Honda 250SX Starter Trouble

[ejc042]

My father-in-laws 85 Big Red just started making a whirring noise that ends with a small clunk. This happens when you shut the motor off. I am doing a top end rebuild soon. It sounds like a one way bearing is in my future as well. How long does it usually take before this noise results in other damage?

[kdagenais]

The damage will be as follows: it will bust teeth of your starter reduction gears and the pieces will fall into your stator assembly (alternator) and tear it up. I am not sure how long it will take to get to this point but to the $60.00 invest ment in the one way clutch is well worth when you think of how much a stator can cost some times.

[honda_atc200es]

old thread, but i have a similar issue. my 200sx (same motor as say a 200s i think?, has electric start, semi-auto clutch) when i first went to start it, i pulled the pull starter, and it seemed to try and turn the electric start as well, it was really hard to pull and made a whining noise. i figured since the starter didnt work anyway, i would take out the gear. so i did that and relied on the pull start, occasionally the pull rope would get ripped from my hands and white smoke would puff out the intake. the bike would start though after a while and i thought maybe it was an issue with the pull start. i swap over a working electric start, and before i put the gear in i test it, it works great. i put the gear in, and i go to start it and i hear a horrible loud clunk, i didnt try again after that i was afraid i broke something. i can rotate the engine backwards, so maybe its the one way clutch?