I am having problems with my starter it grinds a lot . not every time but a couple times a week or 1 out of 50 times . some one said it could be my primary chain adjuster causing the problem . before I rebuild the gears in starter I thought I would ask if anyone has run across this .

 

Well, we know the bike is not a Knucklehead, because they did not have electric starters...

What year and model bike?

 

Its an 07 Roadking stock . With about 40k when it started grinding .

 

Generally, in most cases, even with 40K miles, its the starter and not the primary components. It can be a worn starter bearing in the inner primary case. Could be the starter gear too had grinded up one or two stripped or broken teeth. But, this can happen with a weak battery too so make sure you have load tested your battery or go buy a new one (if you don't mind replacing it). If this is just an occasional problem I would not worry about it as the gear is dead-centering on the clutch drive gear teeth. As for the primary being too tight, yes, this can cause the starter gear to fail to rock the gears into mesh. Don't let the starter gear grind as that makes it worse. Put the bike in first gear, with engine off, move the bike a few inches and let out the clutch and this will relocate the gears so they will engage. If the starter still grinds? Just loosen the primary chain and watch it and see what develops. If you have an auto chain adjuster you can install and aftermarket manual chain adjuster as the auto's are over-tightening the primary system components and damaging them. That auto adjuster keeps tightening the chain, never loosening it. It is a problem and a defect.

 

Good info... Thanks.

 

I'd suspect the starter clutch. When they start slipping it causes a gawd awful grinding noise. A kit is worth about $125 and can be put in without removing the primary. As someone will likely mention - disconnect the battery when working on the starter.

 

No starter bearings in the primary on a 07 bike. Good info otherwise.