Parked my "running and starting" 68 ironhead and stripped it and made a nice lookin bobber out of it.Oiled it, filled it up with gas and battery`d it all up for a ride.Hit the starter button and the starter just runs but does not turn the motor over.Bought a new bendix and same thing.Now i pulled off the primary cover,and grabbed the shaft that the bendix is on and pulled it out as to engage it"sat it on the clutch basket gear".Activated the starter and the shaft just turns and the gear dosent.I noticed that the shaft turns to the left.Is this right?Because with the bendix out the gears turns in that direction but not the other with my hand..I am puzzled or just plain missing something here..Also i did take the starter apart and cleaned it all up since it was last ran..

 

traxsmax.......You have a problem. Looking at the starter shaft from the clutch side, or left side of the machine, the starter shaft must rotate in a counterclockwise direction. It sounds like yours now rotates in a CW direction.
The bendix gets activated and pulled in when you push the starter button. This moves the arm with two pins outward and slides the pinion gear into place to engage with the clutch hub ring gear. As part of the pinion gear, there is an overide clutch with it. This is the round can behind the gear. This rotates in one direction only. In the other direction it locks.
If your starter motor was rotating CCW the engine would turn over. It sounds like yours is not rotating in the correct direction and so the shaft is spinning inside the gear. The spinning is the clutch function at work
This overide clutch is to prevent damage to the starter shaft if the srarter should hang with the engine started.
Now, it sounds like you did something when you reassembled the starter and caused it to rotate in the wrong direction. I would give anything to learn what you did because I am trying to help another member who has the same exact problem. Is your starter a Prestolite? Are you sure you wired it back the same way it came apart?.........................pg

 

It is a prestolite..I disassmbled it completly and CRS hit me bad and prolly did not reassmble it correctly..If i am looking at the starter on the bench and out of the bike..from the back view meaning the gear is not facing me..When power is applied it rotates CCW..Aint that some crap..

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traxsmax........OK, if you are looking at the starter with the shaft facing away from you, the starter must rotate CLOCKWISE. I have a suggestion here, but since I am no expert on electrical issues I cannot guarantee that this will work.
There are four brushes in this starter. Two wires coming from the shell area are described as GROUND BRUSHES. The other two are described as TERMINAL & BRUSH ASSEMBLY. I think you may have reversed these two pairs of wires when you reconnected them. That is the only thing I can see that could have possibly been put back together incorrectly.
If you try this, let me know if it works. I have passed this same comment on to the member I am trying to help out who has the same problem as you with his starter...................pg

 

I will attempt to attach a view of what I am talking about here. Do not know if this will attach........pg

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Took my problem to work with me this morning and solved it...I had the brushes in the wrong order on the brush plate.Here is what i did wrong..Looking down at the top of the starter with the Positive terminal facing me, the brush nearest me was to the left of the terminal and of course that put all of them in the wrong order.The brush nearest me should have been to the right of the positive terminal..Did this and the starter turns the correct way...This tiny little mistake cost me 30.95 "i bought a new bendix"..Anyhow thanks for trying to help me...Hope this helps the person with the same problem...

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traxsmax.......Thank you very much for the answer to the backward starter rotation question. I am glad that did it and I have relayed your info to the other member. He will appreciate it greatly, as do I......pg