Symptoms of a failing starter

[corner27]

I was hoping somone could help me out. When I bought my 83 Shadow 750, the previous owner told me that he was told by his mechanic that the starter would probably need to be replaced.
I did have the bike running before I torn the engine apart, and nothing stood out as an issue with the starter.
What are the symptoms of a failing starter? Do the rebuild kits that they sell online fix most starter issues?

[justinmahn]

jump it from a car. If it won't turn over, order the starter rebuild kit. Oh yeah, make sure the engine isn't hydrolocked or otherwise blocked from turning. You should be able to roll it a foot or two with a push (with a good hill you can roll start it).

[93gc40]

Symptoms of a bad starter are, the Starter doesn't turn. Causes could be, weak battery, worn brushes in the starter, bad connections, bad relay/solenoid, dirty/bad switches, worm starter gear/clutch.

[ernie12b]

a starter that needs a rebuild is worn and dirty inside. if you serch for starter rebuilding online you can find some good articles. it takes more power from the battery to turn a bad starter and the starter will turn slower than it is supposed to. the shadows from the 80s should turn fast when starting. another factor to turning speed when starting is your oil. if someone put 20w50 in there it would make the bike harder to turn over cold. The battery condition is important, if you don't know how old it is get a new one.