Okay - so we turned the commutator down and now it's a nice smooth barrel instead of being all apple-core shaped. There were some wierd depressions in it as well, which we think lead to the brushes being beaten up - as they created vibrations. I'm pretty sure they were the original brushes anyways, cause they were *really* done. Like dinner...
Once we got the old wires off the plates I was able to solder the new ones on and man-handle them into place while sliding the armature in. That was a lesson in patience and leverage..I'm tellin' ya. It helped to have another set of fingers there.
Once everything was back in the starter motor, we got an awesome spark off the battery (which didn't happen earlier), and the thing spun like a top on speed. It was awesome
I put the new solenoid in, wired everything back together..slapped the carbs back on, and shes waiting to fire up in the morning.
It'll be nice to ride again, since I haven't ridden in about 2 weeks now
Oh - to turn the commutator, we put the armature in a variable speed drill, and put the drill in a vice, so the armature was horizontal. Once it was spinning, we used some fine grinders, and held them on the commutator ever so lightly..heavy enough to grind, but not too heavy.
We made sure that the slits were all still open, and that nothing was grounded out. It all worked wonderfully, and I think it's a good thing that we ground it down, anyways, cause the new brushes were freakin' huge compared to the old ones. They barely fit as it was!
All in all, a successful operation. Thanks for the suggestions made, above.
Cheers!