Fixing the Starter

The first project on this bike was to get it started. The engine would only push-start because the old starter had all the gears chewed off its armature. I replaced the armature but the starter motor still would not crank the engine. So I replaced it with a high-torque gear reduction starter that is a drop-in replacement for the OEM Prestolite motor, and costs $200 (not much more than an OEM replacement). That didn't start it either, so I replaced the battery and the engine fired to life. Maybe the stock motor could have started the engine just fine if it'd had the new battery but I do appreciate the stronger starter on cold starts.