Starter removal

[Ageing Rotarian]

Gents, has any been able to ease the starter off without taking the engine out?
Took the bike out today after a starter refurbishment and have a leak coming from around the starter motor/mounting bolts. For obvious reasons don’t won’t to take the whole thing out again but if I have I’ll have to.
Cheers
Roy
P.S we are taking classics/interpol

[Anthony Duffield]

Roy,

I'm talking Commander, it might be just possible to get the starter off its spigot but I doubt not enough to change the O Ring, with the starter in place I found the bottom bolt difficult to get at.

If its leaking around the bolts would some gasket sealer help on the threads of the bolts?

Sorry I cant be of much more help.

Tony

[Ageing Rotarian]

Thanks for that Tony, managed to get the starter loosened without too much agg. Removed the carb and you can get the starter off the spigot no problem. Bottom bolt was awkward but I have had worse ‘where there’s a will there’s a relative’ as they say. Such a shame as with a bit of a mod to the frame aperture I think there would be enough clearance to get the starter out without having to drop the engine.
Anyway, new o ring fitted with a very small amount of sealant so we will see if she is oil tight (haven’t tried it yet).
Best regards
Roy

[re5rotary]

My Commander has been languishing for over a year because the starter packed up. How much of a mod to the frame would it need to get the starter out do you think. I rebuilt the whole bike and I just cant face taking the whole thing apart again just to get the starter out. regards Terry

[Anthony Duffield]

Terry,

I really do not think you have any choice but to drop out the engine, it is a daunting prospect but I learnt the hard way, some years ago I overhauled everything including the starter motor, refitted the engine, filled with water the complete job ready to run and at 11 pm same day checked if the motor would turn over, nothing at all, traced it to the starter motor and embarked on removing the engine again, by 5am next day (it took 6 hours) I had the engine turning over.

The fault with the starter was all my own doing, I had trapped a coil wire in the end cover.

As they say gird your loins and get stuck in it will not seem so bad once you have it sorted.

Tony