On a hunch (motor not opened yet) but after hearing lots clack sounds from the starter motor our resident engineer Spannerman advised that his pretty sure its the starter clutch i contacted Yamaha who promptly advised that the part is discontinued. Pretty loud clack metal noise when starting with the occasional slip and the same sound when switching off. Final call will only be made when starter comes off in the next few days- what else is good to replace on a otherwise pretty fine sounding 3AJ. Rims are also rotten around the valve area- discontinued here as well.
Where can i buy - Spanner advised there is some refurbished for sale up North (keeping in mind we pay with RSA monopoly money)
I remember looking at these, i was trying to find out if they was "Made in China"
What confused me was the fitment application, it doesn’t make any senses as the early bikes never had e-start & the part were looking for is specific to the 1VJ (85-86)
OEM Replacement items
Fits:
1. Tenere XT 600 Z 1984~1996
2. Tenere XT 660 ZE 1987~1990
Mezo.
"A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion"
If the gear surface is good , these Honda sprags are the same http://www.partzilla.com/parts/detail/h ... oCZnnw_wcB I guess except maybe backward, which can be easily reversed. I haven't done it myself but a guy on ADV has for his XT, , was about $100USD cheaper than the Yami . The mating surface on the gear has to be in good shape otherwise none will work for long.
Another very possible replacement is the Raptor 660 setup , something I've been meaning to compare since I have both motors but they are currently assembled, The mounting bolts may be a different pattern would be the possible holdback.
I have managed to repair one of these by using a spring out of an old seal..... apart from that I haven't found a cheap alternative, I am gonna come unstuck before much longer though cos I've got two bikes that I've nicked the starter clutch's off....