Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

CHANGING THE WORN BRUSHES OF YOUR STARTER MOTOR

My trusty R1200 GSA has now accumulated 162 000 kilometers and still going strong.

However, the starter has been  sounding less than healthy for a few days.

Donford said it could be battery age or starter age.

And before I could get-to-it, the starter just stopped working.

No noise, no anything.

I swapped out starters off Annie's bike and all good, so not battery.

I consult the Andyman's Book of Everything and find I have a history of rebuilding other peoples starters for them, so why not mine.

I strip and to my sheer amazement find that the brushes had just  started the bike for 162 000kms before they simply wore out to nothing.

Now to find a brush kit,

Google and the part number helped identify where and after the usual suspects who are so helpful- Autozone and Midas and Masterparts could not help I was referred to an auto electrician.

The Bosch original brush kit is R624.oo.

The non Bosch one is around R300,.oo if you can find one.

While visiting Donford Motorrad to say Hi I mention this to Shane who tells me of an auto electrician down-the-road. 

Despite not having an appetite for them anymore, I go see this auto electrician with my old worn brush kit.

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

and again Bravo, Wow, !!

Yeah, he can order.

But hey Sir, did you dismantle and clean this part?

Yes.

So you clearly have access to a workshop and good tools?

Yes sir.

Well, here for R50 is a set of brushes, Go home, crack out the old, solder in the new and off you go for another 160 000km of Living your Ride.

I aks of I can mention him in this post and hes says, no, for you I do this, others, they need t pay. please do not name my shop in open media.

Beautiful!!!

Later that afternoon, I did just that.

Sweated in the new brushes and then did a good recondition of the commutator ring, clean the planetary gears, splines and bendix lever, and grease with white marine grease.

And the starter motor is good for another five years.