Ironhead starting question
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Stage III
Joined: May 2010
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From: Georgia
Ironhead starting question
I went to crank my bike the other day and it was all normal and then it sounded like the starter was just spinning and not connecting with nothing then it would hit a lick and go back to just spinning again. Now all it does is just spin. I pulled the primary off and you can place the pinion gear on the ring gear and turn it with your fingers in both directions with no effort at all.
Does this problem have to deal with the pinion gear or what? I've done a little research and have confused myself a little. The confussion came when I read that it should spin both directions just in case something happens it wouldn't tear the teeth off the gears, however there is no ratching noise like it said it should do in one direction.
Any help will be greatly appriciated.
Does this problem have to deal with the pinion gear or what? I've done a little research and have confused myself a little. The confussion came when I read that it should spin both directions just in case something happens it wouldn't tear the teeth off the gears, however there is no ratching noise like it said it should do in one direction.
Any help will be greatly appriciated.
First thing to do with these symptoms is fully charge the battery, load test it, and try again. If the battery is either weak or low [two different conditions!] it will not supply enough for the starting system [relay, solenoid, gears, starter motor] to function. Here are my notes on this ...
1. Fully charge battery.
It is not good enough to put it on a charger overnight and assume it is fully charged. Some batteries will take 24 hours to fully charge. The way to know for sure is to do a specific gravity test [for liquid filled batteries], or to use an automatic battery charger.
I have heard that you should never use a battery charger greater than 2 amps for any motorcycle; that it is best to use between .75 and 1.5 amps. Best are the automatic chargers such as Battery Minder or Battery Tender.
2A. Cell test battery [not for maintenance-free batteries].
Remove caps from battery cells. Keep the red voltmeter lead on a terminal and insert the black lead progressively into each cell, far enough that it contacts the plates. You should get readings of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 volts. If one cell does not contribute its proper 2 volts then that cell is dead and the battery is no good.
2B. Load test battery.
It is said that, with electronic ignition, you should never crank the engine without grounded plugs attached to the wires. For this test you should install an extra set of plugs into the wires and set them onto the top cylinder head fins.
Disconnect both spark plugs. Attach voltmeter leads to the battery terminals. Crank the engine for 10 seconds [no more!]. Observe the meter WHILE cranking. If it goes below 10 volts then the battery is no good. Alternatively you can buy an expensive battery load tester.
Bring the battery up to full charge again before proceeding.
I do not have a good understanding of how the starting system works. The "bendix" should spin in one direction but not the other. However i believe it is not a test that you can do by hand as you cannot apply enough torque to do a proper test.
1. Fully charge battery.
It is not good enough to put it on a charger overnight and assume it is fully charged. Some batteries will take 24 hours to fully charge. The way to know for sure is to do a specific gravity test [for liquid filled batteries], or to use an automatic battery charger.
I have heard that you should never use a battery charger greater than 2 amps for any motorcycle; that it is best to use between .75 and 1.5 amps. Best are the automatic chargers such as Battery Minder or Battery Tender.
2A. Cell test battery [not for maintenance-free batteries].
Remove caps from battery cells. Keep the red voltmeter lead on a terminal and insert the black lead progressively into each cell, far enough that it contacts the plates. You should get readings of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 volts. If one cell does not contribute its proper 2 volts then that cell is dead and the battery is no good.
2B. Load test battery.
It is said that, with electronic ignition, you should never crank the engine without grounded plugs attached to the wires. For this test you should install an extra set of plugs into the wires and set them onto the top cylinder head fins.
Disconnect both spark plugs. Attach voltmeter leads to the battery terminals. Crank the engine for 10 seconds [no more!]. Observe the meter WHILE cranking. If it goes below 10 volts then the battery is no good. Alternatively you can buy an expensive battery load tester.
Bring the battery up to full charge again before proceeding.
I do not have a good understanding of how the starting system works. The "bendix" should spin in one direction but not the other. However i believe it is not a test that you can do by hand as you cannot apply enough torque to do a proper test.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,035
Likes: 17
From: Houston Texas
I went to crank my bike the other day and it was all normal and then it sounded like the starter was just spinning and not connecting with nothing then it would hit a lick and go back to just spinning again. Now all it does is just spin. I pulled the primary off and you can place the pinion gear on the ring gear and turn it with your fingers in both directions with no effort at all.
Does this problem have to deal with the pinion gear or what? I've done a little research and have confused myself a little. The confussion came when I read that it should spin both directions just in case something happens it wouldn't tear the teeth off the gears, however there is no ratching noise like it said it should do in one direction.
Any help will be greatly appriciated.
Does this problem have to deal with the pinion gear or what? I've done a little research and have confused myself a little. The confussion came when I read that it should spin both directions just in case something happens it wouldn't tear the teeth off the gears, however there is no ratching noise like it said it should do in one direction.
Any help will be greatly appriciated.
The pinion gear will ratchet in one direction (clockwise viewed from the end) and should lock in the other direction (CCW).
The reason of course is to turn the clutch basket forward (CCW) to start the engine.
Should the starter button hang, and the engine crank up, the ratchet feature is there to save the pinion gear from having it's teeth stripped off in such a situation.
These gears do go bad and it sounds like that is the case with yours. It is free spinning in both directions. Buy a new gear and the problem should be fixed.
pg
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