Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Picked up a spree over the weekend that's been sitting for a while. Just trying to get it running at this point. The kick starter gear is stripped out, and the starter doesn't work. I have 12v throughout the whole system, the solenoid clicks and I have 12v at the starter however it doesn't spin. I've ran a jumper from the battery down to the starter and it doesn't spin. I've pulled the side cover and its not bound up, and the motor turns over freely. Thoughts?

You must hold one of the brake levers in while pushing the start button

I've been doing that throught out the troubleshooting process.

I tend to agree with the idea that the starter motor is toast.

Now the question is where's the best place to find a replacement? I'm going to try and rebuild it if it needs it, but if not, where should I look other than eBay?

Could just be a starter relay is bad

Pulled the starter over lunch and bench tested it, which it failed. Going to try and clean it up and see if i can get it working.

There is some starter rebuild info on the Wikispreedia.
Go to "board Index" and click on any heading.
Then you will see a subject title "Get answers to your questions right now: Wikispreedia"
I cannot find that page myself...something is missing...I don't know what...HELP bonesv, Wheelman111, noiseguy

Took it apart and the brushes are trash, tried to clean them up the best I could and got a couple seconds of spinning, but it inevitably stopped.

Eclark claims the Suzuki LT80 starter rebuild kit fits the Spree. I presonally have no experience in doing this. Ebay has a few used starters for sale but prepare to pay up. Also verify what tooth count you have/need before purchase. If my memory is correct, the 84-85 had 10 and 86-87 had 11. Count teeth yourself.

Yes, LT80 rebuild kit will work fine, not all the parts, but the key ones you need will work. My 87's starter was rebuilt with an LT80 kit. The guy on eBay who is selling starters and adds a core charge has a nice little swindle going. All he's doing is rebuilding them with LT80 kits, selling them for a ridiculous amount, and in addition is conning people into sending him their old starter so he can turn around and do it again by telling them there is a core charge. Scandalous Bassturd. His BS scheme causes others who want to sell, think that they have gold so they in turn jack up their price. Avoid any of them and just rebuild what you have.

Just remember though, when you rebuild, make sure you clean all the old gunk out of the starter with a wire brush (and spray in brake cleaner/degreaser, etc) and re-grease. Don't forget to very lightly grease the bendix pinion as well. 30+ year old starters can collect rust inside and old grease dries out, which will hinder the use as well. Keep us updated and let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the insight! I have a kit on the way for the starter. Unfortunately, I moved onto trying to get it to fire and did a compression test on it to find out it only has 60 PSI. So now I have a piston kit on the way as well.

OK, one thing you'll wanna watch out for there, is typically the pistons rings in these online kits are junk. You'll wanna order a set of genuine Honda rings which are still available online or from your local Honda dealer. Part number: 13011-GAB-305

Thanks for the advice. I went with this set on the advice of a forum post earlier.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/372483631223