If it is the comp most likely will notice a rattle in primary when you engage the clutch in first gear. Seems to be worse when cold for mine. . You will also notice a rattle when you kill the the motor and clutch it. When you hear a comp on startup you will definitely know it is not a normal start. The start "bang" is loud as hell.. At least this is how my scoot acted before replacing.

 

I'll start with the easy stuff first tomorrow. Even though the battery was new, it was dead the other day for some odd reason. I'll set it on the charger for a while and when I put it back in I'll triple check all of the connections.

Does it hurt to ride it like this? Weather is too nice to park it to work on it. I'll see if I can upload a video tomorrow of a cold start and a warm start as well.

 

Sounds like several problems hitting all at once. "Dragging starter" doesn't help me much, is that trouble getting past the first compression stroke or is it a terrible grinding sound? If the starter stalls trying to push through the first stroke, that may be related to the battery dying. Poor connections at either end of the cables to the battery or something wrong in the charging system. Some piece of gear not turning off with the master switch also might be draining the battery.

If you mean the loud grinding noise, that is most likely the starter drive clutch. The compensator running out of travel and slamming against the stop seems to beat the starter clutch to death. The compensator absorbs a certain amount of travel and then becomes solid against the stop. It can't cause a "dragging" or hard to turn over situation, that has to be electrical connections, weak battery (no matter how new) or starter in the process of an early death.

Trouble shooting gets complicated in a hurry with multiple malfunctions. The new compensator will fix the bang when engaging the starter but if the starter stalls on the first compression stroke, that is a separate though related problem. What king of battery did you buy?

 

Hot start video

 

Had that exact Problem with mine, replaced the Starter Clutch with a All Ball Brand Starter Clutch, it is heaver duty than the HD ones, and it has larger internal parts which completely stopped the Hot Start Grinding Sound on mine. Trust me this will solve your problem.

 

Perfect, I ordered the All ***** last night. Any pointers on how to change it? I have a service manual, but it's not real in depth.

 

Until you get it worked out, in the meantime when you do a hot start ( like while getting gas,) try hitting the start button as soon as you turn on the ignition....Don't wait for the red light to go off. For some reason ( on some bikes,) it'll start on the first rotation and save your ring gear for awhile longer.

 

info: jimsusa has a compensator lock.( a ring with ears on it so you can bend it over the flats on the nut).$160.00

 

Good gen in the attached link re: starter clutch replacement. My compliments to SCUBAMIKE.


https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touring-models/699634-starter-clutch-replacement-on-09-sg.html