R90 Starter rebuild kit
 

Is anyone aware of whether there is one and if so, where I could locate one?

Some of the pieces are available from BMW but if you have a good auto electric repair shop in your area pay them a visit. Most common wear items are the brushes & end cap bushings which any good shop should be able to supply or change for you.

The dealer does carry the parts - brushes and bushings. At least here in Portland Oregon. Probably about $12 total. I've got an electrical rebuild shop I get my parts from for about one tenth the cost. I'd get you some, but for the small amount of savings it's hardly worth it.

So, the general consensus is to take it to a shop and have it rebuilt?

Roger?

What makes you think there is anything wrong with your starter? Have you opened it up to check the brushes & play in the bushings? If this is beyond your mechanical scope then by all means let someone check it out for you that is qualified. If not then open it up, give it a good cleaning & check for wear. Replace any worn parts yourself or drop it off at a shop and have it done.

I'm being thorough... and no, I have never cracked a starter. Everything is opened up and easy to get to... it's a 30 year old bike and it couldn't hurt to have it rebuilt... right?

Shannon,

These starters are the size of small car starters. They last a long long time. They are also easy to get at, in case you do need to replace or rebuild it.

I would suggest opening it up, inspecting, and lubing the wear points and bushings.

There really isn't much to these things, and once you've worked on one starter you'll find the rest pretty much the same. They really are very simple. If you can do a major rebuild on the bike, you definately have the ability to rebuild a starter!

Hi Shannon.

I'm borderline on this, since I'm a big believer in "do everything while you're in there" but, they're atctually pretty easy to do later, so the case is not compelling and maybe the guys above are right. Just need to remove the top and front covers.
Most old time shops that do Bosch starters can do them locally, but many newer ones won't want to bother finding or turning the correct nose bushing, which is most of the trouble with old ones. If the old bushing was used well past it's life, then sometimes the windings and armature are shot. Brushes need replacement sometimes too, but suprisingly infrequently. The majority are happy with cleaning, lubing, and a new bushing. There are some high and low dollar upgrades avail too. Ping me if you want to know more. I should get to work now.

FYI, Shannon:

If you feel the need to do a thorough rebuild, find a reputable alternator/starter rebuild shop. You will want the armature commutator turned down on a lathe (to smooth it up for new brushes) and the commutator bars undercut to make for a perfect electrical circuit. They can also polish the shaft for the new bushings and test the coils to make sure they are sound electrically.

To find such a shop you might have to call a Foreign car parts shop and ask who they have do special jobs.

Hope this helps.

Thanks guys... maybe this should fall under the if its not broken, don't fix it principal.

Shannon, if the bikes been sitting for some time - a year or two -it would be a good idea to lube the bushings at the very least. You can do that with some light-wt grease from the nose-end, put some on the shaft where the gear slides, and pull the two screws that hold the end cap on - and lube that bushing too.

I can get you bushings here in town for less than a buck a piece. We've got a bmw airhead discount, otherwise they'd be much more expensive. When the bushings start to wear, drag on the motor increases dramatically and it'll start to growl and refuse to work.

Roger, I'd be interested to know the tricks you've got for these starters. You know, the repair shop here can even get me parts for the Valeos. They've now got an updated housing that keeps the magnets from ripping loose. I had one like that and rebuilt it for around $30. That was one of the main problems with those starters that you couldn't find parts for them.