Starter issue, time for a new one?

[Adox]

My mechanic says that the reason why my '06 Busa won't start when it's hot is because the starter gets hot also, and is a sign of the starter going out. If this is true (thoughts?), I found one on eBay, but under the notes it says "Long Shaft." Is that what I want or not? "New Starter Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa 1298cc 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 | eBay"

 

[HayardBasterd]

id say skip the replacement and pull your starter to i.d the proper kit needed to just clean and rebuild it. my 01 struggles on hot starts ive found a few threads on here with plenty of theories from hydro lock to worn starter to rebuild....ive found(via a previous read thread) that when it struggles to start putting it in gear and rocking the bike back and forth seems to release the hydro lock pressure and she fires right up. short term fix for this season. when seasons over im gonna pull the starter rebuild it and also place a heat barrier in-betwix the engine and starter to dispense some of that heat. other threads also show some guys adding a second battery under the tank beefing it up to 24 volts at starting. they all say the extra power as well as beefing up battery cables turns motor over every time. just my 2 cents from doing my own research on my hot start issue.

 

[Kevin Jones]

It could be. I had a bunch of SBC V8s that had that problem. Too close to the headers and they would get hot. But, having just been through a starter problem, pull the starter and take it to autozone and load test it, see how many amps it is drawing when they spin it. Yes, you need the long shaft.

 

[Kevin Jones]

id say skip the replacement and pull your starter to i.d the proper kit needed to just clean and rebuild it. my 01 struggles on hot starts ive found a few threads on here with plenty of theories from hydro lock to worn starter to rebuild....ive found(via a previous read thread) that when it struggles to start putting it in gear and rocking the bike back and forth seems to release the hydro lock pressure and she fires right up. short term fix for this season. when seasons over im gonna pull the starter rebuild it and also place a heat barrier in-betwix the engine and starter to dispense some of that heat. other threads also show some guys adding a second battery under the tank beefing it up to 24 volts at starting. they all say the extra power as well as beefing up battery cables turns motor over every time. just my 2 cents from doing my own research on my hot start issue.

Do not worry about rebuilding the starter. The design is terrible, epoxy holds the magnets in place and over time they will break free from the casing and bunch up. If you havent upgraded to the '03 and up starter clutch with torque kickback prevention, there is your problem. Battery gets low, you turn it over, engine kicks back, something gives, luckily it was your starter magnets. Get the $85 starter from the ebay joint in Milledgeville GA. With your '01, you need to upgrade to the '03 and up starter clutch assembly and be glad you did before something worse happened. It just means you need the starter clutch gear and larger case that fits it so buy those parts off of the bay. Just buy a starter clutch assembly complete from something like a used '06. Message me if you need more information or do a thread search for starter clutch upgrade. Forget the heat shield, DO NOT go to two batteries for a stock motor for starting issues.

 

[HayardBasterd]

i appreciate the feedback, sounds like the 2001 starters are crap from jump. ive got aftermarket wiseco pistons in so im not necessarilly 100% stock though im far from modded. wasn't considering the extra battery but again i do appreciate the clarity. ive seen the thread listing the complete parts list for the starter clutch upgrade, but i thought a heat shield,starter rebuild, and the case protector would do the trick. far as my battery i checked my charging system with help from my mechanic and its functioning keeping the battery charged. that being said your advice on the starter upgrade sounds like the safest road to go. Thanks again

 

[Busabim]

I have the original 1999..I used a new lead acid and got starter kickback and cracked the cover. When i replaced the cover I installed the schnitz case protector. I knew that a stock lead acid battery would not do the job when hot.

The starter design on the early bikes is not great , but with sufficient amperage the bike always turns over.

Now, I have updated to a Lifo battery, the difference in starting is unbelievable. Never fails to start, even hot. You can feel when it is starting to kickback so you let off, and re try. There is enough amps to do the job until I replace with the 2003 and up starter assembly.

BB