Ok after thinking about it, I now realize the clutch slips if there is some reason the engine is too hard to turn over. Just backwards of what I first thought.Please indulge a dumb question. Isn't the starter clutch supposed to prevent kickback from the engine from turning the starter backwards? If the Starter clutch is working properly would it not prevent most of the starter and starter idler gear damage in 2002 and earlier Busas? Must the starter clutch be removed in order to check it out? Well I guess that's more than one dumb question, but all info will be very much appreciated.
Well I really feel dumb now, but at least now I understand how it works. Thanks Blue Lightning.The starter clutch is a one-way clutch or over-run clutch. It locks when the clutch is turning the flywheel (which is bolted to the crankshaft) and slips in the other direction, ie. the flywheel (and crankshaft) is spinning faster than the starter. It does not "slip" in the way a clutch pack in an LSD or the transmission clutch slips thereby reducing/increasing torque.
