I've got a spyke starter that evidently the reduction gear messed up. Idk I took it to a starter shop and haven't heard back yet. Starter turned and it would engage but the pinion gear would not. .. I also recently put a 60 tooth ring gear on. I have the original starter I can rebuild or do I keep the spyke? It doesn't seem like I had it very long and not sure which horse to bet on at the moment.

 

What model/year bike do you have? What mods have you done to the bike?

Dave

 

It's an 03 wide glide anniversary edition with the screaming eagle.

 

I am assuming you meant the 66/9 gear conversion. If your engine is stock, why all the changing of parts to aftermarket? IMO, get stock stuff, check alignment and engagement. Don't forget about having a good battery and cables.

Check out this site:

http://partsfinder.onlinemicrofiche....0Street%20Bike

You can still get your starter new and associated parts.

Dave

 

Changed gear because since I bought it I had to replace gear twice because it was chewed up. Had to get another gear so I decided to buy a different one. Aftermarket starter because I was in a bind and needed it on the road. That's what was available in my area that quick. Normally I would have rebuilt the old one. Thats why I'm considering rebuilding that one instead of the spyke. It's at a starter shop and not sure the outcome yet. So.. any opinion on spyke starter?

 

It definitely sounds like you have an alignment issue if you have had to replace it twice. Who is doing the work? It sounds like even if you bought new or rebuilt, there is another issue going on.

Dave

 

Last year the starter on the Wife's XLH 1200 Custom crapped out. Tried the solenoid rebuild kit, but 1 of the 2 contacts were the wrong ones. Got a Spike starter and new 4 ga battery cables. Damn thing has enough torque to run on the starter alone. My 07 Dyna with 102,000 miles on it, decided to freshen it up with a 105" kit with 10:1 pistons. Could not crank it over. Put a new Spike starter and 4 ga battery cables on it and it cranks over very quickly.

 

Got the spyke reworked by starter shop. So we'll see.

 

All those starters are Denso OSGR light duty variants and builders have quite a choice of parts because they're used on millions of cars and trucks. If a part fails frequently they can use another vendor. Toyota used them on many models and Japanese parts are preferable to generic parts made elsewhere. The custom starter builders spec better pieces.

Not much fails on them, (typically contacts burnt by starting with a weak battery but they burn anyway because HD starters work hard!) and they're a breeze to rebuild yourself. (Not that owners buy loose solenoid windings without the housing but my starter shop I buy parts from says they svck enough that he buys winding and housing complete.) All mine get pushbutton aftermarket solenoid end covers as backup and that's ~20 bucks well spent if your little Bosch style relay croaks on the road.

The advice on alignment is sound and you can check gear engagement (disconnect the battery) by removing the solenoid end cover then pushing the solenoid so the starter engages while feeling for obstruction and observing with a bright light. If you want to see it electrically engage you can disconnect the starter motor from the solenoid and actuate the starter normally. Noid will move but the motor won't spin. You may have to rotate the clutch housing SLIGHTLY since the design expects a spinning starter but that makes it hard to see the gears.

Pinion and ring gear alignment is controlled by the starter end housing casting, the transmission casting, and the ring gear dimensions vs starter pinion tooth dimensions. I've never seen those go wrong but it could certainly happen that one part in common is off. Beats me which without access to the bike.

I keep an eye out for free and cheap used starters for my spare pile so if I had two cores I'd get them both working. Since you had a starter shop do one you could practice on the other or just dissect it for mechanical education (which doesn't ruin them since a rebuilder would tear it down anyway).

When buying contact kits (the usual wear item) I pull the end cover and match them visually. Many kits have extra contacts to fit multiple starters. The Denso starter rebuild vids on Youtube are decent and cover all the same bases. HD starters have different end housings etc than cars.

Battery cable upgrades are a great idea. I make mine from welding cable (local welding suppliers will cut to length) and lugs and heat shrink bought online though industrial suppliers like Fastenal have them. Nominal bike battery lug hole diameter is 1/4".