i'm at my wits end trying to figure out a starter problem on a 110 automatic honda clone. i believe its a roketta. first of all its nearly new, has never been in mud or water and is garage kept. i thought i had a brush intermittently sticking, and removed starter, took it apart and found nothing, it was clean as new. i then hooked 12 volts direct and starter runs fine. i then reinstalled it and purchased a new battery. this is the problem still unsolved. when i push the starter button on the handlebar, its like forrest gump said when he opened that box of candy you never know what your going to get. sometimes it engages fine, and starts right up, (THANKS TO TOMANYTOYS AND HIS CARB EXPERTISE) but most other times i get a delay the solenoid appears to kick in but the starter doesn't respond immediately. it might take a second or two while holding the starter button for the engine to turn over. this is starting to become a real embarrassment to me, when my six year old grandson, asks why can't you fix it pappy? and i thought i was a pretty decent do it yourselfer, with a little more than average ability, including electrical. please someone help me! before i throw a temper tantrem in front of a six year old, that thinks i can fix anything. thanks for your time, thanks again to tomanytoys, and may god bless our troops semper fi!

 

sounds like the starter the problem, i'd replace it. one other thing you might want to do first is to check the voltage at the starter when you're trying to start the engine, if you have voltage then you know for sure what the problem is, the starter, if no voltage then check voltage at the solenoid while trying to start it then keep working back to the battery, but it really sounds to me its the starter or a loose wire.