I was going to pose a question for help on my XBR500 starter problem , but I've fixed it. However, my tale may help someone who has a similar problem, so I'll explain the problem and the cause.......
My recently aquired XBR500 has been unused for some years and was bought as a non runner. The battery was dead and I partially stripped the bike to clean out the old petrol and give it a general check over. Before buying a battery, I connected to bike to a 12V power pack (the type that in theory you just keep in the back of the car and use it to jump start a Jumbo Jet!). All electrics worked except the starter. To determine if it was the solenoid, I connected the power directly to the starter - big spark but no starter turning! I had a look in the starter gear area next to the generator, and since all looked good, I carried on and removed the starter and stripped it down. Brushes were dry and dusty but otherwise looked good, so cleaned it up, checked it out with my meter and put it back together. Starter worked. Success, I thought, and so refitted the starter and the starter gears. I then tried the starter....... Click, but no starter turning. Weak magnets in the motor? No.
I woke the next morning and went over what I had done. I knew the motor worked on its own, so I took the gears apart and checked them again, trying the starter as I went. The problem turned out to be due to be the gasket (or lack of it) on the starter gear cover. Leave it loose, no problem. Tighten it, and the lack of the gasket is enough for the cover to squeeze the shaft in between the casings. Solution? I made a gasket and the starter now works perfectly.
I generally always use new gaskets and don't generally use a sealant, but I had been given a sample of a new super gasket goo made by Loctite in a concertina bottle. It's great stuff, but just remember that it doesn't have any thickness to it.......
