TOPIC:

Anyone spend way to much time looking at starters before?

I may need one for my GPZ 750, and know that even though the part #'s are different, many different parts fit different models. Looking at the starters on ebay, looks like most aircooled 4 cylinder starters are the same.

Anyone ever try it before I will?

As long as you use a starter motor from the same series of bike 650/750 you will be okay. The 550 will not work for example and I don't think you can use a 900 or 1000 starter either.

I believe awhile back someone mentioned using a Honda starter that worked with very minor modification and provided much more cranking torque!

Hmmm. Interesting.

From what I've read so far, the starter started out as a part number 21163-1033, superseded by 21163-1086. And it looks like it is supposedly a GPZ750 only starter.

Right.

Do the 650's have a gear reduction internally on the end of their starters?

Have to look into the honda starter.

gpzrox, I did a search and here is the link for the chat about using the Honda starter. Good luck!

tinyurl.com/2r7xwq

Thanks for the link, helped with what I had thought, except for 1 thing: those are all 550's, 900's, 1000's. They run a smaller end gear than the 650'750's, so I need a measurement off of the starters.

If the externals of the 650/750 are longer physically, then I can take off the endcap with the gear reduction in it and make a measurement there. I bet that the 650/750 starter is longer, and is the same as the other Kawasakis with the gear reduction removed. Therefore, they are the same starter.

But I need proof. Like as in someone with a spare starter laying around and a tape measure, I bet that within 1/16th should be enough to prove the theory.

And it looks like the early 550 Suzuki has a very close motor, to the point that it reads close, so close on the part number. I bet it would work.

So, anyone have a 650 starter that you can get a mitsuba part number off of, or even a measurement and part number off of a small gear starter.

This is getting fun.

Found that the 650's ran a .5KW motor vs a .6 in the GPZ. Hmmmm.

Newest try: found a 2002 ZR-7 starter on ebay for $10. Should get it tomorrow/next day, be interesting to see if this will be a viable upgrade. If it is, it should also work for the 650's.

any luck with the ZR-7 starter? I have a 810 kit on my 1980 750 and it is a beast to get that old tired stock starter to turn it over once warm. any update would be cool.
matt

Physically they mount up the same. Past that, I need to troubleshoot more.

Will let you know.

hey man any word on that starter? TTT!!

The final word:

Yes, the ZR-7 starter will work without mods. I am sooo pumped.

All physical measurements are the same, and I got to fire the bike off yesterday. Did it spin any faster or do any better? I can't tell you, and haven't been able to find any specs that would tell me, and it sounded like a starter spinning to me. What I do know is that I have to get a part number off of that starter, because other motorcycles used that one. I will go so far as to say that if it is a Mitsuba starter, and the business end looks like yours, it will probably work.

I can assume by taking the end cap off that maybe all air cooled Kawasaki starters will be the same, they just bolted on an external reduction gear end cap on to ours. But as of right now, that is just an assumption, until I can get a measurement on a regular KZ starter.

Now I still would recommend a rebuild kit to a used starter, but I got one for such a deal that I could not pass it up. Rebuild kits are cheap and look to be fairly easy. I have all of my stuff still bookmarked because I will rebuild my old starter during the winter. I bookmarked everything because several ATV's used the same brush kits. If I remember, brushes were like $18 for the set and maybe $40 for the holder assembly with brushes, and look to be very easy to replace.

Need the info, let me know. I can get it for you.