Hitchcocks Forum

Forgive me for sticking my nose into this, but I just can't resist it any longer to ask: Why all the problems with all the electric starters and sprag clutches on the RE's?.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I mean: BMW, KTM, Yamaha, Honda, Aprilia etc. etc. have all been making big singles with higher compression and more power (i.e. harder to start) than any RE for 30 years, and I have never heard anyone complain about a defective sprag clutch on any of those? Why can't RE get it right? It should be fairly well known technology by now?.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

DKW even made the SB 500 Luxus with electric starter back in 1936..... OK, that was a 2 stroke twin, and they admittedly had some problems with reliability of that one, but mainly due to the battery. Speaking of it, I think it was some sort of dynastart..... Anyway..... RE should have sorted this out by now, shouldn't they?.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Regards, Anders F. R.

Good question. Mine works perfectly and has done so for several years since the bike was brand new. But then I'm lucky Eddie apparently because over about 70 or 80,000 miles on Indian Enfield I've never managed to bust a piston either. And my twin leading shoe brake works perfectly well, my bikes have always started immediately and run reliably with the ridiculously old fashioned but simple c.b. points and the paint and chrome has remained where it was put.
It appears that those thoughtful Indian chaps have spent all their working week lovingly assembling my bikes and friday afternoon bodging together everybody elses machines. Lucky old Eddie.

A quick search on Google came up with links about faulty Yamaha, Harley, Kawasaki, Honda and BMW starters. I didn't go into them all, but the BMW link certainly mentioned the sprag, so we are not alone.

I'm guessing the whole mechanism is more compact and complex than a car starter which is thrown out to mesh with a very solid flywheel, and so the motorcycle starter set up is more fragile? And maybe an Indian built budget bike is the most fragile of all?

Well I must be apparently lucky Johnny as My enfields have never let me down, all have been electric starters and I always start them that way except my clubman which was kick start only and all chrome and paintwork seem to have been of a very good standard, again I have stuck with points on all my machines as they are simple to set up and reliable too.

Its all down to knowing your machine, good, regular maintenance, correct starting and stopping proceedure and treating it as a 1950s made bike, if you want all out performance buy a modern bike.

I have a mate with a 74 Guzzi and every time he starts it I look down at that magic car starter motor on it with it's bendix spring setup and I think why can't other manufactures do something similar. It wouldn't surprise me if this starter motor has never had to be pulled off the bike. It can be done

Norm, slightly different engine layout, more like a car's, makes it easier.

Hmmm....maybe i will use the kick start more often from now on !!!

Johnny, I still love it and then there is the "A" series belt drive car genny up the top and also the car battery under the seat.Built rugged and tough and a total crack up machine, fitted with a sidecar, very like a Cossy, and he plans on riding it back to the UK later this year. I think he is nuts.

Hi guys---- "Clink", that's my 10p going into the slot. Now then, I've gone-on about this before BUT--- it's not the fact Enfield chose to use a sprag but they chose the wrong TYPE of design. There is a more simpler one that uses inclined planes and caged rollers (NOT those "Fingers" types) and cannot back-lock through counter-rotation because the very shape uses that counter-rotation to disengage. I spent the last 15 years of "gainful" employment----(allegedly) overhauling, re-building etc equipment using just that set-up. A dyna-starter might be a bit bulky for a small engine unit. you can add Hinkley Bonneville to that list as well.------Really miss my "Double-Bullet ie Moto-Guzzi California 1100i. same bottom-end torque, same slow g'box with neutrals everywhere but twice the size!! 10 days, 1,000 mile round the Irish Republic and just put fuel in--NO PROBS at all. Lov-er-lee!!--------"Clik",time-out.