I’ve been trying to fix the electric starting for quite some time now with no luck, i can push start the bike on 2nd/3rd gear no problem it starts a bit funny till the idle settles but then it runs smoothly, i’ve taken apart the alternator/starting clutch assembly and tried to follow the manual with no luck i think the electric part is fine because i checked the starter motor it runs well, but it sounds a bit weak when connected to the engine (keep in mind that i recently bought the bike and dont know the history of the bike, The alternator is disconnected since I dont have a rectifier yet but the battery is new and charged) I need the engine for a UNIVERSITY project and I need a solution fast SO PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!

 

Hi Anthony,

Sounds like the dreaded starter clutch is failing. The more you push a failing unit, the weaker it gets. You say you took it apart. It's not a 'serviceable' item as far as Honda is concerned, although some owners have managed to revive them.
You can still buy them new, although they're not cheap!

When you take the alternator shaft out, sometimes the chain tensioner on the alternator shaft will not work straight away. Sounds like that happened to you.

Can you describe what you did to the starter clutch unit?

Cheers,

Dennis

 

hi dennis

if you are talking about the one way clutch i changed the bearing on it just in case and it works just fine for all i know, if you are talking about the small part that honda calls “damper” that has mini clutch plates i only took it aparts and seperated the clitch plates then reassembled since they were stuck together (however i cant really imagine the function of this part).

why do you say you dont think the belt tensioner is working?

also what part are you talking about me replacing? because im located in egypt and i cant really get new parts for this bike over here but if its absolutely necessary i have friends abroad that can get me it.

also how can i show you a video of the sound of the bike trying to start up?

 

Hi Anthony,

It is the damper with the mini clutch plates I was referring to. Sounds like you took it apart. I'm not sure how you can tell if it's fixed.

Someone wrote a good explanation for the rationale for this part, but I've forgotten it. It's somewhere in the forum!

Anyway, you can get new parts for old Hondas from either David Silver spares in UK https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk
or CMS in Holland https://www.cmsnl.com

When I replaced the damper unit many years ago, the bike made a strange new noise on startup, like a chain slapping sound. It went away after few seconds. I think it was the alternator chain tensioner getting back into operation.

You can put a video on youtube if you want to, and put the link in your post.

Cheers

 

its out of stock on both websites and I cant tell of its fixed either since I dont actually understand how it works…


I think my chain tensioner is fine

 

That's a shame, because they all fail eventually.

My vague understanding is that it's a one-way clutch that's designed to protect one engine component from another, in the event of a major failure. I can't remember much more than that.

Every time that the electric starter is used, the damper must transfer that energy through its tiny clutch plates. I believe that these slowly wear over time and with extended use.

I'd image that if you somehow 'locked' the mini plates, it would work like new, but then the ability of the unit to do what it was designed to do, in a failure situation, would be lost.

Hope that helps