buying bike with bad starter

[section8joe]

Ok so I'm looking at an 83 with a 8,000 miles and I the bike supposedly has a bad starter. The owner was $600 for the bike. Should I be able to kickstart the bike with a bad starter. I've also been looking searching the internet an found that the starter is not usually the problem. I think there's some spring or something behind the clutch basket. I guess my 3 questions that I have are: 1. Should I be able to kick start with a bad starter? 2. Can someone shed a little light on the alternate starter probelem? and 3. Should I pass on this bike?

 

[gggGary]

3 Depends on the price and condition
2 Yes a starter that kicks out early and often is likely the spring tension issue.
1 Yup it should kick over pretty much no matter what happened to the electric leg.
On a low miles 81 I just had apart, the drive line damper springs found on the back of the clutch had broken and dropped into the starter spring area. The starter spring had been knocked completely out of it's groove. Had to replace the clutch basket though. And the kick starter worked fine before and after. There can be several other starter issues from a bad push button to bad bearings in the starter.

 

[pyrocentric]

My starter was getting a little weak...when I rebuilt the engine I found the seals had failed and it was full of oil. I poured it out and all is well again. I also had the worn gear, of course. Anyway, I was riding it the whole time, the kickstarter is great.

 

[650Skull]

1: Yes

2: Take a volt meter and fully charged Battery if theirs is flat,
Should charge around 12V at idle and 14.5 at around 3000 revs,
If volts rise to 15 and over the regulators shot Turn it off. If the Volts don't clime or are below 13.8 your Rotor is shot or on the way out

3: if it runs and is together it could be worth 2,000 in OZ if it cleaned up good 3.500.

You Guys are so lucky Mate sold a seized motor/brakes pretty much all there, (tank was straight), except chrome was rusted for 500 Aus