]

Thanx for your input. I'll be taking it apart. What other upgrades would be good to do when I get in there? Do you disconnect the diode board during this procedure?

[Rob Frankham]

Thanx for your input. I'll be taking it apart. What other upgrades would be good to do when I get in there? Do you disconnect the diode board during this procedure?

No need to disconnect the diode board... just the battery.

Rob

[Zombie Master]

I rode the R100 all day today made many stops, and it fired up perfectly. Should that tell me something?

[Rob Frankham]

No, it's just giving you a false sense of security... it'll wait until the day you've completely put it out of your mind then it'll strike like a
cobra when you least expect it... Oh and why is my glass half empty?

Seriously, I hope it's gone in to remission and doesn't give you any more problems... but I'd still be scheduling in a starter refurb for the down season...

Rob

[SteveD]

I rode the R100 all day today made many stops, and it fired up perfectly. Should that tell me something?

Use it more.