[Tom Henman]

I have been having this problem for sometime now. It does not do it all the time but seems to be getting worse now. The bike is a '05 with 46000 miles. When I first hit the starter button the starter will turn but won't kick into the flywheeel, when I let up and do it again then she will start. Open for any and all suggestion before I do something wrong. Thanks again
Tom :-( :-(

 

[Larry Price]

Have the battery load tested. It may be time to replace it. If the voltage drops too much while trying to bring up the fuel pressure, turn the starter and fire the plugs, the engine will turn over, but won't fire. I'd start with the battery.

 

[Tom Henman]

starter

When the starter is turning the first time, the engine is NOT turning only the starter is turning. Done this a couple of times when the bike was new.

 

[kikker]

When the starter is turning the first time, the engine is NOT turning only the starter is turning. Done this a couple of times when the bike was new.

Your starter may be turning only because there isn't enough amps to engage the flywheel. Two things you should do first is, clean the battery and cable terminals. The other thing to do is, charge the battery for a reasonable amount of time, say 30 minutes. Always keep in mind that the battery should always be kept on a maintinance charger while not being ridden for extended periods. One other possiblity is the relay may be bad. Keep in mind that the battery should have a full charge before having a load test performed. Running the engine will not fully charge a battery if it's weak or by jump starting it. If your battery is original, it very likely will need to be replaced.

 

[GL05]

Starter Drive

The Gold Wing starter does not use a benex or starter drive that mates with a flywheel as used in cars. Instead it mates directly with a gear, which is the starter clutch. The clutch and starter are always in contact with each other. This clutch assembly will rotate freely in one direction. The other direction it will lock as when the starter is turned on to start the engine. Once the engine starts the clutch free wheels in order to avoid spinning the starter.

Tom, geting back to your question.

If there was a weak battery or poor wiring connection the engine would crank over slowly.

It's possible there could be a problem with the planetary assembly attached to the drive end of the starter. If one of the little locating pins on the sun gear is broken or missing it could cause the starter to free wheel and not turn the starter clutch.
Otherwise there could be a problem with the starter clutch, which is in the transmission. 4:

 

[onewayblues]

Not to be disrespectfull,
However I will use a term we used when I was in the military.
K.I.S.S----------KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. :coffee1:
I would first check all contacts from battery to starter.

 

[1800wannabee]

A few of us have had that problem lately. Here is a link about it.

http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199043

 

[LarryM]

Not to be disrespectfull,
However I will use a term we used when I was in the military.
K.I.S.S----------KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. :coffee1:
I would first check all contacts from battery to starter.

The battery is obviously the first thing to check with any electrical problem, but I don't think that will be the problem here. The starter is free wheeling, and not driving the flywheel, so the current is low. Besides, when he backs off and does it a second time, the starter engages. That is not typically a symptom of a bad battery.

I also would lean towards this being a starter clutch problem, but I would get out the manual and follow the troubleshooting procedures before tackling that one.

I am not that familiar with the reverse mechanism. Is it possible that a problem in the mode switching could cause this?

 

[JMAN955I]

My 05 does this same thing but it only does it when it is cold. meaning outside temp below 55. The first time it just spins stop and do it again starts right up.

 

[GL05]

Starter Clutch

The starter clutch is actually a sprag clutch, which is a one-way freewheel clutch. It has constant engagement with the starter.
The clutch has rollers or bearings that are odd shaped and tilted with a spring. When the starter is turned on to start the engine the rollers stand up and lock the clutch so the engine will crank over. After the engine starts the clutch will freewheel.

There may not actually be a mechanical problem with the clutch.
A few things come to mind that could cause the clutch not to lock when it should. The sprag rollers may not rotate due to thick oil (wrong viscosity oil for cold weather), the rollers may be gummed up from dirty oil or the rollers may be sliding instead of rotating due to the type of oil used or additives in the oil.

 

[1800wannabee]

I changed from Mobil 1 10-40 motorcycle oil to 10-40 Honda DINO 4000 miles ago and the starter has engaged every time.

The transmission also shifts quieter.

 

[hobbeszilla]

Here's a thread on the other board that you might read through. Hope it helps.

http://www.ridersrally.org//bb3kit/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7539&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

 

[LarryM]

The starter clutch is actually a sprag clutch, which is a one-way freewheel clutch. It has constant engagement with the starter.
The clutch has rollers or bearings that are odd shaped and tilted with a spring. When the starter is turned on to start the engine the rollers stand up and lock the clutch so the engine will crank over. After the engine starts the clutch will freewheel.

There may not actually be a mechanical problem with the clutch.
A few things come to mind that could cause the clutch not to lock when it should. The sprag rollers may not rotate due to thick oil (wrong viscosity oil for cold weather), the rollers may be gummed up from dirty oil or the rollers may be sliding instead of rotating due to the type of oil used or additives in the oil.

That sounds like what we refer to as a Torrington clutch in my line of work. Your thought might be something worth thinking about. They are normally extremely reliable. But they are a bit sensitive to gumming up.

How often does the oil get changed on this bike, and what type?

 

[Tom Henman]

starter

Change oil at around 7500-8000 miles and I am using Amsoil 5w40

 

[1800wannabee]

Here's a thread on the other board that you might read through. Hope it helps.

http://www.ridersrally.org//bb3kit/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?

f=6&t=7539&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

These are good tips when the problem is electrical in nature. I did these checks plus moved the left saddlebag so I could check the starter relays. One of the nuts was not very tight and I thought I had found the problem, but it continued.

The problem with my starter not engaging was the starter clutch. From the symptoms the original poster talked about I believe his problem is also in the starter clutch. Two other people, besides me, recently have also switched from synthetic to dino with good results.

 

[LarryM]

Ron, what did you do to fix the clutch problem, just change back to dino?

 

[JMAN955I]

I change the oil about every 4,000 miles and use Amsoil 10w 40