starter not disengaging

Yes, I've had several of them do it. All the one's that I have seen have been a clearance issue between the bendix and the ring gear. Usually an extra flywheel cover gskt. will do the trick.
 
Did it work OK from the beginning? Starter fail-to-release is usually from lack of clearance between the gears. An extra (or thicker) gasket on the ignition cover works well.

Does the bendix spring back OK when you cam it out by hand? If not, you've got to correct that first. Keep in mind that the crank location may change during a rebuild and you have to make a matching change to the bendix gear location.
 
the 1st starter broke 4 or 5 teeth of the ring gear within a few months .

the dealer changed the bendix & ring gear about 4 months ago & it seemed to work ok .

yesterday i noticed when i switched the bike i could hear the bendix disengaging .
the bike is only 9 months old now .
 
When you add a gasket to the cover, you will need to add spacers to the starter mounting bolts on the cylinder.
 
i had a look there , there's 2 teeth broke off the fly wheel gear & the bendix doesn't spring back when pulled out .
 
Hard to say what's the cause or what's the effect, but I doubt the starter motor is powerful enough to break the ring gear teeth. I suspect the bendix hangs up, then when the ring gear tries to overrun the bendix, it puts too much load on the ring gear teeth and they break.

The bendix parts need some lubrication. If moisture gets inside the ignition cover and the bendix rusts or dries out, then the bendix will hang on release. Slow action will also mean missed starts.

Mangled (but not broken) teeth would be from too much play and the teeth trying to climb over each other.

Clash marks are normal on the bottom of the pinion and the top of the ring gear. This happens even if the flyweight spring is stretched. The spring stretching does help to provide a faster more reliable engagement.

It is still best to kick start the engine when it's cold outside. Once warmed up, the estart usually works OK.
 
the bendix is well lubed , the big cog on the top of the bendix that the starter turns has 1 tooth missing , the small cog on the bottom of the bendix has 1 tooth slightly worn & 2 teeth are broke of the ring gear on the fly wheel .

i've read loads of posts about people doing various things to make there starter work better .

what i don't get is i paid ?7000 for a bike & would expect everything to work on it & not have to try adding gaskets or washers to make something do what it should do .

the uk importer doesn't want to know & my local dealer ( 100 miles away ) doesn't seem to care since i bought the bike & my boy taking him to court can't be helping !
 
the bendix is well lubed , the big cog on the top of the bendix that the starter turns has 1 tooth missing , the small cog on the bottom of the bendix has 1 tooth slightly worn & 2 teeth are broke of the ring gear on the flywheel.

Maybe it all began with the failure of the bendix return spring (the one that compresses when the unit is cammed out). If the unit does not retract, engine RPM will put huge loads on the starting system. The sprag elements inside the bendix are designed for limited over-running on startup.

The one tooth worn on the bendix is normal. It looks like a new bendix and ring gear is the only fix. Do some gear play testing to see what the mesh is like on the new parts. You might need gaskets and/or shims to get it right.

The situation sucks, but at least the bike has a kick starter. Offroad bikes are still a cheap hobby compared to other things you could spend money on.
 
thanks neil , if there's meant to be a spring in the bottom of the bendix there's not 1 in mine !

if there should be god knows where it is .

the importer said there was a proto type starter kit to replace the faulty one's .

my dealer said he would email the importer & get back to me .

some people have said fix it & sell it , but i don't see why i should as i like the bike & as i got it new i'd loose a shed load of money .

i'm thinking now maybe i should remove the bendix till the bike is fixed as it spins when the engine is running i take it it's not meant to ?
 
There are two springs in the bendix unit. The delicate flyweight spring and the compression spring that retracts the bendix. Both are inside the sheet metal cover. The bendix is always "normally retracted" and cams out under rotation. The flyweight spring controls the speed of the initial movement.

The bendix is always in the "up" position, with the pinion gear totally away from the ring gear. The gears only mesh during estarting, so remove yours if the ring gear is turning the bendix. All the extra rotation will wear out the shaft hole in the cover.
 
Here is the only pcture I have of the bendix unit.
picture.php


Note that there is a sheet metal cover above the heavy washer that goes inside a second sheet metal cover. The main return spring is under these covers. It holds the bendix in the "closed" (or "up positon" as it would sit when on the bike). The photo shows the bendix upside down. My comments are all based on the bendix sitting in it's normal orientation.

Your picture #3 is missing that bottom cover AND the spring that goes under it. The second cover is there, but down at the end of the shaft. The spring always holds it up against the gear. Not much wonder you have bendix issues.
 
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I watched the dealer fitting the bendix & fly wheel gear , is it possible he kept the genuine part the importer sent & swapped it for a aftermarket bendix ?

Surely bits can't just disappear unless they have got crushed & ended up in beside the magneto ?

I presume if the starter worked for a few months the spring must of been on the bendix when it was fitted ?
 
It would make sense that the parts were correct when installed. I doubt he swapped anything since there is no direct interchange with any other bike. Honda scooter parts can be cannibalized to make a better unit.

You should have found bits of metal stuck to the flywheel if the sheet metal cover and spring came off. There would be some telltale scratches and chewed pieces unless you've run it long enough to chop everything into a powder. That mess would still coat the engine cases and ignition cover.

It's a mystery. Good thing GG doesn't build airplanes.
 
thats my bike going to the dealers tomorrow to get pictures done for the warranty and next week getting fitted with the new starter set up that came out in November .
 
thats my starter fixed again .

after 3 weeks of hearing nothing i phoned clements moto the importer to see why the parts were taking so long to get told the dealer hadn't put a warranty claim in for the parts !

after loads of phone calls kicking up fk on the phone last thursday the parts were sent to the dealer on monday & i picked up my bike yesterday with i'm sure half a tank of fuel missing .

the dealer said the flywheel gear is made of a more hardened steel although i think he was talking bull as usual !

i predict the starter will be fkd in another 3 months :mad:
 
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