New to the board
Arm chair racerNew to the board
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?
Power User
Teaching quads a lesson
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.
Last edited by Flyingw; 08-07-2012 at 12:22 AM.
Got The Holeshot
Arm chair racerJust too addicted
Get it rebuilt, mine just quit and i got it rebuilt and it works great now. its pretty cheap to
MY TRIKES!:
1- 85 250r NOS engine
1- 1985 350x
1- 82 250r + Parts
1- 86 250es Big Red
1- 85 200x
2- 84 200es Big Red
1- 84 200M !!MINTY!!
1- 73 Atc 70 (project)
MY Snowmobile's!!
1999 Polaris Indy 440
1999 Ski-Doo 583
1993 Polaris Indy 500
My Dirt Bike
1986 Dr100
AND A SCOOTER!! 1986 Honda Spree
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
I was thinking battery too. OP says it's good though. Have you had it tested?
1984 Honda ATC 300r (Project Trike)
1981 Honda ATC 200 (Daily Rider/Hunting Trike)
Power User
Teaching quads a lesson
Even if a battery shows voltage doesnt mean its good. I too think the battery is bad.
Power User
4 Wheels? Huh?
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.
---------------------------------------------------------
1984 Honda ATC200ES "Big Red"
1982 ATC200E "Hondie"
1988 TRX300FW "Project Quad" Still in progress....
Power User
4 Wheels? Huh?
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.
Current toys..
1986 Honda 350X..trail bomb!
1985 Honda 250SX..my main mudder
1985 Honda 250ES..Back in Black Trike
Current non-trike toys:
1990 Honda TRX300FW
1995 Seadoo GTX
1998 Polaris Indy Lite 340(Nearly new looking)
1998 Polaris Touring 500
1998 Club Car (electric)
Power User
4 Wheels? Huh?
Good point doug.. The rebuild kits can be had for $20-$30 depending on your source. New brushes, clean it all up inside with some brake cleaner, a little fresh lithium grease on each end and its done. I rebuilt the starter on my 200 in about a half hour, the hardest part was getting the starter off it was corroded into the case and took a rubber mallet and some cussing to tap it out. I bought another original starter off eBay as a spare and rebuilt that one as well, i like my electric start too much... LOL
---------------------------------------------------------
1984 Honda ATC200ES "Big Red"
1982 ATC200E "Hondie"
1988 TRX300FW "Project Quad" Still in progress....
Power User
Got the holeshot
I have been noticing several Big Reds (including mine) have worn out their starter motors recently. I think 27 years might be the typical lifespan of a Honda trike starter motor. As many of these guys stated, removal is a fairly simple job. We have sent 3 BR starter motors out for rebuild this summer alone.
Power User
Teaching quads a lesson
You also have to consider a new aftermarket starter on ebay is about 47.00. I have bought two fo them and have no issues.
Power User
The day begins with 3WW
Just my .02
but brush and end plate is 29$ 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
orto 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?
Last edited by tri again; 08-07-2012 at 05:44 PM.
First Time Rider
Arm chair racerNew to the board
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.
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