05 RS Rage starter clunking

[squarechevy]

I have an 2005 yamaha rs rage ive had many problems with it but nothing serious. i went to started the other day , and i turned the key and it turned over and it made a clunking noise. it might that it sat for some time

 

[maim]

Battery is fully charged?

 

[squarechevy]

Yes brand new an charged. I got it running and warmed it up and it didn't do it as much.

 

[Vectornut]

In the event that you need to replace the starter, can you replace it by dropping the drive shaft and then removing the heat exchanger? I threw a stud into my exchanger a few years back and replaced it with a new one. It seemed like there was ample room to replace the starter in this way instead of removing the engine or rolling it forward.