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[luoma]

Just when I thought I had everuthing working well again, I heard a horrid noise when e-starting the beast. It could only be one thing.

I emailed CMW for some advice already. I will need to know what special tools I'll need, how much work it's going to be, will I need all new gaskets, how much money are the new parts going to cost, and the biggest question of all: after I go to all the time and expense, what's to prevent this from happening nagain next week? (I already have the CMW modification to the ignition system).

As you can tell, I'm not looking forward to this.

[ace.cafe]

My condolences.

[UncleErnie]

I got a $9 puller and longer bolts to go through the 3 holes in the alterntor.  A gear puller will just slide right off.  Be careful- the inside of the alternator is very soft.
Seems like I bought the correct deep-well socket and borrowed an electric impact wrench for one nut.  Can't remember which one, though...

Spread out something on the floor to keep everything clean, keep track of how the clutch comes apart.  PITA, but straight forward.  

I used a plastic putty knife to loosen the primary gasket.  Seems to have worked.  

You have a manual- right?

[luoma]

Got a manual, but not a puller. Got an ace in the hole though, know a guy who biulds and races vintage Brit bikes. He runs a Thiumph dealership down the road from me. I hate to pay the labor chatges, but I might, just to make sure it's done right.

[luoma]

Economics won't let me buy expensive parts or pay for repairs right now. If I clean the fragments out of the primary case, can I safely ride it, kick-start only?

[The Garbone]

 I would worry about cleaning it up but leaving the guts in there as more can always fall out and float around.     You could try to run it but it might end up costing you more in the long run.   Also, if you do remove the guts and make it KS only you will have the peace of mind that you will never "have" to open the thing up to fix the sprag ever again.

[ScooterBob]

MY opinion is that you should take all that stuff out of there and just kick-start the bike anyway ..... It's cheeeeep, simple and good exercise!   Beware that an AVL bike with the green TCI unit that thwacks a sprag probably has some OTHER issue lurking about .... the green TCI units have all but eliminated starter drivetrain failures.

[Joe28]

I feel for you!
If you look , oh,,,last Dec or so, I posted what exactly I used to do mine, and I believe time wise.
Good luck!
Joe
Yeah, this has been runnin' like a "raped ape'!
Wait? What was that sound?

[Tiny Tim]

I am currently on my 3rd Sprag.

The TCI unit was changed for a green one after Sprag 2

All has been well for around 2000m. Now, if I crank the bike on the starter and, for some reason it doesn't want to spring into life, the occassional sickening CLANG will be heard from the primary side!

It's only a matter of time, I'm know, before I reach Sprag 4

I can't go for the kickstart option due to arthritis. That's why I sold my iron barreled 500 and bought an Electra.

The irony is that after much tweaking and adjusting, I had got my old bike to the stage where I could even start it with my hand; first time, every time. I was tempted by the prospect of a nice new bike with a reliable(?) means of startingn and some spare cash that was burning a hole in my pocket.

My opinion is that the design is basically flawed and the best option is to sell the bike and buy a Moto Guzzi California.

[luoma]

Thanks Tim. I'd get another bike if I could afford it, but right nw I can't. I don't mind kicking it but at only 140 lbs, kick starting can have sporadic results. Not something I want to rely on if it dies in traffic.

How much did parts cost you when you replaced your sprag? Did you do the work yourself? If so, how hard was it?

[REpozer]

It amazes me that REM has not come up with a precision made replacement sprag. This seems unsatisfactory to me.
There must be more to the story because this defies normal business logic.

[Tiny Tim]

Iuoma, The cost of the bits in the UK is around 90 GBP (around 150 USD)

Your ability to do the work depends entirely on you technical competence. maybe for the first time, watch someone else do it. You're sure to get a second chance. Take photos of it being done to help you.

REpozer, The problem is not with the sprag clutch design, it is with the design of the starter system of this type on a single cylinder.

If the single cylinder happens to backfire, the crank and everything connected to it, will rotate in the opposite direction. The sprag won't allow this as it is a "one way only" device. That's where the loud CLANG comes from. If it gets a full blown backfire, it will clang so hard that it will lock up or may shear teeth on the associated drive cog.

In effect, the sprag clutch is a fuseable link in the design. It's just a shame that it's not easier to get to.

The only answer is to have a pre-engaged starter motor but that is a different design altogether.

[ace.cafe]

It amazes me that REM has not come up with a precision made replacement sprag. This seems unsatisfactory to me.
There must be more to the story because this defies normal business logic.

Tiny Tim has it right.
It's not the sprag clutch that's bad. It's the same one used in many automatic transmissions that go for a hundred thousand miles or more.
A sprag clutch works just like a ratchet wrench. It only goes one way.
The problem arises when the engine forces it to turn backwards,which it can't do, so it breaks.
These engines sometimes kick back. End of sprag.

In hindsight, it was a bad decision to put electric start on the Bullet. I'm sure it sounded like a good marketing idea, because alot of modern buyers have no idea how to kick start a bike. So, they sold more bikes by putting this e-start on them.
While it did move the bikes out of the showrooms, they unfortunately then ended up in the service department, typically while under warrantee, which I'm sure cost the factory and CMW a bundle of money on warrantee service costs.
And it nearly destroyed the reliability reputation of the bike, which already was on shaky ground.

The bottom line is that some people are lucky and don't kill the sprag, but the majority of e-start owners will bust at least one or two over their time of ownership. And some will bust 3 or 4, like Tiny Tim has. And he has been very diligent to install every known cure, and do everything to avoid breaking them. But, he has had bad luck.
Others who can do so, will just yank all that e-start stuff off the bike and kick start it, which is overall the best solution if you don't have a physical disability that prevents you from kick starting the bike.

[Chasfield]

In the swan song years of the British bike industry, electric starts appeared on quite a few improbable machines. (high compression, lumpy cammed twins, for example). The motivation was sheer terror, as reliable button-started Japanese machines flooded the market.

Such dubious installations were frequently referred to by the term "Electric Fart", which rhymes appropriately and sums up their usual effectiveness.

The trouble is that these days an electric start is a marketing department must have. It is as necessary as hot and cold running water in a house that is up for sale.

[luoma]

E start as a marketing requirement? You're probably right, kinda reminds me of the marketing requirement of putting automatic transmissions in sports cars.

I had thought of going kick only, but if I end up putting the big bore kit on it, I may have to use the easy button.