'13 Te449 Starting Problem

I've got a '13 Husky te449 with ~6k miles and probably 200 engine hours. I know this bike already has starting issues - especially with a cold engine and in gear. However, lately it has really been struggling and making a shrill sound that I believe is coming from the starter.

Click here to see/hear what the sound is like.

Since making this recording, I've taken the starter off and inspected it thoroughly. The brushes look like they have life left in them and I cleaned up the commutator with a scotch brite pad to get the copper shinny again. I tested the starter using a 12v source and it spun with no resistance or noise. I've also replaced the 2 1/2 year old Scorpion Lithium battery with a brand new Shorai Lithium.

Despite these efforts, the bike still struggles to start with that shrill sound. It seems a big stronger with the new battery, but certainly doesn't start as quickly as it used to. Previously it would fire up within a couple seconds, but now it takes 3 attempts at 7s before it turns over.

Curious if anyone has run into this kind of problem or think that I should rebuild/replace the starter motor.

Thank you for any help.

The Exhaust camshaft has a centrifugally actuated decompressor fitted to the left side front valve of the Exhausts 2 cam lobes.
It can be accessed by removing the rocker cover.
It has a shoe that slings out against its spring pressure at starting/rotational speed and it retracts at running speed.
It is pinned to the cam lobe with a roll pin.
You can check to see if its working visually, it will make contact with the front left valve bucket to open the valve a bit while rotating the starter and if not it can be replaced fairly easily.
Over time the spring can lose its tension and a replacement is in order.
I've seen this simple hard starting issue resolved several times in the past by simply replacing the decompressor on the BMW G450X bikes on the g450riders.org forum.
You can see the decompressor in the drawing below.
Its not an expensive fix. BMW or your Husky dealer can both get this part in a kit with the spring,retainer pin and the cams decompressor attachment shoe.

Wow, that was a lot of great detail and thank you for taking the time . I am aware of the decompressor, but didn't know that it could be a cause for starting issues. Excited at the opportunity to perhaps fix this problem on the cheap, I ran out to the garage and removed the valve cover to check it. It appears (to my novice eye) that the decompressor is functioning properly and the spring still seems plenty strong as it retracts the arm to it's static position. I put the bike on a stand in 6th gear and rotated the tire through the strokes while observing the decompressor and again it seems to be functioning properly.

I did want to throw something else out there. A couple of months ago, I did tear the bike apart down to the frame removing the engine. I ended up taking the head, valves, and cylinder off as there was a ton of carbon build-up on the valves and piston head. After a deep clean and reassembly, I checked the valve clearances and they were totally in spec, but I do hear a lot of valve train noise now. So, I think I'm going to take another look at the valve clearances. Good luck finding new shims for this bike if I need them though.

My $$$ is still riding on needing a new starter or finding a shop that will rebuild it. I just have no idea what/where that mechanical shrill sound is coming from.

Thanks again and please let me know if you have any other ideas.

Just a follow-up as I hate it when these threads go open-ended with no conclusion as it may benefit someone in the future. I checked my valve clearances and all were within spec except one (brake-side intake 15mm instead of 5-10mm), which was the case before I took the engine apart and cleaned the valves and piston head.

I'm going to proceed with replacing/repairing the starter if I can even find one.

Sounds like the one way sprag clutch. It's a common problem on most bikes. The spring that holds the pawls against the hub gets weak and causes slippage. Refer to an example on the TE310's with pictures here: http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/sprag-clutch-part-numbers.41148/

I found a picture of the one in a TE449



The BMW GS450 appears to have the same inner part: https://www.ebay.ie/itm/BMW-G450X-F...0X-X-2009-3-/352311691977?hash=item520769cac9

Huh, that's a great tip. As a follow-up, I used my poor man's stethoscope (screwdriver) to locate the sound and narrowed it down to the starter. I pulled it apart (again) and gave it another thorough cleaning and inspected the brushes (just at spec 9mm). I found a barrel bearing that surrounds the drive shaft of the motor and gave it a good packing of some grease. No more noise for now, but I bought a new starter from Italy as well. If the sound and hard start resurfaces after replacing the starter, I will definitely take a look at the one-way clutch.

Thank you for your support.