Yet another 1982 XJ 650 starter question

Changed my oil about three weeks ago, and since then I've noticed the electric starter has been less and less reliable. In the last week I've had to bump-start the bike probably 3 out of 4 times...

I've been doing some reading and it seems like I may be looking at anything from a bad solenoid all the way to replacing the starter clutch (that last one is not a good diagnosis for someone who doesn't have any other transportation besides this bike).

Video of the noise it is making:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jf955pjz8d1lf ... 5.mov?dl=0

You can hear it kinda catches sometimes, especially if the bike is hot, but usually just grinds. The battery is fresh, I left it on the tender for a few nights to eliminate that as a possibility.

Thoughts? Troubleshooting? I'm planning to pull the starter out tomorrow and take a peek, but it's definitely spinning and getting power of some sort.

 

What type of oil did you use?

 

You are required to use motorcycle specific oil. Car oil is a big no no for our bikes.

Also, have you cranked or been cranking the starter for a long - quick burst period?

Question - Is it the starter clicking? Or it is turning the engine but it won't fire?
( If it is clicking, try tapping on the starter with a rubber mallet. Then try. )

 

I used 10w40 motorcycle oil... I don't have the bottles anymore for brand but I believe it may have been synthetic. I've read some more online about how that may have contributed to the problem.

See above, definitely didn't use car oil. Not that new!

No matter how long the starter button is depressed (short bursts, longer cranks), it doesn't catch.

The starter motor is what you hear in my video, it is not turning the engine most times I try to use it (no compression, no burble). Hence why I suspect the starter clutch to be bad. I'll give it a love tap and see if that helps too.

 

Change the oil to a non-synthetic in two stages. A cheap oil to clean out the synthetic, and a good non-synthetic JASO MA compliant oil. The synthetic that you put in isn't letting the clutch rollers grab the layshaft.

 

I was planning to do an oil change tomorrow after work. Good call on the two-stage. Would you recommend any kind of flush or additive to the first stage? Run for a day or two on the cheapo stuff before putting in the compliant dinosaur juice?

Also, thank you for naming the parts. When I get back to the garage I'll be pulling out the exploded views and actually understanding the problem rather than just having a solution.

 

You could run the cleanout oil with some Seafoam as per the bottle. An hour ride should be long enough to clean the synthetic out, but going for a few days won't hurt.

 

Thanks again for the pointers k-moe. Will be changing out oil this weekend.