85 Big Red 250es Help

[BIGRED1985]

electric start quit working. now it just clicks. it has a new battery. i thought it was the selonoid, so i bought a used one off ebay. installed it and it still clicks. checked all of my ground connections and they are all tight. the starter will occasionally engage weakly, but not enough to get her started. i am starting to think the starter is shot. any help would be appreciated.

[Kale]

eliminate the starter problem by hot-wiring and bypassing the solenoid. if the starter turns, its a wiring connection or relay. go over all connectors and pull them apart to make sure they are not corroded or broken. (be careful with that 20 year old plastic it tends to want to get brittle). if still no werko, get a multimeter and see if you can make out a shorting wire.

[tri again]

You can actually use a car battery and jumper cables directly to the terminal on the starter.
or
you can cross the 2 big terminals on the solenoid with a screwdriver for a second
or
you can tap on the starter. If the brushes are marginal or hung up,
it may work for a time or 2.

Brushes for the starter are around 30$
and new starters are not much more than 40$.
I found one on ebay but called the company directly.

If still no go, is the solenoid getting 12volts from the ignition switch?
Does the trike start with the kicker?

The starter is only 2 bolts and a snug fit 'o' ring so easy to take off
and you can hook jumper cables.
Negative to the starter housing and + to the terminal.

Make sure the starter gear is not chewed.
and they say there is a long shaft and a short shaft model.

Central NY? anywhere near lake george?

[BIGRED1985]

located about 2 and a half hours southwest of lake george. close to syracuse.

[BIGRED1985]

didnt get a chance to work on her today. hoping to try out your solutions tomorrow morning. im going to hook up the battery charger to the starter and see what happens. I will keep you guys posted. thanks for the help