scubachef wrote on 03/02/16 at 00:37:24:


That description always makes it hard for me to understand what is going on.  A lot of folks us the term "won't turn over" when the engine won't start and run - but the engine is rotating (turning over).

So.....if you turn on your key and hit the starter button....you hear a click as the decompression solenoid engages, then a split second later the starter engages....and the engine rotates but it does not start and run.  The engine is not locked up, and you can hear the engine rotating and coming up on compression?

How do you know the bike has spark?  If you have a weak battery, it is possible that the starter current is drawing the voltage down enough that it does not spark.  When you remove the plug and set it on the block to check for spark, the starter motor is not fighting the compression and there may be enough voltage that you get a visible spark - but not when the plug is in the engine.

How old is the battery?  Have you checked the voltage before you hit the starter button.....and also while the starter is working?

Have you tried jumping the starter with a car batttery (car not running) to see if it will start?

Whe I say "won't turn over" I mean I don't hear the engine trying to move in its stroke, not that it won't fire, but it seems nothing is happening. Battery is new, charged to 12.9v and I've tried a car battery with no difference. I replaced the starter, no difference, when the starter stops there is no clicking, it just stops. I'm going to try and videotape it to make sure I'm accurately describing the situation.

Yep.....I agree with oldNslow.  You likely have the washer in the wrong place.

OldNslow was correct. I'd been looking at the Clymers which shows a different gear set up than I have. There was no washer pictured so I had it behind the first gear figuring that was its place since the manual doesn't show it. Thanks for solving that problem for me!

scubachef,

Thank you for following up and letting us know what solved the problem. Not everyone does. Sometimes these threads just sort of die, and no one knows if the bike got fixed or not, or, in a case where there were multiple suggestions, which one actually worked. Someone is likely to stumble across this thread who has a similar no-start issue, and without your follow up, still might not know what the solution was.

About the washer. A while back I took my stator cover off because the clear coat was coming off and the aluminum was turning black in places. When I pulled the cover off the washer in question was stuck to the inside of the cover. I set it on my workbench with the screws from the cover.

After stripping, polishing. and respraying the cover with clearcoat a week had gone by, and when I went to put the cover back on I realized that I didn't know which shaft the washer was supposed to be on. After kicking myself in the a** for not paying attention when I took the cover off, I went and got my Clymers. No help. I sat and stared at the two shafts for a good long time. I finally concluded that there probably wasn't any need for a washer on the smooth shaft, but that it likely belonged on the shaft with the splines and the snap ring, probably to protect the case. So that's where I put it. I put the bike back together, turned out the lights in the garage and went in the house.

But I couldn't quit worrying about that doggone washer. What if it didn't belong where I put it.

I sat down at my computer and rummaged around in the tech section until I finally stumbled across the picture that I sent you the link to. I don't even remember now what made me look there. Maybe because the thread was about the starter clutch. When I saw the picture showing where the washer belonged, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. That's also how I learned that putting the washer on the wrong shaft could cause the bike not to start.

The old timers on this site, and I'm not one of them, I've only been around for a few years, deserve all the credit. The tech section is a graduate level dissertation on the secrets of these bikes.

The picture is of the belt side. You will be removing the other cover. You won't deal with these gears. You're safe!