Hi All.
I have an older sportsman 500 HO. Runs great when it starts. This ride has close to 30,000 miles on it believe it or not. Recently I changed the bendix to deal with a start non engagement issue, Which resolved that problem. This issue has since returned. I figured since I had recently replaced the bendix it must of gotten wet and gummed up. Upon further investigation it appears that the drive gear that engages the starter motor has come loose from the drum on the inboard side of the bendix. It looks as if the drive gear is indexed, with a small indentation which provides the transfer of power from the starter motor to the bendix gear which drives the bendix clutch. It seems that the engineering of this part is shotty at best. Has anyone encountered this problem with their bendix. The symptoms are when pressing the start button the starter spins but the bendix wont engage because the gear that drives the clutch mechanism just spins on the shaft and does not transfer the start rotation to the bendix. I was thinking about welding that gear to the drum to prevent this from happening.
Any thoughts?