Funny guy - wish I was clairvoyant - would make riding to work a lot easier knowing what stupid driving trick the cagers are gonna pull next. Good idea on the Molson though...

I picked up the starter as I was just playing the odds - as I had a new fuel valve, and had just rebuilt the carbs, and I test the fricken valve every time I ride the bike, I refused to believe a hydro could occur.
Powered up the starter sitting on a bench ,and it spun right up. WTF?
Took it apart, and aside from the center gear teeth looking a little razor edged (not blunt) , could not find anything obviously amiss:

the planetary set looked ok as well:

Maybe the tolerance is off between the center gear teeth and the planetary? Yhey sure do not look like a matched pair.
Did not want to ride into work (50 miles one way) and get the spare starter I bought; so as trying to remember where I put the duct tape (to cover the empty starter hole), I remembered that I bought an F6B starter as well - this is for the "Magnum Valk" (GL1800 motor in a Valk frame) project I am working on. I needed a starter a bit shorter than the 2003 1800 starter to minimize cutting a frame member, and the pics on ebay looked a bit shorter - it was, by 1/2". Turns out, it is also a perfect match for the Valk starter, and a full 3/4" shorter as well:


Bolted it in (note that it also went in a lot easier than the Valk starter came out), hooked it up, hit the starter... nuttin.

Then after checking half a dozen things, I had the sense to look close at the tip-over switch. It has a nice arrow on it. and a word - UP. Had to take it off the center panel in order to remove the center panel, in order to pull the starter...then just placed it in the general vicinity, upside down...

Straightened that out, hit the starter, crank, crank, crank, (it's been 4 weeks now), crank.... VROOM!

BTSOM why the original starter motor turns, but cannot turn over the engine. I am just so frickin glad I did not have to pull the engine to solve a hydro...