[buckshot3311]

:BLAM: when i hit the start button the engine does not spin over it justs drags a couple of times and does not start. i bought a new Interstate battery and a new OEM starter $400.00!!!!! but still have same problem. this problem did not happen overnight but over a period of 3 weeks. i would have to push and release the start button[engine drag} a couple of times before the bike would start..gradually coming down to this point where the bike does not start at all now.when the bike was running it ran great...lots of power and smooth idling. when i pulled the oil filler cap off..i noticed the starter spur gear's teeth have a curved wear in the middle of the teeth.

Thanks to all that respond,
JIm

 

[Sky Rider]

Sounds like something binding in the engine or starter system. Possibly the one way clutch. You might have to take the right side cover off and see what's up. You can do that without pulling the engine. If you need to delve deeper, the engine will have to be dropped.

Good luck

 

[buckshot3311]

Thanks......
Jim

 

[cegodsey]

Wish you could play the sound of the engine dragging. I had a problem where the engine would turn over, then the starter would "catch", um something like this: ying,ying,ying,ying,yiiiiiiiiiing,ying,yiiiiiiing,etc. As in the starter would spin, then stick, then spin some more. It would do the same if I jumped past the solenoid. I removed and cleaned the contacts on the starter, and it helped just a tad. What fixed it was removing the brand new, fully charged battery and replacing it with one of the maintenance free batteries as described in the sticky post under Electrical. All other batteries do not have enough CCA for the Vulcan.

Um, you can't see the starter gear from the oil filler. Wrong side. Not sure what you are looking at.

It also sounds like your battery is no longer getting a charge. Stator or regulator failure. Chances are that the problem is battery related. What model number is the battery?

 

[Sky Rider]

A thought,

can you push start it?? If it starts this way, It very well could be something electrical rather than something binding. You might also want to check your wiring for continuity and high resistance shorts.
One other thing, do you have a maintenance manual? There are starter rebuild instructions in both the Kaw and Clymer's manuals that would have saved $$$ if the starter was indeed the prob.

Cegodsey, you are correct, the starter gears are on the other side. The only two gears on the oil filler side are the flywheel/rotor and the balancer gear. Everything else is on the other side.

 

[buckshot3311]

Thanks Sky Rider....I pushed it this morning and lo and behold it started!!!!!!! Thank God no engine binding problems. Now for the fun part....I do not have a repair manual which manual do you guys and gals suggest i pick up?
i forgot to post this but i replaced the OEM coolant cover with a chrome one and one time when i held the start button after the engine stopped dragging a wire that was touching the chrome cover smoked.i tied it toghether with some other wire that are not touching the cover and it has not smoked since.
also the bike never did start even after i put the new INterstate battery in do ya'll think still need to get a MF battery?

 

[vulcan460]

Check your ground cable the one on right side on frame to eng. case
take it off and clean it......

 

[Loran in Npvl IL]

If you don't have a battery tender, get one. Make sure the new battery as water at the right level in all cells and fully charged (tender light will go green). If it doesn't turn over then, look at the factory manual:

from Red Baron:
There is also a free shop manual here:

http://www.tocmanufacturing.com/Products.htm

Scroll to bottom of page. Warning the file is LARGE and will take a while to download.

 

[Sky Rider]

I use a combination of Kawasaki's factory manual and the Clymers. Each has weakspots but where one is weak, the other fill in the blanks. Both are easy to find on Ebay for about 20-25 each.

 

[cegodsey]

If you can push start it, it's the battery. Get an MF.

Just looking at the wires by the coolant reservoir, I'd guess it was the wire that went from the starter solenoid to the starter.