Yamaha Virago Starter Gear Repair (GEN II) 1984 - 99

This video shows how I repaired my 1984 Virago 1000 idler gears in the starter system. NOTE: This video does not cover any problems associated with the first generation (81-83) Viragos that did not have a solenoid. They are completely different systems and have separate issues with those starter systems. A LOT of people ask about the spring - it is NOT required in this new assembly for several reasons. For the Gen 1 Viragos that did not have a solenoid, the idler gears were part of a Bendix gear. A true Bendix is flawed by virtue of its design: the gear must be engaged by a rotational force. This force causes the idler gear to spin while it's trying to engage a stationary flywheel gear. It was a great idea in the 1920's, but not so great now. Furthermore, because there is no solenoid to disengage the idler gears, a return spring and clutch must be incorporated. In this new design, an electro-mechanical solenoid is used to engage/disengage the idler gear assembly and therefore a return spring (already present on the solenoid) is not required. The solenoid is designed such that the starter does not begin to turn until AFTER the idler gear has been engaged into the flywheel gear. The shorter cut angle on the idler gear reduces the rotational velocity as well and aids in proper engagement of the system. Latest revision Yamaha Part Numbers for idler gear assembly is: 3LP-W1551-00-00 and was ordered from Impex Japan (https://en.impex-jp.com/parts/new/sea.... If you need to order a new starter clutch, they are a little easier to find. I got mine from https://www.bruceshark.com (Yamaha PN 5A8-15570-00-00) and was also able to find plenty on eBay. Be mindful of the difference between the 1000/1100 starter clutches. The aftermarket starter solenoid didn't work either - be careful with this if you end up buying aftermarket parts. There are cheaper solenoids out there (Amazon, FortNine, etc) and are inexpensive Chinese "knock-offs" and may or may not work properly. I found that the one I got was not moving (plunging) as far as the OEM solenoid was. I'll have to replace that as soon as I can either find an OEM solenoid or a better aftermarket product that performs as well as the original one did.