ET: Engine (Twin) Electric start, Rapide

[erik]

In my friends workshop

 

[erik]

milling the idler

 

[erik]

Softening the edges in my dental laboratory

 

[erik]

Everything fits

 

[erik]

milling the gap in the case

 

[erik]

work done

 

[Phil Arundel]

Thank you eveyone for your replies, very instructive.

 

[Bradley Burt]

My rapide came with a Grosset starter when I bought it. I'd prefer it didn't have one. It won't role backwards in gear which is annoying when I stop at intersections on a slight incline or when finding TDC for any maintenance. I always use the kick starter anyway. Unless you need some assistance to start your rapide, I wouldn't be fitting a starter.

 

[BigEd]

My rapide came with a Grosset starter when I bought it. I'd prefer it didn't have one. It won't role backwards in gear which is annoying when I stop at intersections on a slight incline or when finding TDC for any maintenance. I always use the kick starter anyway. Unless you need some assistance to start your rapide, I wouldn't be fitting a starter.

For maintenance, it is a simple matter of just removing the three cap head Allen screws that secure the starter motor to the extended G50 plate and then sliding it out of engagement. Not being able to go backwards when in gear is a function of where the sprag clutch is located in the drive train so not much you can do about that except select neutral.
Why don't you use the starter motor if it is fitted and in good working order? An electric starter is pretty much universal on any modern motorcycle or car.

 

[Peter Holmes]

A lot of modern cars and vans have the hill start function, which simply stops you rolling back when you are pulling away on a gradient, when I learnt to drive 55 years ago we called that a handbrake and you had to operate it whilst balancing the accelerator pedal in unison with handbrake, anyway back to point in question, with the Grosset starter this facility is inbuilt, probably not by design, but a by product of the sprag clutch, this can be useful in stop start traffic on an uphill gradient, but it is a real pain in the ass if you select neutral on a gradient and then try to engage first gear and the sprag clutch baulks the gear change.
Having said that I would not now want to be without the electric starter, saving me from embarrassment and my ankle, knee and hip from further punishment.