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The starter motor on my 1983 500 Sei-V was working perfectly until one day it wasn't! It was in the garage, the engine was cold and I just heard a click from the solenoid. I kept trying and then suddenly the motor started spinning and turning the engine but wouldn't stop. I disconnected the battery and found that the starter relay (original type) was very hot and smoking. When I removed this and took it apart the contacts were stuck together. I then replaced the relay with a solid state Durite one as recommended on this forum (I have read just about every post on starter motors and relays on here - just as well I am retired with time on my hands!) and recharged the Odyssey battery. This would only click and then stopped doing even that - it also got hot. On opening it up, the moving contact leaf had snapped.
I then thought it must be the starter motor. Using Paul's excellent You Tube videos I removed and dismantled the starter motor. It was very clean inside and all bearings, brushes and gears were fine - as they should be since the previous owner had it rebuilt 4 years ago at a cost of £200. The only thing was that the gearbox was totally dry and the gears were a touch stiff. I dismantled and cleaned the gearbox, rebuilt it and filled with oil as specified. I put the whole motor back together as in the video and everything seemed fine. I decided to run it from a battery on the bench as in the video. The motor ran very well and sounded fine but the jump leads I used got very hot. There was some sparking as I tested it but no more than in the video.
Basically I am asking for reassurance before I refit it as I have never serviced a starter motor before. Is it normal for the leads to get hot when sparking it up from a battery via jump leads? Or is there some kind of fault with a starter motor that generates enough heat to fry anything attached to it? I don't want to refit it until I know it's right.
Cheers
Brian

If the starter motor has been cleaned out,the brushes are making good contact, bearing sound, starter gearbox is turning with no binding , decent battery you should be to good to go.
My relay welded the contacts closed in the paddock at Cadwell once. I had to try a well aimed kick( take note you MUFC fans) to stop the starter motor.
I got a durite relay too but was uncertain as to the weather proofing and coated the thing in threebond for good measure.A right old mess.
I since acquired a number of metal bodied relays ,one of which is currently fitted.
The starter motor does seem to need attention, I did read that they take as much effort to maintain as the rest of the bike and agree.
At the mo mine is working perfectly since my latest rebuild.

the startermotor is basicaly build as a series-motor, so it will draw a hefty current. even when just lying on a bench.
I would just refit it and then try to start the engine.
regards A

Thanks for the advice. Refitted and turns over. For some reason it starts better on the kickstart - don't they all!