LF200 - GY5 Starter acting up
 

Hey guys, I have a 2006 Lifan LF200 GY-5 and the electric starter has been acting up lately. I hit the electric start and you can hear the starter going, but the bike wont start. Using the kickstart the bike will fire up, but with the electric start it wont start. A few times the electric start has worked, but you can hear gears knocking and slipping and then all you hear is the winding of the starter. This began this past Friday and I've had to resort to using the kick start. I took the starter cover off and nothing seems to be broken or out of place, but then again I don't what it should look like if everything were to be in working order. Any ideas whats wrong??

Thanks

Sounds like the starter bendix is going out. It is possible that you have a weak battery or maybe a bad connection someplace too.

I'll say there's a chance that the battery doesn't have enough juice to turn the starter fast enough. The sound is from the engine's compression pushing the piston down and turning the crank faster than the starter can turn it (momentarily), and then the starter catches back up and creates the sound.
That's a theory I have anyways. I think these bikes use sprag clutches for the starter.

It sounds like the battery as the others have said. Start there as it's the easiest to check.

i switched out the battery, but still no luck...the headlight issues i was having are now solved but the starter still isnt working...how would i go about replacing a starter bendix? and do you know where i could find one?

Probably a bit late, but my son had to push the last kilometre home from work the other night. I stripped the left side and found the bolt that holds the magneto in place was so loose that the magneto had knocked some of the winding coils off.
The key had sheared in half. I have mad a new one by cutting the end of a 2nd cut file off and grinding into shape of the key way.

I imagine that file steel should be up to the task. Good idea!