TOPIC:

Just starting to hack away at my '78 650. The only thing on the bike that doesn't work is the starter - since the kickstart works great, I won't bother fixing it (at least not right away).

I suggested to a buddy that I should just remove the starter altogether, since it's dead weight. He doesn't think it weighs enough to be worth the effort. Any thoughts?

Besides its intended use, a working starter is also very useful when checking compression and spark (and maybe some other testing procedures overlooked at the moment).

Tend to agree with your buddy about the potential weight savings.

yeah theres lots of other things you can ax that will make more of a weight differance than that little ol starter;)

i thought of this as well since i am having elec starter problems. correct me if im wrong but won't it shoot out oil from the hole? oil should be flying around a little on the flywheel right?

if thats the case i suppose you could make a small plate to block the passage.

Fair enough - I won't waste my time then. But since we're sort of on the topic, what are the best items to start hacking off to reduce weight? I would like to put her on the slimfast plan

i took mine out now my bike starts easier and seems to run smoother. its easy to do just remove the 2 bolts and wiggle it out. yes it will throw all your oil out but that problem is easy to fix. go to hardware plumbing store and buy a 2inch plug for pressure testing. its rubber with washer on both ends and a bolt runnung through it. slide it in and tighten it. mines been on my bike for 4 months. i check it everyday and it hasnt leaked yet.

mooisthedevil wrote:

...go to hardware plumbing store and buy a 2inch plug for pressure testing. its rubber with washer on both ends and a bolt runnung through it. slide it in and tighten it. mines been on my bike for 4 months. i check it everyday and it hasnt leaked yet.

Good idea! I think I'll try that. Having thought about it a bit more, I am planning on replacing the battery with capacitor for weigh savings, and if the starter's unused I would like to pull it. There's probably something else I can put in that cavity.