leaving starter in engine but not wiring it up. any issues?

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lgaston

Gaston
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I am just about to start hooking up all of the electronics on my 82 special build. I am only going to be using the kick start and basically forgetting that the starter motor even exists. i have had nothing but problems with it and besides, we love these machines because of the kick start (among other things)

My question is this. when I start hooking up all of the wires again can I choose not to connect any of the wires for the starter? will I run into any issues with the TCI not doing its job properly? does the starter motor act as a location in a closed circuit loop that I will need to bridge?

I dont know much about wiring. plain and simple, If I dont hook up my starter but leave it in the engine can I still run my kick start without any problems?

thanks
 
good to go man. Mine is either locked or toast...so i just unhooked the positive wire to it from the solenoid. My custom wiring harness is still wired for is just incase. Might yank it out when i pull the engine to freshen some seals.
 
aaronrkelly said:
Why dont ya pull the starter and tap a expansion plug in there (or use the plug from MikeXS)?
Click to expand...
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,hi if you are only using a kick start ,,,,,i,d pull the starter out and put a mikesxs plug in there ,,,,also there is a little weight in a starter motor as well ,,,, regards oldbiker
 
if I plug it with a freeze plug dont I need access to the inside of the case? i'm only doing a top end rebuild. splitting the cases is not an option. spring is looming!
 
lgaston said:
if I plug it with a freeze plug dont I need access to the inside of the case? i'm only doing a top end rebuild. splitting the cases is not an option. spring is looming!
Click to expand...

Nope....you dont need to split the cases. Once you get the starter off you can see whats going on and its obvious then.

I ripped these pics and info off....but heres the just of it.

StarterGears2.jpg


THIS IS A VIEW FROM THE LEFT SIDE WITH THE COVER REMOVED AND THE STARTER STILL IN PLACE

The starter inserts into the lower left side of the motor from underneath. It sticks into a little compartment just below the countershaft sprocket and shift shaft. You'll need to remove the cover over that area to install the block-off plug and while in there, you'll remove the double gear and it's little shaft on the left (they just pull out) .....


StarterGearsRemoved.jpg


THIS IS THE VIEW AFTER YOU REMOVE THE GEARS AND STARTER

Simply tap the freeze plug in where the starter was and button the cover back up.....starter gone, problems solved......get ta kickin.
 
Last edited:
Dorman part number 555-083

1 53/64" or 46.34mm

I can get them at any decent parts store here in the States......in fact I have an entire box of 12 setting here in front of me.

Give it a shot and if you cant find one I can drop one in the mail for ya.....dont know what shipping cost to Canada....but the freeze plugs only cost me 78 cents each.
 
It was a pain for me to find a freeze plug, none of my parts stores had them and one finally had it in their system but had to order it. My recommendation is to have more than one handy, first one I tried to tap in I ended up mangling so I was thankful to have a second one.
 
I dont use my starter either. No wiring running to it at all now. Seems pretty simple to remove. Question? Do i need any seals or gaskets or washers ready to put back in once its out. Or is there just a void? Im more refering to the bolts that hold the starter to the engine. I know about the freeze plug. I'll order that from mikes.

Remove cover, remove gears, remove bolts, remove starter, place freeze plug, replace bolts, ...Done?
 
EvenmoreXS said:
I dont use my starter either. No wiring running to it at all now. Seems pretty simple to remove. Question? Do i need any seals or gaskets or washers ready to put back in once its out. Or is there just a void? Im more refering to the bolts that hold the starter to the engine. I know about the freeze plug. I'll order that from mikes.

Remove cover, remove gears, remove bolts, remove starter, place freeze plug, replace bolts, ...Done?
Click to expand...
I am doing a top end rebuild So I purchased the Athena gasket kit from MikesXS. It came with a gasket that seals off the cover plate for the starter. if you think your seal is all buggered up it wouldn't hurt to order a new one. its a cheap pre emptive measure to make sure you dont leak oil everywhere.
 
ive decided to go ahead and take out the starter and stick in a freeze plug.

I now have a new idea that I got from seeing the Holiday Customs build at The 1 Show.

now that my starter is gone and I have this void space hanging on the bottom of my engine. would it be crazy to stash some electrical and possibly a small battery in there? is it possible to run my bike on a small battery? let me know what you think guys. I want my battery out of sight and I haven't quite figured out where I am going to put it yet

PS thanks for all of the help!
 
Evenmore, the bolts that hold the starter in are threaded into blind holes. Leaving the holes empty will not leak oil.
Igaston, Yes you can run with a smaller battery. You can mount it under the engine if you want. Just remember that anything down there will get lots of road grime on it.
A lot of folks use a battery about the size of a cigarette pack. It is only a .8 amp/hour battery but will run the bike. Just besure your charging system works well. It won't have enough power to use the e-start, so kick only.
I recently got a Ballistic 8 cell battery. It is about 1/2 the size of the stock battery but still has enough power to use the e-start. Weighs 1.7 lbs. They make even smaller batteries.
Leo
 

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