serious unexplained problem

 while touring some hilly terrain on Godd Friday with my wife on the
pillion, my VX535 Virage (1997) suddenly stalled. It was if the starter
had engaged itself and there was some serious compression. The bike
stalled and imanaged to get it started again with some noisy
grinding/whinning sound which eventually quieted down. I made it home -
about 15 miles. I rode the bike a few times after without incident.
Then again last Friday 5 May the same problem recurred. Several times.
Stalled. restarted, on and on. Until it gave up and I had to push it
home. Luckily only 1/4 mile this time. (Maybe it does not like
Fridays).

I have never encountered this problem before. My dealer (in USA,
Pompano Beach) said it's puzzling. I thought at first it was a clutch
problem. But I have since ruled that out as when the engine worked
after the first problem, the clutch was fine. It seems to me that
something - a short or something - engages the starting mporor. It
sound like when the bike is starting up and the starter gets held in
too long; or when it cranks over but does not actually start and you
have to turn it over again. You get that whiney/grindy sound??!!

I am really puzzled. The bike is young in mileage - only about 9,000
miles, even though it is a '97 model.

Help anyone?

 
golfclubroad wrote:

He F*ckin' lied. I cannot belive that Yamaha still has this issue in
1997 bikes.

Do a google search on "Virago starter problems" Be sure you're sitting
first.
--
Rayvan

 On 8 May 2006 13:17:09 -0700, in message


My first thought is that the starter clutch is going bad.  MC starters
don't work the same as auto starters; they use a clutch instead of a
"Bendix" to disengage the starter after the engine fires.  My experience
with starter problems is limited to the BMW K75, which starter required
cleaning every few years.

I have no idea what "Rayvan" is getting at with his histrionic response.  A
specific reference would have been nice.  There appears to be a lot of info
on the web about the Virago and its starter problems.

 While performing an interpretive dance to Enya's Carribean Blue, Alan B
exclaimed:


Actually.........
My XV-1000 Virago has a bendix style mechanism as well as a sprag
clutch.
The starter solenoid mounted directly ontop of the
starter does two things. When energized it engages an idler gear into the
starter ring teeth on the alternator rotor. When pulled completely in it
supplies power to the starter motor.
The sprag clutch is mounted directly onto the starter output shaft. The
sprag clutch is only to protect the starter from being spun by the engine
should the starter idler gear not disengage from the starter ring teeth on
the alternator rotor.
And according to my Clymer manual it's this way on all XV705s, XV1000s and
XV1100 from 1988 onwards.

--
Bobbie the Triple Killer is at http://members.shaw.ca/bobbie4/index.htm
Today's posting comes via the numbers 0 & 1, Suse 10.0 and Pan Newsreader.
http://www.opensuse.org/Download

 wrote:


But none of them relate to the OP's problem.
--


Don
RCOS# 7
Riding Again!

2000 - Yamaha Venture Millenium Edition