Starter Motor

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Mar 30, 2017
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Hi all,
Sad news today re Norton going into administration. Hopefully they will be able to trade out or recover some way.
But.... a mate of mine who also has a 961 sport rang this morning and told his sad story of destroying his starter motor, not too sure of the exact problem but given the current situation spares are likely to be difficult/more difficult to obtain particularly way over here on the other side of the planet.
So, I think I recall seeing sometime a reference to fitting a Harley starter motor to the 961 with very little modification needed. I tried searching the forum but couldn't find any thing that covered this but there was mention that it was possible.
If there's any one out there with any details of the Harley part/model number of the sm that may fit, it would be very much appreciated if they could let us know.
 
PM me your details and I’ll give you my dads info. He can build you a starter.
 
PM me your details and I’ll give you my dads info. He can build you a starter.

My second starter has failed in 2 years since new - I'm not happy with the build quality of the stock item so this sounds like a very good idea....
 
HD Sportster not a Big Twin .. But remember mine leaked oil but it worked. My advice is to buy OEM HARLEY , not aftermarket . Spend the money on Genuine OEM HD starter .
 
HD Sportster not a Big Twin .. But remember mine leaked oil but it worked. My advice is to buy OEM HARLEY , not aftermarket . Spend the money on Genuine OEM HD starter .
OEM is a no brainer given how cheap H-D parts are, even for 30 year old machines, there are enough OEM parts sitting on garage shelves to keep H-D going for decades.
 
HD Sportster not a Big Twin .. But remember mine leaked oil but it worked. My advice is to buy OEM HARLEY , not aftermarket . Spend the money on Genuine OEM HD starter .

Tony,

Isn't there a mod to the HD starter which adds an Oring that eliminates the leak when used on a 961?
 
Tony,

Isn't there a mod to the HD starter which adds an Oring that eliminates the leak when used on a 961?

Even with an o ring the most important mod is to replace your jetwash with a bucket of soapy water and a brush...
 
we’re slowly making videos and will upload to youtube. All things 961. How to correct the poor build quality to general maintenance to full engine rebuild. Stay tuned.

Richard,

Has your dad started the FCR conversion for his 961?:D
 
we’re slowly making videos and will upload to youtube. All things 961. How to correct the poor build quality to general maintenance to full engine rebuild. Stay tuned.
Good news Richard, keep us posted.
 
Tony,

Isn't there a mod to the HD starter which adds an Oring that eliminates the leak when used on a 961?

Even with the o-ring they can leak , my HD aftermarket did. The HD primary is "wet" like Norton , the Sporty runs a quart of oil in there for Trans and primary together. So oil is spinning up from the primary chain too. I wonder what happened to Clive's starter ? Leaking or other issues ? Anyhow my current Norton OEM starter is still going strong. No leaks and smooth fast starting . What I think is important , besides needing the sealed bearing on the starter gear side and the o-ring seal on the starter gear shaft is the casting seams must be sealed up. My current Norton starter
Starter Motor
has these seams sealed in RTV. This is where I think your money is best spent on OEM starter , The casting seams fit tight and should not leak. (I hope)!!

Please read line #7 .
 
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I wonder what happened to Clive's starter ? Leaking or other issues ? .

Brush assembly binding up on first starter. Feels like same is happening to second before live connection to solenoid coil rotated inside housing and shorted to earth blowing main 30A fuse when starter pressed.
 
No leaking oil at least. You commute on your bike so that is a lot of starts in a year (more than me for sure) . It would be a good idea to go through it first before mounting the replacement . There are many aftermarket replacements available for HD Sportster and OEM . I think CNW use the the same starter for their kits too.
 
Very likely its your starter solenoid thats bad before its your starter being bad. CNW has kits for the 961.
 
Once again, the Cootes gentleman are there to assist. Can't wait to see the Youtube vids, Richard. A thousand thanks. I did after a few years of the starter leaking oil, receive a new one from Norton and its (the starter) been trouble free since.
 
My second starter has failed in 2 years since new - I'm not happy with the build quality of the stock item so this sounds like a very good idea....
Hi. My starter just gone on my 961 too. I wondered what you did in the end as I cant find anyone in the UK to rebuild the exiting starter and as parts are impossible to get from Norton at the moment I am told by my dealer that a HD starter will fit (he even told me it will work better). Did you try this?
 
Hi. My starter just gone on my 961 too. I wondered what you did in the end as I cant find anyone in the UK to rebuild the exiting starter and as parts are impossible to get from Norton at the moment I am told by my dealer that a HD starter will fit (he even told me it will work better). Did you try this?
What's happened to it Mark ?
 
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