Replacing starter motor

Replacing starter motor.

Ok, so as mentioned before, I was looking at replacing the starter motor next, to get to solve the issue with my ignition. I'll say before we start that even this didn't solve my ignition button / start issue. The issue is likely to be with the circuit itself now, from the battery to the solenoid to the starter motor. It's the only thing left really. I'm talking about the loop connectors or the wires themselves and that there could be a dodgy / loose connection somewhere. I'm hoping the wire that connects to the starter motor from solenoid is the issue as there is a new one included with the new motor. I didn't use this but used the old one as it was already in position. I do point out though in the video that if it still doesn't solve the issue, it's a good idea to try the new cable because there could be an issue with the old one. But once again time was the issue, I had to get the bike back together. 

It could be why it was working but lackluster in operation before and stopped altogether as the wire got knocked some more, especially after changing the solenoid. So it's plausible. I also checked the fuse in the little white plastic case down by the battery & that was fine. That's the only fuse I could find. No little red square auto fuse anywhere (I don't know why Lexmoto's spares page has one unless some have that instead of what we have here?), just a transparent glass fuse inside like the ones inside your electrical appliance plugs at home. I could already see the wire was fine inside it but swapped it out for the spare one that was included inside also, just for good measure. Of course it made no difference.

When it comes to changing the starter motor, of course the bike has very close quarters thanks to the chassis but, you don't have to remove the side fairing at all. You will however, have to remove the clutch cable from the actuator arm to get the motor out through that small space in front. If you push the arm forwards it will create slack and you can slide the cable out. You can slide the cable out with some pliers if you find it hard by hand. Once again this is easier and quicker with two people but can be done just by yourself.

Then you will need to pull back the rubber cap and unscrew the nut holding the electrical cable on the starter motor and remove it. Once that has been done the two fixing bolts facing you can be removed. Be careful because there are some spacers / bushes (they are spacers but look just like brass / metal bushes do) underneath they may be covered by some muck and look all in one / flush with the motor. Don't loose these, you will need them for the new one as none are included with a new motor.

Now you need to remove or pull out the old motor, I did this by putting some tie wraps through the bolt loops in the motor to give me something to pull on. I also gave it a little push from the front with two fingers from the other side. Mine was in pretty tight, if I didn't think about the tie wraps / zip ties I'm sure it would've been a struggle. It came out eventually.

Putting the new motor in is just a reverse process, you will need to take a rubber protector off the end if it has one, before locating into the gear. When you do locate it into the gear put it in at a slight angle and turn it slightly back and forth to locate it / line it up with the gear. When it's lined up you should be able to turn it some more to line up the fixing points. Don't forget to add those spacers again!. 

Once the cable or new cable has been fixed back on, then you can put the clutch cable back & try it out. Remember that the new cable will also have to be joined at the other end to the solenoid.

Watching the video above will give a better understanding.

 

I would keep your old starter motor, in my case if it is the circuit then there could be nothing wrong with it anyway but, even still it is possible to recondition them, even if spares for these ones might be hard to come by. You never know, even then if they are identical clones to Honda then you might be in luck with Honda parts. Even so things like the casing might be of use, if you crack your current one's casing the components inside can be just swapped over, even if it's knackered. 

It's just another brushed motor at the end of the day, it has brushes that wear out & and armature inside with a copper commutator that could clog up from the brushes wearing out. You might be able to get some replacement brushes or even find the brushes to be good on your old one to keep hold of (unlikely as I would of thought that a main issue with failure) you never know.

I would also point out that the starter motors seem to point a significance to them being for the OHC engine (XTRS) over the OHV engine (XTR) when buying. As opposed to some universal FMI 156 / 157 set up. Why this is I don't know? Maybe it needs a more torque-y motor for one opposed to the other? Maybe they just don't line up with fixings? So make sure you get the right one. Obviously look at the number KS125-24 for the XTRS & KS125-23 for XTR other brand names also use either engine type so you need to look at the model number or ask for OHC/OHV which ever you need. I think Skyjet use the similar model numbers SJ125-24 / SJ125-23. They also have different models which use the exact same engine like the SJ125-27, so that starter motor can be used. Are the motors interchangable, I don't know so just get the one stated for the right engine type. The removal and swapping process will be the same however.

Replacing solenoid / starter relay.

Replacing solenoid / starter relay.

As mentioned before I have had trouble starting the bike using the ignition button. It went from starting but not sounding the most high pitched like others to starting then deciding not to start to now just clicking & nothing. Obviously I've been using the kickstart, & that is one of this bikes saving graces. If it was one of the newer bikes without the kickstart, well...I think that would be obvious.

Three of the main things that could be a problem when it comes to this issue is:

• a). the battery
• b). the solenoid / starter relay (or fuse)
• c). the starter motor itself

 

My battery is fine and I even fully charged it to test the issue to no avail. It was even just past the 12v on the gauge before hand and then jumps towards 15v when started anyway. Next, I thought well the starter motor was turning recently even though it's not starting and a bit lackluster, so maybe it's the solenoid / starter relay that's faulty?

I watched through a few you tube vids with car / bike engines and a few turned out to be the Solenoid / starter relay. A new solenoid / starter relay was about £12.00 new for the bike on eBay, if I went to a garage to check it out, it's likely I would've paid £20.00 upwards just for them to get their multimeter out to see if it was faulty or not (since we found out you would have to remove a panel to get at it maybe even more). So what the heck, I would be better off buying the new solenoid for £12.00. If it's ok after then it's fixed. If not I've got two (a spare) & found out the solenoid is fine after all for less than I would've paid to get it checked to tell me the same outcome, seeing as I should be able to do the work myself. 

It turns out just that, that although the replacement was successful the new solenoid had the same issue as the previous one, in that it just buzzed / clicked when the ignition was pressed. So it looks as though I'll be looking for a replacement starter motor, & that will likely grace these blogs in future although I'm in no real rush I do have the kick-start for now.  

I'll go through a few points here but, below I'll include a you tube video showing the process of replacing the solenoid:

Finding the solenoid.

Finding a solenoid / starter relay is usually as such; the solenoid is either right next to or on top of the starter motor itself or near by the battery. In our case it's near the battery. I actually noticed the plastic connector clip down by the battery & followed the wire straight to it in the left side rear fairing panel. Now obviously you need to remove the panel WHAT A PAIN, it's not like just opening the bonnet of a car now is it? 

Well, I haven't gotten around to removing these rear panels yet so we'll take a look how it's done.

First off, you will need to remove the steel coloured plug with the hex / allen key. Yes, that doubles as a fixing bolt, as well as a plug to mount your bungee cord / cargo net hooks etc. Then remove the screw from the faring clip just around to the side of it. Then that big screw at the front most part, then the grab handle / luggage rack bolts will need to be removed. Now you can get away (if you watch the video) with just pulling it forward enough now to get the solenoid out. I you wish to remove the whole panel (it's the same on the other side), there's a screw underneath the same as the other fairing screw you removed earlier and you will need to remove the rear light by the bolt then remove two small screws at the top (see pictures below).

You will find that the solenoid connects by being inside a rubber sheath, which in turn connects to the chassis the same way the CDI unit did, by sliding onto pins protruding from the chassis. However, you can slide the old one out of it's sheath, take the new one out of it's sheath also & just pop it straight into the old rubber sheath without having to try to prise it off. Believe me it's on tight! Plus it's awkward without removing the whole panel.

Obviously then, you have the plug to connect and the wires (correct polarity) will have to go on the new one exactly as they were the old one. We live in an age where we have digital cameras even on our phone, so if you're unsure take a pic before removing the wires to make sure it's on correctly like the old one. If not you can check on the video.

Now, I can't see a fuse (usually like an little coloured auto / car fuse) anywhere near that solenoid but maybe I'll trace the otherside to that plastic connector, where the wire leads in the other direction. It would be wise to check for one before buying the starter motor in case it's blown. Lexmoto do list a little red 10 amp auto fuse on it's spares page. I will have one of those in the shed but, in all honesty it was turning the motor while not very well at one point, it couldn't do that with a blown fuse. So if there is a blown fuse it's very, very recent and was burnt out due to the issue to start with.

Over the otherside.

While the luggage box was off and we knew how to get the rear panels off now, I decided with the future alarm install in mind, to remove the panel the other side to take a look for that connector plug.

Once again to no avail, if it really is here it must be between that glove box layer and that very underneath piece above the wheel. I don't want to call it a mudguard, as it isn't your usual for a mudguard  But I really couldn't see how to detatch that with a glance, there were two gold bolts towards the rear but I couldn't make out anything else. And I needed to get it back together before dark to use tomorrow.

Anyway, it appears the voltage regulator is there on that side as is the indicator/signal flasher unit. I assume it's the flasher unit since it looks exactly like the ones advertised in spares for the bike, it does also look a lot like one of them bigger black fuse boxes you see in cars though (below).

Now, I have the newer two pin version of the voltage regulator rectifier here, with the red and white plugs. That is a pain, as I bought one as a spare for the bike a while back and they sent me the single plug version. So I can't use that.

So I'm still using the kick start for bit but, much extra knowledge gained.