Another Goats? 2004 GS500F

[infraboy]

So I bought a 2004 GS500F back in october of 2009 and it had 15k miles on it, it's been running great up until I hit the 17k mile mark last saturday. It was exhibiting a few odd starting issues for about a month, it would start fine but sometimes there would be a strange clicking sound as if the starter motor wasn't meshing with the crank.

So on the Saturday I left the house for work and realized I forgot something at home so I turned back, and as soon as I got to my driveway, the bike just cutout and died. I tried to start it but all I could hear was the starter motor whirring away and not cranking the engine. I've been reading a lot about the goat's thing on this forum and was worried but I didn't want to open up the left case without some help.

So I had a guy from the bayareariders forum come over and he was a big help and removed the left side case, the rotor looked fine and all the magnets were intact, (the epoxy had come off though), but perring through the rotor the 3 starter clutch bolts that hold it to the back of the rotor looked pretty mangled. We took and impact gun and removed the rotor bolt, and used a puller tool to try to get the rotor off but to no avail, the rotor was stuck on there TIGHT.

So will I likely be needing a new rotor AND a starter clutch? I'm just bringing it into a stop tommorow and they'll probably be able to pry the rotor off easier.

I wish i'd taken pictures but we bolted the cover back on before I could.

[The Buddha]

Maybe just a bad starter clutch ... not goats.

However all the epoxy comming off is pretty suspect ... your stator coil has signs it has been hitting the rotor ? that is what makes it goats ...

Remember - no goats no glory.

Cool.
Buddha.

[infraboy]

Nope, no signs the rotor has been contacting the stator, as far as I could tell the magnets were all perfectly intact, just the orange epoxy stuff wasn't on the magnets. I checked the oil drain pan we used and the oil was totally clean.

[The Buddha]

OK you need a sliding hammer to get that rotor off the right way.
A long 14mm bolt and a bit of a heavy hand could bear it against the crank and pull it ... though I do sliding hammer method myself.

The of course you get the starter clutch bits - 25 or so from ron ayers, and you should be good. That clutch whirring isn't taht common. Most common is the bloody thing making the ungodly clunking noises as you hit the start button.

Never know ... but spinning and not cranking = starter clutch failure. The idlers etc are OK ?

Cool.
Buddha.

[infraboy]

Idler gear and starter gear all looked fine, no ground up bits or chewed up cogs.

[The Buddha]

OK Then you're pretty much leaving no option but a dead starter clutch.

OH I wont be putting in a magnet with no epoxy on it back on. You are better off wiht a nice un damaged one. Or atleast try to lacquer/epoxy that ... yea get it "Lacquered up" and maybe it will do what you want it to do ... much like your first date with the hot chick.

Cool.
Buddha.