I have a 2018 Montesa 300rr with the S3 electric start kit. Best investment ever. However the one thing I don't like about it is that I have to pull the starter motor off to check the motor oil. I've got it down to a science so its not a big deal/

Until tonight. I went to check the oil (good thing I did, it was low) so I started it up according to the manual to warm it up. I used the estart. No issues. Put the starter motor back on like normal, hit the button and it just spins, wont engage the flywheel. After a bunch of rooting around I figured out that the starter is spinning backwards.

Anyone have any idea why it would do this? Everything is hooked up properly, just as it came apart. Thanks

Sounds like a polarity issue. You definitely got the wires connected the right way round?

I remember i bought a new end cap for my KTM starter, it wet backwards , i then pulled it apart out found out that the positive & negative were opposite from the original end cap. I had to buy a new end cap with the + & - in the right position, somehow you must have changed the wire around ?

This also happened to me on my WR450, I also thought I had it back together the same way it came apart but I had spun the insides 180°. Also as faussy said, wires backwards could certainly do this as well. Definitely messed with my head when it freewheeled backwards! 

The wires are in the exact place as they were before. The way its set up its impossible to swap them. This is a procedure I have done numerous times without issue. Reversed polarity sounds logical except for how it happened.

If I was to guess, something needs to spin 180°

1 minute ago, Glayne said:

If I was to guess, something needs to spin 180°

Ok, but what? The starter only goes on one way

I wish I could remember what it was with mine? motor magnets need to be 180° from the brushes?

Edited June 24, 20224 yr by Glayne

1 minute ago, Glayne said:

I wish I could remember what it was with mine? motor brushes need to be 180° from the brushes?

I keep reading that, but I pulled off the motor, checked the oil, reinstalled the motor. Runs backwards. Total time, 10 minutes?

12 hours ago, faussy said:

Sounds like a polarity issue. You definitely got the wires connected the right way round?

Absolutely certain

I had the same problem with a Yamaha wr250 4 stroke. The starter motor ends need to be reversed. So the. Middle body has polarity and flipping it around so the end caps are reversed will reverse polarity and starter motor will spin in reverse direction.

I marked the body ends with a marker which wasn't permanent and installed 180degress wrong. Drive me crazy. Use an etch to mark body ends.

 

Peter

Any updates?