well i got the new starter cap and it surprisingly fits.. got the starter back on and it surprisingly works.. now my new question is referring to the strap that goes around the starter motor and bolts down to the motor...now that i have the chrome cover on the starter, the strap doesnt fitaround the assembly. im wondering what the realpurpose is of said strap.if i can get away without it, that would be a huge relief.

thanks againteam. your really helping me out with thisbike..next week itshould be back on the road.. forreal this time.

 

A 77 isnt a 69. But when I replaced the chrome cover with a slightly larger one [as a heat shield], same problem. As of yet the original bolts are holding. But the issue you and I do share is vibration. I often check for movement and listen to the starter to be sure. If I could find another bracing strap I wouldnt have to worry and would probably put it back on. Good luck. respectfully Ladyhawke

 

I do not mean to worry you but I think you would be a lot better off if you can get the strap to attach. This strap is the third tie down point of the starter motor. The other two being the bolts at the primary end of the starter.
This motor develops a lot of torque and the strap holds the body to prevent putting a great load on the primary end of the starter. Look at it this way....H-D ain't going to waste money putting straps where they are not needed.
If the strap will not fit around the chrome cover, you should try to rebend it and elongate the holes to be able to bolt it up.
If it were me and I could not get the strap to fit with the cover......then it would be Hello Mr Strap.....and goodbye Mr Chrome Cover. My 2 cents again.......pg

 

Where exactly is this strap supposed to be, mine is a '77 and when I replaced my starter last year, the one I took off didn't have a strap on it, so I didn't know there should be one in the first place.

Rich

 

I circled the strap in red.. in the lower right you can just see the bolt where it is secured down. i can get a better picture, this is one that i found on my hard drive..

 

your probably correct. i just dont want to think so.

man. that was a huge ordeal putting that cover on.. the whole reason i broke the starter..

after i get er back from inspection, ill try and bend it to fit.. its not just the bigger diameter, its that where the cover joins onto itself, there is abump. which leaves about3/16 of an inch between the cover, and the surrounding metal. about exactly the width ofthe strap so i gotta have this thing spot on. i think im going to use a piece of foil to make a template... hey, i just thought of that now. sweet. might make this job easier.

if not, it looks like my starter is back to an ugly black/brown color. maybe ill just rattle can it.

 

I have an additional concern regarding a lack of a clamp on the starter motor. I assume that the chrome cover does not fit tightly around the motor body? If this is the case, then the clamp will only be holding the chrome cover (providing you get the strap to fit) and not the motor itself.

Those two long bolts are there mainly to hold the starter motor together.....they just happen to thread into the starter housing. The strap clamp is what holds the starter firmly to the crankcase.
I have done a quick scan of a note that you may want to look at. It may save you some grief if you pull the starter again.........pg


[IMG]local://upfiles/8331/9266BE3C9F8E4F079BAB285B1C72F9A7.jpg[/IMG]

 

man. i should have read that note before i took the starter apart the first time. getting those brushes all back in their spring loaded homes before putting the armature back in was not an easy task..

as to the starter spinning in the chrome cover, im not sure how easy this would happen. ill have to check next time im by the bike.. ive seen tons of these covers in use. ill have to start asking people how long they have been using them and if there is any ill effects. but here is how i see it. when i removed the thru bolts before any of this ordeal began, i was able to slide the starter out(with some twisting motion), while the strap was still in place. it seemed the only thing it was doing was supporting the starter laterally and vertically, not rotationally. if that makes sense.. so im thinking the chrome cover wont hurt in that department.

 

OK, you may be correct. I just thought it best to give (using the strap) some serious consideration. I am no expert on this subject, and if others have done without it then it must be OK........pg

 

no, it was a valid point. its good to think of different things that the cover could effect. i hadnt thought of it..

i dont mean i have seen chrome covers without the strap. just chrome covers. i actually hadnt noticed whether the strap was there or not. im guessing like you said, it has a good purpose. otherwise harley would have saved the x$ per bike made.