Starter motor replacement for v65 (1985)

[Auris]

Hello guzzi people,

I am back from a long (~2500 km) motorcycle trip (it was awesome). The old Guzzy did very well. So my trust in the old machine grew a lot since I bought it 4 months ago.

A few small issues did come up however. One of them - the starter motor. It scared the hell out me when suddenly the starter refused to work. It took a few minutes of frustration and googling on my phone until I figured out that it was the solenoid that didn't have enough strength to slide and switch the starter on, so I took off the little back solenoid cap and gave some help with a light push of a finger. That's how I started the bike for the rest of the trip. A little annoying I must admit. In Barcelona I went to a Moto Guzzi specialist, he looked at it and told me to throw the starter away after my trip, because according to him Lucas starters are useless shit (now I know, I actually thought my starter was a Bosch one). He said I should put in a Bosch or Valeo, but did not give me the exact model.

So my question is, which starter motor should I get for my MG v65 year 1985?
As far as I understand Bosch starters don't fit my v65. But Valeo does:
http://guzzibits.co.uk/pr/TheShop/index.php?q=ELA30737 &f=d&Model=0&search=SEARCH

If the above one fits, do I still need to make any kind of modification? In the description it says: "You may need to fit hex headed neutral switch bolts on some pre 1990 models to make room for the solenoid". Is it true for v65?

I've found new cheaper starter motors on ebay, but I read that most of them are the knock-offs and are not worth buying.

Has anyone had any experience with replacing a starter motor and can put me on the right track. Or maybe I just need to clean my old solenoid and I'll be fine? I did not dare spraying any lubricants while I was on the road, but perhaps that would be sufficient?

 

[GuzziV65TT]

i have used bosch and valeo on my v65.

Valeo being much better in my opinion.

Starter swap is dead easy, disconnect battery negative. Disconnect feed to starter and small spade terminal

Remove the two bolts holding the starter motor to the bell housing. Remove starter.... Reassembly reverse of removal


Worth noting that the starter relay bolted to the frame above the starter can have bad connections and stop the main solenoid from moving properly

If you look carefully at the 5 pin start relay the pin opposite (30?) the one going to the main relay is looped to another pin... this link ends up causing a current drop to the replay. You can connect the feed via a fuse to the battery and this often sorts the lack of power to the main realy

 

[Auris]

i have used bosch and valeo on my v65.

Valeo being much better in my opinion.

Starter swap is dead easy, disconnect battery negative. Disconnect feed to starter and small spade terminal

Remove the two bolts holding the starter motor to the bell housing. Remove starter.... Reassembly reverse of removal


Worth noting that the starter relay bolted to the frame above the starter can have bad connections and stop the main solenoid from moving properly

If you look carefully at the 5 pin start relay the pin opposite (30?) the one going to the main relay is looped to another pin... this link ends up causing a current drop to the replay. You can connect the feed via a fuse to the battery and this often sorts the lack of power to the main realy

Thanks for the info. I will go witht the Valeo starter then. They cost around 80 € second hand here. My guess is it's better to get a genuine second hand Valeo starter than a new knock-off...

 

[Auris]

So just to complete this thread, I bought a new chinese aftermarket starter motor from Germany on ebay. It was only 78 € including shipping to the Netherlands, the price was too tempting so I couldn't resist taking the risk. It was easy to fit it and it started the engine with the first button push. Compared to my Lucas starter the new one is way smaller and more compact. I will only have to wait and see if it stands the test of time.