Triumphrat

losangeles_S4 · 10-12-2007

Ok. Buddy of mine with a 96-97 Adventurer road with me up to motoGP at Laguna Seca this year. On the way up his bike started making strange sounds at startup. Sorta a binding sound on and off. The bike would eventually start, but it was unpredictable. Because of the "bad sound" we went to pushstarting for the rest of the trip. My understanding is now the starter just spins and the binding sound is gone. Bike has been sitting for a month or so now I want to help him get back on the road.

I don't know this bike very well, but I noticed the weaker starter clutch mentioned in the Common Problems sticky.

Is this what we are looking at? Dealer told him this an expensive repair. They have not seen the bike. They mentioned a "bandex gear" or something to him on the phone. Engine has to come out of the frame or something?

It sounded to me like starter teeth and flywheel teeth grinding.

jimmyj900 · 10-12-2007

That sounds like the sprag clutch. A bad starter can make a grinding sound while cranking the engine if the bearings are shot, but if the starter is turning and won't crank the engine then either the starter is loose (check that), the teeth are stripped (improbable) or the sprag is broken.

The sprag is sort of like a Bendix drive in that it couples the starter to the engine, but it's a totally different animal and you can't just remove the starter to get at it. It requires removing the engine and a tear down to get to the Sprag and I don't think the new (larger) sprag will fit without some machining inside the engine case.

Sorry about the bad news on that.

Jim

losangeles_S4 · 10-12-2007

Wow. That sounds nasty. Not a job for the faint at heart it sounds. Hmm..