big red 250es starter not working

[BIGRED1985]

my big red is just clicking when i try to start it. battery is good. good, clean connections. i thought it was the solenoid so i replaced it and it still just clicks. could my starter be gone? i was thinking about taking it to the honda shop to get general service. and maybe have a starter put in. or do you think i should put it in myself? they are 45 on ebay. are they a bear to change?

[Flyingw]

Take some jumper cables and connect the pos cable to the battery and touch the other end to the pos post on the starter. Does it turn the starter? if not, connect the jumper to your car battery as if you were going to jump the battery but instead ground the neg cable to the trike frame and the pos to the pos post on the starter. Does the starter turn? This should tell you if the batt is bad or a bad starter. Clicking at the solenoid typically indicates a low battery condition.

[gomer202]

Get it rebuilt, mine just quit and i got it rebuilt and it works great now. its pretty cheap to

[Popeye]

I was thinking battery too. OP says it's good though. Have you had it tested?

[Flyingw]

Even if a battery shows voltage doesnt mean its good. I too think the battery is bad.

[kb0nly]

Test as suggested, it could just be a weak battery, not too uncommon. If you have one of those jump starters, aka a jump box, you can use that as well to test the starter, thats usually my first step as well.

Its one of two things... Battery or the starter, both of which is $40-$50 and you should definitely do it yourself!! A shop will easily double that cost with labor. The starter isn't hard at all to pull and replace, and a battery replacement is easy as well.

[dougspcs]

A rebuild is really simple, inexpensive way to solve the problem..removing the starter is a bit tight but can be done without disassembling half the bike.

Once out, two bolts and the start is apart..probably just worn brushes.

If you can remove the wheel and rebuild the brakes you can do the starter rebuild..no need to 'pay a guy' or replace it with a crap aftermarket starter.

[kb0nly]

Good point doug.. The rebuild kits can be had for $20-$30 depending on your source. New brushes, clean it all up inside with some brake cleaner, a little fresh lithium grease on each end and its done. I rebuilt the starter on my 200 in about a half hour, the hardest part was getting the starter off it was corroded into the case and took a rubber mallet and some cussing to tap it out. I bought another original starter off eBay as a spare and rebuilt that one as well, i like my electric start too much... LOL

[keister]

I have been noticing several Big Reds (including mine) have worn out their starter motors recently. I think 27 years might be the typical lifespan of a Honda trike starter motor. As many of these guys stated, removal is a fairly simple job. We have sent 3 BR starter motors out for rebuild this summer alone.

[Flyingw]

You also have to consider a new aftermarket starter on ebay is about 47.00. I have bought two fo them and have no issues.

[tri again]

Just my .02
but brush and end plate is 29$ and a new starter is like
39$.last time I got one.

It's fun to rebuild them once, clean armature and stator
with electrical cleaner but 'rebuild kits' aka
brush and end plate don't come with bushings usually.

Filthy job for sure but should be under a couple minutes to get it off
the machine.

You MAY get one or 2 more spins out of it if you tap it with a rock
or hammer to loosen the brushes and that may help you
decide what to do.
but check all previous thoughts first.
Full power TO the starter?
Does it spin with a hot 12 volt battery?

[mendoAu]

I'll add a couple of things just 'cause I came across this thread looking for another related problem. It's pretty easy to remove the starter/and bracket and tap it gently out. You'll notice that there is a rubber O ring that you may want to replace before re-installing. Lube the O ring with a bit of petrolium jelly. Also when I took mine out to check and dis-assemble you have two long screws to remove to seperate the housing....phillips head unfortunatly that in my case stripped before they loosened (even after soaking with PCBlaster). I'd suggest picking up a couple of new ones ( I replaced them with allen heads in case I have to do this again thirty years from now, HA! ) in case you have to cut them to remove like I wound up doing. One thing to also check is the starter button control...take it apart and clean.