On a certain motorcycle, from 2012-2016 the start motors are notorious for working poorly. We have investigated numerous causes (batteries, grounding, cables, relays), but have found that swapping starters with known good starters usually fixes the issues. So I have disassembled a few starters to see if I can find the internal problem. One interesting thing I have found is that there are no alignment marks on the case so that the orientation of the brushes to the permanent magnets is not consistently aligned.
I do not know enough about DC brushed PM motors to know if this is really an issue or not. Is it? Could this be our culprit?
I have attached a couple of photos of either end of the motor.
Great info - thanks very much.
Back when RC cars used brushed motors, most of the better motors had adjustable brush timing. The effect is similar to adjusting the spark timing on a gasoline engine.
The adjustment has some effect on the motor. Though not DC anymore, but similar, in brushed motors used in electric drills some shift the brushes when changing the direction, as the best position depends on direction of rotation. Those with a fixed position get lower power from a given motor or need to run at reduced voltage in reverse.
However there is no direct universally correct angle, as there can be an additional effective rotation where the windings are connected to the collector. So it is more a question of mechanical space the brushes are often just in the the center between the magnets.
Just like the camshaft or ignition timing in a gasoline engine, the timing is only ideal for one specific set of circumstances, for all others it's a compromise.