Help with mystery gear after engine disassembly please

[Resto_Paul]

Pulled my engine apart today with my son and documented everything along the way with pics for reassembly. However, when I split the cases I found this gear sitting on top of the trans just like this. I don't have an assembly manual here yet to look at diagrams and I had to get ready for work so couldn't look over the engine parts to try and figure it out. Anyone know for sure what this gear belongs to? Thanks

 

[bosco659]

Pulled my engine apart today with my son and documented everything along the way with pics for reassembly. However, when I split the cases I found this gear sitting on top of the trans just like this. I don't have an assembly manual here yet to look at diagrams and I had to get ready for work so couldn't look over the engine parts to try and figure it out. Anyone know for sure what this gear belongs to? Thanks

The experts will chime in for sure. It’s odd that it’s sitting on top like that. Curious too.

 

[Resto_Paul]

I'm assuming it fell off internally from something else I removed prior to splitting the case. Just not sure what.

 

[bosco659]

 

[Miker Vee]

My first guess is, this gear belongs to the starter motor gear train.
It falls off as soon as you pull out the corresponding shaft.

 

[Jim]

My first guess is, this gear belongs to the starter motor gear train.
It falls off as soon as you pull out the corresponding shaft.

That would be my guess also.

 

[Resto_Paul]

That could be right....might be 12 in this diagram. I'll have to look over the starter parts tomorrow. If I'm going kick start only can all of that be omitted?

 

[Jim]

Yep

 

[GLJ]

Keep in mind if down the road you want to go back to E-start you will have to split the cases to reinstall the gear.
I would put 10 through 14 back in and leave the rest out.

 

[5twins]

I agree with GLJ, leave that shaft and couple gears in there. Weight savings wouldn't be much and wouldn't make any difference. I feel the same way about a 520 chain and sprocket conversion. You'd never notice the weight savings and those smaller parts wear faster and cost more than the stock sizes.

I'm all for simplifying these but other than the airbox (swapped out for pods), that consists mostly of eliminating unnecessary electrical doodads like the RLU, light checker, and auto-on headlight relay. Well, I actually don't remove that last one, I just bypass or disable it. And on a '79 or newer model, I like to swap on an older right handlebar switch assembly ('76 or '77) to gain back the headlight on-off switch. My '83 .....

 

[Resto_Paul]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm sure I'll have a few more questions along the way during my rebuild but in general the engine is pretty simple. Despite the engine not being seized at all I did have a bear of a time getting the jugs off the pistons. They were hung up at the very bottom....skirts were out but from the rings to the top of the pistons they were a fight!

 

[Bob Wegman]

I'm assuming it fell off internally from something else I removed prior to splitting the case. Just not sure what.

That looks like the gear in the bottom case that drives the crank from the electric starter. Sorry, I didn't see the question was already answered.