Sounds like you need to purchase a service manual. Money well spent.

I have true duals (no rear cyl pipe on right side of bike) and have looked at bikes with the stock header and it looks like a tight squeeze to get it out. My 2007 SM says you may have to loosen/remove the heat shield and not remove the pipe for stock exhaust.
When you take the starter apart, per the SM leave the armature assy in tact (end cap with brushes) as it is not as easy to re assemble as the SM says. Unless you feel the need to check for brush and armature wear. SM has the specs on this. The end cap phillips head screws are soft and can be difficult to get out, SM says to replace, HD does not sell them, they are M4 X .7 if I remember. I put SS allen heads back in.

WTF was Harley thinking if they put a starter mounting bolt inside the primary (sell more oil, poss $35.00 gasket). If you are talking about the bolt on the pinion gear the pinion assembly will come out on the starter. Be sure contact area between inner primary and starter is good and clean on re assembly and torque the bolts. This is where the starter grounds. I used a long ball allen socket.

 

thanks, i have a service manual i just havent gotten into it yet. im just hoping that i dont have to take compensator and clutch all apart to get the starter out. from what everyone is telling me the way my bike sets with the outer primary removed i should be able to remove the starter and then dis assemble the starter to work on the starter clutch. is this right?

 

Correct.

 

I would leave the armature assy alone and remove the solenoid assy and file the contact washer and tabs if they show signs of wear. Ive only had to do this once in 4 years.

 

i will try this over the weekend if all goes well

 

Be sure and follow the SM for the tightening sequence on the re assembly of the solenoid contacts. The thru washer is a slight compressed fit and the contacts need to be square to the plunger so you get maximum contact when energized.

 

Found that out the hard way when I over tightened the hot post on the starter and it rotated slightly. Had to take it all apart again to figure it out.

 

If you grab hold of that starter make damn sure you pull it out in one piece..If the armature comes out of the end plate where the brushes are located you will play hell getting it back together..

 

Just a side note. My starter clutch went bad and made the same ruckus as yours. After pulling the starter and checking the starter clutch i priced out the various starter clutches available and for not too much more I bought a new 1.4 kw starter. I probably will rebuild my old one but then again maybe not.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6_lHmfFhE


here is what it looked like after i pulled the starter out. i am skeptical on taking it apart i have a starter guy up the street i am thinking of taking it too